Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Adelaide

Mount Barker is a beautiful countryside area in the hills, only half an hour inland from the city, and the detour out is undeniably one of the best things to do in Adelaide.

Mount Barker Summit is a popular place for hiking the 250-metre trail. It’s an easy walk for the whole family and is a conservation area for animals and plants alike. The summit provides beautiful views of the area and takes around 1 hour to complete.

Totness recreation park is another great spot for wandering and is also ideal for birdwatching. The park features an interesting dam that was constructed in 1884.

One of the best things to do in Mount Barker is heading to the Saturday Farmers Market which offers locally grown produce like fruit and vegetables, as well as baked goods.

Enjoy the music from local buskers, and wander the stalls filled with handmade items.

Mount Barker also provides an opportunity to visit wineries. It’s part of the Great Southern wine region which produces about 37% of the wine grapes grown in Western Australia.

Pop by a cellar door to have a taste and enjoy alfresco dining.

The Jurlique farm tour is another great Mount Barker attraction for getting a peek at how the well-known skincare brand farms the plants used for their products.

Park up and stay the night at Mount Barker Caravan Park.

Travelling across South Australia for 2.5 hours, you will reach Bordertown, which as its name suggests, is the bordering town between the states of South Australia and Victoria.

The Bordertown wildlife park is a fun family activity, with no entry fee. It has been around since 1968 and is home to Western Grey Kangaroos, Dama Wallabies, and White Kangaroos which the park have been breeding since the 1980’s.

A visit to the Clayton farm heritage museum shows off buildings from as far back as the 1870s, and presents a collection of agricultural machinery, and historic farmhouse items so visitors can see how things used to be done on farms many years ago.

A detour North to Ngarkat Conservation Park is worth a visit to wander the 270,000 hectares of land. Sand dunes, Western grey kangaroos and even emus are among the sites, as well as more than 120 species of birds.

Park the campervan for the night at Bordertown Caravan Park.

Heading across into Victoria for 3.5 hours you will reach the Grampians region.

A quick detour to the Little Desert National Park is well worth a trip, and offers activities such as 4WD experiences or Bird watching tours.

Halls gap zoo is Victoria’s largest regional zoo and is home to native animals such as the Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallaby, the Wombat and of course the famous Tasmanian Devil. Many of the native animals are endangered and can only be found in Australia.

Among the natives you can also spot giraffes, rhino’s, cheetah, red panda and altogether over 160 different wildlife species including birds and reptiles. The zoo sits in the Grampians National Park, and is open 7 days a week.

When you are ready for a bite to eat, head to the Flame brothers restaurant which also sits in the Park, and offers craft beer, smoked meat and woodfire pizza.

Grampians wine region has some of the world's oldest grape vines, and offers more than just tasting. Head out on a wine tour or picnic amongst the vines to experience the region to the fullest.

Park the campervan for the night at the Halls Gap Holiday Park.

Heading south for 2.5 hours you will reach Apollo Bay, and the start of the Great Ocean Road path.

Starting in Princetown, a must-see attraction is the 12 Apostles. Known as the most popular attraction in the area, these huge limestone pillars rise out of the ocean which you can see from the viewing platform, or on the Great Ocean Walk.

Port Campbell National Park is not far from the 12 Apostles, and is home to Little Penguins and also short-tailed Shearwater birds from September to April. You can also see whales at the right time of year.

Another great attraction in Apollo Bay is the Markets. Apollo Bay farmers market runs every third Sunday of the month and is a great spot to stock up on produce for the motorhome like fruit and vegetables.

Swing by the Sweet view lolly shop, then park the campervan for the night at Apollo Bay Holiday Park.

Following the coastline upwards for an hour and 40 minutes, you will reach the surf town of Torquay.

Before you get there, stop off at Lorne which is about halfway, and offers the chance to check out waterfalls or get your heart racing at Live Wire Park. Have a bite to eat before you leave at MoVida, which offers ocean views with Spanish style food.

Once you reach Torquay, cool off at Bells Beach where you can swim or join in with the local surfers.

Head for a tour through the Australian National Surf Museum, then grab a bite to eat for dinner.

Stay the night at Torquay Caravan Park, then swing by to get some seasonal produce from Peaches or go strawberry picking before heading on to Melbourne.

For the final day, head towards the last stop on the trip for an hour and 20 minutes to Melbourne.

On the way stop off at Geelong which is about an hour out of the city centre, and is one of the best road trips from Melbourne.

Perched on the coast is Eastern beach reserve which is perfect for a picnic and wandering along the boardwalk.

Visit an exhibition at the National wool museum, which displays heritage quilts and also waggas, which are a traditional style of blanket, originally made of jute sacks.

You can also see the items that were used to make them, which is a fascinating bit of history.

Enjoy more culture at the Narana aboriginal culture centre, which provides learnings on Australia’s indigenous culture, with a focus on building an understanding of the unique history of the region and peoples.

Head out for some fresh air and visit the Geelong botanic gardens, which was founded in 1851, and is one of the oldest botanic gardens in the country.

Walk among the heritage trees, visit the Teahouse for a drink, or enjoy a picnic on the grass.

If you are a fan of second-hand goods, the Geelong vintage market is for you. Open 7 days a week, this is the perfect place to wander and buy some mementoes for your Melbourne Australia road trip.

Heading closer to the central city, one of the best things to do in Melbourne is to visit the suburb of St Kilda. If you are around on a Sunday, visit St Kilda market for handmade goods like jewellery, art and health products.

Have a bite to eat at a beach side restaurant, then try out some carnival rides at Luna Park. For a final stop before dropping off the campervan in Melbourne, check out Space2B which is a local art and design space that focuses on supporting the community.

Head away on your Adelaide to Melbourne adventure with Britz

Visit one of the 10 Britz branches today to hire a campervan for your Adelaide to Melbourne trip, and explore Australia your way!