Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania in which order?

Old Jan 15th, 2014, 12:55 PM
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Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania in which order?

We are planning a 3 week trip to Australia: Melbourne and area, Adelaide and area and Tasmania -- one week in each location.
We originally thought of starting in Melbourne, spending 2-3 days in the city, driving to Yarra Valley, taking the GOR from Geelong to Port Fairy and loop back to Melbourne - then fly to Adelaide and explore the city and environs incl Barrossa Valley and one night on KI then back to Adelaide. Then fly to Hobart.
But I discovered that it is quite easy to drive from Melbourne to Adelaide so we are considering it. Con: car drop off fee, no direct flights from Adelaide to Hobart.
OR start in Adelaide, tour around, do KI and drive to Melbourne via GOR pro: may be able to find a car relocation offer since it seems that most people drive east to west on the GOR the advantage being that you drive on the more scenic side of the road. Also direct flights from Melbourne to Hobart.
Also, any suggestions on breaking up the stay in Tasmania - is it a good idea to have 4 days in Hobart and 3 days in Launceston?
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Old Jan 15th, 2014, 01:27 PM
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For Tasmania, I'd branch out from the cities and consider staying in Cradle Mountain. I think that's the most spectacular site in the state. The river trip into temperate rainforest wilderness from Strahan is another highlight.

If you can fly into Hobart and out of Launceston that would maximise your time (Cradle Mountain is closer to Launceston).
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Old Jan 17th, 2014, 09:17 AM
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Thanks for the suggestion.
I hope someone will comment on routing Adelaide- Melbourne...fly or drive, east to west or west to east. Are car drop offs common.,,ie pu Melbourne drop in Adelaide.....and also pu in Hobart and drop off in Launceston?
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Old Jan 17th, 2014, 11:47 AM
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Nothing wrong with an Adelaide -Kangaroo Island - Melbourne run, most of the major Great Ocean Road landmarks are viewed from lookouts, so you'd have to stop & park anyway.

Most people don't realise the 12 Apostles (which never were 12 & are now 8 or 9 with the loss of London Bridge's top span years ago) aren't "drive by viewing". Apart from the safety angle, there are sandbanks on the ocean side in some places.

Have a look at the major rental firms' websites and / or give them a call re drop-off fees. Hertz are advertising one way from 200 locations just now.

You might also find a super cheap re-location deal if the times & locations suit you. See imoova & vroom vroom.

Same for Hobart - Launceston. That's a very common route, so you are quite likely to get a good deal on one way.

When are you coming? Looks like a great trip.
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Old Jan 26th, 2014, 09:47 AM
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Thanks for the info. We will travel end of Nov so lots of time to plan.....although a bit early to enquiry about car relocation options. Thanks for the rental co names.
I am still undecided about driving vs flying. If we fly we could do a short loop of the GOR from Melbourne but if takes the same amount of time ( short loop and flight) maybe the drive is best.
What is a reasonable time allowance for the drive- two nights, three days?
I am reading Bryant's book A Sunburned Country and it sounds like the road trip after leaving Adelaide and before arriving at some scenery on the GOR is quite boring. We have driven all through NZ and enjoyed it.
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Old Jan 26th, 2014, 02:01 PM
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If you drive from Adelaide to Melbourne stop at Robe in SA, about 3 or 4 hours from Adelaide. It's a charming fishing village and crayfish capital of the world (spiny rock lobster, delicious)

Mount Gambier is a little further along and has the Blue Lake an extinct volcanic crater which turns from steel grey to brilliant blue in November.

I would allow 3 nights, which will give you plenty of time for sightseeing around the Victorian part of the Coast.
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Old Sep 12th, 2014, 04:13 AM
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We too are visiting Melbourne, Adelaide, and Tasmania for 3 weeks in late November-mid Dec.

After playing out many options, we've decided to fly from Adelaide to Melbourne. For the two of us, it's cheaper than the drop off charge, and it gives us more time to focus on exactly what we want to do.

We'll fly Adl-Mel in the morning and rent a car at the Mel airport. We plan on 2-3 days to make the GOR loop, ending at Ballarat for Sovereign Hill and the nighttime Sound and Light show. Then we'll drive past Melbourne to the Yarra Valley for a day, to Phillip Island for the Penguin Parade, and finally back to the airport where we'll turn in the car and take public transportation for a few days while we visit the city center.

Good luck in all your planning!
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Old Sep 16th, 2014, 12:34 AM
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One night is not nearly enough on KI, unless there is only 1-2 things you want to see. It is expensive to get there and back for just a day or so.

Why do you want to visit the areas you are seeing?
You could easily spend all three weeks in Tasmania (look at my trip reports). You could easily split your week between Launceston and Hobart, but that would mean a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. Best would be a circuit.

KI needs a good 5 days minimum.

I suggest you making a priority list as with three weeks you will be rushed to see everything.

What is vital to see or do you just like the idea of these places?

Melbourne to Adelaide via the coast is about 1000km and 12hours of driving plus stops.

From the 12 Apostles (originally called the hen and chicks and/or the sow and piglets - 12 Apostles came later and were deemed a bit more "romantic") there is not much of a "spectacular nature", but it is very "typically Australian". Great wetland birdlife along the Coorong and the mouth of the Murray and there is a paddle steamer you can ride.

Mt Gambier has some fantastic extinct volcanoes.

One way car hires are doable but they will charge $150+ for the privilege. There are websites that offer one way car hire for a dollar a day moving cars and campers to depots.

I would suggest doing only two of the three things on your itinerary.
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Old Sep 25th, 2014, 04:59 PM
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Thanks for all the input.
Our revised plan is to arrive in Adelaide (4 nights) drive the GOR with overnights stops in Robe, Port Campbell and Apollo Bay - then to Ballarat for 1 night then Melbourne, drop off car and stay 4 nights . Fly to Launceston-stay 2 nights, Cradle Mt 2 nights, Strahan 1 night, Hobart 3 nights, Coles Bay 2 nights and the last night in Hobart. (Org were going to fly back from Launceston but discovered that the flight to Sydney from Hobart has a better connecting time to our international flight home - so the end of the trip is a bit disjointed since there is no availability at our timeshare at 7 Mile Beach to make date changes )
I realize this forum is not for promoting specific companies - but I have read some poor reviews about Thrifty car rental and wondering if anyone has some good experiences with any rental agencies. Also - any info on restrictions on driving on Bruny Island in a rental vehicle?
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Old Sep 26th, 2014, 07:31 PM
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Not all car hire companies allow their vehicles on the Bruny Island ferry. We rented from Budget which does and had a good experience. We were originally going to return the car in Hobart but decided to keep it and drop it off at the airport 2 days later and had no issues extending the rental and changing the drop off location. We dropped off the car after hours at the airport and had no problems there either. Just parked the car and put the keys in the drop.
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Old Sep 27th, 2014, 07:01 PM
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Thanks Patty! We have booked a car with Budget for the Tasmania part of our trip so was very glad to hear about your experience. We booked with Thrifty for the Adelaide Melbourbe leg. Hope they deliver on service.
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