sydney canberra drive

The Sydney–Canberra drive is a straightforward run of roughly 285–300 km via the M8/M5 to the Hume Highway (M31) and onto the Federal Highway (M23).

Allow about 3 to 3.5 hours if you resist heroic speeding and gratuitous bakery detours.

Expect tolls if you use Sydney’s motorways; you can dodge them with slower routes if you enjoy traffic lights.

Fuel, coffee and snacks are plentiful—Goulburn is the classic pit stop, and yes, the Big Merino is still enormous.

Watch for highway patrol, speed cameras and wildlife near dusk; cruise control is your friend.

EVs are well catered for with fast chargers along the corridor, and checking live traffic before you roll beats trusting blind optimism.