The Great Ocean Road is a quintessential road trip on the southern coast of Australia. No trip to Aus is complete without cruising down this picturesque coastline, exploring all the cute towns and waterfalls along your journey. I checked this road trip off my bucket list when my big sis came to Melbourne to visit me back in May. It was her first time driving on the opposite side of the road so two thumbs up to us not crashing or even scrapping the car once! We got all of our deposit back so I’m very proud.
The Great Ocean road is 375 Km long (233 miles for us American folk). It can technically be done in a day but I wouldn’t recommend that. If you do a day trip, you’ll be robbed of the myriad of detours that make the trip more unique than just driving down a pretty road. There are a lot of tours that offer this one day experience but if you are able to rent a car I think you will get a lot more bang for your buck. Adina and I chose to rent a car and do 2 days/1night. I feel like we saw everything we wanted to and got to explore at our own pace. Below I break down the costs and itinerary so you have everything you need to hit the road jack.
~Cost~
This always varies if you’re a high roller or not. Adina and I chose the budget option and tried to cut costs where we saw fit. In total I spent around $250 AU (roughly $160 USD). The below costs are for 1 person in Australian Dollars.
Rental Car for 2 days = $70/pp
Gas= $35/pp
Hostel Private room= $35/pp
Meals= 2 breakfast, 2 lunch, 1 dinner, coffee/snacks = $120ish
Entry to viewpoints= $15-40, but we chose the free ones so $0 for us
~Itinerary~
There are a lot of variations of possible itineraries that you can tailor to your liking. This is the route we chose, based on research and recommendations from friends. But keep in mind there is tons more you could do; like more waterfalls, hikes, lighthouses, towns, viewpoints etc. Its also important to note we went in the winter time and it was SO COLD. It was far too windy and frigid to stay at the beaches for very long so if you can time it right and go in the Aussie summer, I think it would be even more fun.
Day 1: Melbourne CBD to Apollo Bay
~Stops~
1. Melbourne CBD to Torquay
-Stop for brekkie at a cute cafe
-Walk around the town
-Walk the beach path overlooking ocean
2. Torquay to Bells Beach
-Outlook of this famous surf break
-Walk the coastal path
-Get lucky and fully digest a rainbow!
3. Bells Beach to Split Point Lighthouse
– Climb to the top for an epic viewpoint (cost $)
– Be cheap and walk around the grounds and see a free view
4. Split Point Lighthouse to Memorial Arch
-Stop for pics at the famous Great Ocean Road sign
-Read about the history of this road and the lives lost building it
5. Memorial Arch to Erskine Waterfall
-Lush forest walk to a lovely waterfall (many stairs: beware)
6. Erskine Waterfall to Lorne
-stop for lunch at a cute cafe (we chose a fish n chips joint)
-beach walk
7. Lorne to Apollo Bay
-Watch sunset at Apollo Bay Beach
-Dinner in town
-One bar in town but we played Guess Who? and ate Toblerones by the fireplace instead
-Overnight at YHA Apollo Bay (would deff recommend this hostel. Clean, close to town, and eco-friendly. Click the button below to check the prices & book the hostel!
Day 2: Apollo Bay to Melbourne
~Stops~
1. Apollo Bay to Cape Otway Lighthouse
-Drive through Great Otway National Park
-Stop at lighthouse (cost $ to enter)
-Budget hack: We took a free mini hike along the coast instead and still saw the lighthouse
2. Cape Otway Lighthouse to 12 Apostles
-Stop at the viewpoint you’ve seen in every Australia postcard your whole life
-Option to go to the beach and see it from the sand
3. 12 Apostles to Port Campbell
-Lunch stop in this tiny lil town
4. Port Campbell to London Bridge and The Arch
-Walk around and see all the different viewpoints/rock formations
5. London Bridge to The Grotto
-Walk down to this natural wonder/cave/sinkhole
6. The Grotto to Bay of Islands
-watch sunset over this sweeping vista
7. Bay of Islands to Melbourne CBD
-Head on home, congrats you did it!
-We took the quicker and non scenic highway route home as it was dark
~~~
Again, there is so much room for add-ons to this itinerary but we felt we saw all the main spots while fitting in some extra goodies. You could also keep driving and go to Port Fairy and stay there overnight but I had to get back to Melbourne for work the next day. Overall, The Great Ocean Road is stunning and is a definite must do if you’re in the land down unda!
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