One of the greatest joys of travelling inland in Australia is discovering the nation’s most charming country towns, complete with wide open spaces, heritage architecture, truly farm-to-table food and classic country hospitality. While Australia’s islands, beaches and beach towns tend to get the most fame and glory, the best Australian country towns deserve some appreciation. The best country towns in Australia to visit include Bendigo, Ballarat & Beechworth, Daylesford, Hahndorf, Ross & Montville, to name a few! Below, I’ve rounded up the most charming country towns in Australia to help inspire your next road trip.

Beechworth

Beechworth is one of Australia’s prettiest country towns. A 3-hour drive north of Melbourne, Beechworth is a must-visit spot when you’re in Victoria‘s beautiful High Country. The former Gold Rush town has been carefully preserved, and attracts visitors for its heritage architecture, the flagship Beechworth Honey experience, local heroes Bridge Road Brewers and country hospitality, like at Tanswell’s Commercial Hotel.

Read more: A Weekend in High Country Victoria

Hahndorf

Hahndorf is one of the most charming small towns in Australia, tucked away in the Adelaide Hills. Less than an hour’s drive from Adelaide, Hahndorf is a quaint village that was established by German immigrants and retains a distinctly German feel. Stop for hearty German lunch in Hahndorf at one of the traditional pubs on the main street, during a day of visiting some of the best wineries in the Adelaide Hills.

Bendigo

The biggest and most beautiful country town in Australia’s Goldfields, Bendigo is a perfect weekend getaway from Melbourne. Bendigo is filled with pretty Victorian architecture, a handful of excellent restaurants and bars and the acclaimed Bendigo Art Gallery, which attracts many visitors from Melbourne year-round.

Richmond

Richmond is a charming country town in Tasmania, just 30 minutes’ drive from Hobart. Richmond is loved for it’s well-preserved Georgian architecture, which makes walking through the small town a little bit like stepping back in time. The Richmond Bridge was built by convicts in 1820, making it the oldest bridge in Australia. Richmond is a lovely place to stop on a road trip around the Huon Valley from Hobart.

Daylesford

Daylesford is Victoria‘s most romantic spa town, which makes it a very popular weekend getaway from Melbourne. Known for it’s thermal hot springs and the spas that have popped up around them, the award-winning Lake House hotel, restaurant & spa and pretty Lake Daylesford, it’s easy to see why Daylesford is one of the most charming country towns in Australia.

Ballarat

The second-largest town in the Victorian Goldfields, Ballarat has it’s fair share of historic Victorian architecture and Gold Rush history. Step back in time at Sovereign Hill, an open air Gold Rush museum that has recreated Ballarat during the 19th century, or explore the surrounding Ballarat wine region. Don’t miss Mitchell Harris Wines, one of the loveliest wine bars in the region.

Dorrigo

Halfway between Brisbane and Sydney, Dorrigo is a charming rural town in the heart of Waterfall Way, on the North Coast of NSW. It’s a classic Australian country town, with a local pub and that “middle of nowhere” kind of feeling, despite being not too far from larger regional centres like Port Macquarie, Tamworth and Armidale. Dorrigo is a lovely place to stop if you’re doing a roadtrip through Waterfall Way in New South Wales.

Tenterfield

Historic Tenterfield was the birthplace of Australia’s Federation movement, which resulted in the states of Australia being united as one nation in 1901. Tenterfield is one of the most charming country towns in Country NSW, and is just over the border from Queensland.

Read more: Visiting Tenterfield, NSW

Warwick

Sitting pretty on the banks of the Condamine River, Warwick is a charming regional town in Southern Queensland Country. A two hour drive from Brisbane, Warwick is a great stop when road-tripping the Southern Downs & Granite Belt. The small town comes to life in July, with the annual Jumpers & Jazz festival which sees more than 100 events over 10 days, including “yarn-bombing,” where crafty locals rug up the bare winter trees in hand-knitted jumpers.

Bellingen

Bellingen is a charming country town in North Coast NSW, halfway between Brisbane and Sydney. The bucolic, bohemian small town is tucked away in the Coffs Coast hinterland, in the heart of Waterfall Way. It feels a little bit like Bangalow, just inland from Byron Bay, but with fewer crowds.

Read more: Waterfall Way Road Trip Itinerary

Ross

Ross is a beautiful small town in Tasmania, less than an hour’s drive south of Launceston. It was the perfect stop between Frecyinet National Park and Launceston, with a beautiful historic main street. Coincidentally, the Man O Ross Hotel was built and owned by one of my ancestors, who was a stonemason and built lots of the buildings around town – I guess that explains the lovely sandstone public benches, which I imagine would not ordinarily have been made with such an expensive material. The Ross Bakery is a must-visit, with a magnificent cabinet of classic Aussie bakery favourites, many I have not seen in years in the bigger cities, and truly the best meat pies you’ll find anywhere.

Montville

Tucked away, up in the mountains and rainforest of the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Montville is a charming country town with killer views. How often can you say that? One of a string of lovely country towns in the Sunshine Coast hinterland (see also Maleny, Mapleton and Beerwah), Montville is best known for it’s quaint village with fudge shops, Poet’s Cafe, a German-style cuckoo clock shop and it’s proximity to Kondalilla National Park.

Have you been to any of these country towns in Australia? What’s your favourite country town? Let me know in the comments!