Sydney to Melbourne Camper Itinerary
Sydney to Melbourne – approx 10 hours direct, or 14 hours along the coast. We recommend the coastal route! Skip to Canberra section if driving straight there.
Heading south from Sydney following signs to Wollongong will take you along the coastline. You could even take a detour through the Royal National Park, the worlds second recognised national park. There are some great walks through here and if you’re keen there is even an overnight walk guided by Understand Down Under on full moons that gets rave reviews (ph – 0448 388687).
Wollongong has some great surf beaches if you want to check them out, otherwise you can continue south towards Jervis Bay. There are loads of great campsites, beaches and small country towns to visit along the NSW south coast so don’t feel you need to rush! Jervis Bay (a small detour from the highway) is a fantastic dive site, fishing mecca, and home to some of the whitest sand you can get. During the winter months you can also get out on whale watching trips to get close to humpback whales, dolphins and even seals if you’re lucky.
A couple of hours south of Jervis Bay is Batemans Bay. It’s decision time!
You can either stick to the coast and continue driving along the coastal route which will take you through Eden and Lakes Entrance and give you the chance to visit Wilson’s Promontory and perhaps even Phillip Island on the way into Melbourne. This route gives you a great opportunity to see the famous Australian animal icons like wombats and echidnas in the wild. The kangaroos you’ll see no matter which way you go! Phillip Island is best known for the penguins that make their homes there so this route is an animals lovers dream. This route is around 800km.
The alternate route takes you back inland to Australia’s capital city, Canberra. With the Parliament House, War Memorial and National Museum to name a few, this is a popular stop for those who like to learn more about the way us aussies do what we do! The inland route also gives you a chance to check out the Snowy Mountains..yes we do get snow in Australia!! You can ski / snowboard or just make snowmen in the winter months (end of June to strat of Septemeber is the season). If you’re heading through in winter check out the Mojo Snow website for info on great deals for accommodation, ski hire and lift passes.
If it happens to be warmer when passing through you can still catch the ski lift most of the way up to Australia’s highest point, Mt Kosciuszko. The hike is a beautiful one that makes for some very nice photos, even if the heights aren’t as big as most other places the gum trees, wildlife, lakes and rivers you see along the way make it worth your time.
Take the Alpine Way to Albury to make the most of the scenery. Albury has the original Ettamogah Pub which is worth a stop. You’ll see why it’s a bit different to most pubs when you get there!
Albury is also where you will cross into Victoria. From here to Melbourne you can visit more snow fields like Mt Buller, do some fruit picking if you need some cash around Shepparton, learn more about our infamous Ned Kelly who ‘worked’ in the area or simply enjoy country Victoria. This route is roughly 850km.
