East Gippsland in Winter, it's Worth the Trip.

Most people hear East Gippsland in winter and picture grey skies, closed caravan parks and empty roads.

They’re missing out.

East Gippsland in Winter, it's Worth the Trip.

If you’re doing the classic Sydney to Melbourne (or Melbourne to Sydney) drive during June or July, East Gippsland is the detour that turns a good road trip into a great one. Head inland from the Princes Highway at Bairnsdale — or loop out from Melbourne before you hit the coast — and you’re right in the heart of it.

And here’s the thing: there’s no better way to experience a month-long, spread-out regional festival than by campervan. The festival doesn’t live in one place — it lives across the whole region. A campervan lets you move with it.

The Smarter Way to Plan: Let the Events Lead

Most road trippers plan their route first, then look for things to do along the way. With a festival like this, we’d suggest flipping that.

Pick two or three events that genuinely excite you — the ones you’d actually drive for. Lock those dates. Then build the rest of the trip around them, filling the gaps with the slower pleasures East Gippsland does so well: waking up by the Gippsland Lakes, walking through national park bush, dropping into a winery cellar door, or just sitting around the camper with a fire going.

This is how you avoid the generic tourist loop and end up with a trip that feels genuinely personal. Below, we’ve mapped out the anchor events worth building around.

Getting There: Where East Gippsland Fits on the Sydney–Melbourne Drive

If you’re collecting your campervan in Melbourne (most depots are near Melbourne Airport — easy on and off the freeway), East Gippsland makes a natural first stop heading north: the Princes Highway takes you east out of the city and into Gippsland country within a couple of hours. Bairnsdale, the regional hub, is about 280km from the CBD — roughly 3 hours in a campervan.

Coming from Sydney, it works equally well as your last big stop before Melbourne — join the Princes Highway from the Snowy Mountains corridor or come down from the ACT and through into East Gippsland before your final push south to the depot.

The Anchor Events: What to Build Your Trip Around

The 2026 program runs for a full month with 90+ events across the region. These are the standout events worth locking your dates around:

How Long Do You Need? Three Trip Structures

📆 Long Weekend (3 nights) — Lake Lights Focus

The minimum viable festival trip — works perfectly as a side-trip off the Sydney–Melbourne drive.

📆 One Week (6 nights) — Metung Weekend through to Lakes Lights

The sweet spot — enough time to feel like you really lived in the region for a while.

📆 Fortnight (10–14 nights) — The Full Sydney–Melbourne Festival Loop

Pick up in Melbourne or Sydney and target three anchor weekends: the Bruthen/Metung opening weeks, Lakes Lights on 4 July, and the Embers & Ales long feast at Sailors Grave on 11 July. Fill the gaps with Buchan Caves, the Mitchell River Gorge Walk, Mallacoota, and Croajingolong National Park — one of Australia’s most remote and beautiful coastal wilderness areas. This is the trip you’ll still be talking about when you’re 80.

More in the 2026 Program Worth Knowing About

The full program at egwinterfest.com.au runs to 90+ events. A few others worth flagging:

• High Country Hooch Scottish Festival (27 Jun, Glenaladale) — Whisky, live music, a communal bonfire jam and tartan pride at a working distillery in the hills.
• Inverno Part III (20 Jun, Lakes Entrance) — Acclaimed chef Guy Grossi joins Sodafish’s Nick Mahlook for an Italian winter lunch on the Gippsland Coast. Tickets very limited.
• Food & Fire at Wyanga Park Winery (3 Jul) — Tapas cooked over open flames, mulled wine and live music by fire pits at a beautiful bush winery near Lakes Entrance.
• Krowathunkooloong Keeping Place Twilight Tours (every Thu, Bairnsdale) — Guided twilight tours of the local Gunaikurnai cultural centre. Essential context for understanding the country you’re travelling through.
• Mitchell River Gourmet Packraft Trip (5 Jul) — 10km paddle through Mitchell River National Park with a gourmet lunch at the historic Glenaladale Weir. One of the most unusual adventure experiences in Victoria.
• Melbourne International Comedy Festival Roadshow (11 Jul, Bairnsdale) — The touring MICF show lands in Bairnsdale for one night. Great for a rainy evening in the campervan schedule.

Practical Notes for Campervanning the Festival

Campgrounds to Know

• Lakes Entrance — Multiple parks along the waterfront; well-positioned for the Lakes Lights event
• Metung & Paynesville — Small and sought-after; book well ahead for the 27 June weekend
• Bruthen — BIG4 Bruthen and free camps nearby; easy walk to the Medieval Fire Festival site
• Orbost — Orbost Caravan Park; short drive to Sailors Grave Brewing
• Buchan — Buchan Caves Reserve Campground; basic, beautiful, and right next to the caves
• Mallacoota — If you’re doing the full fortnight, add a night here — it’s one of Victoria’s most remote and rewarding coastal stops

Book Ticketed Events Before You Leave Home

Several events sell out well in advance — the Nicholson Trestle Bridge Long Lunch was already sold out at the time of writing, and the Embers & Ales feast, Inverno lunch and the Metung Igloo Experience all have limited seats. Check egwinterfest.com.au/program and book before you pick up the keys.

Driving Notes

The Princes Highway and main routes are fully sealed and straightforward for all campervan sizes year-round. The roads through Bruthen, Metung and Lakes Entrance are all fine for larger motorhomes. If you’re venturing toward Buchan, Omeo or the high country, check road conditions — snow is possible above 1,000m in June–July but main access routes are generally treated and passable.

Which Vehicle to Choose

*Indicative rates only. Search DriveNow for live pricing and current availability.

Why Winter in East Gippsland Actually Works

There’s a particular pleasure to a winter road trip that summer can’t replicate. The campgrounds are quieter. The roads are yours. The crowds thin out. And in East Gippsland specifically, you find a very particular kind of warmth in the colder months — fires going at the pub, people gathered around long tables, lanterns glowing over the water.

The region’s food and wine scene is genuinely outstanding: Sailors Grave is producing some of the country’s most interesting wild ales, Wyanga Park Winery hosts events around fire pits in a bush setting, Sodafish in Lakes Entrance has become one of Victoria’s more exciting coastal restaurants, and the Mitchell River Valley is a serious food bowl.

The festival leans into all of this. It’s not a tourist event dropped into the region from outside — it’s built by people who love the place and want to share it. Which is exactly the kind of road trip worth taking.

We acknowledge the Gunaikurnai, Monero and Bidawel peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters of East Gippsland. We pay our respects to Elders past and present.

Event details and pricing correct at time of publication. Always check the official East Gippsland Winter Festival program for current information, event updates and ticketing.

Shelley Richardson

Shelley has been working in the travel industry for over 30 years, in aviation, for tour operators and since 2016 for DriveNow. Having travelled extensively worldwide, alone, as a couple and with her family, Shelley has experience to share about how to make the most of your holiday, especially road-trips to amazing destinations.