While waiting for insurance to approve our repairs in Port Macquarie, we took another Australian adventure. Choosing from beautiful Australia’s many amazing places to explore is hard, but this time we flew to Melbourne and drove to Adelaide. Of course, we chose the scenic route and took a Great Ocean road trip. It was a great choice and one of our favorite road trips ever.
The Great Ocean Road
Built by veterans of The Great War (WWI, 1914-1918), Australia’s iconic coastal drive covers 243 kilometers, all in the state of Victoria. Thanks to its stunning scenery along the Southern Ocean, the Great Ocean Road trip is one of the world’s most popular drives, loved by Aussies and visitors both.
The winding road climbs up cliffs and down to beaches, following the Victoria coastline from Torquay in the east to Allansford in the west. We spent a wonderful day and a half enjoying one of the world’s best road trips. Fortunately, we had perfect weather, sunny and mild temperatures, and the road itself is in great condition, making it easy to drive.
Our Great Ocean Road Trip Route
We spent a day and a half driving the Great Ocean Road. After landing in Melbourne and grabbing the rental car, we drove to Torquay for the first night. A beautiful seaside town, Torquay (pronounced Taw Kee) is known for surfing, and is the home of surfing brand Rip Curl.
Torquay has amazing surf beaches, and was even hosting a huge surfing competition which we drove past on the start of our Great Ocean Road trip.
From Torquay we made many stops for iconic Aussie scenery, good food, nice parks and cute animals. Here are some of the highlights of our Great Ocean Road trip.
Top Sights
Yes, you can drive from Melbourne to western Victoria in a few hours, but unless you have a deadline, don’t do it. Don’t drive past all the cute waterfront towns and parks. They offer many places to take breaks and enjoy the scenery. We planned for a full day and a half to make stops and we probably could have taken more time. Here are some of the top sights along the trip.
SPLIT POINT
Our first stop after Torquay, Split Point Lighthouse was so busy we spent about 10 minutes waiting to get into the parking area. It was our first indication of how popular The Great Ocean Road is! Once we parked, we walked around and admired the views, but didn’t wait to go up the lighthouse. We’ve been inside a lot of lighthouses, so didn’t feel we missed much.
The Memorial Arch
One of the first “must stops” along the Great Ocean Road is The Memorial Arch, so of course we stopped for photos. Located in Eastern View, an arch emblazoned with “The Great Ocean Road” is sort of the symbolic start of the drive, despite being 30k west of Torquay. It’s a popular place to pull over and snap some photos and admire the monument to the men who built the road.
kennett river nature walk
The whole reason we stopped at this nature walk is because you are practically guaranteed to see a koala. The roadside café is even named The Koala Café because of the presence of the animals. We did see one high up in a tree, but did better spotting a variety of birds. It was a nice place to stretch our legs and see some wildlife.
twelve apostles
My plan was to check into our hotel 30k past this iconic stop and head back in the morning. But Brian refused to pass by the Twelve Apostles, even though I promised we would come back. So, we went to the most visited part of the Great Ocean Road trip at the busiest time of day, late afternoon before sunset.
These rock formations rising out of the Southern Ocean have been called by different names including The Sow and Pigs. Despite starting as 9 limestone stacks, they were named the Twelve Apostles to attract tourists. It worked.
Every tour bus from Melbourne was already there when we arrived. It was beautiful with the late afternoon light, but it was really crowded. A few times, I got stuck behind people taking selfies on steps with no regard for the long line of people behind them. I would say go earlier than we did.
Being rock formations in the turbulent Southern Ocean, the Apostles are susceptible to erosion. Since 2009, only seven stacks remain, and more will likely collapse. It’s a reminder of the fragility of nature, and a beautiful place in Australia.
London Bridge and the grotto
There’s a lot of rock formations in the area past The Apostles and Port Campbell. First you can stop at London Bridge and just beyond, the natural sinkhole called The Grotto.
We stayed overnight in Port Campbell and stopped at both after coffee in the morning on our second day of the Great Ocean Road trip. Even early in the morning there were other visitors, but not nearly as many as the bus crowds the evening before.
London Bridge, like the Apostles, is a victim of erosion and is no longer a bridge but still a beautiful rugged rock formation.
At The Grotto, you can walk along some trails and see the blowhole, and archway, and even some caves. The views of the Southern Ocean were beautiful. We had great weather.
Lookouts and Viewpoints
Many of the top stops along the Great Ocean Road trip were clifftop lookouts with beautiful views of the ocean. We had great weather for these views. If you go between May and September, there’s a good chance of seeing migrating whales in the Southern Ocean. We were too early but our views were still stunning.
Teddy’s Lookout
The first lookout we stopped at after the Memorial Arch is called Teddy’s Lookout. Teddy had a great view at this clifftop perch. What I liked about the views here was you could not only see the coast, but you could see the winding road we were driving, with it’s twists and curves.
mariner’s lookout
Just before Apollo Bay is the Mariner’s Lookout viewpoint, where you can see panoramas for miles. I can only imagine watching the whales migrate from here.
Eating and Sleeping on The Great Ocean Road
We stayed the first night of our road trip in Torquay and the second night in Port Campbell. None of the towns, accommodations, or most of the restaurants, were memorable, although surfers would love Torquay. Our highlight was the Wye Beach Hotel, where we stopped for a tasty pub lunch on their homey patio in the sun overlooking the ocean.
Thanks for reading about our road trip. If you like the ocean, nature and gorgeous views, this may be a trip for you! Have you been to the Great Ocean Road and have recommendations? What’s your favorite road trip? Share in the comments please.
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Wow! This is definitely a road trip for the views! I loved quite literally every single one.
I’m not surprised by the mass amount of tourists at some of the spots getting their photos. That’s my least favorite thing about travel spots, but I think in this case, it would be worth it to come earlier or even just patiently wait your turn because of the beauty!
It is truly one of the prettiest drives I’ve ever done, Katelynn. That’s why you don’t want to rush, because there are so many places to pull over and take in the scenery.
It’s truly one of Australia’s most stunning and scenic coastlines. It’s also a great hike that offers more of the coastlines beauty.
Wow. I’m in love with this trip. Austrilia has been on my bucket list and I must do this. It is exactly the type of travel I like to do.
Oh Debbi, This is a “Top Thing to do in Australia” and we were happy we did it!
Such an amazing recap! The Great Ocean Road has been on my list for ages, and your post makes me want to book a ticket today. I love how you mixed the history, the roadside stops, the wildlife sightings, and the stunning coastal viewpoints—those limestone stacks are iconic for a reason. You really captured why this drive is considered one of the world’s best. Thanks for sharing such a detailed and inspiring road trip story!
What a great trip. So many natural wonders to see – the Twelve Apostles are very impressive.