Travel Directory - Road Directions

Print a map from our MAP PAGE

For city folk, interstate, and international visitors, we offer here some tips for travelling by road in the Tablelands.

Information is included from recent visits and experience, so there will be gaps in our advice until we can verify latest information.

Our road map shows a series of interlinking roads, and towns and villages.

However, not all these roads are sealed - although they are navigable - and many of the towns shown no longer actually exist as towns - they are geographical areas which once may have housed a town or settlement, but now may be just farming areas.

On this page we will attempt to provide you with more details for road travel.

How to get to the Southern Tablelands by Road.

From Sydney.

Join the M5 Motorway at King George's Road, Beverley Hills, or at Liverpool. Head south to the F5 Freeway towards Campbelltown/Goulburn/Canberra. Marulan, at the entrance to the Tablelands is about 2 hours drive.

The Freeway now bypasses all the major towns of the Tablelands. There are roadhouses at Marulan, then Yass, over an hour further on. However, a diversion through Goulburn is the same distance (though takes longer) and there are petrol stations there including one open 24 hours at the Big Merino on the south side of town.

Enter the Tablelands at:

• For Marulan - take the exit near the heavy vehicle weighstation. There are 24 hour roadhouses at Marulan.

• For Bungonia - take the exit to the left just past the Roadhouse at Marulan. Narrow, but sealed, country road to Bungonia; take turn left in middle of village at Lookdown Road to Bungonia Gorge (good road, sealed all the way). Petrol only at Marulan.

• For Windellama, Sandy Point, Oallen Ford, Nerriga - take the exit to Bungonia, and travel south. Past Bungonia, except for a few stretches around Windellama, the road is unsealed. Further south you may actually have a use for your 4WD, but the road is navigable (corrugations and potholes) at slower speed in an ordinary car.

  There are no villages between Marulan and Nerriga. The only petrol (plus takeaway and basic provisions) is available half way between Bungonia and Windellama (closes at 6.00pm).

  You may wish to approach Nerriga by taking the Princes Highway south to Nowra, then a better road to Nerriga up the mountain.

• For Goulburn - the main exit is about 15 minutes past Marulan to the left over Governors' Hill, but if you miss it there is another one further down the road. Be aware of speed restrictions approaching the city, despite the divided road. Petrol and 24 hour roadhouse in Goulburn.

• For Taralga - take Goulburn exit, then Taralga turnoff to right as you enter town (good sealed road). Petrol in Taralga in business hours only.

• For Lake Bathurst, Tarago, Braidwood - take the Goulburn exit, travel through to the west of the city and look for the Braidwood Road sign on the left. A good sealed (but sometimes narrow) road through Tarago and to the junction of the Kings Highway from Canberra at Doughboy - turn left (no town). Good, but winding road, with overtaking lanes on hills. Petrol in Tarago in business hours, otherwise Braidwood.

  For a more direct route to Tarago you could take the Bungonia exit at Marulan, go through Bungonia and turn right at Windellama - but unsealed roads for most of the way. Petrol only at Marulan, and half way to Windellama and at Tarago in business hours.

  For a longer (much longer), but not necessarily more scenic route to Braidwood, you could take the Princes Highway south to Batemans Bay then climb up the mountain on a good sealed road. The only advantage of this route would be to see Batemans Bay itself.

• For Crookwell, Laggan, Binda, Bigga - take the Goulburn exit and turn to the right at the western end of the city (follow the signs). Sealed country road all the way, narrow and winding for 20kms north of Goulburn, but then good open sealed road. Drive straight through Crookwell for Binda, Bigga; turn right just past main street for Laggan (all good sealed roads). Petrol at Crookwell, Binda, Bigga in business hours.

• For Lake Wyangala, Grabine State Recreation Area - follow directions for Bigga, then unsealed road for 25 kms to Grabine.

• For Tuena, and on to Bathurst - either follow directions to Taralga, and turn left for Laggan (28 kms, unsealed for 16), then north on Golspie Road 4kms, then left to Tuena (53kms, only about 12 sealed, but mostly wide and well graded); or head for Crookwell and Binda, then north to Tuena (55 kms, only about 20 sealed, the rest very rough, narrow ungraded gravel winding up and down over mountains). Bathurst is about 120kms further on on mostly narrow gravel road. Petrol only at Taralga, Crookwell, Binda, and Tuena in business hours.

• For Canberra - exit the freeway to the left about 10 minutes past the west Goulburn exit. No petrol between Goulburn and Canberra.

• For Gunning - travel past Goulburn on the Freeway for about 30 minutes. Take exit ramp to left. No petrol between Goulburn and Gunning, where open in business hours.

• For Yass - the turnoff into town is easily seen on the freeway about an hour past Goulburn. 24 hour roadhouses in Goulburn and at Yass turnoff; Gunning in between only in business hours.

More information for other directions next time.