The Great Ocean Road is one of the dream destinations we all have on our to do list along with Uluru and the Great Barrier Reef.
It is also one of the destinations you can visit as part of a trip to some where else. We have broken the trip down to a two day trip, but if you have more time you could easily spend four days covering the same distance as there are a few stops we have left off for time.Driving on the Great Ocean Road, Australia
The whole length of the Great Ocean Road is 664km, drivable in around 9.5 hours if you were to do it without stops. The itinerary I have outlined will take 2 days and is optimal for weekend trips.
Great Ocean Road itinerary – Day 1
Set off early you first stop is in Torquay
Torquay is a small seaside town that marks the official start of the Great Ocean Road. You can easily drive through the town and have a look around, but most people head straight to the esplanade to enjoy the beach vibes. Depending on what time of the year you are doing the trip you might also think about doing a surfing class. They are great fun and something everyone should give a go at least once.
While we are talking about surfing make sure you visit Bells Beach
Bells Beach
Pretty soon after you set off from Torquay you will come across Bells Beach, a world famous surfing spot.
Every year since 1962 Bells Beach hosts the Rip Curl Pro, the world’s longest running surfing competition. It’s a pretty big destinations for surfers basically.
For non surfers you can walk along the edge of the cliffs on the wooden walkways and watch the surfers on the waves far below, or head down the steep steps and walk along the beach.
Even if you don’t surf it’s still a very scenic beach and a lovely spot for a walk.
Great Ocean Road sign
IT wouldn’t be an iconic road trip without a big sign to point it out right?
Here is a tip for young players when they put up a sign marking the start of the Great Ocean Road you would be right to think the sign is at the start of the trip… Right? Nope. This one is a nowhere near the start… Surprise! Regardless of where along the road it is if you don’t take a photo of it, have you really been on a Great Ocean Road trip?
There’s a small parking area close to it, I guess they knew people would want photos of it and prepared accordingly! There’s also a path that will take you to the beach if you want to go for a dip in the sea or just walk on the beach.
Stop in Lorne for lunch
Lorne is a gorgeous small town along the Great Ocean Road and the perfect spot to stop for lunch after a morning of driving and taking pictures.
There are stacks of cute coffee shops, restaurants and pubs with outdoors seating space.
Erskine Falls
For a dry country Australia has lots of waterfalls. The areas that surround the Great Ocean Road are full of forests, national parks and waterfalls that you can explore.
Since we are doing the two days version of this trip we have focus on the ones that we thought seemed most spectacular. Erskine Falls a 30-metre waterfall that cascades into a deep gully.
There are two viewing platforms, one at the top of the falls that gives you a view over the falls and river below, and the other at the base. Both are good locations to grab a picture as well.
The walk to the base is pretty steep but not too.
Sunset at the Twelve Apostles
The Twelve Apostles when we were growing up was one of the must see tourist spots that showed up in every tourism campaign. They are still one of the most iconic sights in Australia and on the Great Ocean Road.
Now you might be too young to remember them like we do, or you might be visiting from overseas. IF this is you put a big red circle around them and make sure you stop and have a look. The Twelve Apostles are huge limestone formations just off the shore of Port Campbell National Park.
Their proximity to each other and the coast is what makes it so particular and attractive to the hundreds of tourists that come every day to visit it. It’s an especially popular sunset spot.
There is a parking lot just by the Twelve Apostles from which you can then easily walk to the viewing platforms. There is a long wooden walkway dotted with viewing decks so that you can enjoy the view from different parts of the coast.
Sleep in Apollo Bay
Apollo Bay is one of the most popular stops and main towns on the Great Ocean Road so you will find a lot of other road trippers like you at the pubs and restaurants.
The town itself isn’t huge, with only one main road of bars and restaurants, which makes it easy to find somewhere to stop for dinner.
Great Ocean Road itinerary – Day 2
Hopetoun Falls
Hopetoun Falls, the first stop of our day, if you get there by 8AM you might be pleasantly surprised to find you arethe only ones there.
The walk from the parking lot is pretty steep but it’s an easy trail, with wooden steps in the steepest parts.
When you make it to the bottom you will find a viewing platform from which you can look up and admire the three jets that form this waterfall.
Hopetoun Falls is probably one of the most beautiful waterfalls you will ever see.
Triplet Falls
We hope you like waterfalls, because guess what? Here’s another one. It’s lucky they are so beautiful. A short 15-minute drive from Hopetoun Falls you will find Triplet Falls. Triplet Falls, as the name suggests, is a group of three waterfalls that you can visit in the Great Otway National Park.
There is a walking trail that starts at the parking lot, takes you to see all the three waterfalls and return via a loop to the parking lot.
The whole walk is very picturesque and will probably take you around one hour.
Otway Fly Treetop Adventures
This is an area of the Great Otway National Park where you can see up close the treetops of this rainforest, whether it’s with the treetop walk or with a zipline tour.
The rainforest and treetop walk which is around 2km and takes around 1 hour to complete is well worth the time and the money. The entry ticket is 25 AUD.
Throughout the walk there are signs with information about the local flora and fauna. They are geared more towards children, but are still interesting to read while doing the walk.
The walkway goes up to 25m getting you up close to the tree tops, if you’re a bit scared of heights you might not want to look down!
There is also a coffee shop where you can have lunch after all the walking around of the morning and before you hit the road again.
Gibson Steps
Gibson Steps is one of those spots where you can get off the cliffs and down to the beach. There are 86 steps that descend the 70m of the cliffside.
The steps are quite steep and narrow but it’s not a particularly challenging walk down (the walk up on the other hand!).
Even if it was too cold to swim in the sea, and the surf can be quite big here, the beach is very pretty and with the towering cliffs behind it makes for a very picturesque location for a walk on the beach and some great pictures to make your friends jealous.
Loch Ard Gorge
After the Twelve Apostles one of the most famous stops on the Great Ocean Road is Loch Ard Gorge. From the parking lot of Loch Ard Gorge there are multiple wooden walkways that take you to different spots along the coast so that you can enjoy the view over the cliffs from different angles.
Sunset at Bay of Islands
Who doesn’t love a great place to watch the sunset?
The Bay of Islands isn’t as famous as the Twelve Apostles but is a great spot to watch the sun go down.
The Bay of Islands is still a part of the Port Campbell National Park and is a short 30-minute drive away from Loch Ard Gorge along the Great Ocean Road.
From the parking lot it’s a short walk to the viewing platforms, which you’ll find considerably less busy than the Twelve Apostles.
There’s a whole trail set out with wooden boards that you can walk along to enjoy the sunset from different spots along the coast.
Have dinner in Peterborough
The sun has set and it’s time to get ready for heading back home, but not before one last stop on the Great Ocean Road.
We stopped for dinner in Peterborough as it’s very close to the Bay of Islands and has lots of good choices for restaurants and pubs.
The town is also very picturesque with a chilled vibe if you want to walk around and explore after dinner.
That my friends is the Great Ocean Road
So… what’s next?
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