The Great Ocean Road: route, stops and how long to take

Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles, with rainforest and surf beaches in between.

Distance

About 150 miles / 240 km

Time needed

3–4 days

Best time to drive

March to May, and September to November — mild, and outside the summer holiday traffic

The Great Ocean Road is usually sold as a day trip from Melbourne, which is how most people end up seeing the Twelve Apostles at the same time as four hundred other people and driving back in the dark. It's a much better three-day trip.

Split it: surf coast and Bells Beach on the first day, rainforest and the Otways on the second, limestone stacks on the third. Drive west, so you're on the ocean side of the road the whole way.

The stops

bothways Get started

The Great Ocean Road: route, stops and how long to take

Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles, with rainforest and surf beaches in between.

Distance

About 150 miles / 240 km

Time needed

3–4 days

Best time to drive

March to May, and September to November — mild, and outside the summer holiday traffic

Split it: surf coast and Bells Beach on the first day, rainforest and the Otways on the second, limestone stacks on the third. Drive west, so you're on the ocean side of the road the whole way.

The stops

Torquay and Bells Beach

Where the surf coast starts. Board shops, the surfing museum, and the famous break.

LorneOVERNIGHT

The main town on the eastern stretch, with waterfalls in the hills behind it.

Kennett River

The reliable spot for wild koalas in the roadside gums. Look up, quietly.

Apollo BayOVERNIGHT

The base for the Otways, and the last decent-sized town before the coast turns wild.

Great Otway National Park

Temperate rainforest, the Redwoods, Triplet Falls, and the Cape Otway lighthouse.

Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge

Sunrise or sunset, not midday. Gibson Steps gets you down to beach level.

Port CampbellOVERNIGHT

Sleep here to see the Apostles at first light without a two-hour pre-dawn drive.

Bay of Islands

Twenty minutes past the Apostles, nearly as dramatic, and almost empty.

Map your nights on bothways

Plan the trip by where you're sleeping, not by mileage.

Logistics worth sorting first

Drive west from Melbourne so the ocean is on your left and the lookouts are easy left turns
Stay in Port Campbell to catch the Apostles at sunrise — the day-trip crowd arrives at 11am
The road is narrow and winding; allow far more time than the distance suggests
Fuel in Lorne or Apollo Bay; the stretch through the Otways has very little

Driving this with a group

One car, three nights, and self-catering keeps this cheap. The one thing to fix in advance is who's driving which leg — the road is winding enough that nobody wants all of it — and where you're sleeping each night, since Port Campbell has limited rooms.

Can you do the Great Ocean Road in one day?

You can drive it, but you'll see the Twelve Apostles at peak crowd and return after dark. Three days is the version worth doing.

Which direction should you drive the Great Ocean Road?

West from Melbourne toward Port Campbell. The ocean stays on your left, so every scenic pull-out is a left turn.

Where can you see koalas on the Great Ocean Road?

Kennett River, between Lorne and Apollo Bay, is the most reliable roadside spot. Cape Otway also has them in the manna gums.

The Great Ocean Road: route, stops and how long to take

The stops

The Great Ocean Road: route, stops and how long to take

The stops

Logistics worth sorting first

Driving this with a group

Common questions