Geelong to Adelaide campervan route: coast, caves and Coorong

The inland run from Geelong to Adelaide is about 660 km and can be done in a long day via Hamilton, Naracoorte, Bordertown and Tailem Bend. In a campervan, that is technically possible and emotionally questionable. You hired a rolling bedroom, not a delivery van.

The coastal version below is about 1,030 km before local detours. Five days is brisk, six is comfortable and seven gives you time for the Twelve Apostles crowds to move on before you make coffee with a better view than any servo bain-marie can offer.

• Fast option: 1 long day inland, useful only if weather or time forces your hand.
• Good campervan pace: 5–7 days via Great Ocean Road, Mount Gambier, Robe and the Coorong.
• Best rest point: Mount Gambier, roughly halfway through the scenic route and handy for water, groceries and laundry.

Do book the first and last nights if you are travelling in school holidays or over Easter. Do not plan to roll into a beach town at 6 pm on a hot Saturday and expect a powered site to appear because you smiled politely.

The Great Ocean Road section is fully sealed and suitable for 2WD campervans and motorhomes, but it is narrow, twisty and slow between Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Campbell. A 7-metre motorhome fits, but you will work for it. Use slow-vehicle turnouts; the local ute behind you has done that bend since 1987 and is not impressed by your holiday pace.

Expect B-doubles and log trucks inland near Mount Gambier and on the Dukes Highway approaches into South Australia. You are not in Road Train Territory like the Stuart, but the wind punch from heavy vehicles is real, especially in a high-sided motorhome. Keep left, leave room and avoid last-light driving when kangaroos start treating the bitumen as a meeting room.

• Height: most hire motorhomes sit around 2.7–3.3 m; check your vehicle plate before entering car parks, tree-lined lanes or bottle-o drive-throughs.
• Length: some lookout bays are short; park in marked RV spaces where provided.
• Dirt roads: skip unsealed beach tracks and 4WD-only access roads unless your hire agreement specifically allows them. Most 2WD campervan contracts do not.

Do the Twelve Apostles early or late if you want a proper look without circling the car park like a hungry gull. Do not stop on road shoulders for “just one quick picture”; there are signed pull-offs for a reason.

Fuel is easy on this route if you behave like a grown-up and top up in the main towns. The longest practical leg in this itinerary is Robe to Meningie at about 235 km if you run through Kingston SE and the Coorong without side trips. That is not Outback-scary, but a headwind and a loaded motorhome can make the fuel gauge move like it owes someone money.

Most petrol motorhomes use roughly 12–16 L/100 km; larger motorhomes or diesels under load may vary. Keep at least a quarter tank between coastal towns, and treat Apollo Bay, Port Campbell, Warrnambool, Mount Gambier, Robe, Kingston SE, Meningie, Tailem Bend and Adelaide as your main refuel points.

• Geelong to Apollo Bay: about 120 km; fuel at Torquay, Lorne and Apollo Bay.
• Port Fairy to Mount Gambier: about 180 km; Portland and Nelson break it up.
• Mount Gambier to Robe: about 130 km; top up before leaving if you are detouring to caves or beaches.
• Robe to Meningie: about 235 km; fuel at Kingston SE, then a long Coorong stretch.

Do carry 10–20 litres of drinking water separate from the tank for hot days, especially in summer when western Victoria and South Australia can sit above 35°C. Do not rely on every small-town tap being threaded for your hose; a universal tap key is cheap insurance.

This geelong to adelaide motorhome road trip has plenty of legal places to sleep, but not every beach car park is a campsite. Victoria and South Australia both issue fines for illegal camping, and local councils along the coast patrol popular spots in summer. If a sign says no camping, it means no camping, even if the sunset is doing something emotional.

Powered holiday parks are simplest for the first night, battery top-ups and proper showers. National park campgrounds, such as Johanna Beach or Coorong sites, are usually unpowered, must be booked online and have rules on dogs, fires, generators and toilet use. If your van has a toilet cassette, use dump points; do not empty it into public toilets, drains or the bush. That is how campervanners get a bad name and everyone else gets more “No Overnight Stays” signs.

• Free camping: only where signed or listed by council/park authority; time limits are common.
• National parks: book before arrival, carry your own water and pack out rubbish.
• Self-contained vans: still need to follow local rules; a toilet on board is not a magic permit.
• Dump points: plan around larger towns such as Geelong, Warrnambool or Port Fairy, Mount Gambier, Kingston SE, Meningie and Adelaide, and confirm access before relying on one.

Do empty the cassette before remote-ish Coorong camping. Do not wait until the warning light blinks at midnight in a mosquito convention.

Day one is a gentle shake-down: Geelong to Apollo Bay via Torquay, Anglesea and Lorne. Keep the first drive short while you learn where the water pump switch is, how wide the mirrors are and whether the fridge latch has a sense of humour.

Day two rolls through the Otways to Port Campbell for the big limestone coast views. Day three heads to Port Fairy or Warrnambool, then day four crosses to Mount Gambier for Blue Lake, sinkholes and supermarket civilisation. Days five and six run Robe, Kingston SE, the Coorong and Meningie before the final push into Adelaide.

• If weather turns ugly: cut inland from Warrnambool or Port Fairy through Hamilton and Naracoorte.
• If you want fewer crowds: sleep near Port Campbell, see the Twelve Apostles at sunrise, then leave before the day buses arrive.
• If you have kids aboard: Mount Gambier is a good reset day with short drives, caves and laundries.

Book or check availability online before locking flights and campsite dates. Fleet sizes change quickly in school holidays, and Adelaide one-way availability can be tighter than a grey nomad’s awning rope in a southerly.