Geelong to Adelaide road trip: Distance, driving time & best stops
Geelong to Adelaide road trip: Tailem Bend to Mount Barker
The next town along the Murray River is Murray Bridge, where you can walk among the wildflowers in Kinchina Conservation Park or take a Murray River paddleboat cruise.
Murray Bridge accommodation costs from $101 per night, with good options including the Bridgeport Hotel.
A little further along, you’ll reach the Monarto Safari Park – one of the biggest zoos in Australia.
It’s not too much longer before you reach the Adelaide Hills, with Mount Barker being the first town you encounter.
Reasons to stop here include the Prancing Pony Brewery, SteamRanger Heritage Railway, Howard Vineyard and Berrigan Wines. You might also want to try walking to the Mt Barker Summit Lookout.
Geelong to Adelaide road trip: Mount Barker to Adelaide
Next up is the most fun town in the Adelaide Hills – German heritage-laced Hahndorf. Here, you’ll find excellent Adelaide Hills wineries such as the Sidewood Estate, The Lane and the Hahndorf Hill Winery.
Alternatively, you can enjoy German-style food and beers at the Hahndorf Inn and German Arms Hotel.
Other attractions include artist Hans Heysen’s studio at the Cedars and the kid-pleasing Hahndorf Farm Barn.
On the way into Adelaide, the route then passes the Bridgewater Fairy Garden, Raywood Gardens and the Mount George Conservation Park. Near Crafers, it’s possible to make an engaging detour to the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden, Mount Lofty Summit and Cleland Conservation Park.
15 fabulous Adelaide experiences to supercharge your visit
- DOLPHINS 🐬: Swim with wild dolphins, kayak with the resident bottlenose pod or watch them on a dolphin cruise.
- FOOD AND WINE 🍷: Indulge on Adelaide food tour including Adelaide Central Market. Or try a wine discovery tour with tastings at the National Wine Centre. Or the ultimate Penfolds Magill Estate experience with full estate tour & Grange tasting.
- WILDLIFE 🐨: Spot koalas on a guided Morialta nature hike. Or walk from Waterfall Gully to Mount Lofty with entrance to Cleland Wildlife Park.
- CRUISES ⛵: Watch the sun set on a twilight coastal cruise, get to know the city on a Torrens River cruise or take a high tea cruise aboard the Popeye.
- SPORT 🏏: Dare to take on the Adelaide Oval Roofclimb or enter the fabled scoreboard on the behind-the-scenes stadium tour.
- ACTION 🚵♂️: Descend Mount Lofty on a downhill mountain bike tour or kayak along the Torrens River.
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.
Underrated aspects of Adelaide include the Himeji Japanese Garden, kayaking tours of the Adelaide Dolphin Sanctuary, Semaphore Beach and the koala-dotted Morialta Conservation Park.
You can also try mountain bike tours, a wine discovery experience at the National Wine Centre and a twilight coastal cruise.
Top Adelaide hotel recommendations
For the beach: Oaks Glenelg Plaza Pier Suites. For families: Big4 West Beach. Most fun: Hotel Indigo Adelaide Markets. For setting: Oval Hotel. For heritage: Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury.
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