Great Ocean Road Tours

Great Ocean Road Day Tours

Great ocean road day tours depart Melbourne CBD around 7 to 8am and return between 8 and 10pm, covering around 12 to 13 hours in total. The route heads southwest through Geelong and Torquay, picks up the coast at Bells Beach, then follows the road west through Lorne, Apollo Bay, and the Great Otway National Park before reaching Gibson Steps, the 12 Apostles, and Loch Ard Gorge.

There are four day tour options. The standard tour covers all major landmarks at a comfortable pace. The deluxe small group tour keeps numbers under 20, giving you more time at each stop and a guided koala walk in the Otway rainforest. The reverse itinerary departs later and travels to the 12 Apostles first, arriving before the bulk of day-trippers. The sunset tour reaches the 12 Apostles at golden hour, which is worth the trip on its own.

Multi-Day Great Ocean Road Tours

A two-day great ocean road tour package changes the experience significantly. You stay overnight in Port Campbell, which puts you at the 12 Apostles for sunrise or late evening without the day-tripper crowd. There’s time to walk the full Shipwreck Coast at your own pace. The Grampians combination pairs the Great Ocean Road with the sandstone ranges for a two-day itinerary that covers two of Victoria’s best regions. A three-day Melbourne to Adelaide route extends the trip interstate. These suit travellers who want a relaxed pace, photographers chasing the light at the 12 Apostles, or anyone combining the GOR with the Grampians.

What You’ll See on a Great Ocean Road Tour

The Twelve Apostles

Eight limestone stacks currently stand off the shore at Port Campbell. They were formed by Southern Ocean erosion eating into the cliffs over millions of years, leaving isolated columns behind. The ocean erodes around 2cm per year, and one stack collapsed in 2005. The name is also a misnomer – there were never 12. It came from a tourism rebranding in 1962. The viewing platform gives you a clear look from above. Gibson Steps, a few kilometres east, takes you down to beach level where the scale of the cliffs makes more sense from the sand.

Loch Ard Gorge

Named after a clipper ship that wrecked here in 1878. Of 54 people on board, two survived: Eva Carmichael, an 18-year-old Irish woman, and Tom Pearce, an apprentice sailor who pulled her from the water. The gorge itself is sheltered and steep, with red cliffs dropping to a small curved beach. A short walk from the 12 Apostles, and worth it for the story alone.

Kennett River

Wild koalas live in the grey gum trees along Grey River Road, just off the Great Ocean Road between Lorne and Apollo Bay. They’re often visible from the road or within a short walk. One of the most reliable spots in Victoria to see koalas in the wild without going to a sanctuary.

Great Otway National Park

Temperate rainforest covers much of the Great Otway National Park between Apollo Bay and the 12 Apostles. The Maits Rest Rainforest Walk is a 30-minute loop through ferns and myrtle beech trees. A guided walk here is included on the deluxe small group tour.

Lorne

A seaside town roughly halfway along the route. Cafes, a surf beach, and a main street that hasn’t changed much in decades. A good stop for coffee before the road gets more dramatic heading west.

London Bridge and the Bay of Islands

London Bridge was a rock arch connected to the mainland until 1990, when one section collapsed without warning. Two tourists were stranded on the isolated section and had to be rescued by helicopter. The Bay of Islands, further west, stretches a long line of stacks and reefs into the sea. Both are worth the stop after the 12 Apostles.

Show Less