Geelong to Adelaide road trip: Distance, driving time & best stops
The best stops to add to a Geelong to Adelaide road trip itinerary are Ballarat, the Grampians, Little Desert National Park and the Adelaide Hills. By car, the distance from Geelong to Adelaide is 705km, with a 7h52m driving time.
The drive from Geelong to Adelaide connects Victoria’s second largest city to the capital of South Australia. The quickest route goes inland rather than along the Great Ocean Road, but you can still make a great Geelong to Adelaide road trip out of it.
Geelong is a surprisingly fun place, offer water-biking, hot air balloon flights and electric picnic boat rentals. For the best Geelong accommodation deals, head this way.
Ballarat offers the amazing Sovereign Hill open air museum and the quirky Kryal Castle theme park.
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.
This guide is aimed at helping travellers plan their perfect Ballarat to Adelaide road trip itinerary. For more detailed information on individual towns and attractions, click through on the links.
Geelong to Adelaide distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Geelong to Adelaide is 705km. That makes for a driving time of around seven hours and 52 minutes.
The best stops to add to a Ballarat to Adelaide road trip itinerary are Ballarat, the Grampians, Little Desert National Park and the Adelaide Hills.
3 Geelong experiences to book in advance
- A water bike tour along the coast.
- A sunrise balloon flight – see the bay, hills and river from above.
- Rent an electric picnic boat on the Waterfront.
The best places to stay in Geelong
The top Geelong accommodation options are:
- For an affordably-priced, good quality motel: Parkside Motel.
- For fabulous apartments near the beach: Vue Apartments Geelong.
- For a family-friendly hotel with an indoor pool and balconies in each room: Novotel Geelong.
- For a facility-packed holiday park: Tasman Holiday Parks Geelong.
Geelong to Adelaide road trip: Geelong to Meredith
Once out of Geelong, the Midland Highway passes the town of Bannockburn. There are a few wineries here, including Wines By Farr and Bannockburn Vineyards.
The Geelong to Ballarat drive then tracks west of the Moorabool River towards Lethbridge. Just north of the town, Lethbridge Wines is arguably the best winery stop on the route. But further east towards the river, Moorabool Ridge and Tarcoola Wines are worth considering too.
The next town along the Geelong to Ballarat drive is Meredith. Here, the Meredith Police Paddocks offer waterside walking trails, while the Meredith Hotel and Royal Hotel lure in pub aficionados. The bizarre Fairy Park isn’t too much of a detour from here, either.
Geelong to Adelaide drive: Meredith to Ballarat
Carry on along the Midland Highway, and you’ll reach the tiny village of Elaine. The top road trip attraction here is the Leadlight Gallery, a stained glass art studio.
Horsey types will probably be more interested in the Unicorn Park Stud and Equestrian Centre, further north near Clarendon.
From there, you approach Ballarat’s southern suburbs. For a walk, head up Mount Buninyong. Other attractions on the way into Ballarat include the Buninyong Botanic Gardens, Ballarat Bird World and Woowookarung Regional Park.
But the clear star of the show – and the main reason to visit Ballarat – is Sovereign Hill. This recreated gold rush town is what all open air museums should be like. It’s full of activities and niche businesses keeping old artforms such as wheelwrighting and candle-making alive.
4 Ballarat experiences to book in advance ⬇️
- Sovereign Hill tickets – visit Australia’s best open air museum. Give it a full day, too – there’s so much to see and do.
- Ballarat Wildlife Park entry – meet loads of cute native Aussie animals.
- Kryal Castle admission – enjoy a bizarre knights in armour theme park.
- Beer-making course – learn to brew, with tastings and lunch thrown in.
Good Ballarat accommodation choices include the apartment-style Quest, the family-friendly Big4 NRMA Ballarat holiday park and the well-reviewed Lake Inn.
The Geelong to Adelaide driving route veers around the west of Ballarat, however. It passes close to the bizarre knight-themed Kryal Castle and Ballarat Wildlife Park on the way to the Western Freeway.
Click through to the next section: Ballarat to Beaufort.