The COVID pandemic has restricted our travel options overseas so this is the era of aussies rediscovering Australia. Niran and I love driving and the options for travelling from Sydney are endless.
On this road trip we thought we would head in the direction of our closest neighbouring state, Victoria. So we set aside two weeks and planned a leisurely trip exploring either side of Australia’s mightiest river system, the Murray. The river draws a meandering boundary between our two states and there’s much to explore on either side.
a two week itinerary through southern nsw and northern victoria
This was our itinerary for the road trip. The hours represent driving hours only. And these are not direct routes. We tried to avoid the main highway as much as possible so that we could spend time visiting small country towns along the way. See below for more details on each day’s travel.
| Day 1 | Sydney to Moonbah, NSW | 468km/5hrs |
| Day 2 | Moonbah, NSW to Rutherglen, Victoria | 349km/4.5 hrs |
| Day 3 | Day in Rutherglen, NSW | |
| Day 4 | Rutherglen, Victoria – Echuca, Victoria | 271km/3.5 hrs |
| Day 5 | Echuca, Victoria – Sea Lake, Victoria | 228km/2.75 hrs |
| Day 6 | Sea Lake, Victoria – Mildura, Victoria | 189km/2hrs |
| Day 7 | A Day Trip to Mungo National Park, NSW | 244km/3.25 hrs |
| Day 8 | Mildura, Victoria to Daylesford, Victoria | 618km/7 hrs |
| Day 9 | Visiting Goldfield Towns Around Daylesford, Victoria | 229km/3hrs |
| Day 10 | The Diggings Tour from Daylesford to Chewton, Victoria | 46km/45 mins |
| Day 11 | Visiting towns around Castlemaine | 63km/1hr |
| Day 12 | Chewton, Victoria to Tumbarumba, NSW | 468km/5.25 hrs |
| Day 13 | Biking the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail | |
| Day 14 | Tumbarumba, NSW to Sydney | 471km/5hrs |
Here’s a snapshot of what we did each day!
Day 1: Sydney to Moonbah, NSW
Our Murray River adventure needed to start at the head of the Murray, the Snowy Mountains. So today, we were heading for the Alpine country. Setting off down the Hume, our route would take us through Goulburn, then via the Federal Highway to Collector, Cooma and finally ending up at Moonbah. It was nice to spend a little time in Goulburn rather than the usual bypass and reminded us that its still a grand town. Our tiny house in Moonbah was in a gorgeous setting made more evocative by the pouring rain!
Day 2: Moonbah, NSW to Rutherglen, Victoria
One of our top 3 days of the trip. Hugging the Murray River along the Murray River Road is something we would recommend highly. Beautiful scenery, quaint little towns like Tiltandra and a chance to ponder about the importance of water to this country and the vital role that the Murray plays. It all added to a magical day. We set off down the Alpine way to Khancoban, driving past the famed Snowy Hydro power stations, then onto the Murray River Road through Tiltandra, Walwa, Kurrajongs Camp and Lake Hume…all well worth a stop. Finally, on to Rutherglen for the night.
Day 3: A Day in Rutherglen, Victoria
As lovers of sweet wines, a stop in Rutherglen was almost a must. Rutherglen occupies a special place in the Australian wine industry as the home of Australian fortified wines and we were determined to enjoy their charms.
Day 4: Rutherglen, Victoria to Echuca, Victoria
Variety was certainly the flavour of the day with Australian folklore…Ned Kelly’s last stand at Glenrowan, a ghostly and hauntingly beautiful landscape at the Winton Wetlands trying to regenerate after a sad period in history, the wonderful art laden town of Benalla and finally the North East Victoria Silo Art Trail taking in the towns of Goorambat, Devenish, St James (the home of Coles Supermarkets) and Tungamah…a full day!
Day 5: Echuca, Victoria to Sea Lake, Victoria
A long and action packed day starting with a stroll around the older parts of Echuca and the historic Port, a paddle steamer on the Murray…an absolute must to celebrate the river’s history and those wonderful old boats, a quick hike along a tributary of the river and then on to Sea Lake and two trips to the ethereal and totally beautiful Lake Tyrrell…finishing late into the evening under the stars.
Day 6: Sea Lake, Victoria to Mildura, Victoria
An easy drive from Sea Lake to Mildura meant that we were able to explore some of the area around Mildura before nightfall. Being a Murray River trip, we thought that a visit to Wentworh, where the Murray and Darling Rivers meet, would make a nice full stop to our pursuit of the river. From there we took a side trip to the Perry Sanhills and then back to Mildura.
Day 7: A day trip to Mungo National Park, NSW
Mungo National Park, famed as the place where the 40,000+ year old remains of Mungo Man and Mungo Woman were discovered, was the focus of our day. Mungo is a relatively straightforward drive from Mildura but be prepared for a long dirt road and lots of bull dust. The park itself is interesting and the guided tour adds to the experience.
Day 8: Mildura, Victoria to Daylesford, Victoria
Our journey was deliberately planned to take in as many of the north west Victoria silo trail towns as possible. Why visit? Because artwork on a large scale is almost always a triumph of technique and occasionally breathtakingly beautiful. Our favourites included the first painted silos at Brim. If you’re in this area be sure not to miss the cathedral like interior of the Murtoa Stick Shed…absolutely awesome…we’ve been lucky enough to see great architecture around the world and this is up their with the most memorable.
Day 9: Visiting Goldfields Towns Around Daylesford, Victoria
Our day started with a walk around the centre of Daylesford followed by a loop drive that took us from Creswick to Welshman’s Reef. Highlights of the day included the Lambley Nursery (high praise as we are far from gardening nuts), the beautifully preserved town of Clunes, visiting the spot of the Welcome Stranger Nugget find and a lovely peaceful sunset at Welshman’s Reef.
Day 10: The Diggings Tour from Daylesford to Chewton, Victoria
Whilst only a short drive, this was a day filled with interesting history and scenery. Take your time and you’ll be rewarded by the Big Tree at Guilford (it is big and has wonderful first nations history), the Chinese burial grounds, Vaughan Springs, some spectacular landscape created by gold rush, old mines and their remnants and some poignant stories of the courage of those who braved the goldfields. Well worth it.
Day 11: Visiting towns around Castlemaine
You could be excused for thinking that Chewton is just a suburb of Castlemaine but its a nice little place to stay in and if you look carefully, has some interesting history. We started here early and then went on to Taradale and Malmsbury…think Harry Potter rail viaducts and that’s what you see in these towns. We finished in Castlemaine, a town we liked for its historic buildings and good food.
Day 12: Chewton, Victoria to Tumbarumba, NSW
A longish drive punctuated by the vineyards in Heathcote, yet more interesting Victorian country towns like Colbinabin, Rushworth and Chiltern…then on to Tumbarumba at the foothills of the Snowy Mountains.
Day 13: Riding the Tumbarumba to Rosewood Rail Trail
No driving today, just riding eBikes which, once we got used to them, were a whole heap of fun…particularly at max. power! The rail trail ride was undoubtedly one of our favourite days of the tour and we would recommend it to anyone for the tranquillity and, in our case, the unexpected solitude of the day. Lots of lush green countryside with curious cattle and a small stream to one side of the trail to keep us company.
Day 14: Tumbarumba to Sydney, NSW
Whilst most of the day was going to be boring highway, the early part of the drive was far from uninteresting. Our route took us through Batlow, famed for its apples, then on to the old gold mining town of Adelong where we stopped to for the Adelong Falls Gold Workings followed by a stop in Gundagai. Encountering the historic Prince Alfred Bridge and its twin rail bridg we were amazed by its sheer size across the Murrumbidgee River but also that we New South Welshman can allow something so historic to decay as it has. From Gundagai, 3 hours of highway and home.
