For the last two months, Alex and I moved on every 2 – 3 days in New Zealand. Melbourne was going to be our longest city stop for 4 nights, where we were reuniting with Pam and Sonia (Alex’s Mum and her school friend). Alex and I accrued enough Avios points to enjoy my first (ever!) Business Class experience from Christchurch to Melbourne, we paid £111.00 per person for the 4 hour flight duration. My blunt opinion of Business Class before consisted of ‘why pay thousands for what is a few hours of your life’. As much as cabin upgrades still pertain deeply into the capitalist grind, I have a softer view on it now. Live and let live, if you enjoy and can afford it – then go for it, however don’t ever let money or status condition the thought that money creates happiness.

We arrived in Melbourne to a blast of Australian summer, with average daytime highs at 24°C in December. If there is one car hire practice that is still stuck in the 90s, and that is having to phone the car hire branch to let them know you’ve arrived! Nobody travelling uses a conventional phone line anymore and at home most calls are made via WhatsApp now. We found a kind lady at an information desk who made the call for us. From there, it was short shuttle ride to Ace Car Hire, then a 1.5hr drive from Melbourne to Frankston. Below is the diary of our road-trip from Melbourne to Adelaide and the highlights of each stop on the road-trip.

Melbourne (4 Nights)

We did a Walking Tour with I’m Free Tours Melbourne in the morning and booked a Port & Docklands Sightseeing Cruise on the Yarra River. If you arrange the cruise via BookMe, you can obtain a reduced rate for the cruise tickets. In the evening, Alex, Pam and I enjoyed dinner in the trendy Fitzroy neighbourhood at ISH Restaurant, a fantastic Indian serving one of my all-time favourite dishes – Papdi Chaat! We booked via FirstTable to get 50% off the bill.

Other activities we got up to during our 4 night stay in Melbourne included taking a road trip down to Philip Island to see penguins (wrap up warm, it’s very windy!), visiting Hubert Estate for food/wine and a beach day in Seaford. With the sun beating down on us and crystal clear waters, I loved how warm weather brought about a fun-loving, healthy and outdoorsy nature in people. Everyone was sun-kissed and smiling. To compare this to the 5° cityscape of London with the population rushing from A to B bundled in layers made winter life in the UK feel unfathomable.

Melbourne to Apollo Bay (190km, 3hrs Driving, 1 Night)

We decided to embark on one of the most iconic and scenic coastal drives in Australia, the Great Ocean Road between Torquay (1.5 hours from Melbourne) and Allansford. Setting off early from Melbourne, our first day stops included Split Point Lighthouse (filming location for the 90s kids TV series, Round the Twist), Teddy’s Lookout, and spotting my first ever wild Koala bear at Kennett River! We stayed at an Air BnB in Apollo Bay where I had the most delicious chilli sausage roll from Apollo Bay Bakery.

Apollo Bay to Warrnambool (200km, 2.5hrs Driving, 1 Night)

Continuing along the coast, we were a short drive away from the most iconic site on the Great Ocean Road, the 12 Apostles. These are towering limestone stacks which rise dramatically from the ocean. Formed over 20 million years ago, I watched as the Bass Strait crashed continually against the base of the stacks. In 2005, one of the limestone stacks fell due to erosion, leaving 8 remaining (ironically there were never 12 Apostles to begin with). It was a gentle reminder of the ever-changing and delicate nature of our world. Despite the popularity of The Great Ocean Road, we found accommodation to be relatively competitive, budgeting at approximately £25 per person, per night for a cabin at NRMA Warrnambool Riverside Holiday Park. I also recommend a visit to Apostle Whey Cheese for a quirky and fun $3 award-winning cheese tasting experience.

Warrnambool to Grampians National Park (160km, 2 hours driving, 1 Night)

Where the Great Ocean Road can be driven in a day, we wanted to extend our itinerary to include some hiking/bush walking. From Warrnambool, we proceeded inland towards Grampians National Park. With the Grampians NP only a couple of hours drive away, we laced up our hiking boots for a hike from Wonderland Car Park to The Pinnacles Viewpoint the same afternoon, taking in some spectacular scenery. I would recommend staying in the Grampians Motel in Halls Gap, we saw plenty of free roaming kangaroos in the grounds of the hotel there.

Grampians National Park to Tintinara (315km, 4 hours Driving, 1 Night)

We had the choice of driving straight to the City or stopping just short of reaching Adelaide. With UNESCO Naracoorte Caves National Park and Coonawarra wine country on route, we decided to stop short of reaching the city in lieu of taking a leisurely road trip. We drove into a different time zone as we road-tripped across different states from Victoria to South Australia. One of my favourite moments was watching Kangaroos hop along-side our vehicle on a secluded road! New Zealand always stuck out to me as a outdoorsy and unique destination to go to. For Australia, I was really keen to see Kangaroos and Koala bears and I was so happy to encounter both of them on our road trip.

Between Grampians National Park and Tintinara (a small road side village) we visited Patrick of Coonawarra for charcuterie/wine-tasting and Naracoorte Caves National Park which offered one of the most complete insights into Australia’s prehistoric wildlife through the study of fossils.

Tintinara to Adelaide (180km, 2 hours Driving, 2 Nights)

Tintinara was a quiet and modest farming community where we saw an incredible sunrise. We stayed at the newly refurbished Motel on Becker and proceeded towards Adelaide with multiple stops at coastal towns such as Goolwa and Port Elliot. At Victor Harbour, we took the ‘only horse-drawn tram’ in Australia to the end a pier and back.

We loved our stay in Adelaide and found it to be a laidback, vibrant and artsy city with a great botanical garden and diverse food scene. I’d recommend the Migration Museum and a meal either in China Town or at Glenelg beach. Free parking was difficult to find in Adelaide, we luckily found a space on War Memorial Drive that was only a 15 minute walk away our hotel, Adelaide Rockford.

Top Tips for the Great Ocean Road

• We plotted our route 1 or 2 days in advance and did not find issues with accommodation availability. We stayed in locations that were a little more off the beaten track. For example, Lorne and Port Fairy were more popular overnight stops compared to Apollo Bay. My accommodation stops were: 32 Scenic Apollo (Air B’N’B: £47p/n), Grampians Motel (£42: they gave us a free room upgrade), NRMA Warrnambool Riverside Holiday Park (£53, cabin with kitchen), Motel on Becker (£38) and Rockford Adelaide £52 per night via a Travel Agent rate)
• Kennett River and Otway National Park has the highest likelihood for you to encounter wild Koala bears, look out for people craning their heads to the sky, that often means Koala spotting!
• At the 12 Apostles, I would recommend seeing the 12 Apostles from the beach below at Loch Ard Gorge, it’s spectacular seeing the limestone casts both from the sea and the viewing platform
• Car hire was booked via Amex Travel with Ace Car Rental, the cost of hire from 6th December to 13th December was £181. Please note that we found that New Zealand had no one way drop off fees, but Australia had high one way drop off fee charges.
• If you have any questions, please feel free to comment here and I can give any tips for planning a road trip from Melbourne to Adelaide!