Ballarat to Adelaide road trip: Distance, driving time & best stops

Ballarat to Adelaide road trip: Ararat to Stawell

On the way to Stawell, there are several wineries.  The Grampians Estate, Seppelt Cellar Door and Grampians Estate are all worth a look.

You’ll also pass the Ararat Hills Regional Park, which has several walking trails. The one to the One Tree Hill Lookout is arguably the best.

Stawell is where you can turn off for Halls Gap, the kangaroo-heavy gateway village to many of the key attractions in the Grampians.

The Grand Canyon, the Balconies, Silverband Falls, Lake Bellfield,  the Pinnacle Lookout and the Boroka Lookout are all close to Halls Gap.

The town also offers a series of handsome churches and parks. The Big Hill Lookout is the best photo stop.

Ballarat to Adelaide drive: Stawell to Dimboola

Carrying on towards Horsham, you’ll go past popular camping spot Lake Lonsdale and the Giant Koala in Dadswell Bridge.

The drive along the Western Highway then skirts north of the Grampians National Park. The Mt Stapylton Loop Walk is a highlight in this section. For Aboriginal rock art, go to the Gulgurn Manja shelter.

Before reaching Horsham, the road trip route passes a series of lakes. The Green Lake Recreation Area is the most pleasant place to stop.

Horsham offers silo art, a pleasant botanic gardens, the Horsham Regional Art Gallery and strolls through the parks by the Wimmera River.

The next town along is Dimboola, which is best used as a gateway to Little Desert National Park. The 1km Pomponderoo Hill Nature Hill Walk is a good journey-breaking stretch, while you can see lots of native wildlife in the Snape Reserve.

Go when the conditions are right, and the Dimboola Pink Lake to the north of town turns pink courtesy of the micro-organisms living in it.

Click through to the next section: Dimboola to Bordertown.