Bairnsdale is a town in the East Gippsland region in the state of Victoria, Australia. It has a population of about 10,000.
Trains run several times per day to and from Melbourne's Southern Cross and Flinders St Station, via Sale and Traralgon. The trip takes a little under four hours and costs $39 each way for adults, half that for children.
V/Line and Premier coaches have connections directly to Sydney, Canberra and the New South Wales South Coast.
Bairnsdale is situated on the Princes Hwy (A1) approximately 3.5 hours east of Melbourne. If you are following the coastal route between Melbourne and Sydney you will pass through the town. If you are heading to Bairnsdale and Gippsland from Sydney, the route through Canberra, the Monaro through to Cann River will save you time over the coastal route. A scenic (but much slower) diversion is through Delegate.
There are scheduled flights from Melbourne Tullamarine Airports to Bairnsdale Airport (IATA: BSJ), -37.8835°, 147.5678°. 2021-06-22 often Rex, but Qantas Link and Virgin also have flights to Bairnsdale. The airport is 10km away from the actual town itself, but there's no car hire at the airport. You'll need to walk, but C106 is a pretty simple and straightforward walk. Additionally, when you're at the C106/A1 junction, there's no sign telling you to go which way, but simply head east (right) towards Orbost and Bairnsdale.
Most of the town is small enough to be walked. However, on a freezing winter's day, you might want to stock up on a jacket or two, as it does get very windy.
Bairnsdale has a good selection of restaurants and food places.