Fancy a road trip from Melbourne to Sydney and have a week up your sleeve? Then we have the perfect trip in mind for you!
This road trip will take you 7 days and take you through some very popular rural towns in Victoria and New South Wales during the process. It will even let you stop by the nation’s capital city which will be a real treat.
So get your bags packed, get a car sorted and let’s get ready to go on an adventure because we know you are going to love this trip!
Getting Started on your Road Trip
It takes about 75 minutes to fly from Melbourne to Sydney, but where is the fun in that!? If you are an Australian native and have a car, you are set. Our road trip will take you roughly 12 hours to drive, over a distance of 1000km.
“Road Trip is 12hrs and over 1000km”If you are an international traveller you will need to hire a car, but don’t worry they are pretty cheap to higher.
We just jumped on Hertz.com.au now and had a browse and found it will cost you roughly $300-400 to rent a car for a week.
The problem comes via the one way drop off fee, but it is a small price to pay for what will be a pretty good trip.
Itinerary:
- Day 1 – Shepparton
- Day 2 – Wodonga
- Day 3 – Albury
- Day 4 – Canberra
- Day 5 – Canberra
- Day 6 – Wollongong
- Day 7 – Sydney
Day 1 – Melbourne to Shepparton
- Driving Time: 2hr 9mins
- Driving Distance: 190km
With your car sorted and your suitcase packed, you are ready to go! The first stop on our journey is the country Victorian town of Shepparton. It is a quaint little town situated on the Goulbourn River with a population of just 30,000 people.
Depending on what time you leave, you should get in by lunch time. We highly recommend checking out the popular Lemon Tree Café where you can get a good feed, then you can walk off your lunch with a lovely walk around Victoria Park Lake.
Motor enthusiasts can check out the Shepparton Motor Museum which has over 100 classic, vintage and veteran cars and motorbikes. Chocolate enthusiasts may enjoy the Chocolate Apple Factory, while young families may enjoy the playgrounds that are nearby.
Day 2 & 3 – Shepparton to Wodonga
- Driving Time: 1hr 49m
- Driving Distance: 169km
After a good night’s sleep, your journey today takes you to Wodonga, via a stop in Wangaratta for a quick look. Wangaratta is situated in between Shepparton and Wodonga, about an hour either side each town.
Wodonga is a very popular city which forms a ‘twin city’ of sorts with Albury. The area is commonly referred to collectively as Albury Wodonga, with the Murray River running through the middle of the two towns forming the border of Victoria and New South Wales.
There is plenty to do here and you could really spend a couple of days here exploring, which we recommend. You will find a number of resorts to stay at and wine tours are very popular in the reason. The Wodonga Golf Club is a beautiful course for golf fans, while there are an infinite number of amazing walking tracks.
Day 4 & 5 – Wodonga to Canberra
- Driving Time: 3h 33min
- Driving Distance: 344km
A stop in Canberra is one of the highlights of this trip. We have set a two night stay here so you can fully explore and have a look around. Despite being the nation’s capital, Canberra is a relatively small city with a population of just 356,000 people.
If you have a keen interest in politics then you will really enjoy your stay in Canberra. Be sure to stop by and check out Parliament House which is a feature of the city, as well as Old Parliament House.
Canberra is home to some fantastic museums that will interest people of all ages. The National Museum of Australia is well recommended, as is the National Dinosaur Museum. Art enthusiast will love the National Gallery of Australia and the National Portrait Gallery.
War buffs will adore checking out the Australian War Memorial and the Parliamentary Triangle. If the weather is nice and hot then be sure to check out the popular Big Splash Waterpark.
Day 6 – Canberra to Wollongong
- Driving Time: 2hr 34m
- Driving Distance: 244km
After a long couple of days walking and exploring Canberra, it is now time for some rest in the popular coastal city of Wollongong. Located along the Grand Pacific Drive, the city is home to 234,000 people.
Wollongong is well known for it’s popular surf beaches, rocky cliffs and forest trails. You could really spend days here exploring and relaxing on the beach, but we have set aside just the one day as we plan to get into Sydney inside a week.
It is a two and a half hour drive from Canberra so if you leave early enough you can grab yourself some lunch, head to the beach for a few hours and then go and check out some of the popular hiking trails along the coastline and also in the nearby forests.
Thrill seekers will love hang gliding, while there are also large lagoons with boating and fishing facilities. There is something for all ages.
Day 7 – Sydney
- Driving Time: 1hr 21m
- Driving Distance: 86km
Well your week long Melbourne to Sydney road trip is now over! As the drive from Wollongong to Sydney is quite a short trip, you could choose to head back to the beach for a quick swim before your journey to Sydney.
The drive from Wollongong to Sydney is absolutely gorgeous and you will see some stunning views, especially as you drive through the Royal National Park about half way through.
We must warn you though that the traffic in Sydney is quite congested and not for the faint hearted, so be prepared.
So happy travels and we hope you enjoy the trip. If you decide to go, be sure to let us know your thoughts below in the comments section!
