Wonderful sights, sounds, and experiences await you on the Great Ocean Road without having to clock up a huge mileage and spend many hours behind the wheel. Cute koalas in the wild (and beautiful rosellas), inspiring waterfalls, laid-back little towns, fresh seafood, chocolates, home-grown honey, and the legendary Twelve Apostles rock formations. And for the thrill-seekers, there's ziplining above the rainforest. All that and more in 7 days with this itinerary, starting just 2 hours south of Melbourne. Victoria's Great Ocean Road is one of the most beautiful campervan road trips in all of Australia.
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Torquay is the official start of The Great Ocean Road, and Bells Beach is just 5.6 miles further on. If you've ever watched the Rip Curl Pro on TV, you absolutely must stop at Bells because it's the home of the world's longest-running professional surfing competition. No matter what season you visit, you can check out the waves that challenge the world's best surfers.
Other popular stops include:
Sitting comfortably between the forest and a beautiful beach, Lorne offers the visitor so much, including the only patrolled beach in town (Lorne Beach!).
Visitor Information Center 15 Mt Joy Parade, Lorne
Check out their fascinating Great Ocean Road Story display.
If you love waterfalls, there are plenty in this area, such as:
Live Wire Adventure Park 180 Erskine Falls Road, Lorne
It is described as "America's most sustainable adventure park" and has treetop platforms, dense forest, and iconic Aussie wildlife. But their absolute ace is the Shockwave Zip Coaster. Imagine ziplining for 1,722 feet and reaching speeds of up to 25 mph. Canopy Circuit is their wheelchair-accessible 394-foot elevated walk through the rainforest. Plus, the kids will love their netted, 5-zone trampoline course. Something for everybody, right?
The road tracks along the coastline with a drop-off to the ocean on one side and on the other side the Otways steeply, with lots of worthy stops along the main coast road. Most attractions are clearly signposted.
Kennett River Koala Walk Midway between Lorne and Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road
Your best chance of seeing koalas in the wild, sitting in their favorite eucalyptus trees, is here in one of Victoria's biggest koala colonies. Early morning and late afternoon are the best koala viewing times. It's a good spot to see the colorful King Parrots & Crimson Rosellas. Kennett River is very popular, meaning crowded, during whale watching season (May-September).
Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary Great Ocean Road, Marengo
Situated 492 feet offshore, the sanctuary protects 29.6 acres of ocean life, including the Little Henry Reef, an intertidal reef that hosts many invertebrates (sea snails, tube worms, and abalone). Beautiful seaweed gardens, including Bull Kelp forests, are a little further out. All this just south of Apollo Bay.
Just 90 minutes of driving will take you from Apollo Bay to Port Campbell, famous for the Twelve Apostles. Surprisingly, despite its worldwide fame as the Twelve Apostles, there have never been 12 rock formations here! Originally called Sow and Piglets, you’ll now see only six rock stacks in the famously photographed view, with a seventh near the main viewing platform. At the start of this century, there were nine, but two collapsed, one in 2005 and the other in 2009.
Gorge Chocolates (and Alpacas) 1432 Princetown Road, Cooriemungle
As well as producing delicious chocolate treats, Gorge hosts Victoria's largest alpaca stud, Surilana Alpacas, and they sell a range of alpaca products.
Apostle Whey Cheese 9 Gallum Road, Cooriemungle
Talk about pasture to plate; here's a great example. You'll see the whole process from milking to hand-making the gourmet cheeses. Free cheese tastings too. Newborn calves are aplenty from March-September.
Other attractions near Port Campbell include:
If you’re returning to Melbourne via the inland route (the A1 highway), consider a stop at Colac. Attractions include Otway Estate (a combined winery, brewery, and cider), Beeac Windmill Park (displaying many old windmills), and ShortHive Honey in the Murray Street Market (where you can pick up their Salted, Espresso, Cacao, and Chili Honey). Depending on the weather, Lake Colac is the largest freshwater lake in Victoria.
Colac Botanic Gardens Fyans Street, Colac
This beautiful heritage-listed botanic garden was established over 150 years ago. The Huntington elm is especially loved, along with the giant pagoda tree and four Tecate cypresses.
Reminder: Melbourne is Australia’s second-largest city with a spread-out population of over 5 million. Getting around can take hours due to traffic congestion, so be sure to plan enough time to comfortably connect with your flight home.