Road trip: Sydney to Melbourne in 3 days

About an hour from Sydney’s CBD the Princes Highway skirts the edge of Royal National Park to arrive at Heathcote. It was briefly known as Bottle Forest until 1835 when the Surveyor General Sir Thomas Mitchell named it after a soldier who fought with him against Napoleon. This is a good place to get a full tank before heading south.

Go left on the Princes Motorway when it forks east from the Princes Highway, then take the Helensburgh exit about 12 minutes later to visit its majestic Sri Venkateswara Temple. Built on bushland in the late 1970s, the Hindu temple is especially breathtaking at the end of the week when the statues of deities are decorated with fresh flowers. The Nan Tien Buddhist Temple is another 30 minutes south in Berkeley.

Try to get to Berry as early as possible for lunch because its roadside cafes are often busy. You’ll find an incredible range of locally made sourdough and European pastries from Flour Water Salt (the only three ingredients you really need for sourdough) and Milkwood Bakery. Or celebrate the regions burgeoning flavours at South on Albany. For something sweet, line up for doughnuts at the Berry Donut Van on Queen Street (you can’t miss them) or reconnect with your childhood at The Berry Bon Bon Sweet Shop.

If you’re craving a romantic sojourn only a few hours from Sydney, the locally-sourced seafood by Rick Stein at Bannisters is worth booking ahead for. Meanwhile, families with kids older than five can build up an appetite for local fish and chips while learning to surf together. Book at Mollymook Beach Surf School or get special coaching from former world champion Pam Burridge when she’s in town.

Or stretch your legs in the National Park, the Murramarang Aboriginal Area contains ancient middens built up by the Aboriginal people who lived here for thousands of years. Its short (2.2km) walking track is easy for most ages and finishes with a rewarding swim near Bull Pup Point.

Once colloquially known as “the muffin shop”, The Mossy Cafe (half an hour south of South Durras) still serves the warm sweet or savoury muffins generations of locals and visitors have flocked here for, plus fresh rolls, burgers and Moruya-roasted coffee.

In the heart of River Cottage country are some amazing treats including the Tilba Dairy, Mrs Jamieson’s 117 varieties of Tilba Fudge made by hand with local butter and cream and the dazzling array of old-fashioned sweets from Tilba Sweet Spot.

The Princes Highway kinks down through a few mountain ranges before aiming straight at NSW’s southernmost town. As Eden is home to the state’s largest fishing port, fresh seafood is in abundance. Watch the boats come in as you tuck into delicacies from Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters. If you don’t want fish, Sprout caters to vegans, vegetarians and omnivores alike with a highly regarded menu using local produce.

An hour and a bit into Victoria along the A1 is an old-fashioned country general store in Cabbage Tree Creek called the Bushware Cafe. It’s a well-positioned pit stop selling homemade pies, burgers, sauces and cordials alongside steak sandwiches and bushies’ cooking gear.

This little Gippsland country town serves up lots of interesting experiences for families of all ages, from sampling handmade Maffra Cheese, to bird watching in the Macalister Wetlands Reserve and driving through time at the Gippsland Vehicle Collection Motor Museum.

Heading towards the Great Dividing Range you’ll come to the mid-sized town of Warragul, famous for supplying milk to Peters Ice Cream, although becoming more renowned for gourmet destinations including the nationally connected Bean Scene coffee studio and e-commerce hub and traditional Italian plus gourmet burgers at 3 Brothers And An Oven.

An hour before you get to Melbourne make a pit stop at Nar Nar Goon off the C433 to view this little town’s public murals depicting country town life a century ago. They’re as impressive in size as some of the laneway art you’ll encounter in the big city, though with their own gentler charm.