Next 7 departures
- SunOct 4
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–17°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Melbourne7 AM AEDT Partly sunny11°C Gordon8 AM AEDT Fog6°C Ararat9:15 AM AEDT Cloudy8°C Horsham10:15 AM AEDT Partly sunny11°C Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDT Partly sunny14°C Keith12 PM ACDT Partly sunny15°C Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDT Cloudy17°C Adelaide2:15 PM ACDT Cloudy16°C - MonOct 5
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–20°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Melbourne7 AM AEDT Fog6°C Gordon8 AM AEDT Cloudy7°C Ararat9:15 AM AEDT Cloudy9°C Horsham10:15 AM AEDT Partly sunny12°C Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDT Partly sunny17°C Keith12 PM ACDT Sunny18°C Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDT Cloudy20°C Adelaide2:15 PM ACDT Sunny17°C - TueOct 6
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–17°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Melbourne7 AM AEDT Rain showers13°C Gordon8 AM AEDT Light rain showers9°C Ararat9:15 AM AEDT Light rain showers11°C Horsham10:15 AM AEDT Sunny13°C Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDT Cloudy15°C Keith12 PM ACDT Partly sunny16°C Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDT Partly sunny17°C Adelaide2:15 PM ACDT Partly sunny17°C - WedOct 7
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 7–18°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Melbourne7 AM AEDT Partly sunny11°C Gordon8 AM AEDT Partly sunny7°C Ararat9:15 AM AEDT Mostly sunny9°C Horsham10:15 AM AEDT Sunny11°C Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDT Sunny13°C Keith12 PM ACDT Sunny14°C Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDT Sunny17°C Adelaide2:15 PM ACDT Sunny18°C - ThuOct 8
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 11–23°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Melbourne7 AM AEDT Partly sunny11°C Gordon8 AM AEDT Sunny12°C Ararat9:15 AM AEDT Sunny13°C Horsham10:15 AM AEDT Sunny15°C Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDT Mostly sunny18°C Keith12 PM ACDT Partly sunny20°C Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDT Sunny21°C Adelaide2:15 PM ACDT Sunny23°C - FriOct 9
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 14–20°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Melbourne7 AM AEDT Mostly sunny15°C Gordon8 AM AEDT Partly sunny14°C Ararat9:15 AM AEDT Partly sunny16°C Horsham10:15 AM AEDT Mostly sunny18°C Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDT Cloudy20°C Keith12 PM ACDT Rain20°C Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDT Rain20°C Adelaide2:15 PM ACDT Rain18°C - SatOct 10
ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 12–17°C along the way.
Along the way
Checkpoint · arrival Weather · temperature Melbourne7 AM AEDT Rain17°C Gordon8 AM AEDT Rain12°C Ararat9:15 AM AEDT Light rain12°C Horsham10:15 AM AEDT Light rain13°C Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDT Light rain showers13°C Keith12 PM ACDT Partly sunny13°C Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDT Partly sunny16°C Adelaide2:15 PM ACDT Mostly sunny15°C
The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.
The route, stop by stop
Checkpoints in order, with driving time from Melbourne (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.
- Melbourne, VICStart 23 melevation
- Gordon, VICKm 87 · 59 min 572 melevation
- Ararat, VICKm 200 · 2 h 10 min 329 melevation
- Horsham, VICKm 295 · 3 h 15 min 134 melevation
- Victoria–South Australia lineState line · Km 433 · 4 h 47 min 108 melevation
- Keith, SAKm 496 · 5 h 26 min 28 melevation
- Murray Bridge, SAKm 649 · 6 h 58 min 37 melevation
- Adelaide, SAKm 721 · 7 h 45 min 45 melevation
Typical weather by month
Average daily highs and lows, and days with 2.5 cm (an inch) or more of snow, at Melbourne, Gordon and Adelaide.
| Month | Melbourne 31 m | Gordon Ballarat station · 435 m | Adelaide 48 m |
|---|---|---|---|
| High / low °C | High / low °C | High / low °C | |
| Jan | 27° / 16° | 26° / 12° | 30° / 18° |
| Feb | 27° / 16° | 26° / 12° | 30° / 18° |
| Mar | 25° / 15° | 23° / 10° | 27° / 15° |
| Apr | 21° / 12° | 18° / 7° | 23° / 13° |
| May | 18° / 10° | 14° / 5° | 19° / 10° |
| Jun | 15° / 8° | 11° / 4° | 16° / 8° |
| Jul | 15° / 7° | 11° / 3° | 16° / 8° |
| Aug | 16° / 8° | 12° / 3° | 17° / 8° |
| Sep | 18° / 9° | 14° / 4° | 19° / 10° |
| Oct | 21° / 11° | 17° / 6° | 22° / 12° |
| Nov | 23° / 13° | 20° / 8° | 25° / 14° |
| Dec | 25° / 14° | 23° / 9° | 28° / 16° |
1991–2020 averages computed from NOAA NCEI daily station records (GHCN-Daily): MELBOURNE REGIONAL OFFICE, AS (ASN00086071, 31 m); BALLARAT AERODROME, AS (ASN00089002, 435 m); ADELAIDE KENT TOWN, AS (ASN00023090, 48 m). Snow days are days with at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) of new snow. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.
Road conditions
Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for Victoria and South Australia rather than repeat them.
- Victoria · VicRoadsVicRoads
- South Australia · Traffic SATraffic SA
Check the official forecast from Bureau of Meteorology and each road report before you leave.
Get alerts timed to where you’ll be when you get there
Road Travel plans the drive from Melbourne to Adelaide with the forecast at every stretch for the hour you’ll reach it, then warns you about weather ahead while you drive.
Questions about this drive
How long is the drive from Melbourne to Adelaide?
721 km (448 miles), about 8 hours of driving without stops, by way of M8 and A8. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.
What is the highest point on the drive?
Gordon, at 572 m (1,877 ft). It comes at km 87, about 59 min of driving after you leave Melbourne.
How cold is Gordon in July?
The nearest long-term NOAA station, Ballarat (435 m), averages a high of 11°C and a low of 3°C in July (1991–2020 averages).
How cold is Adelaide in July?
Adelaide averages a high of 16°C and a low of 8°C in July (1991–2020 averages).