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Limestone stacks standing in the sea below sheer cliffs: the Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road

Sample journey · 8–10 days

Victoria by road, from the Otway forests to the rocks of Gariwerd

The Great Ocean Road, the Otways, the Twelve Apostles, Port Fairy, Budj Bim & the Grampians

Photo: Wenhao Ji / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Most travellers do the Great Ocean Road in one long day from Melbourne: a coach to the Twelve Apostles and back after dark. This route works differently. It drives slowly, sleeps along the way and turns where the day trips don't: into the cool rainforest of the Otways and its waterfall trails, to the quiet fishing town of Port Fairy, and to Budj Bim, a UNESCO-listed landscape where the Gunditjmara people built a system of channels for farming eels out of ancient lava flows thousands of years ago.

To finish, the road turns inland to the Grampians, also known by their older name, Gariwerd: sandstone ridges, kangaroos grazing at dusk around Halls Gap, rock art and trails with views over the whole plain. The journey suits families and active couples: most days have an hour or two of driving, nearly every stop has two nights, and the stays are simple and comfortable, from cottages near the beach to guesthouses and cabins on the edge of the forest.

The route

The journey

  1. Melbourne
  2. Torquay & the Surf Coast
  3. Lorne
  4. The Otways & Apollo Bay
  5. The Twelve Apostles
  6. Port Fairy
  7. Budj Bim
  8. The Grampians (Gariwerd)
  9. Melbourne
  1. The view from Teddy's Lookout in Lorne: the Great Ocean Road curving between wooded hills and the beach

    01Days 1–3 · Melbourne, Torquay & Lorne

    The road begins at the surf beaches

    The first night is in Melbourne, so nobody has to drive straight off the long flight; the evening is well spent by the river or in the city's narrow laneways. The next morning it's about an hour and a half to Torquay, where the Great Ocean Road begins: built by returned servicemen after the First World War and dedicated to those who did not come home. On the way, the famous waves of Bells Beach, the cliffs at Anglesea and the lighthouse at Aireys Inlet. Two nights in Lorne, a small town between the bay and the forest. On the second day, Teddy's Lookout, where you see the road curling above the sea, the trail to Erskine Falls and an afternoon on the beach, where children can learn to surf with an instructor.

  2. Dense green rainforest and tree ferns beside a stream in the Otways National Park

    02Days 4–5 · The Otways & Apollo Bay

    Koalas above the road, ferns beneath the trees

    From Lorne to Apollo Bay is only about an hour, but the road is so winding and so lovely that it deserves a whole morning. At Kennett River people often stop to look for koalas, asleep in the gum trees right beside the road. They are wild animals, so you usually see them, though not always, and they must never be fed or touched. Two nights in Apollo Bay or on a farm in the hills above it. On the second day, Great Otway National Park: the short Maits Rest walk under cool rainforest trees and tree ferns, Hopetoun Falls in a deep gully and, if you like, the road out to the Cape Otway lighthouse, where koalas are sometimes seen too. In the evening, fish by the harbour and a quiet beach.

  3. A sandy cove between steep tawny cliffs at Loch Ard Gorge near Port Campbell

    03Days 6–7 · The Shipwreck Coast

    Cliffs the ocean keeps rewriting

    Day six brings the most famous stretch of the road. About an hour and a half through the Otway forest, and then the coast suddenly opens: sheer limestone cliffs and stacks in the sea known as the Twelve Apostles, though there were never twelve, and one or two have collapsed in recent decades. They're best seen early in the morning or at the end of the day, when it's quieter and the light is warmer. The Gibson Steps lead down to the beach, and at Loch Ard Gorge you hear the story of the ship wrecked here in 1878 and its two young survivors. Then London Arch and about an hour to Port Fairy for two nights. On the way, children love a stop at Tower Hill, a reserve inside an extinct volcano where emus and koalas are often seen.

  4. The white lighthouse on the rocky shore of Griffiths Island at Port Fairy under a cloudy sky

    04Days 7–8 · Port Fairy & Budj Bim

    Eel traps in a lava field

    Port Fairy is one of Victoria's oldest ports: nineteenth-century stone cottages, fishing boats on the river and a walk around Griffiths Island to its white lighthouse. On day seven it's about an hour inland to the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019. Thousands of years ago the Gunditjmara people dug channels, weirs and traps into the lava flows from the Budj Bim volcano to farm and catch short-finned eels, one of the oldest known aquaculture systems in the world. We visit this country with Gunditjmara guides, on their terms: they talk about the channels, the foundations of stone houses and how the land is cared for today. In the evening, back to Port Fairy; in spring and summer, short-tailed shearwaters often return to Griffiths Island at dusk.

  5. A sandstone ledge above a wooded valley at the Pinnacle in the Grampians

    05Days 8–10 · The Grampians (Gariwerd)

    Sandstone ridges and kangaroos at dusk

    On day eight it's about two and a half hours north through sheep country to Halls Gap, a small town beneath the Grampians ridges. Two nights here, and in the evenings kangaroos often graze on the town's open grass. Begin at Brambuk, the national park and cultural centre, where local Aboriginal communities share the story of Gariwerd and its rock art. The next morning, the trail to the Pinnacle with its view over the valley and lake (about four hours there and back), or for families, shorter walks to MacKenzie Falls or Boronia Peak. Some rock art shelters are open to visitors; there we go quietly and touch nothing. On day ten, about three hours back to Melbourne and the flight home, or one more night in the city.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Nights along the road

    Lorne, Apollo Bay and Port Fairy instead of one hurried day: the coast seen in the morning and evening, after the coaches have gone.

  2. 02

    The Otway forests

    Tree ferns, waterfalls in deep gullies and koalas in the gums, often right beside the road.

  3. 03

    Budj Bim with Gunditjmara guides

    Eel channels thousands of years old in a lava field, explained by the descendants of the people who built them.

  4. 04

    Gariwerd

    The Pinnacle trail, kangaroos at dusk and rock art best understood through the stories told at Brambuk.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • Slower or shorter

    In eight days, the Melbourne night and one Port Fairy night can go. With twelve, add another night in the Otway forests and a day in Melbourne at the end.

  • With young children

    Shorter drives, Tower Hill, a surf lesson in Lorne and MacKenzie Falls instead of the Pinnacle trail. Cottages with kitchens keep the evenings unhurried.

  • Another season

    Summer brings long days and swimming, but more people and fire risk; autumn and spring are calmer, and in winter (June to August) southern right whales often appear off Warrnambool.

  • With Tasmania or Kangaroo Island

    From Melbourne it's a short flight to Hobart, and from the Grampians the road leads on into South Australia, turning the journey into a two-week loop of the south.

Practical considerations

  • The most comfortable months are roughly October to April, though coastal weather changes quickly even in summer: wind, rain and sun can share a single day. The sea is cool all year.
  • In summer (December to February) Victoria has days of high fire danger when some parks and trails close; we check current warnings before the trip and on the ground, and change the route if needed.
  • The journey is planned as a self-drive, on the left. The Great Ocean Road is narrow and winding, and kangaroos are often on the roads at dusk, so we drive in daylight.
  • Currents on these beaches are often strong: we swim only on patrolled beaches, between the red and yellow flags.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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