Distance from Melbourne to Sydney

The straight-line (great-circle) distance between Melbourne and Sydney is 714.2 kilometres, roughly 1 h 20 min by plane at 850 km/h. By road it is about 865 km via Hume Highway and Hume Freeway, which takes around 10 h 15 min of driving without stops. The map below shows both routes, and the calculator recomputes them for any other pair of places.

Straight line714.2 km
By road865 km
Driving time10 h 15 min
Flight time1 h 20 min

About this page

This page is for anyone planning a trip from Melbourne to Sydney, in Australia. The straight-line distance comes from the haversine formula (great-circle distance). The road distance and driving time are the fastest car route on the OpenStreetMap road network, computed with OSRM; the actual time depends on traffic, stops and the roads you choose. Tap "Calculate distance" in the calculator to redraw the route live.

Frequently asked questions

What is the distance from Melbourne to Sydney?
In a straight line it is 714.2 km. By road it is about 865 km, roughly 10 h 15 min of driving.
How long is the flight from Melbourne to Sydney?
Roughly 1 h 20 min: the distance at a cruising speed of 850 km/h plus about 30 minutes for take-off and landing.
How many kilometres by road between Melbourne and Sydney?
About 865 km on the fastest route via Hume Highway and Hume Freeway, which takes around 10 h 15 min by car. Tap "Calculate distance" in the calculator to see the route on the map.
How is this distance calculated?
The straight-line distance uses the haversine formula, which gives the shortest path between two points on the Earth's surface.