Is Melbourne close to Gold Coast?

The distance from Melbourne, Victoria to Gold Coast, Queensland is:

1,064 miles / 1 712 km driving834 miles / 1 343 km flying

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Is Melbourne close to Gold Coast?

For a quick answer, use MileageCalc.com to get the Melbourne to Gold Coast distance.


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Distance from Melbourne, Australia to Gold Coast, Australia

The total driving distance from Melbourne, Australia to Gold Coast, Australia is 1,064 miles or 1 712 kilometers.

The total straight line flight distance from Melbourne, Australia to Gold Coast, Australia is 834 miles.

This is equivalent to 1 343 kilometers or 725 nautical miles.

Your trip begins in Melbourne, Australia. It ends in Gold Coast, Australia.

Your flight direction from Melbourne, Australia to Gold Coast, Australia is Northeast (38 degrees from North).

The distance calculator helps you figure out how far it is to get from Melbourne, Australia to Gold Coast, Australia. It does this by computing the straight line flying distance ("as the crow flies") and the driving distance if the route is drivable. It uses all this data to compute the total travel mileage.




Distance calculator

Travelmath helps you find distances based on actual road trip directions, or the straight line flight distance. You can get the distance between cities, airports, states, countries, or zip codes to figure out the best route to travel to your destination. Compare the results to the straight line distance to determine whether it's better to drive or fly. The database uses the latitude and longitude of each location to calculate distance using the great circle distance formula. The calculation is done using the Vincenty algorithm and the WGS84 ellipsoid model of the Earth, which is the same one used by most GPS receivers. This gives you the flying distance "as the crow flies." Find your flight distances quickly to estimate the number of frequent flyer miles you'll accumulate. Or ask how far is it between cities to solve your homework problems. You can lookup U.S. cities, or expand your search to get the world distance for international trips. You can also print out pages with a travel map.

Wanderlog staff
Updated
• updatedJul 14, 2022

Nonstop drive time

How far is the distance between Melbourne and Gold Coast? The direct drive from Melbourne, Australia to Gold Coast, Australia is 1061 miles or 1707 km, and should have a drive time of 16 hours in normal traffic.

Of course, this is just the non-stop drive time. You probably need to stop for gas, bathrooms, and meals, so the drive time with stops is a bit longer.

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Is Melbourne close to Gold Coast?

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Melbourne to the Gold Coast drive time with breaks

Driving from Melbourne to the Gold Coast takes about 16 hours if you do it nonstop, but depending on your stamina, whether you have kids, or whether you'd like to stop to take in the scenery, it'll almost definitely take longer.

Most guides recommend stopping for 30 minutes for every 4 hours of driving, and driving up to 8 hours a day. For a typical driver who's not stopping to see too many sights, we expect a road trip to from Melbourne to the Gold Coast to take 3 days. During those 3 days, you'll drive for 16 hours in total and take 1 hour 30 minutes for breaks.

When taking breaks, you might as well check out some of the sights too! Take a look at the best stops on a Melbourne to the Gold Coast drive for some inspiration.

17 hours 45 minutes

Total drive time with breaks

What cities are between Melbourne and the Gold Coast?

If you're thinking of driving between Melbourne and the Gold Coast and thinking of staying a night, it's worth looking at a few of the cities that are on the route. The most popular cities to stop between Melbourne and the Gold Coast are Sydney, Canberra, Katoomba, Cessnock, Port Macquarie, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Pokolbin, and Greater Bendigo. Sydney is the most popular city on the route — it's 8 hours from Melbourne and 8 hours from the Gold Coast.

Going back? How far is the Gold Coast from Melbourne?

Honestly, it shouldn't differ by too much, but if you're curious about the drive back, check out the reverse directions to see how far the Gold Coast is from Melbourne.

On your trip from Melbourne to Gold Coast, stop by Sydney, Canberra, Katoomba, Cessnock, Port Macquarie, Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle, Pokolbin, and Greater Bendigo! Make sure to visit Sydney, the most popular city on the route, and see Sydney's top attractions like Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour, and Sydney Ferries.

1

Greater Bendigo

The City of Greater Bendigo is a local government area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central part of the state. It covers an area of 3,000 square kilometres and, in June 2021, had a population of 123,632.

54 minutes off the main route, 9% of way to the Gold Coast

2

Canberra

Sights & Landmarks

Monuments & Statues

Canberra

is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. Unusual among Australian cities, it is an entirely planned city.

31 minutes off the main route, 37% of way to the Gold Coast

3

Katoomba

Katoomba is the chief town of the City of Blue Mountains in New South Wales, Australia, and the administrative headquarters of Blue Mountains City Council. Katoomba is situated on the Great Western Highway 102 km west of Sydney and 39 km south-east of Lithgow. Katoomba railway station is on the Main Western line.

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The Blue Mountains takes a couple hours’ drive to visit from Sydney, with the most popular base for viewing being the township of Katoomba. While this is reachable from Sydney’s Central Station via train, day tours are both a convenient and viable option for making getting there easier and providing further insight into the region.

Katoomba is the biggest town, located on the fringe of the Blue Mountains National Park and its bushwalking trails. For the best views of the famous Three Sisters rock formation, head to Echo Point.

58 minutes off the main route, 49% of way to the Gold Coast

4

Sydney

Sydney, capital of New South Wales and one of Australia's largest cities, is best known for its harbourfront Sydney Opera House, with a distinctive sail-like design. Massive Darling Harbour and the smaller Circular Quay port are hubs of waterside life, with the arched Harbour Bridge and esteemed Royal Botanic Garden nearby. Sydney Tower’s outdoor platform, the Skywalk, offers 360-degree views of the city and suburbs.

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If you follow this three week Australia itinerary, you’ll get to visit Australia’s two best cities, Sydney and Melbourne, the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest, Uluru, the Outback, see wildlife, and the Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road. Of course, I have to leave out some amazing places like Western Australia and Tasmania. It’s just not possible to do it all in three weeks!

You'll either fly into Sydney or Melbourne, so for the sake of this blog we'll go with Sydney. This harbourside city has so many amazing things to do and is a great place to shake off the jetlag.

Most popular city on this route

11 minutes off the main route, 49% of way to the Gold Coast

5

Cessnock

Cessnock is a city in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about 52 km by road west of Newcastle. It is the administrative centre of the City of Cessnock LGA and was named after an 1826 grant of land called Cessnock Estate, which was owned by John Campbell.

22 minutes off the main route, 57% of way to the Gold Coast

6

Pokolbin

Pokolbin is a rural locality in the Hunter Region of New South Wales Australia. It is part of the Singleton Council local government area and the city of Cessnock. The area is the centre of the Lower Hunter Valley wine region. Pokolbin lies within the Hunter Valley Important Bird Area.

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Bushwalk through the rugged Yengo National Park to visit Aboriginal cultural heritage sites, or browse the galleries and antiques at historic villages of Morpeth, Wollombi and Broke. Afterwards be pampered at one of the Hunter’s many day spas before spending the night at five-star luxury resort, Château Élan at The Vintage.

28 minutes off the main route, 57% of way to the Gold Coast

7

Newcastle

Sights & Landmarks

Monuments & Statues

Points of Interest & Landmarks

Newcastle is a harbour city in the Australian state of New South Wales. Its plentiful beaches are linked by the Bathers Way, a coastal walk stretching between Nobbys Beach and Merewether Beach. The walk provides access to Bogey Hole, a convict-built ocean bath from the colonial period. Also on the path is the 1880s Fort Scratchley, a historic site and a viewpoint for spotting migrating whales.

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Explore New South Wales (NSW) with this 9-day road trip covering a wide range of adventures beginning from Sydney to the Central Coast, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Hunter Valley and the Blue Mountains. Sydney is a great base for epic road trips. After our 7 Day South Coast Road Trip — where we drove all the way to Mount Kosciuszko (Australia’s Tallest Peak) — we wanted to see more. This time, we head up north of Sydney and the Blue Mountains to explore the best sights, thrills and nature NSW has to offer.

If you have a little more time you could stop in Newcastle or Port Macquarie, but as we’re rushing to only the best places along the east coast, I’d recommend getting as far north in this first day as possible, and realistically, this is Coffs Harbour. Drive to Sealy Lookout for incredible views over the city and then grab a beer and toast to the first night of your Australian road trip!

13 minutes off the main route, 58% of way to the Gold Coast

8

Port Macquarie

Port Macquarie is a town at the mouth of the Hastings River in New South Wales, Australia. It’s known for its beaches, wildlife and penal colony past. St. Thomas' Anglican Church was built by convicts in the 19th century. A coastal walk from the town centre to the 19th-century Tacking Point Lighthouse offers views over waters home to whales and dolphins. Billabong Zoo is known for its koala breeding centre.

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If you have a little more time you could stop in Newcastle or Port Macquarie, but as we’re rushing to only the best places along the east coast, I’d recommend getting as far north in this first day as possible, and realistically, this is Coffs Harbour. Drive to Sealy Lookout for incredible views over the city and then grab a beer and toast to the first night of your Australian road trip!

11 minutes off the main route, 71% of way to the Gold Coast

9

Coffs Harbour

Coffs Harbour is a city on the north coast of New South Wales, Australia. It’s known for its beaches and the Big Banana monument and amusement park. In the waters off Coffs Harbour Marina is the Solitary Islands Marine Park, home to abundant wildlife, seasonal whales and coral reefs. Just east is the Muttonbird Island Nature Reserve, with its large population of wedge-tailed shearwater birds and learning centre.

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If you have a little more time you could stop in Newcastle or Port Macquarie, but as we’re rushing to only the best places along the east coast, I’d recommend getting as far north in this first day as possible, and realistically, this is Coffs Harbour. Drive to Sealy Lookout for incredible views over the city and then grab a beer and toast to the first night of your Australian road trip!

4 minutes off the main route, 80% of way to the Gold Coast

10

Byron Bay

Outdoor Activities

Beaches

Byron Bay is a coastal town in the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales. It’s a popular holiday destination, known for its beaches, surfing and scuba diving sites. Cape Byron State Conservation Park is on a headland with a lighthouse. Between June and November, humpback whales can be spotted from headland viewpoints such as the Captain Cook Lookout.

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I could spend weeks at a time in Byron Bay, it’s just one of the coolest places to hang out in Oz. If you’re looking for the ‘travelling’ vibe, I’m pretty sure it was born here. Hippies and stoners sit happily beside party animals and leggy ladies dancing on tables in ‘Cheeky Monkeys’, a local nightlife institution. It’s a place where people from all over the world come to enjoy the surf, sea and scorching sunshine.

13 minutes off the main route, 92% of way to the Gold Coast

How many hours is Gold Coast from Melbourne?

How far is the distance between Melbourne and Gold Coast? The direct drive from Melbourne, Australia to Gold Coast, Australia is 1061 miles or 1707 km, and should have a drive time of 16 hours in normal traffic.

How far is Melbourne to Gold Coast by plane?

How far is Melbourne to Gold Coast by plane? You will travel over 1,335 kilometres on your flight from Melbourne to Gold Coast.

How far apart are Brisbane and Melbourne?

The shortest distance (air line) between Melbourne and Brisbane is 854.27 mi (1,374.82 km). The shortest route between Melbourne and Brisbane is 1,098.93 mi (1,768.56 km) according to the route planner. The driving time is approx. 20h 48min.

How far is Melbourne Australia from the coast?

The total straight line flight distance from Melbourne, Australia to Gold Coast, Australia is 834 miles. This is equivalent to 1 343 kilometers or 725 nautical miles.