Melbourne to Adelaide road trip: driving the Great Ocean Road route

The list of things to do, eat, and drink in Melbourne is endless, but before you embark on a nature-filled road trip, why not take a few days to see the best art the city has to offer.

On the first official day of your Melbourne to Adelaide road trip, you might be tempted to drive the two hours straight to the quintessential seaside holiday town of Lorne and while away the day on the pure white sand of one of its many beaches. But there would be a lot you would miss along the way, so let’s rewind.

Start your day with a coffee at Freckleduck café in the pretty port city of Geelong, one-hour drive south-west of Melbourne. The café partners with non-profit One Girl, and for every 3,000 coffees sold, a girl in Africa will be educated for a year.

Once you’ve kickstarted your day with a caffeine hit and a good deed, you’ll want to head straight for the ‘Surf Capital of Australia’, Torquay – the birthplace of surf brands Rip Curl and Quicksilver and home to the mammoth National Surfing Museum. If you’re a novice, sign up for a private lesson with Torquay Surf Academy or rent a board and ride the waves at iconic Bells Beach.

Today is the day you get to see what everyone comes to the Great Ocean Road to see—the glittering limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles. But unless you want to see this wonder of the world with thousands of bus-tripping tourists, we highly recommend arriving at sunset or sunrise when there’s less likely to be a heaving mass of people obstructing your view.

That means you can start off your day with a leisurely brunch at Lorne’s Swing Bridge Café. With cuisine inspired by the Argentinian homeland of the owner, you can satiate your hunger with a chorizo brekkie wrap, or a bacon and egg roll with lime mojo and aioli, before continuing to drive along rugged cliffs on your way to Apollo Bay.

Apollo Bay is the gateway to the ancient rainforests, glow-worm caves, and waterfalls of Great Otway National Park, so a day hike is definitely in order. You can also drive 35 minutes outside Apollo Bay to the oldest surviving lighthouse in Australia, Cape Otway Lighthouse. A climb to the top rewards you with magnificent views across the Southern Ocean.

So now is your time to decide—do you hit the Twelve Apostles as the sun dips below the horizon, or do you drive onto Port Fairy and wake up before 6 am for a sunrise view? It’s a tough choice: You might see penguins at sunset, but at low tide in the early morning, you can descend Gibson’s Steps to the beach and get a close-up view of the awe-inspiring apostles from below. We’ll leave it up to you.

Now that you’ve seen the Twelve Apostles, you might want to stop at the other equally impressive geological wonders nearby—London Bridge, Bay of Islands, and Loch Ard Gorge. Once you’ve had your fill of rocks, it’s time for fauna to take the spotlight at Cape Bridgewater.

One hour past Port Fairy, you’ll find Portland, Victoria’s first European settlement, and, just beyond that, the Bridgewater Bay Café is the perfect lunch spot. Roast pumpkin salad or homemade pork burgers will be much-needed fuel for the 2.5-kilometre Cape Bridgewater Seal Walk, where you’ll see a colony of roughly 650 Australian fur seals. If you want to get closer to these playful animals, you can arrange a cage snorkel dive.

Less than an hour later down the highway, you’ll cross the border into South Australia and quickly arrive at Mount Gambier. Here, an extinct volcano crater holds the stunning Blue Lake, which turns cobalt blue from December to March. If you have time, veer north to Coonawarra, and its 20 cellar doors—famed for their Cabernet Sauvignon—or simply continue on the main ocean road to the beautiful town of Robe.

Start the morning early, as you have a four-hour drive from Robe to Victor Harbor. But the long stretch in the car is worth it once you see the powerful Clydesdale horses pulling Australia’s only horse-drawn tram, which dates back to 1878. The tram takes you out to Granite Island, where you can enjoy a seaside picnic or go on a dusk tour of the penguin colonies.

If you’re visiting between June and October, book The Big Duck tour. A semi-inflatable boat takes you out to inaccessible areas off the coast to see seals, dolphins, and the whale-breeding sanctuary at Encounter Bay.

From Victor Harbor, it’s a clear one-hour run to Adelaide, but with so much to see on the city’s outskirts you don’t want to speed ahead too quickly. If the thought of a robust Shiraz full of tannins has you salivating, head 50 minutes north where you’ll find an abundance of drops to try in McLaren Vale, especially along the eight-kilometre Shiraz Trail that follows an old railway line. But you won’t just find delectable wine here, it’s also home to some incredible foodie experiences.

The region boasts 80 cellar doors, many of which offer local produce—from casual grazing platters to high-end gastronomic fare—as part of the tasting experience. If you can only choose one, opt for the wildly imaginative degustation at the d’Arenberg Cube restaurant. Opened in 2017, this avant-garde five-storey structure is fashioned after an unfinished Rubik’s cube. Overlooking the rolling vines of the d’Arenberg estate, it features a cellar door, several bars, and a casual restaurant in addition to the fine-dining option.

If you decide to head south, you’ll need to plan enough time to ensure you catch the last ferry heading out from Cape Jervis to Kangaroo Island. The island is a remote wilderness sanctuary in every sense of the word—it’s seven times the size of Singapore and more than a third of the island is designated as protected nature reserves.

Families will love everything about Kangaroo Island. Walk along the boardwalk and spot endangered Australian sea lions or have a close encounter with an Australian raptor at Raptor Domain. Then go on a guided night-time tour of Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary to see koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, and echidnas as they get ready for bed. And, of course, kangaroos are everywhere, often hopping near the roadside.

And finally, after more than a week on the road, you’ll arrive in the small, but wondrous, city of Adelaide. Known as the ‘City of Churches’ because of its diversity of faiths and beautiful churches, the city is a cosmopolitan fusion of cultures.

Start with a leisurely stroll along the North Terrace, home to many of Adelaide’s most well-known cultural institutions, including the State Library, Government House, and the Migration Museum. Stock up on picnic supplies at the Adelaide Central Market—you’ll definitely want a truffle prosciutto panini from Charcuterie Traiteur to take away—before taking the 35-minute tram trip to Glenelg Beach for a dip, a stroll, and a fabulous sunset.