**Our Trip & Itinerary**

For the second half of our van-life adventure we traded the open road for the busy southern cities and their nearby wine country. We spent 11 days across Adelaide, Melbourne, and the short drive between them on the Great Ocean Road. We visited Adelaide during Fringe Festival, the best time of year to go in our opinion. Leaving Adelaide we drove to the Barossa Valley to sample some local wines then set out on a two night drive to Melbourne. Once in Melbourne we said goodbye to “Quirk” and settled into the city for 6 days, plenty of time to explore the CBD, St. Kilda, and walk the track for the upcoming Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

Adelaide

Adelaide is a vibrant, exciting city filled with endless restaurants, cafes, and activities. We arrived with the plan of only staying for a few days and quickly realized we wished we had more time. With this realization, we were also swept into the excitement of Adelaide Fringe Festival, already in full swing all around us.

We mostly spent our time wandering the city, letting ourselves drift from shop to shop, cafe to cafe, and between the numerous Fringe events. On our first day, we grabbed a small breakfast at Gluten Free 4 U. While neither of us are gluten free, the cafe serves very yummy celiac-friendly pastries, cakes, and killer coffee. With our first day bringing in some spicy temperatures, we decided to take it easy with a stroll through the Botanical Garden. The garden includes an impressive variety of plant species - pretty much any Australian flora you can think of! Not to mention, you can cool down with a scrumptious soft serve ice cream topped with roasted peaches or mango & waffle crumble. To rest up from our botanical adventures, we went back to the Adelaide Caravan Park. That evening, we decided to dive into Fringe head first with the ‘Dirty Thirty’ comedy show. This ended up being a hilarious, and raunchy, 30-minute show, featuring two different local comedians – what a hoot! Fair warning (and an amateur mistake on our part), but sitting in the front row will guarantee you as the target for some of the jokes. My crutches immediately caught the comedians’ attention and served as very useful material for a 10-minute bit. Sit right by the stage at your own risk and be ready to take a joke! Smiling ear to ear, we left the show and found ourselves wandering around Gluttony, otherwise known as Rymill Park. Here, loads of local food spots outline the park, making it easy to grab little bites from different vendors. As said by a hilarious woman at the food stalls, finish off your dinner with some “whiz bang” ice cream from Shibui Dessert Bar! Make sure to check out all vendors for 2024 here.

Our next day in Adelaide did not disappoint and was filled with art, more laughs, and more good food. To start the day, we wandered into Exchange Cafe and hilariously bumped into one of the comedians from the ‘Dirty Thirty’ show the night before! Our brekkie spread was rather unconventional, but very much worth the confused look we got from the waitress. First, Jackson and I shared the side of heirloom tomatoes, stracciatella, basil, and sourdough, which truly could have been a main. Not only was it a great portion, but it was the single most delicious dish we had in Adelaide – the tomatoes were perfectly ripe and the stracciatella melted into the house-baked bread. Incredible! Following this dreamy dish, we shared the biscoff (or speculoos) croissant, which was absolutely loaded with cookie cream and wonderfully flakey. As we’ve done since before we started dating, Jackson and I made sure to check out the Adelaide art scene. The Art Gallery of South Australia was by far the most interesting stop and is easily visited, even if art isn’t your thing! Each room in the gallery has a different color or topical theme, combining media and works from different artistic periods. The South Australian Museum is just up the road and also worth a visit, especially if you have kids! Showcasing Aussie wildlife, Aboriginal art, and historical artifacts, the museum is a great place to familiarize yourself with the rich history of the southern states. Ending our day of culture, we headed out for another comedy show called ‘The Racist Immigrants’. The set invited five comedians who have found a home in Australia, each joke loaded with the undertones of being an immigrant Down Under. While the jokes felt relevant, they did fall a little flat, so be prepared for some awkward silences! After the show, we went back to Gluttony for our pick of local eateries and walked back to the caravan park, full and happy.

The final morning in Adelaide, we woke up early to get on the road towards Melbourne. Knowing we would need some fuel for our drive and craving bagels, we made a quick stop at Frankly Bagels, a trendy and aesthetically pleasing spot in Norwood Green. I ordered the #4 and Jackson went for the #3 – each bagel was loaded with tasty ingredients and served open-face. A little New York moment on the other side of the world!

Between Adelaide & Melbourne

We left Adelaide behind after bagels, wishing we had spent more time exploring the city and Fringe Festival. If you can, make sure to spend more than two days there for the best impression!

With Adelaide in the rearview mirror, the landscape rolled into hills and lush little towns nestled in the countryside. The Adelaide Hills are new to the wine scene, but offer plenty of great cellar doors for a stellar tasting experience. The more established region right next door is the Barossa Valley, which is home to high-profile wineries that are best known for their Shiraz grapes. Based on a recommendation from a friend, we spent the early afternoon with Karli at Elderton Wines. Karli did an incredible job explaining the different wines in the Elderton and Small Victories line-up. Welcoming every visitor into the 1918 classic gentleman’s bungalow, the second-generation estate is both elegant and homey. Close to Elderton, you can make a stop at the Seppeltsfield Vineyard, which is more of a village in comparison! The 170 year-old property boasts beautiful Greco-Roman inspired architecture (perfect for a wedding, wink wink), rich wine-making history, and an iconic avenue lined with Canary Island Date Palms. Alongside marvelous wines, explore the lodge, gallery for up-and-coming artists, cafe, and olive oil shop.

When touring the region, you’ll discover signs of 19th-century German settlers in the scattered stone cottages and Lutheran churches. A unique spot that is particularly marked by German influence is Hahndorf. Here, we roamed the cottage-lined main street and explored the numerous shops and bakeries where German can still be spoken at the till. I found it particularly amusing that restaurants in Hahndorf serve tasty meals from my home-country like Schnitzel, Bratwurst, and Schweinshaxe – veggie options included!

Our next day on the road was rather uninteresting, weaving our way through farmland to reach the start of the Great Ocean Road. We, of course, made stops for coffee along the way. One of these stops was in Robe, where we stopped to make sandwiches with a tranquil ocean view. This view was very abruptly interrupted when the seagulls caught wind of our lunch and swarmed the van – consider taking an ocean-side breather here without a snack! That night, we camped at Eight Mile Creek Campground where you can wander the beach and watch a bevy of black swans bob along the coastline.

The following day was filled with incredible sights…and a number of tour buses – we’ll get to that! Waking up early we hit the road towards Portland and spotted a koala crossing the road. We slowed down to let him pass and watch this rare encounter, but still managed to startle him when he got to the side of the road safely. He was so unprepared for our van that he fell over into the grasses close by before dashing into the eucalyptus trees. After a brief coffee-run in Portland, we hit the breaks to check out the Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory, picking up a square of cheddar for lunch later. A bit up the road, we finally joined the Great Ocean Road and began our mission to discover its wonders. We made stops at Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, the Twelve Apostles, and Castle Coves – each magnificent rock formations that decorate the south-eastern coast of Australia. The site is listed as a National Heritage and stretches over 240 kilometers. While the Great Ocean Road should not be missed and is a key Australian attraction, do remember that many others know this too. This means that each stop is chock-full of tourists and tour buses, making the walks down to the cliffs or lookout points rather unenjoyable if you’re not a fan of crowds. Contrasting our crowded day excursion, we pulled into the Smythe Creek, a small pull-out in Wongarra that is nestled into a lush valley by the water. While the pullout is now partially closed due to unstable rock above, the area is perfect for a simple camp spot.

On our morning before we reached Melbourne, we watched the sunrise on the Great Ocean Road and drove to Kennett River to explore the nature walk before any crowds arrived. The walk promised an abundance of wildlife and did not disappoint. On the easy path along the river and through the eucalyptus trees, we spotted two koalas lounging in the branches! The Koala Cafe next to the walk opens early too and is a great spot to pick up some coffee before you hit the road to Melbourne.

Melbourne

Jackson and I met up in Melbourne five years ago, while I was on a trip with another friend and dating was far from each of our radars. Back then, I remember the weather being quite rainy, and didn’t find the city itself very interesting. Let me tell you: I was very, very wrong. Treating ourselves to the Pullman Hotel in the center of town (paid for with credit card points), we had a glorious shower after days on the road. Leaning into the moment of luxury we could allow ourselves, we decided to go to Park Street Pasta for dinner, which was amazing. We shared a delicious plate of heirloom tomatoes and burrata with roasted eggplant to start, followed by individual dishes of white rabbit ragu pappardelle and eggplant parmesan ravioli. A dream! This part of town, halfway between central Melbourne and St. Kilda is absolutely worth a wander with its many unique restaurants and bars.

The next day, revived by our luxurious evening, we focused on seeing as much of Melbourne as we could. Fuelled by coffee from Brother Buba Budan, we headed to the Old Melbourne Gaol (yes, this how the Aussies spell ‘jail’) and explored the many nooks and crannies, learned about the notorious criminals that once walked the halls, and oo-ed and ahh-ed at Ned Kelly’s cell where he lived out his final days before execution. Dazed by Melbourne’s criminal past, we wandered over to the Queen Victoria Market, where you’ll find an abundance of tasty dishes, local produce, and coffee (of course). We dug into a massive burger from Juicy Brucey’s and Tibetan momos from OZ Tibet Kitchen. As big fans of free activities, our next stop was ACMI at Fed Square. Much to our surprise, the free exhibition was so large that we ended up spending nearly three hours learning about the evolution of motion pictures. The interactive displays left us bright-eyed and giddy for the rest of the afternoon!

Bringing our weekend to a close and with a mission to track down some burrata, we popped into the South Melbourne Market the next day. We wandered through the endless produce stalls filled with bright fruit and veg, until we finally found the stracciatella-filled cheese at UGO. The new pop-up stall has a range of dishes – from focaccia sandwiches to heirloom tomato salad, all (of course) filled with tasty burrata goodness. Continuing on our art streak, we went to the National Gallery of Victoria, which is filled with amazing displays and has something for everyone. That afternoon, we swapped hotels to spend some time in the quieter suburb of St. Kilda. Here, we found ourselves at Tapas St. Kilda, a cozy spot known for it’s hilarious owner Javier and incredibly Spanish dishes. We ordered the cheese croquettes, gambas pil pil, and the pan con tomate. It was just like being back in Spain! We opted for a stroll home to walk off the bread and shrimp, until we reached Luna Park on the waterfront. There, we watched the Great Scenic Railway, which is the oldest continuously operating ride in the world and requires a member of staff to stand in the middle of the train to operate the brake, wild to watch them zoom around the park!

Given our busy schedules, it's important to make time for quieter or admin days. The following morning, we set up shop at a cafe in St. Kilda for a few hours, attempting to plan our 2026 wedding with some minor progress. For a bit of distraction from all-things wedding venues, we met up with an old friend of mine at Captain Baxter, a breezy, cool rooftop bar with views of the ocean. We had a bit of a feast and found ourselves overwhelmed with our spread, so be warned: everything is VERY good and portions are quite large! Following our hefty meal, we wandered the St. Kilda Sunday market. Later, as the sun was going down, we decided to walk the Formula One track, which was in the midst of being set up for the upcoming race. Jackson was absolutely delighted, testing out the extra grippy pavement and walking the empty pit lane.

Starting our morning rather late, we grabbed coffee in a quieter part of St. Kilda and made a targeted approach to the Shrine of Remembrance, which was built in 1934 to honor the men and women that fought in World War I. Now, it has become a beautiful complex of gardens, mixed with neoclassical and classical architecture that pays tribute to all the brave Australians that served in any war. The inner rooms are absolutely stunning and can be explored for hours, but don’t miss the upper balcony for views of all of Melbourne! If you’re lucky, enter the Sanctuary in the center of the structure at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month to watch a natural ray of light illuminate the word ‘LOVE’ on the Stone of Remembrance to commemorate the historic moment WWI ended. Dazed by all the brave and dense history at the Shrine, we left to grab some dinner at Banff back in St. Kilda. Here, we had a simple, but tasty meal of ‘bag pasta’, which is cooked in a bundle of parchment paper in the oven, and served straight to you still ‘bagged’ on the plate. Before heading back to the hotel for the night, we attempted to spot the colony of over 1,300 (!) little penguins at the St. Kilda Pier Breakwater, but unfortunately this is currently being refurbished to build a safer viewing platform. According to the developers, the new pier is expected to reopen in late 2024 / early 2025, be sure to check it out then to see the world’s smallest penguins!

Our last day in Melbourne was spent truly soaking up the city! That morning we spent a few hours sampling Austro Bakery’s scrumptious pastries – the miso eggplant danish was our absolute favorite! Later, we went to ACCA, which houses the displays of up-and-coming artists, but was actually rather terrifying, given the topic of ‘horrors’. Not our favorite, but worth a visit once the exhibition is over! The highlight of the day were the beautiful rooms of the State Library, which are adorned with stunning crown molding, artworks, and historical artifacts. There is also a fascinating exhibit on the history of books and publishing, featuring over 300 rare and remarkable texts. For our final meal in the heart of Melbourne, we found ourselves in bustling Chinatown at Fortune Dumpling. Here, you can watch the buzz of the ‘longest continuous Chinese settlement in the western world’ while dining on delicious, freshly-made dumplings.

Melbourne is a city with many hidden treasures and even though we had nearly a week to explore as much of it as we could, much like Adelaide, we wish we had more time! When planning your next trip to Australia, be sure to give yourself as long as feasible to explore the art, food, street life, and amazing energy of this country’s southern cities, we promise you won’t regret it.

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