Melbourne Adelaide Road Trip Planner

Imagine standing at Loch Arch Gorge and the ocean around you; how do you feel? Feel exciting?

That’s why I’m here sharing my road trip experience with you. So if you’re planning a road trip from Melbourne to Adelaide, and want to have a city & wilderness tour, don’t miss this article!

Before You Take Action

I must say that I haven’t been to every attraction on this road. So here I just tried some practical recommendations for road trips by my friends & residents and wrote itineraries using my experience as suggestions.

You don’t need to follow my whole plan; arrange it, add and remove some places in your mind and consider your limited day & budget. Then, hopefully, you will enjoy a fun fill & unforgettable road trip of your own!

Melbourne Adelaide Drive Route Map Overview

First of all, let’s check the route overview from Melbourne to Adelaide.

Melbourne to Adelaide drive route map Australia
Melbourne to Adelaide

How Many Kilometers Is This Route?

Melbourne is the principal city in Victoria, and Adelaide is the central city in South Australia. Between these two cities, you have to move 727 km Distance and take a whole day driving a car.

However, this route certainly has many countrysides & attractions, and there’re many ways to make you think about driving. Even if you are a passionate driver traveler, you have to choose some places to add to your plan considering your budget. Don’t let these many attractions against your vacation; relax.

How Many Days Are Best For A Road Trip?

Just one day’s move only? You can do it as early as morning as 7:00 am and arrive at about 15:00. Nothing attractions visit you just staying in the car and hanging your steering wheel. But, once you decide on places to visit, you need 3-4 days.

If you want to plan a road trip to Melbourne, Adelaide, there are many attractions on the way between these two cities that are worth to be; let’s check the attractions list.

Best Attractions between Melbourne & Adelaide

Even if many attractions are worth being, I choose and recommend some most remarkable places for your next drive plan.

  • Geelong- Eastern Beach Swimming Enclosure.
  • Great Ocean Road (Most Popular)
  • Warrnambool- Logans Beach Whale Watching Platform
  • Grampians National Park
  • Lake Tyrrell
  • Hahndorf

Besides these attractions, there are much smaller & points along this route, maybe a bit far away but consider a visit. So I wrote this list article for choosing & arranging your own:

Check Over 6 Up Attractions List Between Melbourne & Adelaide>>

About Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road is not a “Road”; it’s along the south coast of Australia within many natural shaped attractions. The most popular attractions, Twelve Apostles, Loch Arch Gorge, and London Bridge, attract over a million tourists. I have been there twice during my working holiday, been there with my friends from Melbourne City by driving a car and it takes the whole day.

It’s a long tour that requires driving & stopping along each coast. This article talks about the trip Great Ocean Road guide with me & my friends’ experience. Click Here.

If you want to know what attractions you would like to see on the Great Ocean Road, Click Here for the attractions list.

This Stunning Place Takes A Whole Day

I must say that I haven’t been to each attraction between Melbourne & Adelaide before. So I recommend some of them or more worthwhile may be familiar to you. I’m showing you suggested itineraries with my driving experience; you don’t need to follow them all like mine.

For most drivers who only drive 5-6 hours in a single day enough, not like me, you just read the itineraries below and customize your own according to budget & days limitation. Be careful on each route you will face, don’t forget safety, take a snap, and enjoy your trip!

These route maps are just suggestions when you type & navigate destinations on Google Maps. However, I try to help you simulate each different route no matter where you start. I collected two kinds of ways below, list sequence by the city to city to make you sense down. You can read them and make your drive map.

The Sequence Melbourne to Adelaide via Great Ocean Road

  1. Flight to Tullamarine Airport (MEL), which is near Melbourne City.
  2. Melbourne City tour 2-3 days whatever.
  3. Geelong 1-2 days.
  4. Great Ocean Road 2-3 days. Include Memorial Arch, Twelve Apostles, Loch Arch Gorge, London Bridge, etc.
  5. Warrnambool 1-2 days.
  6. Grampians National Park 1-2 days.
  7. Lake Tyrrell. 1-2 days. (Optional, seasonal place)
  8. Hahndorf & into Adelaide City. One day enough.
  9. Adelaide City Tour for 1-2 days then drops car.
  10. Departure from Adelaide airport.

The Sequence Adelaide to Melbourne via Great Ocean Road

  1. Flight to Adelaide Airport, which is in the Adelaide City.
  2. Adelaide City Tour for 1-2 days.
  3. Hahndorf & moving. One day necessary.
  4. Lake Tyrrell. 1-2 days. (Optional itinerary)
  5. Grampians National Park 1-2 days.
  6. Warrnambool 1-2 days.
  7. Great Ocean Road 2-3 days. Include Memorial Arch, Twelve Apostles, Loch Arch Gorge, London Bridge, etc.
  8. Geelong 1-2 days, then into Melbourne City.
  9. Melbourne City tour 2-3 days whatever. Then drop the car.
  10. Departure from Tullamarine airport.

You need 16 days (2 weeks more) for this driving route, even some places you don’t like; remove & add some as you deserve. So 14-17 days for these drive routes are better. No matter for the backpacker or shorten traveler, they can visit there easily just rent a car, and a regular vehicle no need SUV or camper van.

My friends went with me, and we just visited Great Ocean Road the whole day from Melbourne City drive-through and back to the city close night time about 10:00 pm. I got up at 6:00 am and walked to the car parking site to start it, so I don’t suggest being there one day; driving through the dark is risking you and your friends.

Anyway, still set different kinds of itineraries by days you own, make them your navigation at all, it’s OK.

One day Drive to Adelaide from Melbourne

Melbourne to Adelaide drive route map Australia
Melbourne to Adelaide
  • Estimated Distance – 727 km
  • Estimated Drive Time – 8 hr

>>Get Navigation on Google Map

As a result, on the map, this Distance is 727 km and requires an 8 hrs drive almost the whole day. Most people add other attractions between two cities. Otherwise just too boring a driving route without interest. However, this itinerary doesn’t look like a vacation trip. So go for it if you like. Just set Adelaide or Melbourne as your destination on the Google Map.

On the other hand, I recommend driving through Great Ocean Road if the low budget. So you start moving from Melbourne City in the morning, then go along Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge spend 3-4 hrs. Then drive through Warrnambool and head to Adelaide; finally, you have a whole day drive trip.

2 Days Itinerary Melbourne Adelaide Road Trip

That route map seems like this:

Melbourne to Adelaide drive route map Australia
Melbourne to Adelaide drive route map
  • Estimated Distance – 947 km
  • Estimated Drive Time – 11 hr 21 min

>>Get Navigation on Google Map

Day 1 – Tour at Great Ocean Road

Have a tour at Great Ocean Road, especially Memorial Arch at Eastern View & Twelve Apostles. I recommend you stay over in Warrnambool. You can take different effect photos in sunset & sunrise lights along the seaside with those natural rocks, what so beautiful images.

Day 2 – Hahndorf & Adelaide

Drive to Hahndorf in the early morning, then take a city tour of Adelaide in the evening. That’s easy for driving but takes a whole day. So, the 2-day itinerary for a road trip doesn’t include Grampians National Park because it’s a hiking tour that needs one more day.

3 Days Itinerary Melbourne Adelaide Road Trip

That route map seems like this:

Melbourne Adelaide drive route map Australia
Melbourne to Adelaide coastal drive route map
  • Estimated Distance – 1025 km
  • Estimated Drive Time – 13 hr

>>Get Navigation on Google Map

Have you got three days planning a road trip? So beautiful, you can go along Great Ocean Road for 1-2 days. Third-day hiking at Grampians National Park, then reach Adelaide.

It’s 13 hrs and 1025 km distance drive in total. My favorite final route version includes attractions of Memorial Arch at Eastern View, Great Ocean Road, Grampians National Park, Hahndorf & Adelaide, etc.

Day 1 – Tour at Great Ocean Road

Drive to Twelve Apostles, along Great Ocean Road, have a day tour, then stay in Warrnambool. Geelong is just a place where you can rest temporarily or ignore it.

Day 2 – Tour at Grampians National Park

Go to Grampians National Park for hiking & camping; stay over.

Day 3 – Hahndorf & Adelaide

Drive to Hahndorf, have a great German pork leg meal, and arrive in Adelaide.

5 Days Itinerary Melbourne Adelaide Road Trip

Once you turn to these places, make route maps that will be like this:

Melbourne to Adelaide drive route map Australia
Melbourne to Adelaide drive route map
  • Estimated Distance – 1181 km
  • Estimated Drive Time – 14 hr 26 min

>>Get Navigation on Google Map

Drive time takes 14 hrs, 26 mins, and 1,181 km; what particular route for adventure, isn’t it? This route includes all attractions that I recommended.

Day 1 – Tour at Geelong

Go to Geelong for shopping & take a rest; you can have water fun at Eastern Beach Swimming Enclosure.

Day 2 – Tour at Great Ocean Road

Go to Great Ocean Road from Geelong, through Memorial Arch at Eastern View. Take a whole day tour at Twelve Apostles, and stay over in Warrnambool.

Day 3 – Tour at Grampians National Park

Go to Grampians National Park for hiking; you can stay one more day to relax hiking & enjoy the expansive view with camping.

Day 4 – Goto Lake Tyrrell

Drive to Lake Tyrrell, and enjoy a photography journey with a glass mirror effect at salt lake.

Day 5 – Hahndorf & Adelaide

Leave Lake Tyrrell, go to Hahndorf, have a German pig’s feet meal, and finally reach Adelaide.

This 5-day itinerary can be played to most attractions, although it will be compact. After all, Lake Tyrrell is far away, and it has seasonal limits, so if you don’t want to go so far, you can skip the Lake Tyrrell itinerary.

7 Days (1 Week) Itinerary Melbourne Adelaide Road Trip

Melbourne to Adelaide drive route map Australia
Melbourne to Adelaide drive route map
  • Estimated Distance – 1183 km
  • Estimated Drive Time – 14 hr 18 min

>>Get Navigation on Google Map

Of course, the time of the week is relatively abundant. You can choose whether to stay for one more day for the attractions mentioned above, and the pace is also relatively easy and relaxing. Let’s check the detail:

Day 1 – Tour at Geelong

Drive to Geelong from Melbourne, play water at Eastern Beach Swimming Enclosure, go shopping at the mall near this attraction, and stay in Geelong.

Day 2 – Tour at Great Ocean Road

Day tour at Great Ocean Road, through Memorial Arch at Eastern View. The time takes the whole day by visiting several stunning attractions along Great Ocean Road. Click Here to read my day trip review about Great Ocean Road. When sunset comes, take fantastic photography, then stay over in Warrnambool.

Day 3 – Stay at Warrnambool

Stay in Warrnambool, have fun surfing, walking along with Logans Beach Whale Watching Platform. Stay one more night in Warrnambool, by the way, don’t forget to load more food & drink.

Day 4 & 5 – Camping at Grampians National Park

Go to Grampians National Park for hiking & camping, and enjoy the expansive view at the top of the mountain.

Day 6 – Goto Lake Tyrrell

Leave park & head to Lake Tyrrell, enjoy the stunning mirror while standing on the salt lake, then stay overnight by camping.

Day 7 – Hahndorf & Adelaide

Go to Hahndorf for a walk, enjoy a German pig’s feet meal, and finally reach Adelaide.

Whether you have a few days, I encourage you to look at these attractions. But, of course, I suggest you take at least a week to travel on this road trip? Whether the SUV & camper you hire, it doesn’t matter. The difference is just the accommodation.

Want to know more attractions?

Check Over 6 Up Attractions List Between Melbourne & Adelaide>>

Conclusion

After you read this article, the recommended itinerary for Melbourne Adelaide is one to two days. Then you can check the attractions between Melbourne and Adelaide, and I have one post written about it. Of course, I have not been to every place; I just tried to describe my experience in this process. I don’t pay much attention to what I’m eating or something great food (unless it’s delicious). Still, I like to share the beautiful scenery where I have been or are not yet engaged.

You can complete it using these suggested spots and the recommended itineraries I have written or add more places you know. Maybe you can play more excitingly than me!

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