The Best Day Trips from Canberra: Where to Go on a Weekend Escape

Canberra's position in the southern tablelands of New South Wales (at 590m altitude, in the Brindabella Range foothills) gives it exceptional access to some of Australia's finest day-trip destinations: the Snowy Mountains and Mount Kosciuszko are 2.5 hours south, the NSW South Coast beaches (Batemans Bay, Mollymook, and Jervis Bay) are 2-3 hours east via the Kings Highway, the Southern Highlands (Bowral, Berrima, and Bundanoon) are 2 hours north, and the Canberra District wine region (Murrumbateman, Hall, and the surrounding villages) is just 30 minutes north. For a city of 470,000, the range and quality of day-trip options within a 3-hour radius is extraordinary.

Snowy Mountains and Kosciuszko National Park — the Snowy Mountains and Kosciuszko National Park (the Kosciuszko Road from Canberra to Cooma takes approximately 90 minutes; Thredbo and Perisher are 2.5-3 hours) provide Canberra's most dramatic natural day-trip destination: in winter (June-September), the Thredbo and Perisher Blue ski resorts provide excellent downhill skiing and snowboarding for both beginners and experienced skiers (Thredbo's Supertrail, the longest ski run in Australia at 5.9km, and Perisher's extraordinary 47 lifts and 1,200 hectares of skiable terrain together constitute one of the southern hemisphere's finest ski areas). In summer (December-March), the Kosciuszko National Park provides outstanding alpine hiking (Mount Kosciuszko summit, 2,228m, Australia's highest peak, is accessible by a 13km return walk from the Thredbo chairlift, suitable for reasonably fit walkers), wildflower displays (the alpine wildflower season, January-February, is one of Australia's finest), and excellent trout fishing in the mountain streams.

NSW South Coast: Jervis Bay and Batemans Bay — the NSW South Coast (accessible from Canberra via the Kings Highway to Batemans Bay, 2 hours, or via the Snowy Mountains Highway and the Princes Highway to Jervis Bay, 3 hours) provides Canberra's finest beach day-trip experience: the Jervis Bay Marine Park (the extraordinary white-sand beaches of Hyams Beach, Hare Bay, and Murray Beach, consistently rated among Australia's finest, with the famous crystal-clear turquoise water), the Jervis Bay dolphin encounters (the resident bottlenose dolphin pod in Jervis Bay is one of the most reliable dolphin-watching experiences in Australia), and the excellent Huskisson and Vincentia village cafe and restaurant culture make Jervis Bay the premier South Coast day trip from Canberra. Batemans Bay (2 hours east, on the mouth of the Clyde River) provides an excellent alternative with outstanding oysters, the Broulee surf beach, and excellent casual dining.

Southern Highlands: Bowral and Berrima — the Southern Highlands (90 minutes north of Canberra via the Federal Highway and the Hume Highway, exiting at Mittagong) provide Canberra's finest heritage and garden day-trip experience: Bowral (the hometown of Sir Donald Bradman, home to the Bradman Museum and the International Cricket Hall of Fame) and the remarkable heritage village of Berrima (a virtually intact 1830s Georgian colonial township, with the Berrima Gaol, the Surveyor General Inn, and the extraordinary collection of heritage sandstone buildings) together create one of NSW's finest heritage day trips. The Southern Highlands garden culture (the Corbett Gardens at Bowral during the Tulip Time festival, October, are particularly spectacular) and the excellent regional wineries at Cowra and Tumbarumba (extended day trips) add further interest.

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