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Victoria · Australia
The southwest coast road of Victoria, passing surf beaches, the Otway forests, and the limestone cliffs of the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge.
In the photo: Teddy’s Lookout, Great Ocean Road
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
The Great Ocean Road follows Victoria’s southwest coast for about 240 km, between Torquay and Allansford, near Warrnambool. It was built between 1919 and 1932 by soldiers returning from World War I and is regarded as a war memorial to those who died in the conflict.
The first stretch passes surf beaches like Bells Beach and seaside towns such as Lorne, at the foot of the Otway hills. Then the road enters the eucalyptus and tree-fern forest of Great Otway National Park, with waterfalls and the Cape Otway lighthouse, before returning to the sea at Apollo Bay.
The best-known section is the limestone coast in Port Campbell National Park, where the sea has carved stacks, arches and coves: the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London Arch. In Warrnambool, at the end of the route, southern right whales often come close to the shore in winter.
The route can be done in a day from Melbourne, but the road is winding and full of lookouts; ideally allow two or three days, staying in one of the towns.
This destination brings together 5 cities: Torquay, Lorne, Apollo Bay, Port Campbell, Warrnambool.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
Boundaries: Australian Bureau of Statistics / geoBoundaries (CC BY 4.0). Adapted by Cidade Turismo.
✈ Avalon Airport (AVV), in Avalon · 50 km to Torquay
✈ Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) (MEL), in Tullamarine · 120 km to Torquay
From Melbourne, about 100 km via the Princes Freeway to Torquay, the start of the road. Avalon Airport, near Geelong, is about 50 km from Torquay; Melbourne Airport is about 120 km away. Day tours run from Melbourne.
Suggested arrival point: Torquay
Beach town at the start of the Great Ocean Road, about 100 km from Melbourne, known as Victoria’s surfing capital. Nearby is Bells Beach, host of one of the world’s oldest surfing competitions. In town, the Australian National Surfing Museum tells the sport’s story, and Torquay Beach has a lifesaved swimming area.
Seaside holiday town on the Great Ocean Road, between Loutit Bay and the Otway Ranges, about 45 km from Torquay. It has a patrolled beach, a pier, cafes and restaurants on the main street. In the forest just behind are Erskine Falls and the Teddy's Lookout viewpoint, with views of the road’s curves along the sea.
A fishing and holiday village midway along the Great Ocean Road, in a wide bay at the foot of the Otway hills. It has a fishing port, a beach and accommodations. It’s the base for Cape Otway, with the oldest lighthouse still standing on the Australian mainland, and for the forests of Great Otway National Park, where koalas are commonly seen in the trees beside the road.
Small village in a limestone cove on the coast, about 12 km from the Twelve Apostles in Port Campbell National Park. It is the closest base to the coast’s stacks and arches: besides the Apostles, there are Loch Ard Gorge, London Arch and the Bay of Islands. It has a sheltered beach, few accommodations and restaurants.
Town at the end of the Great Ocean Road, about 260 km inland from Melbourne. In winter, southern right whales often come close to Logans Beach to calve. The maritime village of Flagstaff Hill recreates a 19th-century port, and the nearby Tower Hill crater is a reserve with emus and koalas.
The local experience
A strong-wave beach among cliffs, a few kilometres from Torquay, host since the 1960s of one of the oldest professional surfing competitions in the world.
A waterfall of about 30 meters in Great Otway National Park, roughly 10 km from Lorne, in a forest of tree ferns and eucalyptus.
Limestone stacks up to 50 meters high rising from the sea in front of the cliffs of Port Campbell National Park, the best-known point on the Great Ocean Road.
An 1848 lighthouse on top of Cape Otway, the oldest still standing on the Australian mainland, with keepers’ cottages, a telegraph station and views of where Bass Strait meets the ocean.
Beach east of Warrnambool with a viewing platform from which, in winter, southern right whales are often seen near the surf with their calves.
Museum in Torquay centre about the history of surfing in Australia, with boards from different eras, wetsuits, photographs and the sport’s hall of fame.
Village that recreates a 19th-century port in Warrnambool, with ships, workshops, lighthouses and objects from coastal shipwrecks, such as the porcelain peacock from the Loch Ard.
A narrow cove between limestone cliffs a few kilometres from the Twelve Apostles, linked to the wreck of the ship Loch Ard in 1878, with a beach, staircase and trails.
A park of eucalyptus and tree-fern forests, waterfalls and coast between Lorne and Apollo Bay, with short trails such as Maits Rest and the Otway Fly treetop walk.
A lookout on the hillside above Lorne with views over the mouth of the St George River and the Great Ocean Road’s curves along the sea.
Crater of an ancient volcano about 15 km from Warrnambool, with a lake and islands in the center, trails and animals such as emus, kangaroos and koalas.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
Summer, from December to February, has longer days and is the beach season, with busier roads. Spring and autumn are usually mild and quieter. In winter, from June to August, it’s cold and windy, but it’s southern right whale season in Warrnambool.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
Two or three days, with one night in Lorne or Apollo Bay and another in Port Campbell or Warrnambool. One day on a tour from Melbourne lets you see the Twelve Apostles, but with little time at stops.
Lorne and Apollo Bay concentrate accommodations at the beginning and middle of the route, near the beaches. Port Campbell is the village closest to the Twelve Apostles, with few options. Warrnambool, larger, has a range of accommodations at the end of the road.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
Get your questions answered
Two or three days, staying in Lorne or Apollo Bay and in Port Campbell or Warrnambool. It’s possible in one day from Melbourne, but tiring.
A car is the most practical way to stop at the lookouts. There are also public buses and organized tours from Melbourne. In Australia you drive on the left, and the road has many curves.
Spring and autumn, with mild days and less traffic. Summer is busier; in winter it’s cold, but there are southern right whales in Warrnambool.
In Port Campbell National Park, about 12 km from Port Campbell and roughly 275 km from Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road.
Victoria time, UTC+10, with daylight saving time (UTC+11) from October to April.
