14 Days Melbourne to Adelaide with 7 days following the Tour
Some road trips are about the destination. This one gives you both. Fourteen days, one campervan, no accommodation bookings to juggle — starting in Melbourne, tracing the Great Ocean Road's cliffs and surf towns, climbing into the Grampians, unwinding through Coonawarra's cellar doors, and rolling into Adelaide just in time for the biggest Santos Tour Down Under on record.
Pick the van up in Melbourne, drop it off in Adelaide — no backtracking, no doubling up on driving. The first week is the journey itself: coastline, rainforest, mountains and wine country. The second week is race week, with the same campervan you've been sleeping in all along parked up and ready to go each morning.
Quick Facts: Melbourne to Adelaide via the Tour Down Under
- Total distance: around 1,650km one-way, pick up Melbourne, drop off Adelaide
- Route: Great Ocean Road → Grampians National Park → Coonawarra/Limestone Coast → Adelaide
- Race dates: 2027 Santos Tour Down Under runs 16–24 January (men's race Tue 19 – Sun 24 Jan, women's race Fri 22 – Sun 24 Jan)
- What's new: the first WorldTour race ever to run men's and women's stages on the same course, same day, same distance
- School holidays: this trip sits entirely within Victorian and South Australian summer holidays — no term-time pull-outs required
Week One: The Journey — Melbourne to Adelaide
Seven days, three distinct landscapes. Drive times below include a buffer for campervan pace — the Great Ocean Road in particular rewards slow, unhurried driving, so don't be tempted to rush it to bank extra time in Adelaide.
Day 1 — Monday 11 January: Melbourne to Lorne~140km · 2.5hrs with stops
Pick up the van, stock the fridge, and hit the official start of the Great Ocean Road by early afternoon.
Highlights
- Pick up your campervan from one of the DriveNow suppliers Melbourne depots and do a supermarket stop before heading out
- Stop in Torquay, the official start of the Great Ocean Road and home to Bells Beach — worth an hour if you're into surf culture
- Continue via Anglesea (keep an eye out for koalas in the eucalypts) and on to Lorne for the night
- Base at Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park, right on Loutit Bay and an easy walk to the town's cafés and restaurants
Day 2 — Tuesday 12 January: Lorne to Apollo Bay~45km · 1.5hrs with stops
A short driving day by design — this stretch of coast is made for stopping every five minutes.
Highlights
- Walk up to Erskine Falls before you leave Lorne, then take the short detour to Teddy's Lookout for sweeping views back over the town
- Break the drive at Kennett River, one of the most reliable spots on the whole route for wild koala sightings in the roadside trees
- Detour into Great Otway National Park for the Maits Rest rainforest boardwalk — a cool, shaded change of pace from the coast
- Base at BIG4 Apollo Bay Pisces Holiday Park, walking distance to the beach and the Apollo Bay township
Day 3 — Wednesday 13 January: Apollo Bay to Warrnambool~160km · 3hrs with stops
The headline day of the Great Ocean Road — the Twelve Apostles and the rest of the Shipwreck Coast.
Highlights
- Stop at Cape Otway Lighthouse if you have an extra hour up your sleeve — Australia's oldest surviving lighthouse
- Walk out to the Twelve Apostles viewing platform, then Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge nearby — all within a short walk of each other
- Continue through Port Campbell to see London Bridge and The Grotto before pushing on to Warrnambool
- Base at NRMA Warrnambool Riverside Holiday Park for the night, with an easy option to check Logan Beach for whale sightings if you're travelling June–September (outside race season, but worth knowing for future trips)
Day 4 — Thursday 14 January: Warrnambool to Halls Gap~205km · 3hrs
Turn inland and swap coastline for mountains — the Grampians is a proper change of scenery.
Highlights
- Stop at Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, a volcanic crater reserve just out of Warrnambool with resident emus and kangaroos
- Drive via Dunkeld, the southern gateway to the Grampians, worth a coffee stop at the historic Dunkeld Old Bakery
- Arrive Halls Gap in the afternoon with time to settle in before the sun drops — this is prime kangaroo-spotting hour
- Base at NRMA Halls Gap Holiday Park or Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park, both right in the heart of the national park
Day 5 — Friday 15 January: Grampians National ParkNo driving day
Leave the van at camp and spend the day exploring on foot.
Highlights
- Walk to The Pinnacles lookout for one of the best panoramic views in the park — a steady 2km climb, well worth the effort
- Take the family-friendly route out to MacKenzie Falls, one of Victoria's largest waterfalls
- Drop into the Brambuk National Park and Cultural Centre, run by the Jardwadjali and Djab Wurrung communities, for context on the area's deep Aboriginal history
- Cool off at Lake Bellfield or Lake Fyans if the weather is warm — both a short drive from Halls Gap
Day 6 — Saturday 16 January: Halls Gap to Coonawarra~230km · 3hrs
Cross into South Australia and trade mountains for vines — and note that the Tour Village opens in Adelaide today, if you want to track the build-up online.
Highlights
- Head south via Horsham and Bordertown, crossing into South Australia along the way
- Break the drive with a visit to Naracoorte Caves National Park, South Australia's only UNESCO World Heritage site, home to fossilised remains of Australia's giant prehistoric marsupials
- Arrive in Penola/Coonawarra in the afternoon with time for a cellar door or two — this is serious cabernet sauvignon country, with more than 20 cellar doors along the Riddoch Highway
- Base at Penola Coonawarra Caravan Park, an easy walk into Penola township and surrounded by vines
Day 7 — Sunday 17 January: Coonawarra to Adelaide~400km · 5hrs
The longest driving day of the trip — start early, and treat it as a proper travel day rather than a sightseeing one.
Highlights
- Fill up before you leave Penola — services thin out along the Limestone Coast stretch
- Break the drive at Kingston SE for a photo with the Big Lobster, then continue up the coast through Robe if you'd like a longer lunch stop
- Roll into Adelaide by early evening and settle into your race-week base — see the full base recommendations in our 7-Day Adelaide Race Itinerary, linked below
- Take it easy tonight — you've earned it, and race week starts tomorrow
Recommended Campgrounds: The Journey
Three regions, two options each — all holiday parks with powered sites suited to campervans. In January, book ahead; the Great Ocean Road and Grampians are peak summer destinations in their own right.
Great Ocean RoadDays 1–3
LORNE FORESHORE CARAVAN PARK
Set across five sites along the Erskine River and Loutit Bay foreshore, right in the heart of Lorne — an easy walk to the beach, shops and restaurants.
BIG4 APOLLO BAY PISCES HOLIDAY PARK
Walking distance to the Apollo Bay foreshore and township, and a good base for the Great Otway National Park detours.
GrampiansDays 4 & 5
NRMA HALLS GAP HOLIDAY PARK
2km from Halls Gap village at the foothills of the ranges, with a heated pool and easy access to the park's main walking trails.
HALLS GAP LAKESIDE TOURIST PARK
A quieter bush setting a short walk or drive from the village, with a wood-fire heated outdoor pool and regular wildlife wandering through camp.
Coonawarra & Limestone CoastDay 6
PENOLA COONAWARRA CARAVAN PARK
Set among gum trees and established vines, an easy walk into Penola township and right at the entrance to the Coonawarra wine trail.
NARACOORTE HOLIDAY PARK
A good alternative if you'd rather base closer to Naracoorte Caves National Park before continuing on to Coonawarra the next morning.
Pinnacles Lookout - The Grampians - Credit: Destination Victoria
Week Two: Race Week in Adelaide, at a Glance
Once you roll into Adelaide, the pace changes completely — you're parked up and chasing a nine-day cycling festival rather than covering ground. Here's the shape of the week; for the full day-by-day breakdown, campground recommendations for Adelaide, the Barossa and Victor Harbor, and our tips on public transport and bike hire, read our companion guide: The 7-Day Santos Tour Down Under Campervan Itinerary — Adelaide to Adelaide.
| Day | What's On |
| Day 8 — Mon 18 Jan | Settle into your Adelaide base; evening at the City of Adelaide Tour Village, Victoria Square (free entry) |
| Day 9 — Tue 19 Jan | Stage 1: Henley Beach to Gumeracha — catch the seaside roll-out, then the big screen at the Tour Village |
| Day 10 — Wed 20 Jan | Stage 2: the Barossa — relocate to a Barossa holiday park, watch the Angaston/Tanunda stage and call into cellar doors |
| Day 11 — Thu 21 Jan | Stage 3: Lobethal to Campbelltown — Adelaide Hills stage, easy roadside viewing with kids |
| Day 12 — Fri 22 Jan | Stage 4: Victor Harbor — first-ever shared men's/women's finish; relocate to the coast for the night |
| Day 13 — Sat 23 Jan | Flexible day — McLaren Vale cellar doors on the way back to Adelaide, or a rest day for the kids |
| Day 14 — Sun 24 Jan | Stage 6 grand finale: Norwood to Stirling — trackside in the Hills, then closing celebrations at the Tour Village |
Drop the van back at the Adelaide depot the following morning, Monday 25 January — most depots offer a relaxed mid-morning return, so there's no need to rush your last night.
Travelling with kids
This whole 14-day window sits inside the Victorian and South Australian summer holidays, so there's no need to pull the kids out of school for it. On the road trip side, build in the short driving days deliberately — Day 2's Lorne–Apollo Bay leg and the Grampians rest day are there on purpose, and koala-spotting at Kennett River and kangaroos at Halls Gap will keep younger travellers just as entertained as the coastline. For family considerations specific to race week itself, including the free family zones at the Tour Village, see our 7-Day Adelaide Race Itinerary.
When you road-trip in Australia don't forget to pay your respects to the traditional custodians of the land on which you travel, their elders past, present and emerging. The natural environment of Australia is fragile and should be left as you found it — take only photos and leave only footprints.
DriveNow.com.au receives no commission or payments for recommending sightseeing and attractions as road trip inclusions — we provide our expertise and advice in an unbiased way to add value to your trip. You can trust our suggestions.
Image Credits - Tourism Australia, Tourism South Australia
