To plan a holiday this far, in this way, and in the heat of summer ~ “What was I thinking?”
Our 9-day road trip from Sydney to Adelaide to Melbourne via The Great Ocean Road was most entertaining, to say the least. It was all to do with the extreme weather conditions on the road.
3 States. 2 Cities. Regional Towns. 9 Days. 3,748 kilometers. 4 Hotels. A heatwave. A rainstorm. Bushfires. A family of four.
From Sydney to Adelaide
We covered 700 kms on a heatwave of 45° Celsius for seven hours. Fortunately, we had the foresight to plan an overnight stop at a sleepy town called Hay to break the journey. Day 2 was a 650 km drive to Adelaide, with temps reaching 46° at one stage. While driving in the middle of nowhere land, I noticed that the road was glistening, like it was wet or something. Was it an oil spill? Nope. It was road tar that was melting in the heat! As if that was not disturbing enough, there were pockets of bush fires across country South Australia and Victoria. At one point, we drove through a haze caused by dust storms. Darkness caused by heavy thick smoke descended on us at 1pm as we passed by nearby bushfire areas.
It’s enough to make one wonder, “Why on earth am I on a roadtrip this side of summer and on this part of the world?”
Why couldn’t we have gone to the Gold Coast or to the Great Barrier Reef, or to Fiji? Heck, a staycation would have been better…
Well, we’ve been planning to travel this section of Australia for three years already. Now is a good time as any. And I think the conditions made for an unforgettable and intense experience.
Besides I “never stop exploring”, right?
“Mum, why did you pick Adelaide?”, my 14 year old asked.
“Because we’ve never been there,” was my thoughtful reply (read: I had my own doubts). “There could be nothing out there, but it’s the journey that matters, not the destination, my darling.”
“To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” ~ from the movie, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
From Melbourne to Sydney
The last day of a road trip was meant to be simply pleasant. By this time, we were missing our own beds terribly. However, our journey became rather perilous, yet again. We had rain. Not just normal rain. But one I would call ~ “of lions and tigers”! It was pounding, pelting, noisy and heavy! The rainstorm was non-stop for the 800+ kms that we drove. It took us nine hours to reach home, the roads were slippery and we really could not risk driving at top speed.
In retrospect, we never had bad weather during our sightseeing days. The heat wave was gone when we toured Adelaide and the Twelve Apostles. Melbourne was gorgeous at mid-20s.
So I am very grateful for that indeed.
In summary, here is our itinerary in case you are considering this drive of 3,748 kms.
Day 1 – From Sydney, drive to Hay, and stay overnight.
Day 2 – Drive to Adelaide, and stay for 3 nights. Explore the CBD and find dinner.
Day 3 – Take a quick dip at Henley Beach and/or Glenelg Beach. Lunch at Hahndorf, German Town. Dinner at the CBD.
Day 4 – Explore Barossa Valley and its wineries. Don’t miss Maggie Beer’s Farm Shop. Visit Whispering Wall.
Day 5 – Drive to Port Campbell via the Blue Lake at Mt Gambier. Catch the sunset at Twelve Apostles. Stay at Port Campbell for 2 nights.
Day 6 – Chase the sunrise at Twelve Apostles. Explore trails and lookouts ~ we did Loch Ard Gorge, Wreck Beach, and Gables Lookout.
Day 7 – Drive to Melbourne. Quick photos at Twelve Apostles at normal daylight, and down Gibson Steps to the beach. Stay in Melbourne for 2 nights.
Day 8 – Roam Melbourne. Brekky at Seven Seeds.
Day 9 – Drive straight to Sydney, non-stop.
Part 2 is all about Dining Finds. Part 3 is about The Great Ocean Road spectacle.