DESCRIPTION
Itinerary
Day 1: Melbourne CBD – Apollo Bay (Via Lorne)
Stop At: Great Ocean Road Auto Tours – Private Day Tours, Apollo Bay, Victoria 3233 Australia
Great Ocean Road Explorer provides Private only tours. We are the area’s local specialists and can cater a tour to our guests preferences. We know the area inside out!
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Bells Beach, Bells Beach, Victoria
Bells Beach is a popular spot with great vantage points along the cliff. For surfers, Bells Beach is really for the experienced. The beach is an exposed reef and point break with excellent right hand breaks, at their best during autumn and winter.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Bells Beach, 86 km (53 mi) SW of Melbourne; 25 km (16 mi) S of Geelong; 5 km (3 mi) SW of Torquay, Torquay, Victoria 3228 Australia
Bells Beach is a popular spot with great vantage points along the cliff. For surfers, Bells Beach is really for the experienced. The beach is an exposed reef and point break with excellent right hand breaks, at their best during autumn and winter.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Point Addis Marine National Park, Point Addis Road, Anglesea, Victoria 3228 Australia
The Point Addis Marine National Park features spectacular scenery with wide sandy beaches, crumbling limestone and sandstone cliffs, rocky platforms and copious small rocky reefs. The coastline is exposed to intense wave action from the southern ocean, shaping this rugged coastline. Here, your guide will take you across a stunning boardwalk overlooking this incredible area. Get your camera’s ready!!
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Coogoorah Park Nature Reserve, River Reserve Road, Anglesea, Victoria Australia
The Anglesea River the Coogoorah Park Nature Reserve is a precious wetlands where the ample birdlife, flora & fauna create a thoroughly delightful environment, which guests often find to be both invigorating & refreshing. Your guide will take you for a personal guided walk of these wetlands.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Loveridge Lookout, Great Ocean Road Access Via Harvey Street, Anglesea, Victoria 3230 Australia
We stop by the famous Loveridge Lookout point, which was one of many observation posts along the Victorian coastline during World War II established as an early warning system against enemy attack. Manned by members of the Volunteer Air Observers Corps throughout the war, the Lookout reflects the contribution of civilians in the defence of the country.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Split Point Lighthouse, Federal St, Aireys Inlet, Victoria 3231 Australia
The Split Point Lighthouse stop has a few different options attached. The choice is of course all yours. Your guide will take you to 3 great vantage points, whilst there is also the opportunity to climb the lighthouse (additional cost).
The lighthouse itself, stands as a stunning sentinel on the Shipwreck Coast. Take a trip through maritime history and be amazed by this wild and dangerous coastline where hundreds of ships have crashed. It is still a vital working lighthouse for vessels navigating the treacherous waters of Bass Strait and still operates every night by an automated system.
Time permitting, we will also visit the local cafe, which was once the stables for the lighthouse keepers horses and carts.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Fairhaven Beach, Great Ocean Road, Fairhaven, Victoria 3231 Australia
This is your first opportunity to feel the sand between your toes on your tour. At six kilometres long, Fairhaven Beach is the longest beach on the Great Ocean Road, from which it is readily accessible, as the road backs the entire beach. The beach runs due west from the mouth of Moggs Creek for 4 km, before slowly curving around to face east at the western Cinema Point.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Great Ocean Road Memorial Archway, Great Ocean Rd 689/721 Great Ocean Rd, Lorne, Victoria Australia
The Great Ocean Road was built in memory of the local Australian’s that lost their lives in the first world war. The Memorial Arch was in fact built to honour the 3000 service men that worked on and Built the road from 1919 to 1932.
The current arch is the fourth version that has been built. It was one of the original toll points where money was collected from those travelling along to reimburse the cost of the construction. Your guide will tell you of stories from the past about the local family in charge of these very booths. They took the toll point down once costs of building the road were paid off and made the second version out of mostly wood, but this version was burnt down in the 1983 Ash Wednesday bush fire tragedy. Soon after the new archway was constructed, a truck accidentally destroyed it. This led to the 3rd version being constructed which is still there today. The Great ocean road sign atop the arch is still the original sign that was created.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Devil’s Elbow, Great Ocean Road Eastern View, Fairhaven, Victoria 3231 Australia
The plaque here commemorates World War One servicemen who built the Great Ocean Road as a tribute to their fellow soldiers who died in action or were killed in action in World War One.
The plaque is part of a series of 13 which sculptor Dr Ross Bastiaan designed for the Colac Otway and Surf Coast shire councils for the Great Ocean Road`s 75th anniversary celebrations.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Lorne Swing Bridge, Otway st, Lorne, Victoria Australia
At the mouth of the Erskine River, the Swingbridge Cafe has an ambience that is a world away from the excitement and bustle of Lorne’s main street. Its location by the historic swing bridge where the river meets the sea is one of Lorne’s best kept secrets. Your guide will point out this ‘best kept secret’ and you can decide if you wish to explore the area further or not……
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Live Wire Park, 180 Erskine Falls Rd, Lorne VIC 3232, Australia
This attraction is an ‘optional extra’. It requires ‘additional’ payment (depending on activity chosen), additional tour time and MUST be booked and communicated in advance. It is billed as one of Australia’s most electrifying adventure parks, allowing guests to zip line, roller coast, climb, explore and wander through their incredible forest canopy.
Live Wire Park is an elevated, adrenaline-producing experience that reconnects its visitors with each other and nature by recharging the human spirit through world class facilities along with inspiring, reassuring staff, whilst supporting the environment and the local community.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Teddy’s Lookout, George Street, Lorne, Victoria Australia
Teddy’s Lookout is one of the best lookouts along the Great Ocean Road. It provides stunning vistas from its platform high above the coast where the St George River empties into a small cove. Access off the Great Ocean Road at the end of George Street, then take a short walk through the bush from the car park. Let your guide take a group photo, which you can treasure long after the tour.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Erskine Falls Road, Lorne, Victoria 3232 Australia
This is an optional extra stop. There are certain times of the year we encourage our guests, but there are also certain times of the year where there are better offerings in the area. It is one of the most popular waterfalls in the Otways, plunging 30 metres into the lush tree-fern gully of the Erskine River.
Feel the fine mist from the cascading water as you take in the views from one of two lookouts. The upper lookout is an easy five-minute walk, whilst the lower lookout is a more strenuous walk, down some 240 steps to the base of the falls. Yes, our guides have counted!!
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Lorne Beach, Mountjoy Parade, Lorne, Victoria 3232 Australia
This is another beach stop, if you need some time out from the sightseeing. Rest or continue. The choice is yours…..
Patrolled during the summer months, this beach is the perfect spot to enjoy a little rest and relaxation within the protection of the bays cove.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Qdos Arts Gallery, 35 Allenvale Rd, Lorne, Victoria 3232 Australia
This is an ‘optional’ stop. Set amid the beautiful lush forest behind Lorne, Qdos always has something different and interesting showing at its contemporary gallery, to go with its open-air sculpture garden. The art here isn’t cheap, so make sure you have your cheque book at-the-ready!
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Great Ocean Road Story, 15 Mountjoy Parade, Lorne, Victoria 3232 Australia
This is an optional stop. Here, you will experience The Great Ocean Road Story: Building Australia’s Most Famous Road.
The Great Ocean Road is a memorial to the lost lives and sacrifices of the Australian diggers in world war one. More than 3000 returned soldiers built the road from 1919 onwards, conquering steep cliffs, rugged terrain and dangerous weather so that the isolated towns along Victoria’s stunning western coastline could be joined together.
Since its official opening in 1932, the Great Ocean Road has breathed life into the local communities along it and become a mecca for tourists. It is an engineering marvel.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: The Lorne Pier, Shipwreck Trail, Lorne, Victoria 3232 Australia
The Lorne Pier to Pub is home to an annual, 1.2-km open water swimming race. Listen to the stories of local endeavours from your guide, who is certain to have witnesses many of these races. Some of our tour guides have even participated in the race, but to date, sadly none of our guides have actually finished in first place. We still live in hope!
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Mount Defiance Lookout, Great Ocean Road, Separation Creek, Wye River, Victoria 3234 Australia
Nestled between Lorne and Wye River, Mount Defiance is one of the trickiest sections of the Great Ocean Road. There were huge challenges here when this section of road was being built almost 100 years ago. With no modern mechanised equipment the return servicemen who were set to work on the Great Ocean Road had the use of explosives and pick-axes. A plaque detailing the remarkable construction of the Great Ocean Road by World War One returned soldiers is at this very site.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Kennet River Koala Walk, Grey River Road, Kennett River, Victoria 3234 Australia
The Kennett River Koala Walk in gives the ultimate wild koala experience as there is a large population of wild koalas living in the area which, on a good day, are relatively easy to spot. We keep all our guides updated with where to get the best spotting areas, as these can change on a weekly, if not daily basis!
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Cape Patton Lookout Point, Great Ocean Road, Kennett River, Victoria 3234 Australia
We stop here to see the spectacular views east towards Apollo Bay and Skenes Creek. But what is most remarkable, is the local story behind the area. Listen to tales gone by, told by your guide. Was it folklore or did it really happen? You can make up your own mind!
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Carisbrook Creek, Wongarra, Apollo Bay, Victoria Australia
This is one of our favourite stops. Why? Because nobody realises it is here. It isn’t even marked with a sign and is rarely mentioned in any guide books, meaning the chances of seeing another tourist is pretty slim. The 500 metre track pretty much hugs the slopes of the ravine carved out by the Carisbrook Creek where you will encounter a lookout of the Carisbrook Falls perched across this ravine.
Duration: 30 minutes
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Accommodation in Apollo Bay – At own cost.
We can offer recommendations of where to stay.
Day 2: Apollo Bay – Port Campbell (Via The 12 Apostles)
Stop At: Mariners Lookout Rd, Apollo Bay, Victoria 3233 Australia
Brush off the cobwebs in the early morning with a guided walk up to Mariners lookout, located high up in the Otway hills overlooking Apollo Bay, where you will find an epic vantage point with what feels like a birds-eye view of the seaside fishing village.
The land was originally privately owned by a local family (your guide will point out their residence) but was kindly donated to the local shire council to share the jaw-dropping views. Marriners Lookout is a hidden gem; from the waters edge the viewpoint goes completely unnoticed.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Great Ocean Road, Great Ocean Road, Victoria
Wildlife Wonders is an optional extra and will incur an additional cost. Here, you will be guided by a conservationist and encounter unique wildlife living freely in a stunning bushland environment overlooking the ocean. Learn about the ecology of the spectacular Otway Ranges and the current research projects saving the Great Ocean Road’s threatened species.
100% of profits generated go to support conservation efforts to protect Australia’s threatened species.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Mait’s Rest, 17km west of Apollo Bay, Apollo Bay, Victoria Australia
Take a guided rainforest walk with your tour guide at Maits Rest in the Otways and see beautiful fern gardens and giant rainforest trees up to 300 years old. A wooden boardwalk has been built over the tree-fern gullies and moss-covered roots of ancient rainforest trees, protecting the delicate ecosystem while providing you with unique views of the forest.
Duration: 25 minutes
Stop At: Cape Otway Lightstation, Lighthouse Road, Cape Otway, Great Otway National Park, Victoria 3233 Australia
Cape Otway Lighthouse is an optional extra and will incur an additional cost. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia and considered by most people as the most significant.
Built in 1848, the lighthouse known as the ‘Beacon of Hope,’ sits 90 metres above the pristine ocean of Bass Strait.
Hundreds of lives were lost along this shipwreck coast – a sad but fascinating history which led to the building of the Lightstation on the cliffs edge. For many thousands of 19th century migrants, who spent months travelling to Australia by ship, Cape Otway was their first sight of land after leaving Europe, Asia and North America.
Choose to include this as part of your tour. You may decide this on the morning of the second day, so no pressure to decide in advance.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Great Otway National Park, Great Otway National Park, Victoria
Your guide will showcase the best of this fabulous Nation Park, including guided walks through ancient rainforests and magnificent waterfall areas.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Blanket Bay Road, Cape Otway, Great Otway National Park, Victoria 3221 Australia
Your guide will showcase the best of this fabulous Nation Park, including guided walks through ancient rainforests and magnificent waterfall areas.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Castle Cove, Castle Cove, Willoughby, Greater Sydney, New South Wales
The perfect coastal lookout spot, after some inland touring. This is the only spot where the Great Ocean Walk meets the Great Ocean Road.
Your guide will explain what the Great Ocean Walk is, how best to tackle it and can give personal advice on how to book if you are returning to the area. Our guides have all walked sections of this walk, and some have even completed the full 6 day hike itself.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Otway Fly Treetop Adventures, 360 Phillips Track, Weeaproinah, Victoria 3233 Australia
The Otway Fly is an optional extra at an additional cost The zip line component must be booked in advance. The tree top walk (also additional cost) can be chosen on the day. This attraction provides guests with a unique opportunity to view the forest from a bird’s eye view through their two unique eco-adventure experiences, the famous Tree Top walk and their Zip Line Tour.
The Tree Top Walk – the longest and tallest elevated walk of its kind in the world. At 600 metres long and 30 metres above ground level. A 45 metre high lookout is ascended via a spiral stairway through the under story to emerge amongst the crowns of the giants of the forest, whilst the springboard cantilever bounces precariously high over picturesque Young’s Creek.
The walk is a 1.9 kilometres round walk starting from the visitor centre and takes approximately 45 minutes to one hour to complete. The walk is full of quality interpretive panels educating our visitor on the forest and surrounds on display.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Triplet Falls, Phillips Track, Beech Forest, Victoria 3237 Australia
Let our guide take you to one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the Great Otway Park via a stunning one hour loop walk through ancient rainforest. View the lower cascades as you follow raised walkways through the forest of Mountain Ash and Myrtle Beech to the main falls. As you leave the forest you can begin to hear the roar of Triplet Falls where a series of elevated viewing platforms provide you with spectacular views of the three cascades. This area is also the site of an original Otways timber mill. The trail runs past the site and displays remnant artefacts from the era.
This is an optional extra and a relative level of fitness is required.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Lavers Hill, Lavers Hill, Victoria
Depending on your preference, we often stop here at one of the cafes for lunch. It is also home to a landmark wood sculpture at the nearby junction, know to locals as “Drift”, which is a tribute to the marine environment, prehistoric skeletal finds, shipwrecks and the agricultural machinery of the area, designed by artist James Catell.
Duration: 45 minutes
Stop At: Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park, 29 The Boulevarde, Princetown, Victoria 3269 Australia
This is an optional extra and will incur an additional cost. It is a family run wildlife park with an eco vision on the outskirts of the beautiful Otway Ranges. They offer people the unique experience to get up close and interact with some of Australia’s iconic wildlife, including a guided dingo encounter as well as observe their animals in a natural environment.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Princetown Wetlands Boardwalk, 93 Old Coach Rd, Princetown, Victoria 3269 Australia
Your guide will drop you off at the top of a scenic lookout allowing you for a peaceful self-guided one-way downhill 10 minute walk, leading you through the fragile wetlands and towards the estuary of the Gellibrand River in Princetown. Your guide will then pick you up at the conclusion of the walk.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road & Booringa Road, Port Campbell, Victoria 3269 Australia
This site is often the highlight for most guests. Your guide will explain how the so-called Apostles were formed by erosion, as the harsh and extreme weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually eroded the soft limestone to form caves in the cliffs, which then become arches that eventually collapse, leaving rock stacks up to 50 m (160 ft) high. The stacks have since been susceptible to further erosion from waves culminating in July 2005, when a 50-metre-tall stack collapsed, leaving seven standing at the Twelve Apostles viewpoint that you will view. Due to wave action eroding the cliffs, existing headlands are expected to become new limestone stacks in the future. On a 3 day tour, you have the option of viewing this area during sunset. This is not only a quieter time of the day, but often lends itself for better photography.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Gibsons Steps, Great Ocean Road Port Campbell National Park, Port Campbell, Victoria 3269 Australia
Stop here and bee dwarfed by the 70-metre high vertical cliffs and marvel at Gog and Magog, the nicknames given to the giant limestone stacks rising up out of the sea. Weather permitting, make your way down to the beach (with or without your guide) via the 86 steps (yes our guide has counted!) that were carved into the face of the cliff by local settler Hugh Gibson, who worked on the route originally used by the Kirrae Whurrong people.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: 12 Apostles Helicopters, Great Ocean Rd, Princetown VIC 3269, Australia
This is an optional extra which will incur additional cost. They offer breathtaking flights over the 12 Apostles, a flight to the Bay of Islands via London Bridge, or even the entire Shipwreck Coast all the way to the Cape Otway Lighthouse, depending on which option you choose. Their prices start from $160 per person for a 15 minute joy flight.
Onboard, you will enjoy an informative commentary on the unique rock formations and history of the Shipwreck Coast by one of their experienced pilots in the fleet of luxury helicopters.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: 12 Apostles Helicopters – Port Campbell, 9400 Great Ocean Rd, Port Campbell VIC 3269, Australia
This is an optional extra which will incur additional cost. They offer breathtaking flights over the 12 Apostles, a flight to the Bay of Islands via London Bridge, or even the entire Shipwreck Coast all the way to the Cape Otway Lighthouse, depending on which option you choose. Their prices start from $160 per person for a 15 minute joy flight.
Onboard, you will enjoy an informative commentary on the unique rock formations and history of the Shipwreck Coast by one of their experienced pilots in the fleet of luxury helicopters.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Loch Ard Gorge, Great Ocean Road Port Campbell National Park, Victoria 3269 Australia
At this stop, your guide will tell you stories of old. It is here, that the clipper ship Loch Ard, which ran aground on nearby Muttonbird Island on 1 June 1878, was approaching the end of a three-month journey from England to Melbourne. Of the fifty-four passengers and crew, only two survived: Tom Pearce, at 19 years of age, a ship’s apprentice, and Eva Carmichael, an Irishwoman emigrating with her family, also 19. Tom was washed ashore, and rescued Eva from the water after hearing her cries for help. Tom then proceeded to climb out of the gorge to raise the alarm to locals who immediately set into plan a rescue attempt.
The arch of the nearby Island Archway collapsed in June 2009. The feature now appears as two unconnected rock pillars. They have since been officially named Tom and Eva after the two teenage survivors of the Loch Ard shipwreck.
Your guide will take you down onto the very same beach that the survivors were found.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Twelve Apostles Marine National Park, Great Ocean Rd & Booringa Rd, Princetown, Victoria 3269 Australia
We take you on a guided tour of this area, which also includes the Twelve Apostles as its main attraction.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Port Campbell National Park, Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, Victoria 3269 Australia
This National Park includes several incredible rock formations. Depending on your interests, time available and weather conditions, your guide will choose the best to suit your tour.
Duration: 3 hours
No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Accommodation in Port Campbell – At own cost.
We can offer recommendations of where to stay.
Day 3: Port Campbell – Melbourne CBD (Via Timboon)
Stop At: Port Campbell, Port Campbell, Victoria
Before leaving Port Campbell, give yourself enough time to wonder around the small town and check out its idyllic surf beach. don’t worry, it won’t take you long in this cute postage-stamp-sized town.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Port Campbell precinct and foreshore, Port Campbell foreshore, Port Campbell, Victoria 3269 Australia
Take a moment to stroll along the foreshore and local beach, before we continue to head west, where more incredible rock formations await you.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Port Campbell Scenic Lookout, 12 Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, Victoria 3269 Australia
Just as we leave the town, we stop at a nearby scenic lookout, so you can take a last glimpse of the town you have been staying overnight in. After your final goodbye, we continue over the horizon to new rock formations.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: The Arch, Great Ocean Rd, Port Campbell VIC 3269, Australia
Not to be mistaken with the Memorial Arch, this is a natural rock formation which perches precariously in the ocean, and has been drilled out of limestone rock by wave action from the Great Southern Ocean.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: London Bridge, west of Port Campbell on Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, Victoria 3269 Australia
Next, we visit London Bridge, which, prior to 1990 was a double-spanning bridge connected to the mainland. The stack was created over hundreds of years, with the weaker layers toward the base being eroded away by wind and water to form the two bridges.
Then, the span closer to the shoreline collapsed unexpectedly on 15 January 1990, leaving two visitors, whilst uninjured, stranded on the outer span before being rescued by helicopter.
Hear the tales of the 2 visitors and some of the folklore stories surrounding it.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: The Grotto Track, Peterborough VIC 3270, Australia
next, your guide will lead you to a sinkhole geological formation and tourist attraction, known as the Grotto. You will be led down wooden steps that wind down the cliff face to the bottom, providing visibility of the sea beyond a pool at low tide. It is well regarded as one of the most romantic photo opportunities on the coast.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Bay of Islands, Peterborough on Great Ocean Road, Warrnambool, Victoria 3268 Australia
This coastal park is often one our guides favourite stops and most think it trumps the 12 Apostles. You can decide for yourself. It has outstanding ocean views and geological features. Sheer cliffs and rock stacks dominate the bays, and heathlands display colourful spring wildflowers.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Bay of Martyrs, Great Ocean Road, Peterborough, Victoria Australia
the last site we visit on the coast, before we make our way back to Melbourne, is perhaps one of the most beautiful. But it also has a dark past. This is due to the despicable events of nearby Massacre Bay where local aboriginals were herded off the cliff to their death. Hear from your guide how the local Aboriginal tribes were driven off their land by the new European arrivals.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Berry World, 24 – 26 Egan St, Timboon, Victoria 3268 Australia
This option is only possible during certain months of the year. Here, you can pick your very own punnet of strawberries from a local farm.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Dairylicious Farm Fudge, 1281 Timboon Colac Road Jancourt East, Timboon, Victoria 3266 Australia
As we make our way back to Melbourne, we pass by this local fudge factory. Drop in for a tasting or to make a purchase.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Timboon Fine Ice Cream, 1A Barrett St, Timboon VIC 3268, Australia
Enroute back to Melbourne, we stop at Timboon’s ice creamery, which produces a range of seasonal flavours using fresh local dairy products, as well as some vegan options. It also makes sorbets and milkshakes. The hard bit is deciding which flavour to choose. This visit is at additional cost.
Duration: 15 minutes
No meals included on this day.
No accommodation included on this day.
