How long great ocean road

Stop and spot the amazing wildlife this area has to offer, one popular site in Kennett River , where you can see the Koalas lazing about amidst the trees. How to Travel There?

To experience the diverse attractions of the Great Ocean Road has to offer you must first decide how you will travel. Many travellers choose to join a tour, travelling on a bus with a guide, who can inform you of the history and information this land has to offer. Others decide to hire their own transport, renting a car or motorbike so they can fish out the alternative stops, concealed from the crowds. Otherwise, if interested in a unique experience of the great ocean road, why not take part in the cycling events held in the summertime.

Stay tuned for the Family Route, which provides routes for the whole family, taking off in the next year or two. Discover more info on the 12 Apostles. You would just miss out on too many amazing natural attractions along the way, as well as the opportunity to explore and discover wonderful attractions, beaches, forests, places to eat and drink — there are just too many to mention.

It offers easy transport options to Geelong and Torquay as well as plenty of car hire options. Find out more information on flying to the Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road region is very busy during the summer holiday period — from late December through to the end of January. The Easter long weekend is also a very busy time, along with weekends during the warm months from December through to April. We recommend planning ahead for travel during these times or considering travel during off peak times, especially through autumn and winter.

The cooler months are a stunning time of year in the Great Ocean Road region, offering flowing waterfalls and magical whale watching, not to mention getting some of the major natural attraction views all to yourself. Find out more information on getting to the Great Ocean Road by public transport.

Back to Contents. Many people visit the Great Ocean Road as a very long day trip from Melbourne on bus tours. 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.

Take the inland road via Colac and drive directly to Port Campbell about 3 hours from Melbourne. You can then drive back to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road route and choose the stops you are most interested in. The most scenic leg of the drive is further along between Lorne and Apollo Bay.

You could then drive the Great Ocean Road at a more leisurely pace and spend the night in the Apollo Bay area before continuing back to Melbourne the next day. I recommend overnight stays near Apollo Bay and Port Campbell as we did.

If you have an extra night, you could add it to either of those locations depending on your interests—Apollo Bay is nearer forests and waterfalls and Port Campbell is nearer the Twelve Apostles and many other beautiful coastal rock formations. This was our Great Ocean Road route. We had 4 nights and 4. We spent the first two nights in an incredible cottage overlooking the ocean at Points South by the Sea , a minute drive before Apollo Bay. It would also be tempting to continue down past the end of the road to Warrnambool or Port Fairy for a night and visit the nearby Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve for a chance to see koalas, kangaroos, and emu in the wild.

Many people also continue inland to the Grampians National Park, a fantastic hiking and wildlife location, before returning to Melbourne via the old gold mining town of Ballarat. If you are looking for other ideas on places to visit in Victoria, see our guide to the best day trips from Melbourne.

If you are on a budget, the cheapest way to do a Great Ocean Road Trip is by camping. There are many free campsites and serviced holiday parks along the route, and you can either pitch your own tent or drive a campervan.

We visited in mid-September early spring and there was frost on our car one morning, so tent camping is probably best in the summer. We were more interested in luxury accommodation on the Great Ocean Road as we wanted a place where we could relax and enjoy the views between sightseeing trips. There are more motels than boutique hotels in the area. I found holiday rental sites had the most interesting options and ended up booking two lovely cottages with stunning views.

The quieter location meant we could really enjoy the natural beauty of the area. We stayed in a luxury cottage at Points South by the Sea and it was perfect. 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. In fact, we returned a month later to do just that!

We stayed in one of the modern, luxury cottages at Anchors at Port Campbell on a farm a few kilometres inland from Port Campbell. There are beautiful countryside and ocean views and all the comforts you need including a well-equipped kitchen, spa bath, and gas log fire.

Search for more options in Port Campbell here. They have cheaper compact cars and you can drive the route in any vehicle. Picking up and dropping off the car was quick and easy, and they are near Queen Victoria Market where you can pick up supplies for the trip.

You can also compare many rental companies and find the cheapest cars at Rental Cars. There are signs reminding you along the road as tourists driving the wrong way is a common problem. 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.

Wear shoes that are comfortable for walking. Most of the time I was fine in my Allbirds wool runners , but I was glad for hiking shoes on the muddy trails to the waterfalls in Great Otway National Park. You can do a Great Ocean Road Trip at any time of year. We had two partly rainy days and the rest were sunny with varied temperatures. Your stop times will vary—we tend to walk fast but take a lot of photos. We arrived at our accommodation at 4.

Journey Time: 1. Our first stop was just outside Torquay and was a slight detour off the Great Ocean Road. Bells Beach is a famous surf beach with huge waves and is home to the Rip Curl Pro surfing competition in April.

You can try chocolate buttons for free as you enter and then browse the massive selection of treats including lots of unusual flavours. Journey Time: 20 minutes from Chocolaterie Stop Time: 25 minutes. Anyone remember the 90s TV show Round the Twist?

You need to park just off the road and then walk up the hill to the lighthouse. I would have liked to stay longer but we were getting hungry for lunch as it was after 2pm.

Split Point Lighthouse is still a functioning lighthouse, so you can only go inside on a tour. Another good stop in Aireys Inlet is Fairhaven Beach.

While driving to Lorne we had our first Australian wildlife experience—an echidna crossing the road. We had no idea what it was at first although its spikes made us guess it was a porcupine. But it has a strange beak and is one of the few mammals that lay eggs. Lorne is one of the most popular towns on a Great Ocean Road Trip.

If you had plenty of time, you might want to spend a night here as there are some beautiful beaches and waterfalls nearby. There are several veggie options and the lentil burger was decent, if nothing special. Other lunch options are Movida which was recommended to us for tapas or The Swingbridge Cafe is right on the beach. It hugs the coastline with many twists and turns and stunning ocean views. They live in the eucalyptus trees behind the caravan park and are not hard to find.