Great Ocean Road: Melbourne itinerary

Duration: 3 days, ~550 km by car
Who it suits: Everyone
Transport: drive
Start: Torquay & the surf museum
Finish: Port Campbell
Pace: moderate pace
Best time: October–April for long daylight; time sunset for the Twelve Apostles
Budget per adult: Almost everything is free: only the Cape Otway precinct charges entry (A$11)Prices as of: July 2026; transport and zoo prices October 2026

Getting there

This is a drive on the Great Ocean Road. From 16 October 2026 the Twelve Apostles lookouts need a booking, and that booking is free until April 2027.

The text version of the route: stops, time at each and the legs between them. Times are estimates, without queues, traffic or swims.

1. Torquay & the surf museum~1 h at the stop
Birthplace of Rip Curl and Quiksilver and the official start of the Great Ocean Road.
Tip: A short stop before the highway. Leave the car in town and walk to the museum.
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↓ drive · 12 min · 9 km
2. Bells Beach~30 min at the stop
A surf arena in an amphitheatre of cliffs. Every Easter it hosts the Rip Curl Pro, the world's oldest surfing contest and a World Tour stop.
Tip: Unpatrolled and not a swimming beach. Watch the surfers from the clifftop car park; echidnas turn up in the scrub.
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↓ drive · 35 min · 36 km
3. Split Point Lighthouse~45 min at the stop
The white 1891 tower above Aireys Inlet: the 'White Queen' from the kids' series Round the Twist.
Tip: The photo is from the platform by the tower. The beach stairs are a separate steep walk. On a works day the tower may be shut and the platform stays open.
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↓ drive · 25 min · 21 km
4. Lorne & Erskine Falls~1 h 30 min at the stop
A resort town in a eucalypt amphitheatre; ten minutes away a 30 m waterfall drops into a fern gully.
Tip: After the January 2026 floods only the upper lookout is open. The steps to the base and the river track are closed. Check Parks Victoria before you go.
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5. Kennett River wild koalas~30 min at the stop
The most reliable wild-koala spot on the whole road: right in the canopy above Grey River Road.
Tip: Walk Grey River Road slowly and check the forks of the gum trees.
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↓ drive · 30 min · 32 km
6. Apollo Bay~1 h at the stop
A fishing town on a broad bay: the best overnight base, with fish and chips by the harbour.
Tip: Sleep here. In summer book a room on the foreshore ahead. Fish is by the pier.
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↓ drive · 15 min · 17 km
7. Maits Rest boardwalk~45 min at the stop
A boardwalk loop through cool-temperate rainforest: 300-year-old myrtle beeches and tree ferns.
Tip: The loop is short. Stay on the boardwalk. After rain the forest has leeches.
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↓ drive · 25 min · 22 km
8. Cape Otway Lightstation~1 h at the stop
Mainland Australia's oldest surviving lightstation (1848). The tower is closed until about January 2027. The precinct is open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Tip: The current ticket is A$11 for an adult, A$10 concession, A$5 for a child aged 5 to 16, free under 5, and A$28 for a family of 2 adults and up to 3 children. Buy it on arrival. Open 9:30 to 16:30, last entry 16:00. Closed Wednesday, Thursday and Christmas Day.
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9. Gibson Steps~30 min at the stop
Cliff-cut steps drop to a wild beach where the 70 m cliffs and limestone giants tower from sea level.
Tip: Stay well back from the water: the swell here is unpredictable.
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↓ drive · 2 min · 1.2 km
10. Twelve Apostles (book from 16 October 2026)~45 min at the stop
Victoria's defining view: limestone stacks up to 45 m rising from the surf.
Tip: From 16 October 2026 the Keerray Woorroong centre, the lookouts and the car park need a booking. The booking is free until April 2027, and a card is still needed to complete it. The centre is open 8:00 to 20:00. The light is best in the hour before sunset.
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↓ drive · 7 min · 6 km
11. Loch Ard Gorge~45 min at the stop
A cove named for the clipper wrecked here in 1878: only two aboard survived.
Tip: The beach access steps are closed for geological instability until remediation is done. View the gorge from the clifftop lookouts and stay behind the fences.
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↓ drive · 9 min · 10 km
12. Port Campbell~1 h at the stop
A tiny town on the only sheltered cove of the Shipwreck Coast: a final coffee before the drive back.
Tip: The town is small. Book a January night. Eat by the harbour while it is still light.
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Route times are estimates: walking, driving and a sensible pause at each stop. Add queues, traffic and swims yourself.
Prices, timetables and trail status change. Check the venue's official site and the state transport app before you go.
On beaches, swim only between the red and yellow flags. Use sun protection even when it is cloudy.