melbourne to canberra driving Page 520

It’s roughly 660–670 km from Melbourne to Canberra, mostly up the M31 Hume and then the Barton Highway into town. Allow about 7–8 hours of wheel time, longer if you stop for the obligatory Holbrook submarine selfie and a pie in Albury-Wodonga. A sensible cruise sees fuel use around 7–8 L/100 km; at about $2/L, budget roughly $90–$110 in petrol, plus coffee bribes. Road’s easy, mostly dual carriageway, but watch for highway patrols, roadworks, and roos at dawn and dusk. Good stops include Euroa, Glenrowan, Wangaratta, Albury, and Yass—stretch the legs before your hamstrings fossilise. Fancy scenery over schedule? The Snowy or coastal routes are longer and slower, but prettier than your sat-nav’s ETA.