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Photo: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0
Campervan road trip · 7–14 days
Melbourne → AdelaideOne-way campervan hire
The Great Ocean Road, the Grampians and the Limestone Coast, finishing in wine country.
Great Ocean RoadSurfHikingWildlifeFood & wine
- Trip length
- 7–14 days
- Distance
- ≈ 1,200 km
- Pick up
- Melbourne
- Drop off
- Adelaide
- Best time
- November–April for beach weather; June–September for whales at Warrnambool
Live prices from the big campervan companies · book online in minutes · one-way fee included in the price.
Prices by season and van type, with the reverse direction: Melbourne to Adelaide campervan hire prices. For every route side by side, see today's campervan hire prices.
The route
10 days, 9 stops
The Great Ocean Road is why most people make this drive, and it earns it: surf beaches, rainforest gullies, wild koalas and the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles, all on one clifftop road. Then the route turns inland to climb the Grampians, crosses into South Australia past volcanic lakes and heritage seaside towns, and ends in Adelaide, an hour from the Barossa. The drives are short and no two days look the same.
Vans that suit this trip
Day by day
The plan, stop by stop
Paced for 10 days. Got less time? Merge two stops. Got more? Stay longer wherever you like it; it's your van. Drive times and distances are approximate, from road-routing data, without stops.
- 1
Day 1
Melbourne
Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand · CC0 Collect the van and stock up. With a spare day before pickup, take a wildlife tour from the city to French Island's wild koalas and the Penguin Parade on Phillip Island.
- 2
Day 2
Torquay & Bells Beach
1.5 hrs · 100 km
Photo: Stephen Bain · CC BY-SA 3.0 The start of the Great Ocean Road and the home of Australian surfing. Watch the surfers at Bells Beach from the clifftop, take a lesson on the gentler waves in Torquay or Anglesea, or see the whole coast from 15,000 ft.
- 3
Day 3
Apollo Bay
1.5 hrs · 90 km
Photo: DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0 The road's most famous stretch, clinging to the cliffs past the Memorial Arch, Lorne and the waterfalls behind it, and Kennett River, where wild koalas sleep in the gums beside the road. Use the lookouts and pull-outs, never the bends.
- 4
Day 4
Port Campbell & the Twelve Apostles
1.5 hrs · 100 km, plus the Cape Otway detour
Photo: Angela and Andrew · CC BY 2.0 Detour to the Cape Otway lighthouse and walk the rainforest boardwalk at Maits Rest, then reach the Twelve Apostles for sunset. Next morning, take the Gibson Steps down to the beach and walk Loch Ard Gorge before the coaches arrive.
- 5
Day 5
Port Fairy & Warrnambool
1.5 hrs · 90 km
Photo: Ed Dunens · CC BY 2.0 Past London Arch and the Bay of Islands to where the Great Ocean Road ends at Allansford. Look for emus and koalas inside Tower Hill's volcanic crater, watch for southern right whales off Logans Beach from June to September, and walk Griffiths Island to the lighthouse at Port Fairy.
- 6
Day 6–7
The Grampians (Halls Gap)
2 hrs · 160 km
Photo: Faj2323 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Sandstone ranges rising out of farmland, known to the Jardwadjali and Djab Wurrung peoples as Gariwerd. Climb to the Pinnacle, walk down to MacKenzie Falls and catch sunrise at Boroka Lookout. Kangaroos graze the ovals in Halls Gap at dusk.
- 7
Day 8
Mount Gambier
3 hrs · 220 km
Photo: S5A-0043 · CC BY 4.0 Cross into South Australia and put your watch back half an hour. The Blue Lake fills an old volcanic crater and turns vivid blue from about November to March, and the Umpherston Sinkhole is a sunken garden you can walk down into.
- 8
Day 9
Robe
1.5 hrs · 130 km
Photo: DXR · CC BY-SA 4.0 A heritage port town with a striped obelisk on the clifftop and the long white sweep of Long Beach just north of town.
- 9
Day 10
Adelaide (via the Coorong)
4 hrs · 340 km
Photo: June Lennie · CC BY-SA 4.0 Follow the Coorong's lagoons and dunes north, where pelicans line the shallows, then stop in Hahndorf, a town in the Adelaide Hills settled by German Lutherans in the 1830s. Return the van in Adelaide, then let someone else drive you to the Barossa.
Good to know
- Where to sleep
- Caravan and holiday parks with powered sites and showers, national park campgrounds, and low-cost sites listed in WikiCamps. Book ahead in school holidays.
- One-way fee
- Melbourne → Adelaide is one-way, so operators add a fee that varies by season. We build it into your quote upfront.
- Driver age
- Most operators need drivers aged 21+. A few take 18–20 year olds with a young-driver surcharge; tell us the youngest driver's age and we'll quote what fits.
- Recommended vans
- Best fits: the hi-top campervan; the 2-seater, 2-sleeper and the motorhome. Tell us how many of you are travelling and we'll match the size.
Free and low-cost places to park up on this route, with the local rules: free camping in Victoria and free camping in South Australia.
- The Great Ocean Road is narrow and winding with sheer drops. Use the pull-outs to let faster traffic by, and never stop on a bend for a photo.
- Summer holidays and long weekends pack the road. Start early to beat the coaches at the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge.
- Check Parks Victoria for Grampians track closures before you go. Fire and flood damage can close walks for long periods.
- Melbourne → Adelaide is one-way, so operators add a one-way fee. It varies by season and we include it in your quote upfront.
Tours worth adding
Boats, reefs, islands and 4WD tracks. Add them to your quote and we'll fit them around your drive.
Melbourne to Adelaide campervan FAQs
How long does it take to drive the Great Ocean Road? +
The road runs about 240 km from Torquay to Allansford, near Warrnambool. You could drive it in a day, but with stops it deserves three: the surf coast, the Otways, and the Twelve Apostles.
Which direction is best, Melbourne to Adelaide or Adelaide to Melbourne? +
Melbourne to Adelaide puts the ocean on your side of the road along the Great Ocean Road, so lookouts and pull-outs are a left turn away. The reverse works too, and prices can differ by direction, so ask us to quote both.
How many days do you need for Melbourne to Adelaide in a campervan? +
Allow 7–14 days. This plan is paced for 10 days with 9 overnight bases. Short on time? Merge two stops. Got longer? Stay on wherever you like it.
Is there a one-way fee for Melbourne to Adelaide? +
Yes. Melbourne to Adelaide is a one-way hire, and operators add a one-way fee that varies by season. We include it in your quote upfront.
How old do I need to be to hire a campervan? +
Most operators require drivers to be 21 or older. A few accept 18 to 20 year olds with a young-driver surcharge. Tell us the youngest driver's age in the quote form and we'll only quote vans you can drive.
Which campervan suits Melbourne to Adelaide? +
The best fits are the hi-top campervan; the 2-seater, 2-sleeper and the motorhome. Tell us how many of you are travelling and we'll quote the right size.
Ready to drive Melbourne to Adelaide?
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