Wollongong to Melbourne road trip: Distance & best stops

Wollongong to Melbourne drive: Chiltern to Glenrowan

Once over the border, the Barnawartha Scenic Reserve next to the highway can be used as a leg stretch, and the Chiltern Motor Museum in Chiltern caters for petrol-heads.

Wangaratta is the next biggish town. Highlights here include swimming in the Ovens River and seeing the Aboriginal sculptures on the Bullawah Cultural Trail. Most, however, use it as a gateway for visiting the King Valley wineries around Milawa.

For Wangaratta accommodation, take a look at the riverside Big4 Wangaratta North Cedars Holiday Park and the well-equipped Quest apartments.

Further along the highway you’ll come to Glenrowan, scene of the infamous shoot-out where notorious bushranger Ned Kelly was finally captured. Head to Siege Street, where a series of signs and cut-outs tells the story.

Goulburn to Melbourne drive: Glenrowan to Seymour

Continue until you reach mural-dotted Benalla, where the Benalla Art Gallery is one of Australia’s best regional art museums. You can also learn about pilot training during World War II at the Benalla Aviation Museum.

Further south, the Reef Hills State Park offers plenty of wildlife and wildflowers, while you can also get a nature fix at the Euroa Arboretum and Balmuttum Walking Track in Euroa.

On the way to Seymour, you can taste wines at the Magyars Hill Vineyard and Cottage or Fowles Wine, or get lost in the Avenel Maze.

Things to do in Seymour include the eerily moving Vietnam Veterans Commemorative Walk and trainspotter’s paradise, the Seymour Railway Heritage Centre.

Seymour accommodation possibilities include the family-friendly Big4 Holiday Park and the impressively reviewed New Crossing Place Motel and Apartments

Click through to the next section: Tallarook to Melbourne.