The 730-kilometre drive between Adelaide and Melbourne displays some of the finest scenery on offer in Australia, with a great raft of things to see and do. Though the distance between the two cities is not to be taken lightly, it can easily be broken up in to two or three days segments. Take your time over the journey – you'll want to savour everything that this fine part of the world presents you with.
Here are East Coast Car Rentals top places along the phenomenal Adelaide to Melbourne route:
Coorong National Park
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there is no place in the land Down Under with more bird species than the Coorong National Park , where the number exceeds 100. The area is replete with small bodies of saltwater, lagoon-like in their appearance and it is around these unusual water features that you may spot one of the giants of the sky – the Australian Pelican – the world's largest of that kind.
Robe
The charming seaside town of Robe found its fortune as a 19th century port, though little evidence remains of that today. In fact, apart from the ancient jetties, the only hint of this once-bustling settlement's maritime history is the Cape Dombey Obelisk, a monolithic, seven metre high giant that was once used to help guide ships pick their way through the treacherous Guichen Bay. Robe also found fame in the long gone days of the Australian Gold Rush – seek out the memorial to the many thousands of miners who came here to seek their fortune.
Naracoorte Caves
The Naracoorte Caves form the only UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Australia, and to enter them is to step into a Jurassic Park of history. That's because the caves themselves are rich in prehistoric fossils and bones of creatures from a bygone age, frozen in time and rock. The skeletons of huge marsupials, ancient relatives of today's kangaroo, can be found amongst the rock, and the nearby Wanambi Fossil Centre shows exactly what the creatures were like in lovingly recreated, life size models.
Enter the fearful Wet Cave, if you dare – it holds an atmosphere all its own. Pooled water collects in the cave, and stalactites and stalagmites abound.
Mount Gambier
Mount Gambier is, in fact, an extinct volcano. Many of its craters are now deep, shimmering lakes – the Blue Lake is a shining example. Resplendent in its sapphire surface, the Blue Lake changes colour to a steely grey as summer fades – though no one is entirely sure why, it is thought to be down to the falling temperatures.