Best ACT Road Trips | Australian Traveller

Soak up the views in Lake George, discover the country town that was a former prisoner of war camp, hike to Gibraltar Falls, visit the home of Banjo Paterson and more on the best ACT road trip routes.

Canberra to Cowra, ACT/NSW

The drive from Canberra to Cowra will take just over two hours, but it’s well worth visiting this country town, which was a prisoner of war camp during World War II. The stunning Japanese gardens, cemetery and Australia’s World Peace Bell serve as constant reminders of the historic events that took place here.

To get there, take the Barton Highway for just over two hours, and then you’ll arrive in beautiful Cowra, where you can sample superb local food and wine and picturesque waterways.

Once you’re there, be sure to visit the gardens, the cemetery and ring the World Peace Bell to pay homage to that time in history. You should also check out the Cowra Heritage Walk, which covers a whopping 15 sites of historic interest. The Cowra Regional Art Gallery is also worth a visit, as are the wineries, where you can taste some of the state’s most promising wines. It’s Cowra’s climate, with warm days and cool nights that ensures the wine produced is top notch.

Canberra to Young round trip, ACT

This is a road trip that’ll have you stepping back in time, taking in quaint country towns like Berrima and Braidwood. Recommended as a four-day drive, it’s well worth choosing to spend your nights in charming colonial properties when you can, to properly soak in the theme of the trip.

First stop is Mittagong, where you can explore the stunning art galleries and antique stores of Bowral and Moss Vale. If you can, spend a night in Milton House to stay you’ve spent the night in one of the hotels with the most picturesque gardens in the country.

From there, you’ll head to Yass; the home of Banjo Paterson during his youth. This is rich sheep grazing country, and well worth taking the day to explore.

Next up, you’ll head straight to Young; aka Australia’s cherry capital. You can actually take part in the fruit picking between November and April, or you can drink the fruit, so to speak, at one of the wineries in the Hilltops wine region.

Canberra to Batemans Bay

Just a two-hour trip, heading to Batemans Bay for the day – or a long weekend, ideally – is the perfect getaway from a gloomy Canberra winter day, to seek a little sunshine. To get there just follow the Kings Highway towards the coast. Once you arrive, there are a number of things you can do, from a perusal of the weekend markets, to grabbing your bike and hitting the Batemans Bay cycleway.

For those who seek a little more adventure, why not go horseriding at Timbertops Horse Riding? Or check out Old Mogo Town; a nod to the 1850s gold mining era.

A drive down to nearby Pebbly Beach will see you making friends with tame kangaroos, and you can head to the Botanic Gardens and use the BBQ facilities to set up an all-day hangout with the family.

Canberra to Batemans Bay road trip — Spend a long weekend in beautiful Batemans Bay.

Canberra to Gibraltar Falls, ACT

More like a day trip, the journey to Gibraltar Falls won’t take you very long – but it’s worth dedicating a day to. Once you park, it’s only a short walk to Gibraltar Falls, but once there you’ll often find that you’re completely alone in the magnificent setting. Once there you can get right up close to the waterfall and the rock face, as well as the long drop down – so be careful.

It’s highly recommended that you take with you a picnic and enjoy the day gazing over the lookout. Bring your swimmers, too – as it’s perfectly okay to swim in the pools near the lookout at the top of the falls. But be careful – the water isn’t fast flowing but the rocks can be slippery and icy.

The other highlight is the Falls’ indigenous history. Be sure to explore the rock shelter and stone artefacts that can be found around the Gibraltar Valley for a look back at the Indigenous habitation of the area.

Take a day trip from Canberra to swim at Gibraltar Falls.

Canberra to Sydney

When travelling the three hours to Sydney, it’s important to have an idea of the places worth stopping off. When you start your journey, do yourself a favour and stop off at Goulburn’s famous Trapper’s Bakery and fuel up with one of their delicious chunky beef pies. Wash it down with a smooth coffee from their café.

From there, head to Lake George to take advantage of some of the incredibly scenic lookouts, including Weereewa Lookout, which allows you to take in the entirety of Lake George. There are also a few scattered picnic tables if you wish to take a longer break.

Before heading into Sydney city, it’s worth pulling in to Bowral to take in this quaint country town. With an increasingly cosmopolitan high street, Bowral’s houses and restaurants still maintain a lot of country charm the town has always had. The antique shops are also worth a visit, to pick up a rare souvenir.

road trip canberra to sydney — Take your time getting from Canberra to Sydney.

From cabins to canvas, craft distillers to destination dining, Heathcote locals reveal their eco-savvy passions in ways that resonate with those seeking to travel lightly.

Heathcote , on traditional Taungurung Country in Central Victoria, is synonymous with its garnet-hued shiraz, but wine isn’t the only string to its bow. The town itself is sprinkled with heritage buildings from the gold rush era, and beyond that a growing collection of sustainable gastronomy and eco-friendly escapes. Nearby Bendigo, one of only 65 cities in the world recognised as a UNESCO Creative City and Region of Gastronomy, plates up an astonishing calibre of produce, wine and food for its size. Increasingly the entire region is taking up the challenge, though Heathcote in particular shines with its focus on sustainability.

Pink Cliffs GeologicalReserve — The dramatic landscape of Heathcote’s Pink Cliffs Geological Reserve. (Image: Visit Victoria/Emily Goodfrey)

The eco-stays bringing sustainability to Heathcote

Yellow BoxWood’s safari-style tents — Yellow Box Wood’s safari-style tents are nestled on 40 hectares of bushland. (Image: Emily Goodfrey)

Andee and Lisa Davidson spent years working in southern Africa before settling in Heathcote. “We had a vision of how this could be,” explains Andee. “We wanted a retreat, but one that was off-grid and environmentally sustainable.” Now, at Yellow Box Wood , two luxury safari-style tents are at the heart of 40 hectares of rolling hills and native bush, with kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, goanna and birdlife aplenty. It’s all solar-powered, wood for the fire is mainly fallen timber, and water is collected on the carport roof. No lack of creature comforts though – en suite with rain shower, espresso coffee maker, comfy seating, wood-burning fire all set to go. There’s also a solar-heated, mineral salt pool in a bush setting, walking tracks, and even a mini bush golf course. On my visit, I put the vision to the test. Cocooned in the plush four-poster bed I can glimpse the stars, while the heater casts a golden glow on the canvas. In the morning, I wake to a blush-pink sunrise, kangaroos feeding and a soundtrack of magpies.

If a tent is not your style, Stephen and Cally Trompp’s carbon-neutral Mt Ida Eco Cabin might entice with its generous deck and farmland views. Inside the cabin, corrugated iron walls as rusty as a shearing shed, gleaming (recycled) floorboards, timber truss ceiling (crafted by Stephen), wood-fired heater and an old-school turntable with a pile of vinyls to spin. It’s fun, and a little boho. “Everything is recycled. The cabin takes maximum advantage of the sun in winter. It’s all solar-powered. Don’t panic, though,” says Stephen, “you can still charge your phone and get 4G reception!” Settle into an Adirondack chair on the deck or pedal off on a mountain bike to suss out the wineries.

A taste of Spain in Central Victoria

Another person with a vision is Evan Pritchard at his Three Dams Estate where the wines reflect his deep love of Spain and of Spanish-style grapes, such as tempranillo. Afternoons in the ‘wine shed’ or cantina are matched with music (flamenco is a favourite), Spanish bites from tapas to paella (with Evan on the pans!) and views to Mount Alexander. Sustainability is also a passion. “You don’t need to buy anything. We decided to be off-grid from the start, but it is a lifestyle change,” he says. “You need to think about it and be careful.” Everything here is recycled, reassembled, refurbished. Evan has an electric car (with solar-powered charger), solar-power for the winery, and even a jaunty little electric tractor/forklift. “I love the idea of all the things you can do using the sun.” Sipping a crisp rosado (a Spanish rosé) with Evan in the sunshine, I couldn’t agree more.

The vineyard redefining sustainable winemaking

Silver Spoon winery — The Silverspoon Estate winery is completely off-grid. (Image: Graham Hosking)

On the other side of Heathcote, Silver Spoon Estate demonstrates sustainability on a more extensive scale. Tracie and Peter Young’s winery, cellar door, award-winning restaurant and their own house are all solar-powered and off the grid. Sustainability is intrinsic to everything they do. The property sprawls across 100 hectares, with 20 hectares under vine – shiraz, viognier, grenache, tempranillo. As the climate has changed, so too has the approach. These are dry-grown vineyards. “We prune for drought. That means lower yields but more intense flavours,” says Peter. The fine-dining restaurant offers sweeping views, a wood-burning fire and a deck for languid lunches. Head chef Ben Hong sources regional, sustainable ingredients and weaves estate wines into the menu – think crispy wild mushroom arancini, viognier-infused chicken breast.

Silver Spoon’s award-winning restaurant.

Heathcote’s other hidden gems

Not all local wineries have a cellar door, but I find local treasures at the Heathcote Wine Hub , a petite 1855 timber church in the main street, lovingly returned to life by Karen Robertson and Carey Moncrieff. “Carey is a scrounger,” says Karen. “He doesn’t throw a single thing away.” He does, however, craft things into something quite special. Heritage floors, light-filtering lancet windows and shelves of regional wines create the perfect ambience for wine tasting. Or order a glass and linger over a cheese platter.

Heathcote is not all wine, of course. Nathan Wheat and partner Vanessa Curtis run Envy Distilling with a committed sustainable ethic – and a serious love of gin. Their small-batch distillery produces grape-based gin, and soon brandy. Distilled water is reused in an ingenious cooling system. All waste is treated on site. They buy excess wine from winemakers to distil and buy recycled barrels. “Distilling with the sun,” as Nathan says. Each Envy gin has its own story. Spicy, award-winning The Dry, is designed to capture the region’s dry, rugged nature. Pull up a stool at the bar (reclaimed timbers and tiles, of course), order a Gin Flight, or kick back with a cocktail and let Nathan share his eco journey.

Envy gins — Sample gins at small-batch distillery Envy.

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

It’s less than two hours’ drive from Melbourne. The scenic route we take goes past Sunbury, then along a splendid country road through Romsey and the magic, boulder-strewn landscape of Lancefield. Watch for kangaroos on the road!

Staying there

Go off-grid in style at Yellow Box Wood for glamping or try Mt Ida Eco Cabin for a couple’s weekend hideaway.

Eating there

French dishes at Chauncy — Award-winning French restaurant Chauncy.

At award-winning Chauncy , French chef Louis Naepels and sommelier wife Tess Murray have created a tiny, elegant pocket of rural France. Meticulously restored 1850s sandstone building, sun-drenched dining room, impeccable service, a menu suffused with local flavours and thoughtful wine pairings.

Fodder is both cafe and social hub. Chef Mo Pun and sister Lalita serve classic Aussie breakfast-to-lunch fare, though their Nepalese heritage sneaks through.

Playing there

Sanguine Estate ’s cellar door and terrace overlook bucolic vineyards. Its award-winning, dry-grown wines include the distinctive D’Orsa Blanc dessert wine, reflecting the family’s Swiss-Italian heritage. Order a charcuterie board and stay a while. Keep it carbon neutral by cycling some (or all) of the 50-kilometre O’Keefe Rail Trail to Bendigo.

At Bridgeward Grove , learn about the property’s Old Mission Grove heritage olive trees, do a sommelier olive oil tasting, and stock up on sustainably grown olives and oil. Explore the unique landscape, wildflowers and wildlife of pink cliffs geological reserve.

The best road trips in the ACT