road trip to south australia from melbourne Page 3

Point the bonnet west: Melbourne to Adelaide is about 725 km via the Western/Dukes Highway, roughly 8–9 hours before coffee and curiosity slow you down.

If you fancy scenery over speed, detour via the Great Ocean Road and Limestone Coast—think Apollo Bay, the 12 Apostles, Port Fairy, and Mount Gambier—adding many glorious hours.

Top stop-ins: Grampians (Halls Gap), Coonawarra for cab-sav, and the Coorong if you like long horizons and even longer pelicans.

Start early, beware roos at dawn/dusk, and mind the SA/Vic fruit-fly quarantine—don’t rock up with a boot full of contraband mandarins.

Fuel and loos appear every 100–150 km, there are no tolls after leaving Melbourne, and summer heat or bushfire alerts can change plans—check conditions before you go.