Carli
Carli
The scenery along the Victoria coast is beautiful and worth experiencing when visiting Melbourne, but is it better to do a Great Ocean Road Tour, or explore on your own?
Great Ocean Road Tour
Melbourne, Australia
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- What is the Great Ocean Road?
- Why take a Great Ocean Road Tour?
- Great Ocean Road Tour Itinerary
- Great Ocean Road Tour Review
- Great Ocean Road Tour FAQs
What is the Great Ocean Road?
The Great Ocean Road is a 240 kilometer highway that runs along the southwest coast of Victoria, Australia. This stretch of highway starts about an hour west of Melbourne, and ends near Warrnambool.
This road is famous for its beautiful ocean views, rugged cliffs and expansive beaches. There are also two national parks along the road, the Great Otway National Park and the Port Campbell National Park.
Why take a Great Ocean Road Tour?
The Great Ocean Road is an incredibly scenic area of Victoria that provides a different perspective of Australia than what you get in the Melbourne city center.
One of the biggest benefits of taking a Great Ocean Road tour is having a driver. With a tour, you do not need to rent a car, and drive on the opposite side of the road (if you’re from a country that drives on the right). Driving on the opposite side of the road is tricky when you’re not familiar, but then doing it on a windy ocean road can make it even more challenging.
This tour also takes backroads to spot koalas in the wild, which for me was worth the entire trip. Without a guide, it will be harder to know where to find these adorable creatures in the wild.
Great Ocean Road Tour Itinerary
There are a number of different Melbourne to great ocean road tours available, but this is the itinerary for the tour I booked.
Pick up 730-800 am
Pickup in downtown Melbourne outside a designated hotel. They were about 10-15 minutes late from the established pick up time.
Great Ocean Road Chocolatier
The first stop of the day for the Great Ocean Road Tour is the Great Ocean Road Chocolatier. This chocolate shop is very large, and they offer free chocolate samples upon arrival. There’s also a nice outdoor space with space for kids to play, and even some outdoor coops with guinea pigs.
My issue with this is that this stop felt like filler. It’s not a large shop, and unless you purchase a drink or ice cream, there isn’t much to do besides wander the shop or outside area. We stayed for over 40 minutes, which was at least twice as long as it needed to be.
Kangaroo Viewing
This was incredibly disappointing. The next stop after the chocolate shop is “visiting” a nearby golf course that regularly has Kangaroo visitors. We saw one kangaroo, deep in the distance and didn’t even get off the bus.
I’m not sure if this was due to how much time we spent at the chocolate shop, but I would have much rather spent more time seeing the kangaroos (off the bus) than going out of our way to drive to a golf course to spend 30 seconds looking at a far off kangaroo, then immediately leaving.
Scenic Viewpoints
There are 1-2 stops along the highway to get off the bus and look at the coastline below. This is very helpful to break up the long stretches of driving and get off the bus for fresh air and get some movement back in your body.
Memorial Arch
The Memorial Arch at Eastern View is a historic landmark that was set up to honor the WWI vets that helped build the road after returning from war. While visiting the arch there is also time to go down and walk along the beach.
Lunch at Apollo Bay
About halfway through the Great Ocean Road day tour, there is a stop in the charming seaside town of Apollo Bay. This small town has a number of cute shops and restaurants along the main street. This stop doubles as the lunch stop, but because there are a number of tours arriving at the same time with limited dining options, it can take awhile to get food.
If you have accommodations with refrigerators, I strongly recommend picking up something for lunch the day before then bringing it with you. Take your food and go enjoy lunch on the beach instead. This will also give you more time to explore the town.
Koala sightings
After lunch, the driver will head out to a more secluded road to search for wild koalas. This was truly the highlight of the whole Great Ocean Road tour for me. We got incredibly lucky and spotted 3 different koalas, each closer than the last. Since these cuddly creatures are endangered, it can be hard to spot them in the wild. That’s where having a guide will give you the best luck of finding them.
Twelve Apostles
Port Campbell National Park is where you will find the 12 Apostles. These are a collection of giant limestone stacks along the coast. The park has different walking paths to go and see the stacks from various angles.
Be prepared, it can be very windy, especially if the weather starts to turn. Bring layers, even in the summer.
Loch Ard Gorge
Also a part of the Port Campbell National Park is Loch Ard Gorge, another scenic lookout point, near the 12 Apostles.
During our trip it started pouring rain. Even though the bus stopped to let people view the gorge, I chose to stay dry.
Drive back
The drive back to Melbourne is quite long at 4+ hours, which included a stop for gas. We did not return back to the city until around 9pm.
Great Ocean Road Tour Map
Great Ocean Road Tour Review
My review is mixed, some of it was due to the itinerary and the timelines. It is an extremely long day, and I felt like at least an hour of stops could have been cut out, or repurposed elsewhere. That said, the experience seeing koalas in the wild was one of the highlights not just of the day, but of my trip. Despite our rough weather, I also enjoyed our visit to the 12 Apostles. I would have loved more time in Apollo Bay. I paid $56 USD for this trip, so from a cost standpoint, it was a good value for the price.
Also, in spite of the flaws, we had a very nice guide/driver that tried to keep the rogue members of our group to a schedule. My seatmate on the bus said her cousin booked a different tour, that was more expensive, and the operators never showed up.
That said, if you plan to have a rental car during your stay, I would recommend doing this on your own. It will cut out a lot of the excess time and stops, and give more flexibility to decide where you stop and for how long. I also suggest spending a night in Apollo Bay, or another roadside town so that you have more time to explore the national parks.
Great Ocean Road tour packages
What to bring on a Great Ocean Road 1 day tour
The Great Ocean Road day tours from Melbourne are 12-14 hours long, so you have to be prepared for the entire day.
- Snacks: come prepared with snacks and ideally lunch as well to save time and money
- Water: bring a bottle of water as you will be limited to get water only at lunch and at 12 Apostles
- Layers: It can get cold on the bus, but also cold on the coast. The weather can quickly change from warm and sunny to windy and raining.
- Reading material: Add an audiobook to your phone, or bring an e-reader if you don’t have issues reading on a bus
- Motion sickness medication: If you are sensitive to motion sickness, you should come prepared with medication. There are a lot of switchback and winding roads, and since more than half the tour is just driving, these will be necessary.
- Portable charger: the bus does not have charging ports. Between taking photos and any cellular roaming, your battery will start to dwindle. Come prepared with a small portable battery.
Great Ocean Road Packing Items
Alternate Melbourne Day Trips
Other popular day tours from Melbourne include Phillips Island and the Yarra Valley.
Phillip Island
Phillip Island is one of the best places in Victoria for marine life. While you tour Phillip Island you can see whales, seals and even see an evening penguin parade.
Yarra Valley
The Yarra Valley is home to one of Australia’s most popular wine regions. There are lots of options for wine tasting tours. For the more adventurous travelers, you can also go white water rafting in this region.
Great Ocean Road Tour FAQs
What are the must see stops on a Great Ocean Road tour?
Some of the highlights of the Great Ocean Road are the 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge in Port Campbell National Park. You should also stop at some of the cute small towns like Torquay, Apollo Bay, or Warrnambool. The Memorial Arch is a popular attraction, which also has beach access.
Is one day enough to do the Great Ocean Road Trip in Melbourne?
It depends on what you want to do. If you’re just looking for the highlights and beautiful scenery, a day trip is enough time to do the Great Ocean Road. However, if you want to spend more time hiking, or doing water activities you should spend a night in one of the seaside towns.
What is the best way to travel the Great Ocean Road?
You can book great ocean road bus tours, private tours, or you can rent a car in Melbourne and drive along the coastal road. Joining a tour is easier, but driving a car will provide more flexibility.
What are the benefits of booking a group tour along the Great Ocean Road?
With Great Ocean Road touring, you have the benefit of a driver and guide taking you through the different sites and explaining the history of the region. It eliminates the need to rent a car and potentially drive on the opposite side of the road. The tours also know good areas to see Australian wildlife like kangaroos and koalas.
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