Bendigo is 153km north of Melbourne up the Calder Freeway. And around a 90 minute drive from Melbourne Airport. Getting here by road is easy as it is situated at the junction of the Calder Highway, McIvor Highway, Midland Highway and Loddon Valley Highway, making it very accessible no matter which direction you are coming from.

From the Murray River town of Echuca, the journey is a picturesque hour and ten down the Northern and Midland Highways, while Shepparton is 1.5 hours east on the Midland Highway. Heading northwest along the Loddon Valley Highway, Swan Hill is 2 hours away, while Mildura is 4.5 hours away via either the Loddon Valley or Calder Highways.

Closer to Bendigo is the Heathcote wine region, a leisurely 30 minute drive along the McIvor Highway. While the artisan hub of Castlemaine is about 40 minutes to the south along the Calder Highway.

If you would like to travel to Bendigo with coach charters, please visit to 'By Coach Charters' page.

Travelling with an Electric Vehicle 

Coming from Melbourne, there are places to charge your car at Woodend (124 High Street Parking, CCS2 and CHAdeMO), Kyneton (two Type 2 chargers at Kyneton Health, one CCS2 and CHAdeMO at 7-15 Baynton Street Parking), Malmsbury (two Wall type charges at the Malmsbury Town Hall), and Castlemaine (Type 2 charges at Woolworths in the middle of town, one CCS2 and CHAdeMO charger at the Maxi IGA, and two Wall chargers at the Botanic Gardens parking bay on Downes Road).

Once arriving in Bendigo, there are plenty of places to plug in for the night. In the centre of town, park and charge at the Queen Elizabeth Oval (2 high power chargers, CCS2 and CHAdeMO) or the City of Bendigo public charging station on Market Street (5 high power chargers, CCS2 and CHAdeMO).  Type 2 chargers can be found at the City Centre Motel on View Street, at Alexandra Place, 200 McRae Street; and in the Hargreaves Street Multi Story car park among many other options. 

Make sure you are fully charged before making your back home.

Plan ahead

  • Allow plenty of time to charge your EV on your road trip. Road conditions (such as hills) can affect the battery's range.
  • At some AC charging stations, you'll need your own cable to connect a port to your car.
  • Find charging stations using the map here.