Rainbow is 365 km northwest of Melbourne, about 3.5 hours by car via the Western Ring Road and then the Henty Highway. The drive passes through Horsham and then into increasingly flat, open Wimmera country.
There is no train service to Rainbow. V/Line coaches connect Rainbow to Melbourne via Horsham, but services are infrequent — check vline.com.au for current timetables. Having a car is strongly recommended for visiting the region, especially for Wyperfeld National Park, where a car is essential.
Rainbow is also a useful base for driving tours of the wider Wimmera-Mallee region, taking in Hopetoun, Ouyen, and the pink lakes near Dimboola to the east.