Yass to Melbourne road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops

The Yass to Melbourne drive covers a distance of 601km, with a driving time of around 6h15m. Top road trip stops to add to the itinerary include Albury, Glenrowan and Benalla.

The drive from Yass to Melbourne is something of a slog along the Hume Highway. It’s not one of Australia’s classic drives, but it’s a significant chunk of the drive from Sydney to Melbourne or Brisbane to Melbourne.

Yass in New South Wales is close to several Canberra region wineries, and Canberra Winery Tours offers pick-ups in Yass.

Melbourne offers street art tours, supreme views from the Melbourne Skydeck and Aboriginal cultural tours in the Botanic Gardens. For a great range of Melbourne tours and experiences, explore here. To track down the best value Melbourne accommodation, come this way.

There are a few places worth adding to a road trip itinerary along the way, however. Click on the town names for more detailed guides to each.

Yass to Melbourne distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Yass to Melbourne is 601km. That makes for a driving time of around six hours and 15 minutes, almost entirely along the Hume Highway.

14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne

Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.

The first decent-sized town on the Yass to Melbourne route is Gundagai. It offers the Australian Road Transport Heritage Centre and distinctive, good quality accommodation at the nearby Nimbo Fork Lodge and Kimo Estate.

Where to stay in Gundagai

The best Gundagai accommodation options are:

For a decent, cheap motel: Poets Recall Motel.
For family cabins and a playground: Gundagai Cabins and Tourist Park.
For central location: Garden Motor Inn.

Further along, Jugiong on the Murrumbidgee River makes for a good lunch stop, with the Long Track Pantry having a particularly good reputation.

Yass to Melbourne road trip: Jugiong to Albury

The next stop of note is Albury, the largest city on the Murray River – although you can make a slight detour for walks in Woomargama National Park along the way.

Things to do in Albury include kayaking along the Murray, admiring Aboriginal art on the Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk and delving thoroughly into Australian immigration history at the brilliant Bonegilla Migrant Experience.

The Bonegilla Migrant Experience inside the former Bonegilla Migrant Camp, Wodonga — The Bonegilla Migrant Experience in Wodonga tells the story of Australia’s post-war immigration inside the former Bonegilla migrant camp. Photo by David Whitley

The latter is in Wodonga, Albury’s twin town on the Victorian side of the border.

Best Albury accommodation picks

The best places to stay in Albury are:

For a heated pool and spa in a gorgeous location next to a riverside park: Best Western Plus Hovell Tree Inn.
For apartments with kitchenettes in a central location: Mantra Albury.
For a good quality motel next to the train station: Winsor Park Motor Inn.
For a holiday park with lots of facilities for the kids: Big4 Albury Tourist Park.
For a motel with cheap rates and fairly central location: Allawa Motor Inn.

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Click through for the next section: Wodonga to Glenrowan.

Yass to Melbourne drive: Wodonga 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.

Yass to Melbourne drive: Benalla to Avenel

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.

Pick the best Benalla accommodation options

The best places to stay in Benalla are…

For a solid, affordable motel with a pool: Glider City Motel.
For family-friendly cabins: Benalla Tourist Park.
For central location: Top of the Town Motel.

The Benalla Art Gallery in Benalla, Victoria. Photo courtesy of Visit Victoria.

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.

Click through to the next section: Seymour to Melbourne

Yass to Melbourne road trip stops: Seymour to Melbourne

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

On the way into Melbourne, Tallarook has an outdoor pool and a few wineries, including the Trawool Estate.

Then, the Mount Ridley Lookout in Craigieburn shows off the dividing line between rural Victoria and suburbia.

Top attractions to add to your list in Melbourne include the Immigration Museum, Brighton Beach, the Australian Sports Museum and the Albert Park Driving Range.