Travelling by Car
With a good highway system linking Canberra to surrounding New South Wales, driving to Canberra is simple. Stop at the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre at 330 Northbourne Avenue for helpful information on your way into town.From Sydney
Direct driving route: 3 hours
- Leave via the M5 tollway, connecting to Hume Highway 31. Turn off after Goulburn on to the Federal Highway.
Scenic drive routes
- Follow the coast road to Batemans Bay. Turn onto the Kings Highway and head to Canberra via the historic towns of Braidwood and Bungendore.
- Take the Mittagong exit from the F5 Freeway and follow the Old Hume Highway through picturesque Mittagong, Bowral, Moss Vale and Sutton Forest, and rejoin the F5 to continue to Goulburn and Canberra.
From Melbourne
Direct driving route: 7 hours
- Follow the City Link tollway to the western ring road, connecting to the Hume Highway. Near Yass, take the Barton Highway turn off to Canberra.
Scenic drive routes
- Follow the coast road through Genoa, Bairnsdale and Eden to Batemans Bay. Turn onto the Kings Highway and head to Canberra via the historic towns of Braidwood and Bungendore.
- Take an inland drive through Bendigo, Echuca and Albury-Wodonga and either travel direct to Canberra, or take a scenic detour through the Snowy Mountains and visit Khancoban, Tumut, Jindabyne, Thredbo and Cooma.
From Adelaide
Direct driving route: 12 hours
- Take the South Eastern freeway towards the Mallee Highway and Sturt Highway. At Yass, take the Barton Highway turn off to Canberra.
Scenic drive routes
- Explore the Murray River area by travelling from Adelaide to Mildura, Swan Hill and Echuca to Albury-Wodonga. Then you can travel either direct to Canberra or through the Snowy Mountains.
- Take a coastal route from Adelaide to Murray Bridge and Mt Gambier and travel the spectacular Great Ocean Road to Melbourne, and then take either coastal or inland routes to Canberra.
From Brisbane
Direct driving route: 16 hours
- Follow the Pacific Highway south to Sydney then take the Hume Highway to Goulburn, turning on to the Federal Highway to Canberra.
Scenic drive routes
- Travel along the scenic Pacific coast to Sydney, and then continue to Canberra by either the coastal route to Batemans Bay, or inland via the Southern Highlands and Goulburn.
- Travel the inland route via Tenterfield, Tamworth, and Muswellbrook, where you can turn off to Dubbo and head to Canberra through Bathurst, Cowra and Yass.