Photography Tips for Capturing Stunning Views of the Great Ocean Road

Learn how to photograph the iconic Great Ocean Road attractions and beautiful landscapes.

The Great Ocean Road has lots of picturesque locations and attractions to stop and snap photos of. Figuring out the best ways to capture stunning views can be tricky, especially when you’re not sure where to start.

Plan and research before travelling

Before you go, start planning by doing research and create a good itinerary of what you want to photograph. This means you’ll work out the best route along the Great Ocean Road for photos. Below there are ideas of locations you may want to visit for photos.

Work out how to photograph the location/subject

If you’re unsure what the subject is of the location you’re photographing, just think about what attracts you to a particular part of the area. When you know the subject, find the best angle before taking photos.

A great tip is to think about what locations will be best to photograph at sunrise, sunset, and during the day. Any location near the coastline will be gorgeous at sunrise and sunset.

What gear to bring

When you know what locations you want to capture you’ll need to think about the type of lens you’ll need. But if you don’t have other lenses, or only have a digital camera or phone, just make sure your device is fully charged!

Where are the best locations/subjects on the Great Ocean Road to photograph?

The Otways has some beautiful places to photograph! The Redwoods is a magical forest full of 60 metre tall Californian Redwood trees. Another awesome spot to photograph is the Hopetoun Falls, which is one of the most picturesque waterfalls in Victoria. Or do the three kilometre return walk and see Beauchamp Falls.

Lorne has two waterfalls to capture fantastic photos. Lower Kalimna Falls is a unique place with the water flowing over the rock ledge. Or you can photograph Erskine Falls which is one of the largest waterfalls on the Great Ocean Road. The waterfalls on the Great Ocean Road just look even more beautiful because of the green and lush surroundings.

The Twelve Apostles is one of the most scenic locations on the Great Ocean Road. If you go to the viewpoint, you can get a great landscape shot of the Twelve Apostles with the coastline, beach, and rock cliffs.

There is also the Grotto, which is a fascinating rock/arch formation that is perfect for photos. At the bottom of the stairs, you can look through the arch to see the ocean on the other side.If you need a new profile pic, this is a great destination for it.

Loch Ard Gorge is a popular photography location along the Great Ocean Road. You can get great landscape shots, especially when the waves are crashing against the high rock cliffs.

Cape Otway Lightstation makes a great spot for photos too. The beautiful lightstation along the coastline is really stunning. You can also go to Griffiths Island Lighthouse at Port Fairy for a similar shot.

And last but not least, try taking a photo of one of the cute koalas hanging around the trees! It might not be easy as they are high up in the trees, but if you’ll have a good look and a proper lens, you’ll be able to take the perfect spot.

We recommend planning what you want to photograph before taking the journey along the Great Ocean Road. You can see some of the main attractions in a day or spend up to three days and capture more stunning photos. Even though it’s smart to plan your designated photo spots, be spontanuous and take photos whenever and wherever you want. You might even find your best photo the one that wasn’t planned. And don’t forget, have fun!

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