Great Ocean Road Trip Itinerary (2 Days/1 Night)

When one mention visiting Melbourne, one of the first to come in mind would be: Will you be visiting Great Ocean Road? You have heard many fascinating scenic places that one can witness during the drive along Great Ocean Road. But you might only have short period of time. In my case, I have only a total of 3 Days/2 Nights in Melbourne and I had to squeeze in Great Ocean Road journey.

So here comes the next question, should one go on a 1 Full-Day tour or to digest the scenery at a slower pace to enjoy more. My humble suggestion is to go on a road trip comprising 2 Days/1 Night drive along Great Ocean Road. Here’s my itinerary and you could make it happen:

The Great Ocean Road starts from the town of Torquay and ends 244 kilometer later near Warrnambool.

DAY 1: 

Have a slow relaxing start to the day. Adapt to the more relaxing pace of life with the locals in Australia. After all, you are here for a holiday! My day start at 11am after finishing breakfast.

11am: Depart Melbourne to Geelong town, about 84km away. One will arrive roughly 60 mins later. Walk around this city, soak in the music cultural town.

12pm: Shop for grocery in this town.  Most likely, you would need to cook in your accommodation later at night to truly enjoy the essence of road trip. Thereafter, depart to Torquay (22km away).

2pm: Once in Torquay, head for the famous Bells Beach whereby one can witness nice view from the lookout platforms at Bells Beach Surfing Reserve. Many locals enjoy doing their surfing there.

2.30pm: Depart from Torquay to Lorne (66km away).

4pm: Along the way, look out for Anglesea which has nice view point. Drive to Teddy’s outlook which is touted one of the best scenic spots. In the town of Lorne, there serve wonderful fish & chips, ideal for afternoon tea break perhaps.

5pm: Depart Lorne to Apollo Bay (44km away). Drive up to 32km to visit ,where you can walk through treetops on the 25 meter high elevated tree top walk.

7pm: Arrive into Apollo Bay, time to call for a night stop. This town offers many range of accommodations from Holiday Park to Motel. Below is the accommodation for the night, with us sleeping on the sofa bed.

• Saving Tips: Let’s say you have 5 people going on the road trip. Simply minus off 1 adult and tell the reception when booking the room that you have less 1 adult. In that way, one could save up as often the rooms are based on the number of people staying in the unit. In usual case, there will be able to accommodate one more adult.

DAY 2

The 2nd and last day of Great Ocean Road, we will cover Port Campbell, Warrnambool, Ballarat and back to Melbourne City. Total driving distance covered will be 450km. It might look hell of a distance but should one start the day early, one can still enjoy the sights at a leisure pace.

7am: Depart from accommodation in Apollo Bay and drive 96km to Port Campbell. The main highlight is certainly The 12 Apostles.

Follow by visit to London Arch & Loch Ard Gorge (5 minutes apart from each other).

10.30am: Leave Port Campbell to Warrnambool

11.30am: Arrive Warrnambool, a former whaling town. Go to the viewing platform at Logans Beach and scan for whales which is visible during May to September migrations. Lunch there.

1pm: Continue journey by taking inland route from Warrnambool to Ballarat which is 172km apart.

3pm: Arrive Ballarat where it was once a gold mine town. It was certainly an educational insight on the mining of gold in the past.

And we took some time to visit the Ballarat Botanical Garden which is worth a visit too!

4.30pm: Depart for Melbourne which is just 114km away.

6pm: Arrive into Melbourne City and one good spot to have dinner is around Chinatown. There are many restaurants open in the area and after which, it is only 15 minutes walk to the river side.

So who say you cannot tour Great Ocean Road at a leisurely pace while covering the major tourist sites.

Categories: Oceania Region

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