Set out from Canberra after an early breakfast at a local café in the Civic precinct — try a takeaway flat white and a bacon-and-egg roll — and take the Hume Highway south, enjoying views of rolling pasture and the Brindabella foothills as you leave the capital. Pause for a short leg-stretch at Yass for coffee and a quick look at the charming main street or the Yass Valley Visitor Centre before continuing toward Gundagai, arriving mid-morning with time to visit the iconic Dog on the Tuckerbox monument and learn about its folklore.
After lunch at a historic Gundagai pub (the Prince Alfred Hotel is a good option), explore the Gundagai Museum and stroll along the Murrumbidgee Riverbank, taking in the heritage-listed bridges and the old townsite at floodplain lookouts. If you prefer a scenic short drive, follow the Pioneer Walk to Tumblong or visit St John’s Church and the Gundagai Historic Waterski Club area for photos of the river terraces and the town’s convict-era buildings.
Check into a locally run guesthouse or motel and unwind with an early evening walk through the quiet streets to catch golden-hour light on the sandstone buildings; consider dining at a farm-to-table restaurant for seasonal regional produce. Finish the day with a relaxed drink at a pub or on your accommodation veranda, planning tomorrow’s drive toward Albury/Wodonga and the Murray River vistas.
Leave Gundagai after breakfast and take the Hume Highway south-west, stopping at Holbrook to see the Submarine Museum and stretch your legs among its quirky Cold War exhibits. Continue into the twin cities of Albury-Wodonga, parking near the Murray River and wandering the picturesque Noreuil Park and the Hovell Tree Walk for riverside views and a chance to learn about the region’s explorers.
Lunch at one of Albury’s café-lined Dean Street spots or a riverside bistro in Wodonga, followed by a visit to the Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) to enjoy contemporary exhibitions and a rooftop view over the river. Afterwards take a scenic drive along the Murray River Scenic Drive to the historic Bonegilla Migrant Experience or cross the bridge to stroll Wonga Wetlands boardwalks for birdlife and reflective water vistas.
As daylight softens, check into a boutique B&B or riverside motel, then dine at a local restaurant serving regional produce — consider the riverfront eateries at Noreuil Park or a chef-driven spot in Albury’s CBD. Finish with a relaxed riverside walk or a sunset drink at a bar overlooking the Murray, planning tomorrow’s route toward Melbourne or the optional detour through Swan Hill.
After breakfast in Albury, head south-west on the Hume and then the Goulburn Valley or take the longer inland route via Swan Hill if opting for the detour; stop at Rutherglen for a short winery visit and tasting at a cellar door (All Saints Estate or Campbells) to sample regionally acclaimed fortified wines and crisp local whites. If continuing direct to Melbourne, make a restorative coffee stop in Wangaratta or Benalla and stretch your legs at the Benalla Botanical Gardens with its notable tree-lined paths and mural trail.
For those on the detour, continue up the Murray River to Swan Hill for lunch at a riverside café and a visit to the Pioneer Settlement living museum to step into 19th-century riverport life; alternative longer detours head further north toward Mildura for red-clay landscapes and a sunset-stretch by the Murray. If driving straight to Melbourne, take the M79/M1 corridor through Seymour and the Goulburn Valley, pausing at Nagambie for a lakeside walk or a winery lunch before the final leg into the city.
Arrive in Melbourne in the early evening and check into your inner-city accommodation, then head out for dinner in a neighbourhood like Fitzroy or Southbank — try a share-plate meal followed by a walk along the Yarra to soak up skyline views. If you stayed in Swan Hill or Mildura overnight, enjoy a relaxed evening at a local pub or riverfront terrace, planning the next day’s full exploration of Melbourne and the drive toward the Great Ocean Road.
Start the day with a hearty breakfast at Degraves Street or Industry Beans in Flinders Lane, then join a walking loop from Federation Square across the Yarra to the laneways — explore Hosier Lane’s street art, duck into a hidden café for a second coffee, and pop into the Ian Potter Centre at Fed Square for Indigenous and Australian art. Continue to the Royal Botanic Gardens for a peaceful riverside stroll and the Shrine of Remembrance lookout for sweeping city vistas that connect the day’s urban exploration with the open landscapes you’ve been driving through.
After lunch in the Fitzroy or Carlton precinct — try ramen on Lygon Street or modern Australian at a Fitzroy bistro — head to the National Gallery of Victoria for its international and contemporary collections, then take a tram down to St Kilda to walk the pier, watch kite-surfers, and sample sweet treats at Luna Park’s edge. If you prefer a scenic short drive, follow the bayside route through Port Melbourne to Albert Park Lake for a relaxed cycle or lakeside coffee before continuing the coastal stretch.
As evening falls, drive or tram along the bayside to Sandringham or Brighton for a sunset stroll past the iconic Brighton bathing boxes and golden light on Port Phillip Bay, then return to the city for dinner on Southbank — choose riverside modern cuisine or a rooftop bar for skyline views. Finish with a leisurely nightcap along the Yarra or take a short walk through the lit laneways, soaking up Melbourne’s vibrant night atmosphere before setting out tomorrow toward the Great Ocean Road.
Leave Melbourne after an early breakfast and head south-west along the Princes Highway, joining the Great Ocean Road at Torquay; stop at Bells Beach to watch surfers and stroll the cliff-top lookout for dramatic ocean views before calling into the surf town of Lorne for a coffee on the pier and a short walk to Erskine Falls through fern-filled gullies. The coastal drive here is cinematic — pause at Teddy’s Lookout for sweeping panoramas of the Otway coastline and follow the winding road that threads lush rainforest glimpses with crashing surf.
Continue west through picturesque coastal towns, stopping at Aireys Inlet to see the Split Point Lighthouse and enjoy a beachfront lunch at a local café, then drive through the Great Otway National Park to stop at the Kennett River lookout where you may spot koalas in the eucalyptus canopy and colorful parrots along the roadside. Time permitting, take the short Maits Rest rainforest walk to stretch your legs among giant ferns before arriving in Apollo Bay mid-afternoon to explore the harbour, sample fresh seafood or visit a local bakery for a late-afternoon treat.
Check into your Apollo Bay or Lorne accommodation and watch the sunset from the foreshore or a clifftop vantage, then dine at a seaside restaurant such as La Bimba or Chris’s Beacon Point Restaurant for regional seafood and seasonal produce. Finish the night with a relaxed stroll along the beach or a quiet drink at a local pub, listening to waves and planning tomorrow’s deeper Great Ocean Road highlights toward the Twelve Apostles and Port Campbell.
Set out early from Apollo Bay after a seaside breakfast and drive the winding Great Ocean Road west, pausing at the iconic Memorial Arch at Eastern View and the clifftop lookouts at Johanna Beach for dramatic surf views. Stop at the Kennett River turnoff to search for koalas and colourful rosellas in the eucalyptus canopy, then continue through the Otways with a short detour to the Maits Rest boardwalk to breathe the fern-scented rainforest air before descending toward the coastal cliffs.
Arrive in the Port Campbell National Park area in time for lunch and a visit to the famed Twelve Apostles viewing platform, taking the boardwalks to admire the limestone stacks and photograph the rugged coastline; follow with nearby stops at Gibson Steps for sea-level perspectives and Loch Ard Gorge to learn the dramatic shipwreck history at the interpretive signs. Continue westward calling into the tiny town of Port Campbell for a coffee or fish-and-chips, then drive the Great Ocean Road to Bay of Islands lookout and the Bay of Martyrs for more sweeping coastal panoramas on the approach to Warrnambool.
Reach Warrnambool in the early evening and check into your accommodation before strolling the foreshore and Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village to catch sunset colours over the Southern Ocean and historic breakwater. Dine on fresh local seafood at a waterfront restaurant or a cosy bistro in the city centre, then finish with a relaxed drink at a beachside pub or a moonlit walk along Logans Beach — keep an eye out for seasonal whale sightings from the headlands if travelling in migration months.
Depart Warrnambool after an early breakfast by the foreshore and choose your route: head inland via Casterton and the scenic Western District plains, stopping at the convict-built Casterton Soldiers Memorial for a quick photo and the historic township cafes, or take the coastal road to Portland to visit the rugged Cape Nelson lighthouse and stroll the basalt cliffs. Either way, pause in Portland for fresh seafood or in Casterton for a bakery lunch-to-go and stretch your legs among rolling farmland before continuing west toward the SA border.
If you follow the coastal route, drive through scenic coastal hamlets to Mount Gambier to explore its Blue Lake viewpoint and the intriguing Umpherston Sinkhole gardens, then cross into South Australia toward Naracoorte with a stop at the Naracoorte Caves World Heritage site if time allows; on the inland option, glide through pastoral scenery toward Naracoorte sooner, visiting the Naracoorte Regional Livestock Exchange lookout or local wineries for a relaxed tasting. Either approach converges on the Limestone Coast — take a late-afternoon coffee break in Keith or Bordertown and enjoy wide open plains as you make the final push across to Adelaide.
Arrive in Adelaide in the early evening, check into your city accommodation and unwind with a stroll along North Terrace to glimpse the Botanic Gardens and the Art Gallery, or head to Gouger Street to sample the city’s lively dining scene with South Australian seafood and wines. Finish the day with a nightcap at a rooftop bar or a quiet walk along the River Torrens, reflecting on coastal cliffs, rainforest pockets and plains you’ve traversed on the journey from Canberra.