Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip – An Epic 8 Day Itinerary

There are very few road trips in the world that pack in quite as much amazing variety as a Melbourne to Adelaide road trip. In the space of 8 days you will traverse pristine beaches, ancient rainforest, dramatic mountains, volcanic landscapes and fertile wine regions.

Of course while you are at it you’ll also be ticking off one of the world’s most famous drives, the Great Ocean Road. This is a trip everyone should do once in their lifetime.  The below itinerary covers all the best highlights of the Melbourne to Adelaide drive over a period of 8 days.

If you’re in a rush you can remove the detours to Grampians National Park and/or Beachport to take the time down to 5 days. Conversely, those with more time won’t regret spending an extra night or two at each of the stops.

Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip – Overview

Recommended Stops

• Lorne
• Great Otway National Park – 2 nights
• 12 Apostles
• Warrnambool
• Grampians National Park – 2 nights
• Mount Gambier – 1 nights
• Beachport – 1 night
• Naracoorte Caves National Park
• Hahndorf – 1 night
• Mount Lofty and Cleland Conservation Park
• Adelaide – 1+ nights

Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip Summary

Day 1 – Leave Melbourne early in the morning and drive 2 hours to Lorne. Spend the morning seeing amazing waterfalls and hilltop views of the Great Ocean Road. If you want more excitement then test your courage at the Live Wire Park.

Explore Cape Otway and spot koalas before settling in for the night.

Night 1 – Cape Otway

Day 2 – Spend the day exploring the stunning Great Otway National Park.

Night 2 – Great Otway National Park

Day 3 – Jump back on the Great Ocean Road and check out the famous 12 Apostles and surrounding attractions. After this you’ll follow the road to Warrnambool where you can visit the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village.

Head north in the afternoon to Halls Gap in the Grampians National Park. Check in to your accommodation and have a well earned drink.

Night 3 – Halls Gap

Day 4 – Explore the epic peaks and lookouts of the Grampians.

Night 4 – Halls Gap

Day 5 – Leave the Grampians in the morning and drive 2.5hrs to Mount Gambier. Welcome to South Australia! Spend the day exploring the many highlights around this area.

Night 5 – Mount Gambier

Day 6 –After all the hiking thus far you’ve earned a day at the beach. Drive one hour to Beachport for a taste of the beautiful beaches of the Limestone Coast.

Night 6 – Beachport

Day 7 – You’ll have to go cross country for an hour to get back to the main highway. A little over an hour’s drive will take you through the beautiful vineyards of the Coonawarra wine region, ending at the Naracoorte Caves.

Spend a couple of hours exploring the awesome caves and other attractions here before jumping back in the car. It’s a solid 3 hours and 20 minutes drive this afternoon but the end point of Hahndorf is well worth it!

Night 7 – Hahndorf

Day 8 – Spend the morning exploring the unique town of Hahndorf. When you’re ready to move on, an easy 15 minute drive will take you to Mount Lofty. Explore the beautiful botanic gardens and take in the amazing views of Adelaide from the summit.

Night 8 – Adelaide

Final Day – You’re in Adelaide! What you do from here will depend on your time and circumstances. You can explore the CBD in a day before returning to Melbourne but you ideally need 3 days in Adelaide to explore it properly.

If you’re on a longer trip and heading towards W.A then make sure to check out our Perth to Adelaide Road Trip (It’s the wrong way around for this scenario but just as amazing to do backwards!).

Total Driving Time

15.5 hrs – Melbourne to Adelaide, one way

Longest Stretch of Driving

4hrs 40mins, Day 8, Beachport-Naracoorte-Hahndorf

Total KM Covered

1,286 km

Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip Highlights

• The stunning waterfalls of the Great Otway National Park
• Winding mountain roads lined with lush ferns and huge trees
• Driving the Great Ocean Road
• The 12 Apostles
• Standing atop the epic peaks of the Grampians National Park
• The vivid blue crater lake in the middle of Mount Gambier
• The historical German town of Hahndorf
• The amazing array of wildlife at Cleland Conservation Park

How Long Will I Need?

To complete this Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip Itinerary as written, you will need at least 10 days. If you additionally want to explore Adelaide properly you should add another 2 days to this.

It is possible to complete this road trip in a week or less. Removing the Grampian National Park and Beachport stops will save 3 nights and streamline the journey.

Accommodation

There are plenty of accommodation options available throughout this trip. If you have an RV or caravan then there are some great camp sites and caravan parks too. In each section we will list our recommended accommodation and the best areas to stay.

Best Time of Year To Go

Late spring is the best time to do this Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip. You have a lot of sunny days on average plus there is still a lot of water coming down the falls. Add to this the stunning new growth and flowers that abound at this time of year.

Of course you can also complete the trip any time over summer. The weather is fairly mild along most of this route and the large amount of sunny days will mean less chance of rain putting a damper on things.

Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip Tips

• Save Money: Make use of free campsites using the WikiCamps app. We will list some of the best camp sites along the route however some do not allow tents so make sure to double check.
• Get up early for the 12 Apostles: Given the direction of the lookout to the rock formations, the sun will be rising behind you in the morning. This will give you amazing morning light shining onto the rocks and making for the best photos.
• Don’t drive at night: Always plan your drives during daylight hours. There is a lot of wildlife along parts of this route.
• Check your route before you drive: The Otways have some pretty crazy mountain roads and large RVs/caravans may not be suitable. We will point this out in the Otways section. Driving Beachport to Naracoorte offers several routes, make sure to pick the one going through Coonawarra.

►Check out our full list of all of the best Australian road trip tips you must know before hitting the road!

The Best Travel Insurance for Road Trips

If you are travelling to Australia from overseas then make sure you have good travel insurance before hitting the road. We use Heymondo when we travel as it’s perfect for adventures such as hiking, surfing, road tripping etc.

For peace of mind while abroad, Heymondo is one of the most reputable travel insurance companies that will provide you with simple and flexible coverage. Whether you are into adventurous activities or simply looking for trip cancellation and basic medical insurance, Heymondo has you covered.

As a reader of The Road Is Life, you get 5% off your Heymondo travel insurance by using the link below!

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Hiring a Car

If you don’t own a car then you can search for the perfect hire car below. We always use rentalcars.com to find the best price between various operators. There is an option to include full insurance with no excess, which is always highly recommended. Use the form below to check out the various options.

Melbourne to Adelaide Road Trip – One of the Best Drives in Australia

Day 1

Lorne

This amazing road trip doesn’t make you wait to start seeing stunning sights. You’ll begin the day with your first taste of the Great Ocean Road, driving about 2 hours south-west to the town of Lorne.

If you’re a surfer then you might want to start the day nice and early so you can make a stop at Torquay. This seaside town is the home of the famous Bells Beach and also has a small surf museum which is well done.

If you don’t want to have an early surf or swim then continue on to Lorne (there is also a nice beach here). Make sure to stop at the ‘Memorial Arch at Eastern View’, this is a classic photo spot on the Melbourne to Adelaide drive.

Lorne is home to some really beautiful waterfalls. It is up to you how many you see as there are even more tomorrow. The best falls to see here are the Erskine Falls, the road is quite steep so leave any caravans behind.

Other falls in town are Henderson, Sheoak and Phantom Falls. They are all nice but the ones in the Otways tomorrow are better so it’s up to you how much time you spend here.

The Blanket Leaf Picnic Area on the way back to town makes a beautiful morning tea stop. Right before you reach town you will also see the Live Wire Park. This is a forest amusement park consisting of high ropes courses, zip-lines and other exciting activities.

One of the best views of the Great Ocean Road can be had in the hills above Lorne. Head up to Teddy’s Lookout and take in sweeping views of the forest covered mountains dropping away into the sea.

Cape Otway – Great Otway National Park

The destination for the afternoon is Cape Otway. This is part of the Great Otway National Park which is an absolute highlight of this Melbourne to Adelaide road trip. The stretch of the Great Ocean Road between Lorne and Apollo Bay is very scenic and arguably the best part.

The main town in this area is Apollo Bay, you can stay here but we recommend to stay out on Cape Otway tonight. Make sure to stock up on anything you need if planning to stay out of town.

Cape Otway is an amazing place to spot wildlife, especially Koalas. The Wildlife Wonders sanctuary is located 5 mins outside of Apollo Bay and offers guided nature walks. You’ll get a set of binoculars and walk a 1.4km trail through a range of landscapes, spotting all sorts of creatures along the way. The best part is that all proceeds go towards conservation efforts of endangered species.

For the last stop of the day head out to the Cape Otway Lightstation. This is the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Australian mainland and was built in 1848. You can explore the surrounding heritage buildings and climb the lighthouse for dramatic views of the coastline. Check the website for current hours and prices.

Where to Stay in Cape Otway

Accommodation

Bimbi Park – Located only 8 minutes from the lighthouse, this park offers a range of beautiful cabins. The park itself is a huge highlight, with trees full of wild koalas. Another great perk is that you are close enough to watch an amazing sunset from the lighthouse grounds.

Caravanning/Camping

Bimbi Park – The above mentioned park also offers caravan and camp sites.

Camp Grounds – There are several highly rated camp grounds around this area. Parker Hill, Aire River East and Johanna Beach are all amazing spots. Use the link to browse all sites on a map and book with Parks Victoria.

Day 2

Great Otway National Park

This itinerary devotes an entire day to exploring this park, which is one of the top highlights of Victoria. You have a couple of options for accommodation tonight which you may have to think about in advance. There is free camping at a stunning site near the main attractions however it is not suitable for large RVs or caravans.

If you want to be best positioned for sunrise at the 12 Apostles tomorrow then you will want to find accommodation closer to there. Lastly, you can remain on Cape Otway which will be about a 50km drive to the attractions on today’s list. See below for the best accommodation options.

The main activity to do here is walking through pristine rainforest to get to spectacular waterfalls. There are several of them here and this is one activity that never gets old. The drive from Melbourne to Adelaide is blessed with a number of the best waterfalls in Australia.

Our favourites in order were Beauchamp Falls, Hopetoun Falls and Triplet Falls. Near to Hopetoun Falls you can also visit ‘The Redwoods Otways’. This trial plantation of California Redwoods was planted in 1936 and left to grow. They are thriving here next to a pretty creek and it such an amazing experience to be able to walk through this scene in Australia!

The top highlight however is seeing the forest from another perspective. Otway Fly Treetop Adventures has a 600m elevated walkway and tower. The kids and young at heart will love the ziplining through the forest and the enchanted forest walk.

Where to Stay in Great Otway National Park

As stated above it is possible to stay in your accommodation in Cape Otway. If you want to be closer to the 12 Apostles for amazing sunrise shots then check out the below.

Accommodation

12 Apostles Cottages – These beautiful self-contained cottages have amazing ocean views and a