It’s a good 730 kilometers from Adelaide to Melbourne, so whichever way you decide to take, besides plane of course, is going to take a bit of your time. But, just like any movement from one place to another in Australia, getting there can be just as much the journey as the destination. With that in mind, getting from Adelaide to Melbourne – from South Australia to Victoria – shouldn’t just be about getting there as fast as you can by hopping on a plane (unless you are limited for time). Consider these other options first for a fantastic journey.
The fastest route for driving from Adelaide to Melbourne would be through driving on the Dukes and Western Highways for a total, estimated time of 8.5 hours. This route can take you through Ballarat and inland for a pretty standard drive, but it won’t be anything “spectacular”.
The real way to get from A to B here would be to drive on the amazingly scenic Great Ocean Road, one of the best drives in Australia (and probably the world). You can start by heading down towards Cape Jervis to Victor Harbour and over to Victoria via a route along the ocean, but the real drive begins at Warrnambool, Victoria and runs for 200 kilometers.
The drive is great for travelers that want to rent a car in Australia or even rent an Australia campervan. I would recommend picking up a good Australia road map before taking a journey of this kind.
Great Southern Rail operates a train service between Adelaide and Melbourne known as The Overland. This train service runs three times a week for daylight service in both directions, and it takes about 11 hours to complete. There are several stops along the way, and patrons are able to stop off if they desire and time permits. The benefits of using train travel in Australia are that it gives you the freedom to relax and enjoy the ride, and you get a higher level of travel comfort.
Greyhound offers bus service from Adelaide to Melbourne in the $60 -70 range. A trip like this will take 10.5 hours to complete and may not make for the most comfortable ride since you lack the flexibility to stop at your convenience (like in a car) or get up and walk around (like in a train). You can quickly and easily buy a ticket online, or stop by a terminal office in Adelaide (during the week) at 85 Franklin Street.
To be better prepared for a long-distance bus trip in Australia, I suggest you read the master post for bus travel in Australia.
Flying from Adelaide to Melbourne is going to save you the most time, but you definitely won’t get to experience the landscape as you would on a train, bus or car. Still, it’s super quick and you might be able to score a cheap flight to Melbourne on one of the major budget airlines. The flight will take around 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete.
