Melbourne to Adelaide drive: Road trip route via the Great Ocean Road
The driving time from Melbourne to Adelaide is just over eight hours if you take the fastest, dullest inland route. Go on a road trip itinerary via the Great Ocean Road, Limestone Coast and Coorong, and the Melbourne to Adelaide drive should take 13 to 14 hours.
The quickest driving route between Melbourne and Adelaide is one that hardly any tourists will ever take. The most direct path between the Victorian and South Australian capitals goes inland through Sovereign Hill, Ballarat and the outskirts of the kangaroo and scenic lookout-crammed Grampians National Park. After that, there’s a whole lot of agricultural country and not a lot else.
Adelaide brings food tours of the fabulous Central Market, Torrens River cruises, swimming with dolphins and the chance to walk across the roof of the Adelaide Oval. To book Adelaide accommodation, step this way. For a full range of Adelaide tours and experiences, explore here.
Pick your perfect Adelaide day trips
- Barossa Valley tours: 1. Wine-tasting with lunch 🍷. 2. Food and wine tour. 3. Small group wine tour with exclusive VIP tastings.
- Kangaroo Island in a day – including sea lions 🦭, koalas 🐨and national parks.
- Adelaide Hills tours: 1. Sights plus Murray River lunch cruise combo. 2. Small group cheese, chocolate & wine tour with Hahndorf German village.
- McLaren Vale tours: 1. Small group wine tour with lunch. 2. Hop-on hop-off wineries tour 🍷. 3. Food and wine indulgence tour, including the gloriously weird d’Arenberg Cube.
- Victor Harbor and southern highlights tour – including the Granite Island horse-drawn tram.
The Melbourne to Adelaide drive covers 727km along the A8 and M1. Sticking to the speed limit here, the driving time from Melbourne to Adelaide is just over eight hours without stops. This is difficult to manage without at least some night driving.
Unless you’re in a real rush, it would be absolutely senseless to take this route. Especially as the coastal alternative takes in one of Australia’s great driving routes – the Great Ocean Road.
👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇
- Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
- Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
- Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
- Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
- Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
- Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
- Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.
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Melbourne to Adelaide road trip via the Great Ocean Road
Largely following the coast, the driving time from Melbourne to Adelaide is more like 13 to 14 hours, covering nearly 1,100km. But given you’ll probably stop for a few nights on the way and turn it into a road trip, there’s no need to be daunted by it.
Your Torquay checklist
- Skydive from 15,000ft – see the Great Ocean Road from above and get the thrill of your life.
- Learn to surf – get standing on your board by the end of a beginner’s surfing lesson.
- Book your Torquay accommodation.
Highlights of the Great Ocean Road section of the journey include the Australian National Surfing Museum in Torquay and kangaroo-spotting at the Anglesea Golf Club. Next up is the Round The Twist lighthouse in Aireys Inlet, before beach town Lorne offers rainforest walks in the Great Otway National Park and prime views from Teddy’s Lookout.
3 great experiences to try in Lorne
- Learn to surf – with a beginner’s surfing lesson at Lorne Beach.
- Swing, clamber and balance through the tree tops – on the Live Wire Park super circuit.
- Travel through the trees at 40km/h – on the Shockwave Zip Coaster.
Then you can go kayaking with seals from Apollo Bay, find koalas in the Otway Ranges, surf at Johanna Beach and see the Twelve Apostles rock formations on a scenic helicopter flight. The Great Ocean Road weather is best in the Australian summer. Pick a squally winter day, and you’ll barely see a thing.
Next section: The end of the Great Ocean Road.