I am driving the Great Ocean Road - (1) how long should I go for; (2) is it worth it to continue to Adelaide?

Question

I can either stop at Warrnambool and drive back to Melbourne, or continue to Adelaide. Any time exploring between Warrnambool & Adelaide will take away from extra time in Sydney before I head back to the US. What are your thoughts on the two options?

Answer 1

G'day,
Adelaide is a nice city with warm gulf water beaches. The drive along the Great Ocean Rd is great. I would recommend you continue on to Mt. Gambier and stop in Kingston SE for some Lobster, see the Coorong and the deserted beaches, and cross the River Murray b4 going onto Adealide. It is a nice drive.

Drop the car off at Adelaide airport and fly to Sydney as the drive across the centre is pretty boring ( with a few exceptions).

Bring you bathing suit as there will be many quiet beaches along the way. Be sure to stop and have some pub meals in the local hotels (Lobster Sandwiches!).

Sydney is a great city but Adelaide is also a wonderful place to experience a touch of Asutralia. If you get time - visit Cleland National Park in the Adelaide hills. You can sit with the kangaroos and emus and eat lunch on the grass. You can also hold a koala and all of this without the tourist crowds you will experience on the East Coast.

And if you like wine - well, Adelaide and the Barossa Valley is the place to go.

Answer 2

If you drive the entire GOR in one day and want to see all the rock formations you can do it, but you won't have time to linger anywhere. Give yourself at least two days if you want to explore or just chill out.

You can drive straight back from Warrnambool to Melbourne in the evening in under 3 hours, whereas if you continue to Adelaide you'll add a day in driving alone. If you're a "tourist" you'll prefer to spend more time in Sydney, if you want to get more exposure to the rest of the country then continue to Adelaide (which has a lot less bustle than Sydney). If you do, Port Fairy is a better place to overnight than Warrnambool - catch the shearwaters flying in at sunset if you can. The coastal route is good if you like beaches, wineries and volcanic formations, or if you prefer bush, mountains, and open spaces go via the Grampians (slightly shorter drive). Or if you want it all go Grampians - Mt Gambier - Coorong - Adelaide.

Answer 3

There is NOTHING to explore AT Warrnambool or Adelaide so I can't possibly imagine what you're going to explore BETWEEN them.

The drive from Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road takes about 5 hours. There is only the Twelve Apostles to see, and really, it is the drive itself that is very scenic. 1 - 2 days for the drive, spend overnight maybe and drive back. I personally would think 1 day is loads, but it's a lot of driving for one day.

I would recommend spending more time in Sydney or Melbourne as opposed to doing the extra time in the country.

Enjoy our country!