Bordertown Recreation Lake
The Melbourne to Adelaide drive
05 DEC 2025
- 8 hours
- 728km
Driving from Melbourne to Adelaide
Everything here has taken its time, and you’ll feel it in the small moments - the warmth of a bakery pasty, fresh from the oven. The hush of a cave where the air turns cool, even in the peak of summer. The first sip of a Coonawarra red, poured by the winemaker who knows the soil, the seasons and every row of vines by heart. Just like the landscapes around you, take your time when you embark on the Southern Ocean Drive. The scenic detour from Melbourne to Adelaide, this route connects the Great Ocean Road with South Australia's patchwork vineyards, cosy cafe strips and quaint coastal villages. For those short on time but with a curious mind, the direct route still offers you local hospitality without the extra kilometres. Set your course for Adelaide and you'll find yourself making the border crossing at the aptly named 'Bordertown'. From here, weave your way through a landscape painting - the horizon line hugged by wheat and held by barley, until farmland gives way to undulating hills. By the time you reach Hahndorf for a mid-afternoon pretzel, you are a stones throw from the big smoke.
All visitors are encouraged to plan ahead to stay up to date on the latest traffic updates including road closures, road works and planned events via the South Australian Government website.
Monarto Safari Park
Direct Route - All In A Day
Not everyone has time for the open road and curious detours. Sometimes, life is about following the simplest path. That is where the direct route comes in. This is your no muss, no fuss, no time to waste route to Adelaide. Taking just shy of eight hours (if you don't stop, that is), this journey will see you cut through the wheatfields of western Victoria before arriving at our border - marked by a big ol' welcome sign and the smiling faces at the Bordertown bakery. You won't be able to place it at first, the subtle culture shift as you come into a new state. But, after a couple of rest stops, you'll pick it. The easy chatter with the person behind you in line to pay for fuel. The warmth from a stranger offering you directions to the best coffee spot in town. There's a hospitality here that is hard to fake and even harder to forget - no matter how long you have. Looking to stretch your legs? Break up the drive with a visit to Monarto Safari Park or Hahndorf.
Mount Schank, Limestone Coast
The Southern Ocean Drive - the scenic way
If you’re coming from Melbourne, the Southern Ocean Drive gives you more reasons to stop... and far fewer “are we there yet?” comments. Like picnics on the pontoon at Little Blue Lake, a volcanic sinkhole fed by the underground water system that threads through this region. Or the coastal town of Kingston SE, where Larry the Big Lobster beckons you to take a photo that will likely live on your fridge forever. Trace the Coorong, a place of wide lagoons and open skies. Keep cruising until you reach Meningie, a lakeside town that always seems to welcome road-trippers with calm water and time to spare.
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Coonawarra and Mount Gambier
Everything here has taken its time, and you’ll feel it in the small moments - the warmth of a bakery pasty, fresh from the oven. The hush of a cave where the air turns cool, even in the peak of summer. The first sip of a Coonawarra red, poured by the winemaker who knows the soil, the seasons and every row of vines by heart. Start your journey with a night in Penola, a quaint country town that is all charm. Pull up a chair at Moss and Wild for your morning coffee, and you'll likely get talking to a local vintner fuelling up for a day spent working the famous terra rossa soils. Taste the ochre flavours when you stop in at Bellwether Wines, Wynns Coonawarra or Balnaves. Then, commute between the caves, chambers and cenotes that mark this landscape like the hands of a clock. From the megafauna bones discovered in the belly of the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves, to the volcanic craters that make up the Blue Lake/Warwar and Mount Schank. Writers Tip: When you stop in at Bellwether wines, be sure to keep your eye out for their fluffy friend Maple, the cellar door doggo who loves a pet, or give their donkey Gerado a wave.
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Robe
As the countryside fades into your review mirror, you’ll smell the coast before you see it. The air suddenly changes as you near the coastal village of Robe - less soil and more salt. If you are looking for a place with a slower pace, you've found it. Spend your day chatting to local artisans as you peruse their wares, drop in for coffee at one of the many local haunts before spending your afternoon wading in the shallows of Long Beach. The seafood here is hearty and caught daily, with crayfish a local delicassy. Looking to stretch your legs after a long day in the car? Get your step count up as you walk the Obelisk Coastal Trail, passing Robe’s historic old gaol ruins, jetty and marina before quenching your thurst at the Robe Town Brewery.
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Coorong National Park
The Coorong National Park is where the brackish waters of the Murray River meets the southern ocean. You can’t help but feel a sense of reverence when you visit the Coorong. Standing at its shores, you sense how different it is from the ocean: calmer, slower. It’s a place where pelicans make their home, where the wind moves softly through the dunes and where silence feels alive. Pull in and camp along the shores of the Coorong, learn about how the Ngarrindjeri peoples care for country before joining a boat tour with Coorong Wildside Tours.
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Victor Harbor
Continue your road trip and watch lagoons give way to verdant vines in Langhorne Creek, before travelling back south-west towards Victor Harbor. Along the way, pop into the famous Port Elliot Bakery, where the ‘Donut of the Month’ awaits your tastebuds.
5 / 5
McLaren Vale
You don’t just drink wine in McLaren Vale — you taste the land it comes from. The vines grow between rolling hills and ocean air, soaking up the long, dry summers and cool coastal breezes. Winemakers here know their patch of earth like the back of their hand, working with the seasons, soil and a deep respect for time. With over 70 cellar doors, you can taste it for yourself. Stop in at local favourites Down The Rabbit Hole or Chalk Hill for a laid back tasting experience. Hungry? enjoy a patch to plate experience when you dine at Coriole or The Currant Shed, swapping overladen spoonfuls as you debate who is winning the running game of spotto. Alternatively, enjoy a relaxed (yet sophisticated) dining experience at the Star of Greece in Port Willunga, where you can watch the last light of day slip behind the horizon, all from the cosy comfort of your balcony table.
