Melbourne to Darwin road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
Road trip to Darwin from Melbourne: Adelaide or Barossa Valley?
Once you cross the border from Victoria to South Australia, the Dukes Highway is pretty dull until it meets the Murray River in Tailem Bend and Murray Bridge.
Tailem Bend accommodation picks
The best Tailem Bend accommodation choices are:
- For good quality at relatively cheap rates (and a riverside location): Motel River Bend.
- For racetrack views: Rydges Pit Lane Hotel.
- For families: Big4 The Bend Holiday Park.
The quickest driving route doesn’t actually go into Adelaide – it goes through Gawler. There’s a strong argument for the Barossa Valley wine region, just to the north-east of Gawler, being a better overnight stop than Adelaide. There’s plenty of accommodation in the wine towns of Nuriootpa, Tanunda and Angaston.
Popular Barossa Valley accommodation options include the facility-packed Novotel Barossa Valley Resort, the roadtripper-friendly Discovery Parks Barossa Valley and the spacious Barossa Valley Apartments.
Aside from the wine tours, Barossa Valley activities include gin-making lessons, kayaking adventures and behind-the-scenes experiences at the world famous Yalumba winery.
8 unusual Barossa Valley experiences to book in advance
- Half day Mustang convertible tour.
- Two hour kayaking experience.
- Half day trike tour with commentary via headsets.
- Wine-tasting tour in a bright red London cab.
- Winery hopping by e-bike.
- Gin-making workshop with lunch.
- Behind the scenes VIP tour at Seppeltsfield.
- Learn about barrel-making at the Yalumba Cooperage.
It also adds on very little journey time to go through the Riesling-heavy Clare Valley on the way towards Port Augusta. The quicker route, however, will lake you past the pink lake in Lochiel – Lake Bumbunga.
Port Augusta accommodation picks
Port Augusta accommodation tends towards the functional. Few people stay here more than one night. Booking site Wotif lists options for from $89, if you’d like to check what’s available.
However, these Port Augusta accommodation choices are particularly worth looking at:
- For heritage and character: Pampas Motel.
- For green credentials: Crossroads Ecomotel.
- For overall quality: Majestic Oasis Apartments.
- For cheap rates and a pool: Discovery Parks – Port Augusta.