Overland travel between Melbourne and Adelaide
Photo: Vaticidalprophet, WTFPL via Wikimedia Commons
Going overland between Adelaide and Melbourne, whether by car, bus, or rail, may take longer than the quick 45-minute flight, but has advantages for the traveller. Going this way, you can see a lot more of the country's scenery and check out plenty of small towns you may otherwise overlook.
The Dukes/Western/South-Eastern (M8/A8/M1) is a direct route going through many of Victoria's historic goldrush regions. This route is 725 km long, and will take a minimum of 7 hours without stops.
The Princes Highway/Great Ocean Road (A1/B100/B1) is an oceanside scenic route popular with tourists since the 1930s. It is roughly 1000 km, and will take at least 12 hours without stops, but realistically a fair bit longer. An even longer route goes through The Coorong and the Limestone Coast on the way out of Adelaide towards the Victoria border and Great Ocean Road, but passes through some really scenic places on the way; give yourself at least three days if you want to take this route.
UnderstandMelbourne is one of Australia's true world cities and a nexus of culture, art, food, and entertainment.
PrepareYou won't need much for this trip other than a bottle of water, or some snacks if you don't want to make potentially pricey meal breaks.
Get inThere are many entries to this route, with the most common ones being in either end of Melbourne or Adelaide.
Get aroundIt takes about 7 hours end to end by car via the Western Freeway, the Western Highway, Dukes Highway and the South Eastern Freeway, but it takes 12 hours via the near coastal Princes Highway and Great Ocean Road without…
GoThe road is a fully four lane freeway with grade separate intersections and a 110km/h speed limit. However, along the way, you'd pass Baccus Marsh, a popular farming town, where its produce is quite famous.
Drive
Stay safeTwo-thirds of the Western/Dukes Highway route is just a two-lane undivided road. Avoid overtaking on the opposite lane.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Overland travel between Melbourne and Adelaide" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Vaticidalprophet, WTFPL via Wikimedia Commons