On paper, Adelaide to Melbourne doesn’t look like a particularly long drive. You could cover the direct distance in around nine hours, but if it’s part of your holiday, there are a couple of very different ways to travel between the two cities.
You can take the more direct inland route, or head south-east towards the coast and make the Great Ocean Road part of the journey. If you have the time, we’d choose the latter.
It gives you the chance to explore South Australia’s Limestone Coast, perhaps include the Grampians and then take your time along the Great Ocean Road before reaching Melbourne. And if you’re considering your first motorhome holiday, this is a great route to start with.
How long does it take to drive from Adelaide to Melbourne?
The more direct Adelaide to Melbourne drive is around 720 kilometres, so you’re looking at around nine hours behind the wheel, plus stops along the way.
If you plan to travel via the Great Ocean Road, that’s a very different holiday than just driving direct. There are plenty of places to explore between Adelaide and Melbourne, and once you start adding a few detours, the distance soon adds up.
For a motorhome holiday, we’d allow at least seven days, although 10–14 days gives you more time to explore and spend longer in the places you enjoy.
The Great Ocean Road itself is only around 250 kilometres, but we’d allow at least two days for this section alone. It might not look far on the map, but once you start stopping at lookouts, beaches and coastal towns, heading off for a walk or simply finding somewhere you’d like to spend a bit more time, you’ll soon see where the time goes.
Which route should you take from Adelaide to Melbourne?
If you need to get to Melbourne fairly quickly, the inland route is the obvious choice. If the drive is part of your holiday, we’d head south-east from Adelaide and make the coast part of the trip.
From Adelaide, you could spend some time exploring the Adelaide Hills or even some of the renowned wine regions, like the Barossa or Clare Valley, before heading towards the Limestone Coast. There’s so much to do in the areas surrounding Adelaide that you could easily spend a day or two visiting cellar doors, stopping at farm gates and sampling some of the fantastic local produce.
Once you cross into Victoria, you can continue towards the coast or, if time allows, head detour to the Grampians before making your way back towards Warrnambool and the Great Ocean Road.
You don’t need to try and fit everything in. If you only have seven days, we’d pick the places that interest you most rather than spend the whole trip trying to get to the next stop.
Our Adelaide to Melbourne Suggested Travel Route is a good place to start when you’re working out what you’d like to include.
Where should you stop between Adelaide and Melbourne?
There’s plenty to choose from between Adelaide and Melbourne. Here are a few of the areas you might want to include, depending on what interests you and how much time you have.
Limestone Coast and Mount Gambier
There are a few different ways you could explore the Limestone Coast. Follow the coast through Robe, head inland through the Coonawarra wine region, visit the Naracoorte Caves or spend some time around Mount Gambier and the Blue Lake. If in Mount Gambier, make sure you check out the Umpherston Sinkhole and the secret garden.
The Grampians
The Grampians take you away from the more direct coastal route, so this is one we’d look at if you have a little more time.
With only seven days, we’d probably be fairly selective about adding extra kilometres. With 10–14 days, you’ll have more time to include the Grampians without rushing the rest of your trip. It also gives you a completely different landscape to the coast, with mountain scenery, walks, lookouts and plenty of opportunities to see Australian wildlife.
Warrnambool and the Great Ocean Road
Warrnambool is worth allowing some time for before you head onto the Great Ocean Road. Just outside town, Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve sits inside an extinct volcanic crater and is a great place to look out for koalas, kangaroos and emus. If you’re travelling between May and September, head out to Logans Beach too, where you may be lucky enough to spot Southern Right whales just offshore.
Then you’re into the part of the journey most people know about: the Shipwreck Coast, Twelve Apostles and the other coastal formations, before the scenery changes again through the Otways and the coastal towns further east.
Don’t feel you need to spend the whole time jumping from one major attraction to the next either. Pull up, put the kettle on, make some lunch and enjoy where you are for a while. That’s part of the fun of having the motorhome with you.
We’ve covered more of the places you can visit when travelling the Great Ocean Road by motorhome, so have a look at that when you start planning this part of the trip in more detail.
Can you drive the Great Ocean Road in a motorhome?
Absolutely. The Great Ocean Road is sealed and can be comfortably travelled in a standard 2WD motorhome.
There are some winding and narrower sections, so take it at a comfortable pace. You’ll find you’re in great company, with plenty of other motorhome travellers enjoying the Great Ocean Road too.
Part of the fun of travelling by motorhome is having the freedom to take your time and stop as you go, but when it comes to where you stay overnight, you do need to plan ahead. Having a motorhome doesn’t mean you can simply find a spot beside the coast and stay there.
Freedom camping is generally not permitted along the coastal strip of the Great Ocean Road. You will find some free or low-cost options further inland, including in state forest and national park areas, but if you want to stay close to the Great Ocean Road, you’ll generally be using designated campgrounds.
Top tip: We don’t suggest booking every campground for your whole trip. However, during peak season, particularly on popular routes like the Great Ocean Road, we’d book the key campgrounds you really don’t want to miss and wing it for the rest. That way you’ve got some certainty without losing the freedom to explore as you go.
Is Adelaide to Melbourne a good first motorhome road trip?
Yes, we think it’s a perfect route for your first motorhome holiday.
You’re travelling through established towns and popular holiday areas, so food, fuel and supplies are easy enough to find. The main route is sealed, and you’re not dealing with the huge distances between towns that you can get on some Australian road trips.
You can keep your driving days fairly short too. Move on when you’re ready, park up and then spend the rest of the day exploring.
So if you’d love to try a motorhome holiday but some of Australia’s more remote road trips feel like a bit much for your first one, Adelaide to Melbourne is a great place to start.
Which direction is better – Adelaide to Melbourne or Melbourne to Adelaide?
You can travel this route in either direction and there really isn’t a right or wrong way.
Melbourne to Adelaide does put you on the ocean side of the road along the Great Ocean Road, which can make it easier to pull into some of the lookouts. The flip side is that travelling west can mean having the setting sun in your eyes later in the day.
Travelling Adelaide to Melbourne means you’ll reach the Great Ocean Road towards the end of your trip. If you haven’t planned your trip properly and allowed enough time, you could find yourself rushing those last few days and missing places you really wanted to see before the motorhome needs to be returned.
We always recommend allowing some flexibility in your travel plans, but that doesn’t mean setting off without a plan. Have a good idea of roughly where you need to be throughout your trip, while still leaving yourself the flexibility to change things as you go.
We’d choose the direction that works best with your flights, where you’re coming from or heading to next and the rest of your holiday. Both directions work well, so we certainly wouldn’t change your plans just to have the ocean on one side of the road.
When is the best time to drive from Adelaide to Melbourne?
You can travel this route throughout the year, but the experience can be quite different depending on when you go.
If beach stops, picnics and spending time around the coastal towns are high on your list, the warmer months are a great time to go. Summer is also the busiest time along the Great Ocean Road though, particularly from late December through January and around the Easter holidays.
Spring and autumn are also lovely times to travel, especially if you prefer milder temperatures for walking and exploring. You’ll generally find fewer people around than during the main summer holiday period, which can make a real difference at some of the more popular stops.
And we wouldn’t write winter off. The Otways waterfalls are often at their best after the winter rain, there are fewer people around and this is also when Southern Right whales make their way along Victoria’s south-west coast.
One thing to remember with this stretch of coastline is that the weather can change pretty quickly, whatever time of year you travel. Layers, a waterproof jacket and some decent walking shoes are always worth throwing in the motorhome.
Planning your Adelaide to Melbourne motorhome hire
Adelaide to Melbourne works really well as a one-way motorhome hire, picking up in Adelaide and dropping off in Melbourne, or vice versa.
When you’re choosing your motorhome, think about how you’re actually going to use the space rather than simply looking at how many people the vehicle sleeps. If there are two of you travelling, for example, that doesn’t automatically mean a 2 berth will be the best option. You might prefer the extra room of a larger motorhome or a layout where you can leave the bed made up.
There are quite a few things to consider when choosing your motorhome, so rather than covering them all here, have a read of our guide to choosing the best motorhome hire for your Australian holiday. We look at the different layouts, vehicle sizes and premium versus budget options in much more detail.
You can also take a look at our motorhome and campervan hire options, or reach out and tell us a little about the trip you’re planning. We can help you work through which motorhome is likely to suit you best.
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