Yes, and don't forget it's a 900km journey from SYD to MEL by road inland via Albury.

Personally, I would use SYD and MEL as a hub to make day trips or even brief overnight hops from.

That said, some nice stops along the way. The coastal route is popular with backpackers and bus companies like Greyhound should see you getting stops along the way.

There's also a bus company called the Premier Motor Service with routes including Nowra to Moruya, for example. Give them a try.

Incidentally, most of the towns along the border also have flights to and/or from MEL/SYD including Canberra, Albury, Wagga Wagga and – down the coast – Merimbula and Moruya if that's convenient for you or if you wanted to vary things a little.

In terms of wineries, there are some near Canberra too, like Clonakilla, but without a car this may be a challenge.

In any case, have you heard of the Rome2Rio website? Can be useful for looking up to get to places around the world via bus, train, car and/or airlines...

Bon voyage!