Amazing road trips to explore in the ACT

Canberra is known for being the central spot for all things educational, not to mention its close proximity to some of the best wineries around.

We’ve put together some of the best road trips around the ACT.

1. Canberra museum road trip, ACT

The most culturally enriching road trip on offer in Australia is one that takes you around our very own capital city, laden as it is with world-class museums and galleries that are all easily accessed via its wide, uncongested roads.

Canberra ACT — Immerse yourself in Canberra’s many opportunities to explore Australian culture and art.

National Gallery of Australia & National Portrait Gallery

Start at the National Gallery of Australia on Parkes Place for a roam around rooms filled with everything from abstract masterworks to the affecting Aboriginal Memorial at its entrance (the National Portrait Gallery is a three-minute walk from the NGA so leave the car where it is for this).

Aboriginal Memorial NGA — The Aboriginal Memorial is a powerful installation that commemorates First Nations history.

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National Museum of Australia

Next, head to the National Museum of Australia (six minutes’ drive along Parkes Way) to wonder at Cadel Evans’ bike, the 1866 Melbourne Cup and civil rights campaigner Faith Bandler’s gloves among (lots of) other things.

The CSIRO Discovery Centre & National Dinosaur Museum

The CSIRO Discovery Centre is a five-minute drive from the museum via Clunies Ross Street, with an extra shot of science served up at the National Dinosaur Museum, 14 minutes away in Gold Creek Village.

Australian War Memorial

After that, it’s 18 minutes to get to the Australian War Memorial (via Barton Highway). And if you can squeeze it in, Calthorpes’ House in Red Hill (off Mugga Way) is a hidden gem: a historic house that recreates 1920s life with the Calthorpe family.

Distance:

43.5 kilometres

Stay:

Midnight Hotel has streamlined interiors, a stylish indoor pool and a hip hood locale in Braddon; East Hotel is a vibrant spot close to the cultural action.

Midnight Hotel Canberra exterior — Enjoy a stylish stay in Australia’s capital city.

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2. Canberra’s cold climate wine region, ACT

Spending even the briefest time exploring the area that stretches between Yass and the ACT will instantly make you understand why there is an “it’s mine, no it’s mine" debate about which region can rightfully lay claim to it: technically it is part of NSW’s Southern Tablelands, but the whole area is also affectionately claimed by Canberra. The reason? Because it’s a picturesque, productive cold-climate wine region, with a burgeoning gourmet foodie scene bubbling along nicely in the background.

The shining gem of the region is Murrumbateman, which is best explored on two wheels and pedal power (the sleek, accommodating Abode Murrumbateman has bikes for guests to borrow), cruising between cellar doors at Clonakilla , Shaw Wines , Helm Wines and The Vintner’s Daughter . Fill your basket with a few top drops and grab the fixings for a perfect picnic: treats from Robyn Rowe Chocolates , fresh produce from Murrumbateman Village Market (every second Sunday) and a sourdough loaf or a sausage roll at Clementine Bakery in Yass.

Distance:

50 kilometres from Yass to Gundaroo.

Cycling on the shining gem of the region, Murrumbateman, NSW, Australia — Pedal through picturesque landscapes of the Murrumbateman region.

Keep reading our special Top 100 Road Trips in Australia editorial series.

A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination.

There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.

old gold bank Victoria — Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time.

It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.

Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital

Creswick bike trail — This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria.

I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers.

I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.

The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife.

Eating there

Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand . The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857.

Playing there

Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.

Amazing road trips to explore in the ACT

Canberra is known for being the central spot for all things educational, not to mention its close proximity to some of the best wineries around.

1. Canberra museum road trip, ACT