Quaint Spots in Adelaide and Melbourne?

Hi Linda, I am not sure that we do quaint or cute in Adelaide, we are not all that old. The city itself is quite compact built around a square mile grid so any where within the city itself would probably work. You might want to look at sites such as last minute.com.au to get some ideas of what there is and how much it costs. I can recommend Crown Plaza in Hindmarsh Square if you are comfortable with international chains, book ahead for best prices. My favourite stopping point along the Great Ocean Road is Lorne although that is at the end, so you may want to look at Port Campbell. Sorry I can't remember where we have stayed there but again a hotels booking site or Google will probably be helpful. In Melbourne maybe the Windsor or another of the hotels in older buildings. Not sure when you are planning to pick up your car but you wont need it in Adelaide as it is such a compact city. You will be able to walk or catch public transport to most places. If you are planning a trip to one of the winery regions I would suggest joining a tour. We have several wine regions within an hour or two of the city and loads of wineries, so it should be easy to find a tour that suits. If you feel the need to cuddle a koala, Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills can be reached by public transport. A little tip on driving on the other side of the road that I was given for driving in the USA, "the driver should always be in the middle of the road". Have a great trip.

Thanks for your reply! I will look into the Cleland Wildlife Park for sure!

Check out the Adabco Boutique Hotel in Wakefield Street, Adelaide. Ticks the quaint box and has had good reviews. It is about a 10 minute walk from Rundle Mall. It is about a 5 minute walk to one of Adelaide's best attractions, the Central Market in Grote Street (the biggest undercover produce market in the Southern Hemisphere. (The Market is closed on Sunday and Monday).
Another hotel you might like otio check out is the The Mayfair Hotel. A new boutique hotel right in the heart of the city on the corner of Hindley Street and King William Street. Smack in the middle of the CBD.
Cleland Wildlife Park is worth visiting. Limited public transport options though - only two buses am and pm. A car will also give you the option of checking out the Adelaide Hills and it's quaint little towns Stirling, Aldgate, Hahndorf, Lobethal, Balhannah etc.)
Suggest you take a drive to the southern wine region of McLaren Vale and to the stunning southern beaches adjacent to this area.

Forgot to add. When leaving Adelaide to start on your journey to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road, take the Princes Highway from Meningie and travel through the Coorong National Park to Robe. Robe is a very quaint former fishing village with a good choice of B & B accommodation and places to eat. If you decided to spend the night here, it's a 3 1/2 hour - 284km drive to Port Fairy.

Re the Great Ocean Road.

Rather than go up the western side of Port Phillip Bay to get to Melbourne, head east before you get to Geelong and catch the ferry from Queenscliff across the mouth of the Bay to Sorrento then drive up the eastern side to Melbourne.

To me it’s a much more scenic drive and there are a few wineries along the way to tempt you.

Judy has given you good advice regarding the Adabco Hotel in Adelaide. We've stayed there, as have friends, and we've all been very happy. The location is convenient to transportation and sights. The communal kitchen and laundry facilities were very handy and the staff was extremely helpful. Highly recommend taking the tram to Glenelg for dinner.

Good tip Mother duck re taking tram from Victoria Square (just down the road from Adabco Hotel) to Glenelg for dinner.

Thank you again, everyone, for the suggestions! Still busily researching! Leaving the tricky parts (flights from Sydney to Cairns and Cairns to Adelaide) for last!

You have four airlines to choose from for internal flights.

QANTAS & Virgin are full fare airlines

Tiger & Jetstar are low cost airlines - remember you get what you pay for so don’t expect much help at check in and be aware flights can be cancelled or rescheduled but they are a cheap alternative