Road Travel › Drive weather

Melbourne to Adelaide drive weather

721 km (448 miles), about 8 hours of driving via M8 and A8. The high point is Gordon at 572 m (1,877 ft), about 59 min in.

Distance
721 km
Drive time
~8 hours
High point
572 m
States
VIC · SA

Next 7 departures

Leaving Melbourne at 7 AM each day · Updated · Forecast: MET Norway

  1. SunOct 4

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–17°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Melbourne7 AM AEDTPartly sunny11°C
    Gordon8 AM AEDTFog6°C
    Ararat9:15 AM AEDTCloudy8°C
    Horsham10:15 AM AEDTPartly sunny11°C
    Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDTPartly sunny14°C
    Keith12 PM ACDTPartly sunny15°C
    Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDTCloudy17°C
    Adelaide2:15 PM ACDTCloudy16°C
  2. MonOct 5

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 6–20°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Melbourne7 AM AEDTFog6°C
    Gordon8 AM AEDTCloudy7°C
    Ararat9:15 AM AEDTCloudy9°C
    Horsham10:15 AM AEDTPartly sunny12°C
    Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDTPartly sunny17°C
    Keith12 PM ACDTSunny18°C
    Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDTCloudy20°C
    Adelaide2:15 PM ACDTSunny17°C
  3. TueOct 6

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–17°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Melbourne7 AM AEDTRain showers13°C
    Gordon8 AM AEDTLight rain showers9°C
    Ararat9:15 AM AEDTLight rain showers11°C
    Horsham10:15 AM AEDTSunny13°C
    Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDTCloudy15°C
    Keith12 PM ACDTPartly sunny16°C
    Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDTPartly sunny17°C
    Adelaide2:15 PM ACDTPartly sunny17°C
  4. WedOct 7

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 7–18°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Melbourne7 AM AEDTPartly sunny11°C
    Gordon8 AM AEDTPartly sunny7°C
    Ararat9:15 AM AEDTMostly sunny9°C
    Horsham10:15 AM AEDTSunny11°C
    Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDTSunny13°C
    Keith12 PM ACDTSunny14°C
    Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDTSunny17°C
    Adelaide2:15 PM ACDTSunny18°C
  5. ThuOct 8

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 11–23°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Melbourne7 AM AEDTPartly sunny11°C
    Gordon8 AM AEDTSunny12°C
    Ararat9:15 AM AEDTSunny13°C
    Horsham10:15 AM AEDTSunny15°C
    Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDTMostly sunny18°C
    Keith12 PM ACDTPartly sunny20°C
    Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDTSunny21°C
    Adelaide2:15 PM ACDTSunny23°C
  6. FriOct 9

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 14–20°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Melbourne7 AM AEDTMostly sunny15°C
    Gordon8 AM AEDTPartly sunny14°C
    Ararat9:15 AM AEDTPartly sunny16°C
    Horsham10:15 AM AEDTMostly sunny18°C
    Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDTCloudy20°C
    Keith12 PM ACDTRain20°C
    Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDTRain20°C
    Adelaide2:15 PM ACDTRain18°C
  7. SatOct 10

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 12–17°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Melbourne7 AM AEDTRain17°C
    Gordon8 AM AEDTRain12°C
    Ararat9:15 AM AEDTLight rain12°C
    Horsham10:15 AM AEDTLight rain13°C
    Victoria–South Australia line11:15 AM ACDTLight rain showers13°C
    Keith12 PM ACDTPartly sunny13°C
    Murray Bridge1:30 PM ACDTPartly sunny16°C
    Adelaide2:15 PM ACDTMostly 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.

Gordon · 572 m 0 km 722 km
Elevation along the route (Terrain Tiles, sampled every 8 km).
  1. Melbourne, VICStart 23 melevation
  2. Gordon, VICKm 87 · 59 min 572 melevation
  3. Ararat, VICKm 200 · 2 h 10 min 329 melevation
  4. Horsham, VICKm 295 · 3 h 15 min 134 melevation
  5. Victoria–South Australia lineState line · Km 433 · 4 h 47 min 108 melevation
  6. Keith, SAKm 496 · 5 h 26 min 28 melevation
  7. Murray Bridge, SAKm 649 · 6 h 58 min 37 melevation
  8. 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.

MonthMelbourne
31 m
Gordon
Ballarat station · 435 m
Adelaide
48 m
High / low °CHigh / low °CHigh / low °C
Jan27° / 16°26° / 12°30° / 18°
Feb27° / 16°26° / 12°30° / 18°
Mar25° / 15°23° / 10°27° / 15°
Apr21° / 12°18° / 7°23° / 13°
May18° / 10°14° / 5°19° / 10°
Jun15° / 8°11° / 4°16° / 8°
Jul15° / 7°11° / 3°16° / 8°
Aug16° / 8°12° / 3°17° / 8°
Sep18° / 9°14° / 4°19° / 10°
Oct21° / 11°17° / 6°22° / 12°
Nov23° / 13°20° / 8°25° / 14°
Dec25° / 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.

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).