Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip: The Best 7-Day Itinerary

An Adelaide to Melbourne Road trip is one of the best road trips in Australia you can do.

The route is full of amazing scenery, and takes you to lesser-known parts of Australia, that you otherwise might not see! If you’re backpacking around Australia, this is one road trip that you have to do!

An Adelaide to Melbourne drive or vice versa is an extension of driving along the Great Ocean Road, which is a coastal road in Victoria. The sights on that particular are amazing, but the wider trip should not be missed either!

This is a scenic route with places like Blue Lake, Wilson’s Promontory and the Twelve Apostles’ must-see sights. They are a few reasons why the longer trip from, or, to Adelaide is better.

Driving from Adelaide to Melbourne was one of my favourite trips in Australia, as I went to some great places I had never heard of, such as the Grampians. The scenery was also spectacular along the route, and I encountered a lot of different wildlife as well.

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Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip

The distance from Adelaide to Melbourne is  727.3 km (451.9 miles), which you can complete in 8 hours if you don’t stop!

It’s worth noting that this time is via the inland route which is quicker than the coastal route.

Apart from the Grampians, there isn’t much to see inland, so almost all backpackers will go down the coastal route.

The inland route from Melbourne to Adelaide, or vice versa, is the quickest way to get to either city. Otherwise, the coastal route is the scenic route, with a brief detour to the Grampians!

Before setting off

Before you do any Australian road trip it is important to have everything in order. You won’t have a road trip without a vehicle so you need to ensure you have one. Depending on your numbers and where you plan on sleeping, you have two options.

You can either rent a car or a campervan. If you’re planning on staying in hostels or camping, then a car is the best bet. Whereas, if you want to sleep in your vehicle then you should go in a campervan.

Important info

Driving in Australia is a challenge because of the distances involved. This is exacerbated when the journeys involve covering large areas where there’s little in the way of civilisation. The main concern is running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere.

That’s why it’s important to stop at a petrol station when you see it even if your tank is quite full. You never know how long you could go without seeing the next one!

One tip that I picked up during the Australian road trips that I did was to take note of signs. When you are in the outback and less populated areas, there are little green signs every 5 km to let you know how far you are from the next town.

These can be invaluable during your trip, as you can gauge when to stop for a rest and refuel.

Another thing to remember is to stop regularly, especially when you’re feeling tired. Driving across Australia always involves long distances and it can be tempting to try and get to your destination as quickly as possible.

However, it’s best not to risk an accident by driving when tired, so try and stop every 4 hours for a short break! Doing a road trip in Australia you should be stopping a lot anyway to check out the great scenery!

Before doing any road trip in Australia, ensure that you have proper travel insurance! I use SafetyWing to keep me safe on the road, it’s designed for backpackers and adventurous travellers.

You never know what can happen on the road. Keep yourself protected against all eventualities! Click here to get a quote!

Essential Items to Pack for a Road Trip from Adelaide to Melbourne

Before setting off, you want to make sure you have all the items you need. Even though this isn’t the longest road trip you can do in Australia, it’s still lengthy. If you break down in the wrong place you could be in trouble!

You must have all the tools and safety equipment you need in case of an emergency. It would be wise to check out my road trip packing list before you embark on your adventure.

You’ll find all the necessary items you need to take. I’ve listed a few of the items you should take below. They will make travelling from Adelaide to Melbourne that little bit easier.

• Road survival kit
• Car charger
• Portable charger
• Water containers
• Eco water bottle
• Toilet roll
• Bluetooth/Wireless hands-free kit
• Sunglasses
• Trtl Travel Pillow

Why you should go on an Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip

There are many road trips in Australia that you can do, so choosing which ones to do can be a difficult task. The ideal scenario would be to do them all, but several factors such as money and practicality get in the way of this scenario!

Road trips are one of the best reasons to visit Australia!

With that said, I firmly believe that an Adelaide to Melbourne drive or vice versa via the Great Ocean Road is one of the best Australian road trips. The drive takes in some of the best scenery in all of Australia, and some underrated places as well.

Travelling to South Australia is something not everyone does in Australia, but they should. There are lots of great places to see in the state, such as Blue Lake, which is part of this trip!

The Grampians National Park is fantastic and has some great scenery, especially the view from the balconies.

Hall’s Gap is also a great place to stay and encounter Australian wildlife. We saw lots of different creatures here and got ridiculously close to them as well!

The main reason to do an Adelaide to Melbourne road trip is to visit the Great Ocean Road. This is one of the main tourist attractions in Australia and for good reason. The views along the coastline are incredible, from amazing beaches to stunning cliffs, you won’t be disappointed!

The beachside towns along the way are great as well, such as Apollo Bay, Lorne, and Torquay. They also offer great places to surf, if you are a surfing aficionado. Driving from Adelaide to Melbourne was one of the best road trips I did in Australia.

It’s easy enough to do the trip in a rental car or campervan, but if you want to take a backseat, there are many tours of the Great Ocean Road instead.

Not all of them will go the full route from Melbourne to Adelaide, but if you don’t want to drive they are worth doing!

Where to stay between Adelaide and Melbourne

Although I recommend that you do this road trip in a campervan, if you don’t you’ll need to find places to sleep.

Thankfully, where to stay between Adelaide and Melbourne is not too difficult as there’s a bit of a choice! Some of the best hostels in Australia are situated on this route.

Almost all of the main tourist destinations on this route have hostels and hotels, so you won’t be short of choices. There are options for every type of budget driving from Adelaide to Melbourne!

Adelaide Central YHA	Adelaide	A great hostel that I believe is one of the best in Australia! Excellent location, spacious rooms and social common room make it a must stay!	Book Now
Apollo Bay	Apollo Bay	A great little hostel that is clean modern and very spacious. The facilities here are top-notch!	Book Now
Beds in Robe	Robe	A budget Bed and Breakfast, that has great facilities and a friendly owner.	Book Now
Grampians Eco YHA	Halls Gap	A beautiful hostel in the middle of the Grampians at Halls Gap. Free parking and wifi and great facilities.	Book Now
Urban Central	Melbourne	It’s not exactly central, but close enough to the CBD. Spacious rooms, free breakfast and good facilities at this lively hostel!	Book now

Places to visit on an Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip

There are many Adelaide to Melbourne drive stops that you should include on your trip. This can actually can be a problem if you are trying to plan your route. I feel the best option is to stick to the coast, as this is where some of the best scenery is.

However, I would advise heading to the Grampians National Park before you go to the coast. This is a great place to visit with lots of great scenery and you would be missing out on a hidden gem in Australia if you didn’t visit!

You can take the inland route, even after visiting the Grampians and drive to Adelaide or Melbourne. At this point, you’ll be travelling in Victoria, and I advise going along the coastal route after you’ve been to the Grampians.

Sticking to the inland route would deprive you of some of the best places to visit in Australia.

Apart from the Grampians, the scenery on this stretch of road is quite dull. Neglecting the coast route in favour of a quicker inland journey would be a big mistake, as the scenery is incredible!

If you want to know what to see between Adelaide and Melbourne, then check out some of my selections below!

Adelaide

Whether this is the start, or end of your trip, Adelaide is a great city that should be included on any Australian backpacking itinerary. It may be in the shadow of its bigger cousin, but there are plenty of things to do in Adelaide.

There are numerous cultural events held throughout the year, with the Adelaide Festival in February and March being the biggest.

The city is very interesting with some great museums and what I consider one of the best botanical gardens in Australia.

You can hop on a tram and visit the beachside town of Glenelg, which I consider to be one of the best beaches in Australia!

Read more: Adelaide – Australia’s most underrated city

Blue Lake/Mt Gambier

Blue Lake is one of the lesser-known places to visit in South Australia. It’s located just outside of Mt Gambier, about a 4/5 hour drive from Adelaide. As you may have guessed from the name, it is a lake that is blue, but that only tells part of the story!

The colour of the lake changes during the year. From December to March, it is blue, while for the remainder of the year, it changes to a grey colour.

The lake itself is an imposing sight and worth stopping at during the Melbourne to Adelaide drive. The sheer scale of the lake is to be admired, the picture below does not do justice to just how big the lake is!

There are some trails around the top of the lake which let you appreciate its scale. Blue Lake is certainly one of the more unusual places to visit in Australia!

Cape Otway

Cape Otway is somewhere that I didn’t get to visit during my trip, unfortunately. However, it’s one of the landmarks in Victoria you should consider visiting during the route.

It is part of the bigger Great Otway National Park and offers some great views of the ocean!

There is an interesting lighthouse that I would’ve loved to visit during our Melbourne to Adelaide road trip. I can’t go into detail about what there is to do here as I didn’t visit during my trip.

All I can advise is to visit it and not make the same mistake we did!

Grampians National Park

Although the Grampians is removed from the route down the coast, it is worth including on your Melbourne to Adelaide road trip. The national park is one of the best that I visited in Australia and one of the best places to visit in Victoria.

The Grampians are teeming with wildlife including kangaroos, koalas, and wallabies. You’ll have a great opportunity to get up and close personal with these animals if you haven’t before.

The scenery is also spectacular, with amazing views across the park from atop the numerous viewing areas.

Great Ocean Road

A Great Ocean Road trip is incredible in itself. It’s probably the primary reason for driving from Adelaide to Melbourne or vice versa. It’s one of the most popular Australian road trips to do and that’s not without good reason.

The scenery along the coastal route is spectacular, and with plenty of great places to stop off at such as Lorne and Torquay.

Perhaps the main calling point along the Great Ocean Road is the Twelve Apostles. They are stacks that are separated from the nearby cliffs.

I preferred The Grotto. You can explore it as opposed to just looking at the Twelve Apostles.

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital of Victoria and the second biggest city in Australia. It is simply a place you have to visit! The mix of Victorian and modern architecture is striking and gives Melbourne a unique character.

It’s not known as the cultural centre of Australia for no reason, as there are always things to do in Melbourne.

Whether it’s summer or winter, there is always an event, this includes sports. From watching the F1 in Melbourne to being the home of Australia’s national sport, Aussie Rules, Melbourne is the sporting capital of Australia.

There’s a reason it’s considered the world’s most livable city!

Read more: Is Melbourne the world’s most livable city?

Wilson’s Promontory

Wilson’s Promontory is one of the lesser-known spots in Victoria and perhaps Australia. I was completely unaware it existed until we extended our Adelaide to Melbourne road trip to include it!

Wilson’s Prom is beautiful and has some of the best scenery in Australia, never mind Victoria!

A trip to Squeaky Beach is a must, to experience the squeaking noises as you walk along the beach. There are also other great places such as Whiskey Beach and Waterloo Bay that you should see during your time here!

Read more: Why you should visit Wilson’s Promontory!

Example Adelaide to Melbourne Drive Itinerary

An Adelaide to Melbourne road trip itinerary is entirely dependent on what you want to do. It may be worth doing the inland route from Melbourne to Adelaide, or Adelaide to Melbourne if you want to get to either city as quickly as possible.

Whereas, if you to see some of the best sights in Australia, you’ll want to take the coastal route for most of the way, with a detour to the Grampians.

This itinerary goes the full distance from Adelaide to Melbourne. If you are driving from Melbourne to Adelaide, then just do the itinerary in reverse order from Day 5.

It’s by no means definitive. If you don’t want to go to a certain place you don’t have to.

Below is the route that I took and intended as a guide to give you an idea of what a route from Adelaide to Melbourne entails!

Day 1 – Adelaide to Robe

Set off from Adelaide as early as possible in the morning. so that you can make as much progress as possible. It’s also worth stopping at Blue Lake along the way as it’s one of the most interesting and scenic landmarks in South Australia.

Heading out of Adelaide, I advise taking the A8 to Murray Bridge, and switching to the A1 when you reach Tailem Bend.

At this point, you want to make sure you fill up your vehicle, as there isn’t much in the way of civilisation until you reach Kingston.

The B1 snakes along the South Australian coast, this part of the Adelaide to Melbourne Road trip doesn’t have a lot of scenery.

The terrain is mostly salt flats and not exactly enthralling unless you like salt.

I would advise stopping in Kingston or Rove for the night before you head onto Mt Gambier in the morning.

Day 2 – Robe to Hall’s Gap

From Robe, you want to continue on the B1 to Mt Gambier, where you can see Blue Lake.

Start early so you can get there before lunch, and have the rest of the day to drive to the Grampians.

It is a fair trek to the Grampians from here at 221 km from Mt Gambier, as you pass into Victoria. You want to take the C187 and C216 to Hall’s Gap.

There are lots of little towns on the way if you want to take a quick break now and again. The route gets more scenic as you head towards the Grampians.

Once you’ve arrived, you’ll find there are plenty of things to do in Halls Gap. Walks, visiting some of the spectacular lookouts and checking out the zoo and botanic gardens!

Day 3 – Hall’s Gap to Portland

Day 3 is a shorter drive as you go from Hall’s Gap to the coast at Portland. You’ll want to see as much as the Grampians as possible before setting off.

Try to get to the balconies and some of the waterfalls to see the best of the Grampians.

You take the C216 and then the A200 to reach Portland. There’s not a lot to see on the way and in Portland, but it’s a good place to stop for the night.

Day 4 – Portland to Apollo Bay

Day 4 is another long drive as you head from Portland to Apollo Bay. This drive is more scenic than the previous days as it is along the coast.

You pass great places such as Warrnambool, Port Fairy, and Port Campbell, which you should stop at.

The drive to Apollo Bay takes you past Cape Otway, which is a good place to stop and check out the surroundings.

We didn’t do this and I regret it, so don’t make the same mistake as me! Apollo Bay is a good place to stop for the night, and there are a few campervan sites in town!

Day 5 – Apollo Bay to Melbourne

From Apollo Bay, you head out along the Great Ocean Road. As this is the most popular part of the route, it’s best to set off early, as it gets busy. There are plenty of places to include on a Great Ocean Road itinerary, such as The Grotto, London Bridge, and the Twelve Apostles.

Make sure you stop at all of them along the way, as they are all incredible sights. It also makes sure you make the most of the trip!

After you’ve driven the Great Ocean Road, you come to Torquay and Bell’s Beach. Both places are worth exploring, as this is the capital of surfing in Australia.

Plus, Bell’s Beach is great, especially if you are a surfer! From here, it’s onto Melbourne along the M1. It’s not a long drive, but with all the stopping and starting, it will be a long day!

There are a lot of fun things to do in the city. You could spend 3 days in Melbourne or more before you leave so you get to see as much as you can. 

Alternatively, you can head on to Wilson’s Promontory if you wish and come back to Melbourne later. Either way, Melbourne is a city you should spend a lot of time in.

There’s so much to do. You could easily spend 2 weeks in the city and not see everything!

Day 6-7 – Melbourne to Wilson’s Promontory

This is optional and depends entirely on whether or not you want to head to Wilson’s Promontory or not.

You head along the C444 to the southernmost point of mainland Australia. I would set off early in the day, so you can spend as much time as possible here.

You can spend the night here or drive back it’s up to you. Be advised you can’t stay in your camper van overnight in the park, so you’ll have to park it elsewhere.

The town of Leongatha is a good spot, and it will shorten the drive back the next day as well!

Another option is to include this route as part of a Melbourne to Sydney drive if you’re not done adventuring. this would save the drive back but it would cost more.

Whatever you decide to do, you’ll have lots of fun at Wilson’s Prom!

How Much Does an Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip cost?

How much driving from Adelaide to Melbourne costs is entirely dependent upon how you do it. The price will be higher if you stay in hostels as opposed to sleeping in a tent or campervan.

Petrol is an avoidable cost on any road trip, unfortunately, and will account for a fair chunk of your expenditure!

One good thing to note is that this route is the shortest trip between two state capitals in Australia. It’s 728 km (452 miles), which is still long, but when compared to some of the other drives in Australia is nothing!

Here’s a link to a fuel cost calculator, which should come in handy for your trip. Using the fuel price data from a Google search for “petrol prices Australia”, input the figure into the calculator and you’re set.

I got a quote of $1.30 per litre, driving the distance with a campervan led to a quote of $132.49, which if there is 3 to 6 of you, is going to work out quite reasonably.

This figure doesn’t take into account a round trip to Wilson’s Promontory, so it would cost approximately $150-170 if you do this part of the trip!

Factor this in with renting a campervan, which you can get for $49 a day. Food, which you can mostly cook using these great road trip food ideas, any special trips and you could be looking at $500 for the whole road trip.

That is just an estimate, but remember if you’re in a campervan, that figure will be split.

If there are five of you travelling together, you could pay $100 for an Adelaide to Melbourne Road trip!

Great value for money!

Need a Rental Car?

I use Rentalcars.com whenever I need to rent a car. They offer the most comprehensive listings of rental cars on the web. Plus, their deals are often cheaper than if you went straight to the supplier!

Concluding Thoughts

My Adelaide to Melbourne road trip was one of the best things that I did during my Australian Working Holiday Visa.

I’d never really been on a proper road trip before and the scenery along the way made it all the better.

This is one trip I highly recommend you do while you’re travelling in Australia.

You get the opportunity to visit some lesser-known places in Australia, which are some of the best as well.

Don’t pass up the opportunity!

Looking For More Road Trips?

Adelaide to Perth Road Trip – Another drive you can start from Adelaide that will take you across the Nullarbor to Perth!

Brisbane to Cairns Road Trip – Take a drive up Australia’s East Coast and discover some incredible beaches!

Perth to Darwin Road Trip – Experience some of the best scenery in Australia’s outback on this beast of a trip!

Sydney to Brisbane Road Trip – See some of the best coastlines in Australia on this road trip!

Adelaide to Darwin Road Trip – An alternative road trip you can do from Adelaide that will take you all the way to the top of Australia!

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