This gives you the opportunity to see the quieter countryside inland of vibrant rolling hills and farmland—you could almost be in England. I found the most interesting options on Airbnb and ended up booking two lovely cottages with stunning views. Lorne is one of the most popular towns on the Great Ocean Road. Our first stop was just outside Torquay and was a slight detour off the Great Ocean Road.

Winter (June to August) can be chilly, but you’ll have the chance to see whales, lower crowds, and can cosy up by the fire. With four full days on the Great Ocean Road we had time for a detour to the Otways where there are beautiful forest and waterfall walks. The cottage is very well-equipped and Bryan is a fantastic host who goes out of his way to help you make the most of your stay and share his tips for the area. It’s a hub for the local food scene with a small shop selling cheese, wine, beer, condiments and other products made in the area. Journey Time: 25 minutes from Aireys Inlet We arrived at our accommodation at 4.40pm. The Great Ocean Road twists torturously atop cliffs overlooking an eroded coast of limestone cliffs, caves and sea stacks. Journey Time: 10 minutes from Bells Beach

Five minutes down the road is Apostle Whey Cheese where for a bargain price of $1 you can try all 12 of their cow’s milk cheeses. Book as far in advance as you can as it is very popular.

You can also walk down the steps and along the beach but as it was raining we skipped that. We do not recommend feeding wild birds, but it is exciting to see the koalas, and if you walk further down Grey River Rd it gets quieter. The Bay of Islands offers similar scenery to the Twelve Apostles but without the crowds. The Arch is the first in a series of rock formations where you can stop for a quick look from viewing platforms. You can follow a very similar itinerary to ours, but you’ll need to pack more in every day. It’s a lovely place for a short stroll. Points South by the Sea is the perfect place to stay on the Great Ocean Road; in fact, it’s one of our favourite places we’ve ever stayed. Erin • nev-clockSeptember 27, 2019 • nev-balloon3. If you drive directly from Apollo Bay to Port Campbell on the Great Ocean Road it takes about 1.5 hours, but there are some worthwhile detours along the way. Journey Time: 4 minutes from London Bridge You need to head down to the lower viewing platform to appreciate it, which is a 700-metre return walk with stairs from the car park. The rock formations at Loch Ard Gorge are a highlight of the Great Ocean Road (and only five minutes from the 12 Apostles). However TomTom does not guarantee the error free operation of these routes and therefore it remains the driver’s responsibility to drive with due care and attention. 5 Day Great Ocean Road Itinerary (Our Route) We had 4 nights and 4.5 days on the road trip and it was a good amount of time to see the Great Ocean Road … Stop Time: 50 minutes. If you decide to drive yourself, it’s best to drive in the opposite direction of our itinerary below. But it has a strange beak and is one of the few mammals that lay eggs. You can sometimes see whales here in winter.

You can hike, surf, ride helicopters, follow gourmet food trails, wander seaside towns, and much more. We encourage everyone to stay safe and we look forward to welcoming our Metro Melbourne friends on the other side. By clicking the Submit button, you give consent for us to store your information for the purposes of displaying your comment and you accept the terms of our Privacy Policy. The town of Port Campbell is in the middle of the park so you can take a break or have lunch there after visiting the eastern side (Twelve Apostles, Gibson Steps, and Loch Ard Gorge), before continuing west. You can also travel from Melbourne to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road, but you’ll need at least a few days as it’s a distance of nearly 1000km (620 miles). Coastal views from Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet, one of the small beach towns on the Great Ocean Rd.

Kennett River is known as one of the best spots on the Great Ocean Road to see koalas, and it didn’t disappoint. Immerse yourself in some of Australia's best rainforest scenery amongst tall trees, waterfalls, ancient plant life and lush ferns. I think 3 days/2 nights is the minimum amount of time for a really enjoyable trip. The Great Ocean Road twists torturously atop cliffs overlooking an eroded coast of limestone cliffs, caves and sea stacks. We arrived in Port Campbell at 2.45pm and had a few hours rest before heading out to see the sunset at London Bridge, which is a quieter alternative to the Twelve Apostles. If you have a full day in the area, a fun detour off the Great Ocean Road is to follow some of the 12 Apostles Gourmet Food Trail. This map shows the best things to see on the Great Ocean Road. Learn how your comment data is processed. The large corner window seat is the perfect place to enjoy the views in winter, and for warmer weather, there’s a large balcony with a table, chairs, and BBQ. The huge natural limestone arch was formed by erosion and you can see the power of the waves that caused it.

Stop Time: 20 minutes. We had a light lunch in the surprisingly good cafe housed in the Assistant Keepers Quarters with views of the lighthouse. They live in the eucalyptus trees behind the caravan park and are not hard to find. The homemade scones and vegetarian korma pie were delicious, and the cakes looked tempting. Park at the Kafe Koala and follow the crowds. See our privacy policy. If you are wondering the best direction to drive the Great Ocean Road, I recommend driving it from east to west, starting in Torquay. The three stops above are a good half-day trip, but if you have a full day you can continue on to Otway Fly Treetop Adventures where you can go zip lining (book ahead, $120) or walk above the trees on the elevated treetop walk ($25). The ocean views from almost everywhere in the cottage (including the bed) were just amazing. Nearby you’ll find another popular waterfall, Triplet Falls (a one hour walk). If you just wanted a quick stop, you could do that in about 15 minutes, but it’s worth following one or all of the three marked trails.

Another worthwhile detour on the way to Port Campbell is Wreck Beach, but we didn’t have the energy to stop. It’s a wonderfully scenic place with a beach below and crashing waves. There’s a distant view of the lighthouse after 1.5km, but the trail continues beyond that as this is a section of the Great Ocean Walk. We rented a car from the local company Advance Car Rental in Melbourne—a Toyota Corolla cost us $158 for six days. Or if you’d prefer to visit the Twelve Apostles before most of the other tour buses arrive, this Great Ocean Road Reverse Experience heads directly to the highlights via the inland route then follows the road back to the city.

The return walk took us 20 minutes and it is rather a steep climb back up.

We saw an adorable mother and baby koala! Despite the name, there are only seven stacks (there were eight when they named it). We actually visited at sunset the previous day. Sync routes instantly to a new TomTom sat nav, or export your Road Trip as a GPX for most other brands.*. The breakfasts are supposed to be delicious. It would be quieter in the morning. We chose to drive back from Port Campbell to Melbourne via the inland route (3 hours) rather than continue on for the final section of the Great Ocean Road that ends just before Warrnambool.


They are famous for their scallop pies but have plenty of vegetarian and vegan options. It’s most popular in summer (December to February) when you can enjoy the beaches. The ocean views are incredible and we could have happily spent all day curled up on the window seat with the fire roaring watching the waves crash down below. It’s in the same area but a few kilometres inland up a hill with amazing views. We didn’t expect to spend so long at a chocolate shop, but this place is huge! Stop Time: 25 minutes. We spent the full day we had in the Apollo Bay area detouring off the Great Ocean Road to explore the inland forest section of the Great Otway National Park. It starts in Torquay, which is 105km (65 miles) from Melbourne, and continues westward along the coast to finish at Allansford near Warrnambool. If possible, I recommend driving yourself and spending at least two nights on the road. Each cottage feels very private and has outstanding ocean views. While you could drive it in the opposite direction, Port Campbell would be quite far to reach on the coastal route for your overnight stay, and it’s a fairly long drive from Apollo Bay to Twelve Apostles for an early morning visit. This page contains affiliate links.
It was named after the clipper Loch Ard that was wrecked here in 1878. We had 4 nights and 4.5 days on the road trip and it was a good amount of time to see the Great Ocean Road highlights, although we could easily have spent longer. The Apollo Bay Eco YHA in Apollo Bay is a great option if you’d prefer a hostel. That way you can travel at your own pace, avoid the crowds, and have more time to enjoy the many Great Ocean Road attractions beyond the Twelve Apostles. Journey Time: 1.5 hours from Melbourne All prices quotes below are in Australian dollars. Discover Australia’s magnificent coastlines and mystical rainforests. We had two partly rainy days and the rest were sunny with varied temperatures. We liked the brie and pepper havarti (sadly they don’t have storage space for cheddar).

It’s not the best quality chocolate, but we still enjoyed it. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The cottages are quite close together, so if you take a bath with the blinds up, you do have to trust your neighbours won’t walk in front of your cottage (we had no issues). Famed for its magnificent coastline views the Great Ocean Road, is among the most scenic drives of Australia. Journey Time: 20 minutes from Chocolaterie Our final stops in the area were on the food trail. I recommend packing a water bottle (we always travel with a few Vapur flexible bottles as they are light and foldable when empty) and a travel coffee mug or thermos.

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