Top travel guide of The Great Ocean Road, 3-day itinerary
Roadtrip!
Where: Great Ocean Road, Victoria State | Number of days: 3 | Local currency: Australian Dollar
For many, the Great Ocean Road is on their ‘must-do’ list when travelling to Australia. It’s a GREAT adventure in itself and not only because you are driving on the left side of the road… With its breathtaking views, high chances of spotting koalas and relaxed beach towns on the way it is a great drive to explore Australia away from its big cities.
There is a possibility to start and finish the drive in one day, but I would recommend taking your time for spontaneous stops, spending a night in a motel and to allow some space to take in all the highlights.
The road itself was build by soldiers returning from WWI and took 13 years to build. While it stretches across 250 kilometer, connecting Torquay and Warnambool, there are multiple places to start the Great Ocean Road (GOR) and you can drive in both directions (Allansford —> Torquay or Torquay —> Allansford). Most often, people choose to travel from East to West and start their journey in Torquay. I would recommend to do the same as you will be driving on the left side of the road, and thus the water side and the best angle for the best views!
The entire route is in great condition and you have multiple stops along the way. Besides the many towns, there are additional lanes which are conveniently located so that slower vehicles, that are enjoying the views, can give room to other cars to overtake them and these are perfect spots to take a quick brake and snap some pictures. Which is especially nice for the drivers who are not always able to fully experience the entire drive along the winding road.
How to get to Torquay from Melbourne?
By Car
One option to arrive in Torquay is to drive down from Melbourne. Car rentals are available all over town, and from here it is roughly an 1,5hr drive. You will pass by Geelong after an hour, followed by the beach town - and official start of the GOR - Torquay.
By Train
We decided not to dive into the deep-end from the start onwards and skip the bustling center of Melbourne by taking the train at 9:00 to Geelong, where we started our roadtrip. From Southern Cross station a train departs every 30-40 minutes and brings you in an hour and 15 minutes from Melbourne to Geelong. The train itself is comfortable with plenty of space for your luggage.
Once you arrive in Geelong it is a 10minute walk to the car rental, Budget. We read positive reviews and our own experience was also very good and straightforward. The automatic and spacious Toyota C-HR we rented offered enough space for two people and two suitcases. For a family of four it would be too small, but there are no specific requirements needed to drive the road itself. It is quite convenient to get an automatic car to avoid confusion who normally don’t drive on the left side of the road.
Note: The walk to the rental place is not very clear when you’re using Google Maps. Use the option via Gordon Avenue and past Domino’s, which is the safes and quickest way to get there.
And then you’re off! From Geelong it is just a 25 minute drive down to Torquay.
En Route
The picture above shows the route that we took and drove in three days. Starting the first day in Geelong, and ending in Apollo Bay, which in itself is a two hour drive. We made stops in Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne and the Kennett River Nature Walk, but more on that later…
The second day started with a visit to the National Park Great Ottoway and the most famous part of the GOR, The Twelve Apostles, followed by a visit of the London Bridge and the and arriving at our destination in Warrnambool.
On the third day we continued our journey and drove to Hall’s gap, more on that in another blog!
Another option is to drive back to Geelong (2hr) or Melbourne (3hr drive) the next day.
Day 1
After leaving Geelong we set out to Torquay for an early lunch at Phoklore. Torquay’s center can be found along Gilbert Street with all the amenities you need. Along The Esplanada you can go for a walk and find a nice spot for dinner or lunch with a beautiful view out on the water.
Another great place in Torquay, to either visit the beach or hang out for a little while, is the Salty Dog Cafe. A dog friendly place right at the beach with live music every once and a while, good coffee and a menu filled with Australian favourites.
After Torquay you can continue your drive to the Anglesea Golf Club, for some kangaroo spotting. If you don’t feel like paying the fee at the club, you can also drive alongside the course to spot the animals from your car.
We decided to go for the tour and paid a fee of 15 dollars per person to drive around the course in a golf cart, while our guide shared all the kangaroo facts. Overall, it was an informative and funny experience and quite interesting to see the animals so tranquil and relaxed all over the course in their natural habitat.
Memorial arch
Just a fifteen minute drive down from the golf course and Anglesea you will come across the Memorial Arch, stretched across the road it is one of the more known landmarks of the GOR so a picture is mandatory! You have a couple of parking spots right before the Arch.
Lorne
After you’ve captured your selfie, it is just a 15minute drive down to the next beach/surfers town, namely, Lorne. Here you can take some time to relax at the beach, stroll along the boulevard, visit the Lorne Surf Shop or Ghanda for surfing gear or a new bathing suit or sit down for some lunch or an afternoon snack.
Kennet River Walk
After stretching your legs in Lorne, you can choose to go for another walk to explore Australia’s wildlife. After a thirty minute drive you can park your car at Kafe Koala, there is an option to set up camp at the Kennett River Family Caravan Park and spend the night which will significantly increase your chances to spot a Koala. If you’re a bit more short on time, like us, you can also go for a short elevated hike of 10minutes. Make your way up the steep road across the parking lot, and continue walking upwards. Keep an eye out for eucalyptus trees and make sure you look up to spot the little grey bundles between the branches. We found two in the trees along the way, up to the point as highlighted in the map below. Be patient and don’t walk too fast, or you might miss them!
Apollo Bay
We arrived in Apollo Bay in the afternoon, after a 25-minute drive after our koala encounter. We quickly checked in at the Blue Ocean Motel Apollo Bay a very clean and recently redecorated motel. and went on the hunt for some entertainment and something to eat. It didn’t take long, because at a 2-minute walk from our motel we found the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse, a hotspot for both locals and visitors, which offers their own freshly brewed beer along with live music and good food. Definitely pay them a visit when you’re in Apollo bay!
Day 2
To start off your day fresh and well-fed, grab a coffee and a sandwich to go at Little Crumb bakery, believe me, you won’t regret it! I would also recommend to bring some snacks with you as the distance between some of the highlights are bigger than on day 1 and not every stop offers the opportunity to have something to eat or drink, or make use of a bathroom.
Maits Rest Rainforest walk in the Great Otway National Park
From Apollo bay it is just a 15minute drive down to the Maits Rest Rainforest walk in the middle of the Great Otway National Park. You can park right at the start of the walk, make sure to bring water and wear shoes that can get a bit dirty, the walk itself is quite easy with little to no elevation. This rainforest consists of giant Myrtle Beech Trees that tower over you making it an impressive and remarkable trail, I would highly recommend to make a stop at this walk. It is also a fun activity with kids as there are multiple signs along the way that inform you about the age and history of multiple trees. It is truely a green oasis and a nice change from the rest of the great ocean road.
The Twelve Apostles
After an adventure in the forest it is time to get back on the road again and travel down the great ocean road towards the most famous piece, the 12 apostles. This impressive rock formation made out of limestone, were created as a result of erosion. Although you won’t be able to count 12 seperate rock stacks, it is still a beautiful and exciting vision. We visited during the day time, but apparantly it is even more impressive during sunrise and sunset. There is also an opportunity to book a helicopter tour for the thrill-seekers.
Visiting the apostles is free, although the sight itself is professionally set up with a souvenir shop and bathrooms. You will notice the popularity of this stop by the number of visitors (and selfie sticks) that you run into, from all around the world. This is therefore also the most crowded stop along the road.
Loch Ard Gorge and Razorback
We skipped the London Bridge and The Arch (currently under construction) as we were a bit short on time, and decided to visit Loch Ard Gorge, Razorback, 12 apostles and the Grotto which was for us the best decision.
Both places really showed the strength of the water against the limestone statues. The Razorback and Loch Ard Gorge stop spans over quite a large area and you can walk around and enjoy the panaromic view at multiple places. You can read up on the ship break that happened here and take the stairs down to the beach for some pictures. Just make sure you keep an eye on the tide, because some of us got wet feet. :) I personally found this spot more impressive versus the 12 apostles because of the many view points that are available and as the formations are much closer to the coast and therefore more visible.
The Grotto
The next stop is the Grotto, which is located at another 20minutes from the Razorback parking place, just like at the Loch Ard Gorge, you get to this spot via a stairway. At the bottom of it you will find the Grotto, a small see-through spot. Here again, the effect of the ocean is clearly visible creating a beautiful nature phenomenon and a nice place for pictures because of the light and backdrop.
Warrnambool
From the Grotto we continued our journey along the Great Ocean Road, towards Warrnambool. This part will take roughly 45 minutes and will take you away from the familair coast line and move you more inland. The nice things about this section of the journey is that you will come across a very different landscape versus the first 1.5 day. You will pass through fields, hills and occassionally wave to the grazing cows. It is more quite here with barely any passing cars.
After around 30minutes you will pass by Allansford, the (un)official end of the Great Ocean Road. Here the officiel Great Ocean Road, merges into Princess Highway which will take you to Warrnambool. There is no sign here to mark the end of the drive, like the Memorial Arch, but you are able to visit the local Cheese World and Museum, if you’re a dairy fan!
Moving on to Warrnambool, we decided to spend the night in one of the motels here before we continued our trip to Hall’s gap. We stayed in the Comfort Inn Warrnambool which was a conveniently located and colourful motel, at a 5minute walk from the center.
We arrived a bit late in the evening which made it a bit tricky to still find a place for dinner. Luckily the local pizza bar was still open and we ended up having a lovely dinner at Bojangles. While Frolic, the local pub was already closed, it looked like a very cozy place to have a fun night out, for the next visitor!
Day 3
Rise and shine! After a good night sleep it is time for one last ‘Great Ocean Road' breakfast and head off - back to Melbourne or Geelong. For the best coffee and croissant, head out to Koroit Street and step into Rough Diamond for a piping hot cappuccino and a treat from their glass cabinet and you’ll be sure to have the best start of your drive back!
