One of the best stops on an Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip is the Coonalpyn Silo Mural

There are a couple of ways to drive between Adelaide, SA and Melbourne, Victoria. Most go the scenic route along the Great Ocean Road taking in the Twelve Apostles and the Shipwreck Coast. But there is another route you can take, and that is along the inland National Highway A8 or the Dukes Highway (SA) and Western Highway (Victoria). Admittedly the inland route is less scenic, but there are still some interesting stops along the way. 

The drive from Adelaide to Melbourne can be done in a day even factoring in refuelling stops and a few rest stops. But there is quite a bit to see so you could break up the trip with an overnight stay, particularly if you are slowly doing your big lap of Australia. In this post, I’m going to take you to some of the best spots to stop on the A8. Are you ready, check your engines, and let’s go.

For the purposes of this post, we are driving Adelaide to Melbourne. If driving Melbourne to Adelaide, you will need to read the post backwards – haha!

Quick Facts About this Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip 

• The name of the road between Melbourne and Adelaide is the A8 (part of the National Highway) or Dukes Highway (SA part) and Western Highway (Victoria part), nearing Melbourne it’s called M8 as this part is a motorway.
• The distance between Adelaide to Melbourne along the A8 is some 726km. 
• The time to travel the A8 is around 8 hours and 5 mins. That is if you drive without stops and at the speed limit. But many make stops along the way turning this road trip into a 2 day road trip or longer.
• It is mostly single lane each way with overtaking lanes. Nearing the capital cities of Adelaide and Melbourne the road has two lanes each way.
• Speed limit is mostly 100 km per hour in South Australia, while it is 110 km per hour in most parts in Victoria.
• Take some road trip food and snacks with you for the journey.
• As this is a road trip, you will need a vehicle to drive it. If you don’t have one you can compare options and check out availability and pricing at DiscoverCars.
• If needing accommodation while driving between Adelaide and Melbourne there are caravan parks, free camps and hotel accommodation available. I use WikiCamps to find caravan parks and Booking.com for hotel accommodation. If looking for a bed in a hostel check out HostelWorld.

Key Stops Along the A8 – Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip

Honestly, I found driving the road linking Melbourne to Adelaide a little boring as the road is rather flat and straight. For pretty much all the way you are surrounded by farming land until you reach a town. Some of the towns are small and might only have a general store, parking area and toilets while others are typical country towns with stores along a main street and residential streets running off the main street. And it is the towns which offer the best things to see and do on this road trip.

The road is flat, straight and long between Adelaide and Melbourne

Towns in South Australia along the A8

Adelaide: Starting City

The South Australia bit of this road trip starts in Adelaide and if you want to know the best things to see and do in Adelaide read my 7 Day Adelaide itinerary. Leaving on the freeway out of Adelaide you will drive up the steep Mount Barker. Only minutes out of Adelaide you can find yourself in the Adelaide Hills and if you didn’t visit already while visiting Adelaide, you could find yourself at the top of Mount Lofty getting fabulous views over Adelaide city to the ocean. What a way to say goodbye to Adelaide.

Coonalpyn

Back on the freeway, two lanes each way become one lane each way and you pass through a number of small towns including Tailem Bend, Coomandook, Yumali, Ki Ki and then Coonalpyn. Coonalpyn makes a good first rest spot to stretch the legs. There are good amenities, easy parking and the spectacular painted silos. These silos feature local children of the town and was painted by Guido van Helton.

Keith

Continuing along the freeway through the towns Tintinara and the quirky Keith. If you stop in Keith there is a water feature called ‘Circlework’ representing the cycle of water. And then there is Land Rover on a pole. And why is there a Series 1 Land Rover sitting atop a pole? Well, it’s a tribute to original settlers in the area who used this hardy vehicle.

Bordertown

And on to Bordertown. Bordertown is now some 250 km from Adelaide. Contrary to its name, it is not on the border but about 18 km from the South Australia and Victoria border. I liked visiting Bordertown as Bordertown Recreation Lake, located in the north of the town is a great place to stretch your legs and have a picnic or an item from the bakery. The amenities were good and there is some unusual art – the Horse Fence, Crooked Tank and the Sluice Gates to check out.

Did you know Bordertown is the birth place of Bob Hawke, one of Australia’s longest serving Prime Ministers? I didn’t know this until my visit so If staying a while in Bordertown you could visit Bob Hawke’s Family Home at 63 Farquhar Street. There is also a bronze bust of R.J.L. Hawke outside the Council Chambers at 58 Woolshed Street. And at 43 Woolshed Street is the Bob Hawke Gallery containing many pieces of Hawke memorabilia. 

Bye South Australia, Hello Victoria – Towns in Victoria along the A8

Shortly after leaving Bordertown you will cross the border into the state of Victoria. Unfortunately, I did not see any signs saying ‘’Bye from South Australia’ nor Welcome to Victoria’ – I must have blinked at the time. I wish there was a sign as I like to get a touristy photo at border crossings! I know there was a border sign when I drove the scenic route from Melbourne to Adelaide. But maybe ‘the powers that be’ think it is too dangerous for people to stop on the side of the road!

The highway in Victoria is still one lane each way with overtaking lanes now and then. As this is a major road linking Melbourne to Adelaide you will encounter a lot of trucks that can slow your journey.

Kaniva

Kaniva is the first and last highway town in Victoria. It is considered a gateway to the Wimmera Mallee Silo Art Trail. Like the painted Coonalpyn silos, Kaniva also has painted silos. They aren’t on the main road, but a road back so look out for the sign. Also watch out for Kaniva’s painted sheep. There are a number of these brightly painted fibreglass sheep adorning the main street through the town. If wondering why they are there, probably because this is a sheep and wool town. 

Silo art in Kaniva

Then it’s onwards to Nhill, the halfway point of the road trip. From here, the drive takes you to Horsham and this makes a good overnight stop with plenty to see and do in town. (A future blog on Horsham will provide some ideas.)

Leaving Kaniva and continuing along the A8 you will pass towns such as Nhill. Nhill is recognised by the transport industry as the halfway point by road between Adelaide and Melbourne. You could stop here or continue your journey arriving in Dimboola.

Dimboola

After Kaniva, you will pass through Dimboola which has a great park with a steam train for the kids to play on. Dimboola is nestled alongside the picturesque Wimmera River and is often referred to as the ‘gateway to the Little Desert National Park’ which is close by. Besides the steam train there is good and clean amenities to have a rest break while on this Melbourne to Adelaide road trip.

kids of all ages will love exploring the steam train in Dimboola

Horsham

Next town is Horsham. Horsham is a regional city in the Wimmera region of western Victoria. If you wanted to break the trip, this could be a place to do it. And you could use Horsham as a base to visit The Grampians or begin the Silo Art Trail. Horsham does have some silo art, but I didn’t stop. Next stop is a photo stop at Dadswell Bridge.

Giant Koala – Dadswell Bridge

Dadswell Bridge is a small town, but is home to the Giant Koala. I’m not sure why there is a giant koala here, and frankly, I don’t think it is a cute koala, I think it looks a little creepy! It stands some 14 metres high and watches everyone passing by on the highway. But it is worth a photo stop all the same to add to all the other ‘big things’ you will encounter as you travel Australia. Perhaps grab something to eat and/or drink at the cafe.

Giant Koala keeping an eye on the A8

Leaving Horsham, the next stretch of highway provides you with great views of the Grampians National Park in the distance. You will pass through the towns of Stawell, known for the amateur running race, the Stawell Gift held around Easter time each year. Then through Great Western and Ararat. Ararat is a good place to stop, being a little over 200 km from Melbourne, it could be your last rest stop before heading to Melbourne if you are in a hurry to reach it.

Ballarat

After Ararat head along the highway to visit the city of Ballarat. Ballarat is definitely worth a few days visit. And you could drive the ‘Goldfields Way’ to Bendigo. Both these towns were built on gold and have beautiful old buildings. You will find ’Sovereign Hill’ in Ballarat, which is a recreated and 1850s gold mining town. If not stopping, continue on to Melbourne. 

You will notice the road around Ballarat becomes two lanes each way and also becomes the M8 (Motorway) as you get closer to Melbourne. The closer you get to Melbourne more lanes appear as you find yourself on Melbourne’s ring road. The ring road rings the city and you will need to take different roads to get you places in Melbourne and surrounds. You will also notice roads taking you away from Melbourne like the Hume Highway to Sydney.

Melbourne

And so ends this road trip from Adelaide to Melbourne. If you want to know what to see and do in Melbourne read my 7 Day Melbourne itinerary.

Are You Ready to Drive Adelaide to Melbourne?

This road trip isn’t the most scenic of Australia’s road trips particularly if you are looking for jaw-dropping iconic spots. But, it is the quickest way tor drive to Adelaide from Melbourne and vice versa and if you don’t want to fly to Adelaide or fly to Melbourne, this is the next best option. And there are some great places to stop to help you discover more of Australia, particularly on an Aussie road trip or while doing the big lap of Oz.