Three Villages Road Trip (5 days, 4 nights)

Drive time: around 1 hour 35 minutes, 118 km. Stay: Bowral.

We’ve included some suggestions below for activities, restaurants and accommodation in Bowral. For more options and ideas to tailor your stay, see our Bowral travel guide. If you are looking for more to do in Bowral, check out our Things to do in Bowral: Weekend Activity Guide. This guide gives you more detail on the activities in and around the town.

Morning

If possible, leave Sydney early and aim to reach Bowral late morning to give yourself the afternoon to explore Bowral. If you want a quick view before heading into town, stop at Mount Gibraltar lookout on the way in (turn left down Oxley Drive in Mittagong and follow the signs) for a wide look over Bowral and the surrounding Southern Highlands.

Afternoon

Spend the afternoon in the centre of Bowral. The town is easy to explore once you have parked, with antique stores, boutiques, bookshops, bakeries and cafés all close to the main street, Bong Bong Street. A couple of our favourites are Dirty Janes (a vintage and antique store with an eclectic mix of goods) and Found Antiques (lovely furniture as well as homewares in a gorgeous building). For cricket lovers, stop by the Bradman Museum (just a 10-minute walk from the centre of Bowral) to check out their collection of cricket memorabilia and galleries.

For a more outdoorsy afternoon, visit Corbett Gardens or stroll the 5 km Cherry Tree Walk. This 5 km paved route begins at the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial in Rivulet Park and winds alongside Mittagong Creek and through Bowral’s suburbs. It’s flat, pram-friendly, and dog-friendly (on leash), with ample parking at the start near Bowral Swimming Centre. Autumn is perfect for Bowral colour and cooler walking weather, while spring suits gardens and cherry blossoms.

Local history: The Cherry Tree Walk isn’t just a beautiful walk. Each of the 526 trees is dedicated to an Australian soldier who died in Vietnam, walking the full length of the path means passing every single one.

For lunch while you are browsing or walking, there are plenty of options in and around Bong Bong Street. Some of our favourites are:

• Harry’s on Green Lane: lovely food in a country garden atmosphere.
• Franquette Crêperie: paper-thin, perfectly cooked crêpes with a huge range of topping options
• Vudu Food Bar: for a healthy poke bowl and a juice or smoothie
• The Bowral Brasserie: French classics just off the main street
• Italo: Italian focaccias, pastries and good coffee

Evening

Book dinner ahead, especially on weekends. Bowral has more restaurant choices than the next two stops, so it is a good place to start your road trip with an amazing dinner before the quieter village stops. Bistro Sociale at Berida Hotel is a solid choice if you are staying there, or head into Lucette, a fairly new French favourite in the town centre. Franquette Crêperie and The Bowral Brasserie also work well for dinner.

Accommodation options

• Boutique hotel: Berida Hotel, with Bistro Sociale and Aspinalls Bar & Lounge on site.
• Country manor stay: Peppers Craigieburn, a few kilometres outside Bowral with a restaurant and bar.
• Walkable budget option: Imperial Hotel and Motel, close to the main street with a pub, bistro and pizzeria.
• For other options, including holiday houses and cottages, check Booking.com or Stayz.

Drive time: around 45 minutes direct, 40 km. Stay: Kangaroo Valley.

For more detail on walks, waterfalls, restaurants and accommodation, see our Kangaroo Valley travel guide.

Morning in Bowral

Start with breakfast in Bowral before leaving town. Franquette Crêperie is a good sit-down option, while Italo works if you want coffee and pastries before driving. There is no need to rush this morning: Kangaroo Valley is close enough that you can leave after breakfast and still have time for a scenic detour on the way.

Drive to Kangaroo Valley

To drive direct from Bowral to Kangaroo Valley will take you around 45 minutes. If you want a more scenic route, with somewhere to stop for lunch, head around 25 minutes east to Robertson.

Robertson is best known as the location where the movie Babe was filmed in 1995 and the home of the Big Potato, a 10-metre long sculpture celebrating the region’s potatoes. The Big Potato was given a makeover in 2025 to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the Babe movie and is now painted with characters from the movie. Foodie highlights in Robertson include the Robertson Cheese Factory (for crisp, enormous cheese toasties) and the Robertson Pie Shop (for gourmet pies and pastries).

If you go via Robertson you can also detour a little further to visit Carrington Falls and Belmore Falls for waterfalls and national park walks on your way. Both have options for short walks to the lookouts and longer walks through the National Park. Detouring to both Robertson and Carrington Falls will add around 30 minutes driving to your trip and an additional 36 km.

Local’s tip: Check the National Parks website for alerts before detouring off to any of the waterfalls or walking tracks. Alerts on the website will tell you if there are any closures, either at the waterfalls or on the roads. Carrington Falls is in the Budderoo National Park and Belmore Falls is in the Morton National Park. If you are planning on taking one of the longer walks in the National Parks, you can also download the National Parks app so you have access to maps even when you don’t have mobile coverage.

As you head into the Valley, it’s worth taking a short detour to Manning Lookout for your first proper view over Kangaroo Valley. The road in is a little potholed and bumpy but easy enough to access, then you park past the National Parks sign by the roadside and walk around 150 m to the lookout.

Afternoon

Once you have checked in to your accommodation, you can keep the afternoon local in and around the town. Start near the information display and wander the small run of shops, cafés and heritage buildings along Moss Vale Road. The Hive is a good first stop inside Kangaroo Valley House, with homewares, candles, clothes, books and a café out the back. Kangaroo Valley Woodcrafts is also worth a look for locally made bowls, boards, toys and carved wombats. There are also several cafés (Hampden Deli, Maddison’s In The Valley and The General Café are all excellent) for a casual lunch and The Friendly Inn for a beer and pub meal.

If the weather is good, the 2 km walk down to Hampden Bridge is a nice introduction to the village. The bridge is Kangaroo Valley’s most recognisable landmark, and you can also head down to the river underneath to Riverside Park Beach, a small sandy river spot used for swimming in warmer weather. 

Evening

For dinner, the Friendly Inn is the main pub, with a front bar, bistro, street tables and a beer garden. Valley Bliss Eatery is another good dinner option, with café-style dishes and Nepalese influences. Be sure to book ahead, even on a weeknight.

Planning note: Dinner choices in Kangaroo Valley are more limited than Bowral or Berry, especially midweek. It’s worth checking opening days before you lock in your road trip plan.

Accommodation options

• Central village stay: Wildes Boutique Hotel (show below), right on Moss Vale Road and close to coffee, dinner, the pub and the village walk.
• Holiday house: use Stayz or Booking.com if you want a fireplace, verandah, rural view or group stay.
• Camping: Bendeela Recreation Area is an unpowered riverside camping option and can be booked through WaterNSW.

Drive time: flexible local driving. Stay: Kangaroo Valley.

Daytime

Start with breakfast at The General Café or Wildes Dining. Either is a great choice to fuel the main outdoors day of the trip.

Then, for the bulk of the day, you have a good choice of outdoor activities in and around Kangaroo Valley. Three of our favourites are:

• The Three Views walking track sits in Morton National Park, around 18 minutes from Kangaroo Valley. The full National Parks listed walk is 9.5 km return and takes around 3-4 hours, but the route is flexible because it follows a main fire trail with three separate spurs so you can do one, two or all three. This is a favourite because it’s such a surprise – while the walk itself is fairly straightforward, each spur opens onto wide views across Morton National Park and Tallowa Dam.
• Fitzroy Falls is an 81-metre waterfall in Morton National Park, around a 15-minute drive from Kangaroo Valley. The lookout walk is easy and suitable for all fitness levels, and the views from the cliff edge are beautiful. The visitor centre covers local Aboriginal culture and wildlife.
• If the weather is warm, a kayak or canoe trip is a great way to spend a day on the water. The classic short paddle is Hampden Bridge to Bendeela which gives you around 1.5 km of small rapids and 5 km of flat paddling. You are then picked up in Bendeela and transported back to Hampden Bridge.

For lunch, Hampden Deli is a good option if you want a sourdough sandwich or casual café meal, or The General Café works for pastries, breakfast and takeaway sourdough. Maddison’s In The Valley is another easy choice in the village, in the old bank building and with a sunny verandah for lunch.

Late afternoon

For some brilliant wildlife spotting, head out to Bendeela Recreation Area before sunset. It’s around 13 minutes from Kangaroo Valley village, a large riverside camping and picnic area with wide grassy lawns, river views and a big wombat population. You don’t need to be camping to visit, just park near the river and wander slowly along the bank, keeping an eye out for burrows. As dusk settles in, the wombats start emerging to graze, and you’ll often spot echidnas and wallabies too.

Local’s tip: Bendeela can also get busy at sunset, including with small tour groups, so arrive a little earlier if you want a quieter wander.

Evening

Stay local again rather than adding another late drive. If you ate at The Friendly Inn on the first night, book Valley Bliss Eatery for the second. Wildes Dining is also a great choice, even if you are not staying at Wildes Boutique Hotel.

Drive time: around 30 minutes, 20 km. Stay: Berry.

For more places to eat, shop and stay, see our Berry travel guide.

Morning in Kangaroo Valley

Use the second Kangaroo Valley morning to fit in whatever you skipped on Day 3. Then, when you are ready, drive to Berry over Berry Mountain. The road is winding in sections, so take it slowly and check conditions before setting off, especially after rain or roadworks.

If you don’t mind a slightly longer drive (around 37 minutes, 27 km), take the B73 then Tourist Rd to detour to The Lookout at Cambewarra Mountain. The road climbs through shady, tree-covered bends, then opens onto a grassy lookout with views stretching all the way to the ocean, giving you a preview of where you are heading.

There is a café at the top, open every day except Thursday. Even when the café is closed, the lookout area itself is still worth the detour as you’ll get your first look out towards the coast. The road is very narrow and potholed, so take it slowly and be ready for oncoming cars.

Afternoon

Once you’re checked in to your Berry accommodation, park near Queen Street and walk the main strip. Berry has boutiques, bakeries, cafés, homewares stores and an easy town-centre layout. Moss Nest is a good place to start your wander, especially if you like homewares, gifts and slower browsing.

You can keep lunch casual or book ahead if you want a longer meal. The Garden works for breakfast, brunch or lunch, while Milkwood Bakery is good for a takeaway panini, coffee, cake or pastry. If you want the classic Berry stop, the Berry Donut Van has been on the main street since the 1970s and still draws a queue for hot cinnamon donuts.

Evening

While not as extensive as the choices in Bowral, there are still plenty of great options for dinner in Berry:

• South on Albany is an excellent pick with a chef’s set menu that changes every couple of weeks based on the produce available. The restaurant does book out and is not open every night, so check the hours based on your trip timing and book ahead.
• The Berry Hotel or Great Southern Hotel suit a more casual pub night.
• Tre Bambini is a friendly local Italian restaurant open five nights a week for dinner.

Accommodation options

• Town-centre inn: The Berry Inn, close to town with clean, spacious rooms.
• Motel with pool: The Mandala Signature Berry, right in the heart of Berry.
• Renovated motel: The Berry View, around 10 minutes walk from Queen Street.
• Country property: The Homestead, around 15 minutes walk from Queen Street.
• You can also check Booking.com or Stayz for other options, including holiday houses and cottages.

Drive time: around 2 hours, 154 km. Return to Sydney.

Morning

Start with breakfast in Berry rather than rushing straight back to Sydney. The Garden, Milkwood Bakery and the Berry General Store all work well for an easy final morning, depending on whether you want a sit-down breakfast or takeaway pastries to eat on the road.

If you want one last outdoor stop before driving home, Seven Mile Beach is around 10 minutes from Berry and is perfect for a long walk, picnic or quiet ocean view. Gerroa sits at the southern end of the beach, with headland views and easy access to the sand.

If you are visiting on the first Sunday of the month, Berry Markets may be on at the showgrounds for arts and craft, homewares and produce.

Extending this trip

• Add Berrima after Bowral: Berrima sits around 10 minutes from Bowral and works as an easy add-on if you want more heritage village time. If you are considering swapping Bowral for Berrima, our comparison guide, Bowral or Berrima: Where should you stay?, can help you decide between the two towns.
• Add Kiama or Gerringong after Berry: Both work as coastal extensions if you want to turn the final night into a longer South Coast trip rather than driving straight back to Sydney. If you’re deciding between Kiama and Gerringong for an additional night, check out our guide Kiama or Gerringong: Where should you stay? for a comparison of the two towns and who they are likely to suit.

Planning for this road trip

• Book Bowral and Berry restaurants ahead on weekends.
• Check Kangaroo Valley dinner opening days and book ahead before travelling midweek.
• Book kayaking in Kangaroo Valley.
• Check National Parks alerts before visiting Carrington Falls, Fitzroy Falls, Belmore Falls or Three Views walking track.
• Download maps before driving around Kangaroo Valley, where mobile reception can drop out.
• Drive slowly on lookout roads and on the Berry Mountain road between Kangaroo Valley and Berry.
• Pack walking shoes, a warmer layer for Southern Highlands evenings and swimwear if visiting in warmer weather.

FAQs

How many days do you need for Bowral, Kangaroo Valley and Berry?

Five days and four nights is the best pace for this route. It gives you one night in Bowral, two nights in Kangaroo Valley and one night in Berry. You could shorten it to four days to reduce Kangaroo Valley to just one night. This would feel more rushed but would work well as a reconnaissance trip to try different villages and see where you might like to come back to for a longer stay.

Can you do this road trip in reverse?

Yes. A reverse route works as Sydney to Berry, Berry to Kangaroo Valley, Kangaroo Valley to Bowral, then Bowral to Sydney. The main reason to keep the route in this order is pacing: Bowral gives you an easy first drive and good range choice of dining choices for your first night, Kangaroo Valley gets the fullest nature section and Berry makes a relaxed final village stay with the possibility of a beach walk or swim before the drive home.

Do you need a car for this road trip?

Yes. Bowral and Berry both have train access, but this route does not work well by public transport. You will want a car for Mount Gibraltar, Robertson, Kangaroo Valley, waterfalls, Bendeela, Berry Mountain and any beach detours.

When is the best time to do this road trip?

Autumn and spring are the easiest seasons for this route, with good walking weather, gardens, village browsing and comfortable drives. Winter can work well for fireplaces, pubs and quieter towns, but check waterfall access and pack warm layers. Summer suits river swims, kayaking and Seven Mile Beach, but plan outdoor activities, especially walks, for early in the day.