Great Ocean Road - 3 Night Itinerary

Greer Ransom
Dec 26, 2023
4 min read

Updated: Feb 27, 2024

Day 1: Southbank to Apollo Bay via Bell's Beach and Lorne

Hire a car from the airport and drive to south west for about 1 hour and 15 minutes to Bell's Beach. Bell's Beach is a famous surf beach located near Torquay, Victoria, Australia. It is renowned for its long, powerful waves and strong winds, making it a popular location for surfing competitions and events including the Rip Curl Pro, the world's longest-running surfing competition. The beach is also a popular spot for local and international surfers, who come to enjoy the breathtaking views and challenging waves.

Drive another 45 minutes from Bell's Beach to Lorne. Stop here for lunch at one of the bakeries and then head over to the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club overlooking the beach for a beer. Continue another 60 minutes down the Great Ocean Road until you reach Apollo Bay. Stay in Apollo Bay and head to the Apollo Bay Hotel for dinner. There was a carnival in town across the road in the park when we were there, so we checked that out before heading to bed.

Accommodation: Best Western, Apollo Bay. Great rooms, perfect location!

Day 2 Saturday: Apollo Bay to Port Campbell via The Twelve Apostles

Wake up and head down to the Apollo Bay bakery for a coffee, pie and some pastries. Head down to the beach for a morning walk. Jump back in the car and drive about 1 hour and 15 minutes to the famous Twelve Apostles. You can get some incredible photos from this iconic landscape.

The Twelve Apostles are a collection of limestone stacks off the coast of the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. The stacks were formed by eroding cliffs of limestone, which began about 20 million years ago. The stacks range in size from 3 to 45 metres (10 to 150 feet) in height and the tallest stack, which is known as “The Apostle”, stands at 45 metres (150 feet) tall. The site has become an iconic symbol of the area and is featured in many postcards and photographs. The Twelve Apostles are now only eight in number due to erosion.

If you walk about 10-15 minutes back in the direction you came along a dirt path to get to Gibson Steps. This steep set of stairs will take you down to the beach to get a different perspective of the Twelve Apostles.

There are some more good stops along the way to get some more landscape photos including Loch And Gorge, London Bridge, The Grotto and the Bay of Martyrs. Thee stops are only a few minutes apart and from the Twelve Apostles to Port Campbell, it is only about 10 minutes back in the car. We stayed at a nice spot called the Southern Ocean Motor Inn which was right next to Port Campbell Beach. We spent the afternoon laying on the beach and going for a swim. There were kids jumping off the Port Campbell Jetty and there was a nice small town community feel in the area. We had a small cheese platter back at the Motel before heading to dinner at the 12 Rocks Beach Bar & Café.

Accommodation: Southern Ocean Motor Inn, Port Campbell. Awesome location, perfect for 1 night! Port Campbell Motor Inn. You can see the beach from our balcony!

Day 3 Sunday:

Port Campbell to Warrnambool

Discovery Hike

We woke up early and went for a walk along the Port Campbell Discovery Walk. It was a great walk however, we came across a venomous Tiger Snake which we very carefully avoided before jumping back in the car to head to our next destination.

We then drove about 50 minutes to our last stop in Warrnambool. We had a walk around the town and had some lunch at The Whalers Hotel before wandering down to the waterfront and McGennans Beach. We got some food to make a cheese platter and a couple of bottles of wine and enjoyed the afternoon/evening by the water.

Accommodation: Comfort Inn Warrnambool International. Large rooms, walking distance to everything.

Day 4: Monday

(Warrambool to Melbourne Tullamarine Airport via Geelong Waterfront)

Drive about 2 hours and 30 minutes down the inland highway route from Warrrnambool to Geelong Waterfront. Stop to have a look around the lagoon and have lunch at one of the restaurants. Drive about 60 minutes from Geelong to Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, drop the rental car off and then head to to the airport to fly back to Queensland.

As always, I hope this guide has been helpful, subscribe if you want to keep up with the latest updates, or to keep up with where we are now. Also, feel free to comment any info you have as I want to hear perspectives and opinions that can help others. When planning your trip to Buenos Aires be sure to check out my Buenos Aires Travel Hacks for all the information you need to help you plan.

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