Itinerary · 7 days · 29 places
7 Days on the Great Ocean Road
Seven days from Melbourne along Victoria's south coast: surf beaches near Torquay, waterfalls and scenic roads around Lorne, koalas at Kennett River, the bays of Apollo Bay and, as the highlight, the Twelve Apostles and the Shipwreck Coast near Port Campbell.
Open in the appThere you can adjust the plan to your dates, your pace and your interests.
Photo: Abdus Samad Mahkri · Pexels
The route on the map
The plan, day by day
Day 1Arrival in Melbourne
Arrival in Melbourne
Hotel check-in
The Central Business District around Flinders Lane is the city's densest neighbourhood: laneways full of cafés, trams at the door and everything within walking distance.
Federation Square
The sloping square of sandstone and zinc panels sits opposite Flinders Street Station and is where Melbourne meets up in the evening.
Day 2Melbourne: laneways, art and market
Queen Victoria Market
Under the open hall roofs, stalls have sold fruit, cheese and sausage since 1878; in the Deli Hall you can grab börek and a coffee standing up.
Hosier Lane
The cobbled lane behind Federation Square is sprayed with graffiti from top to bottom and painted over anew every week.
National Gallery of Victoria
Australia's oldest art collection shows European masters behind a wall of flowing water at the entrance.
Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne
The landscape garden on the Yarra has eucalyptus groves, a fern gully trail and the Ornamental Lake with black swans.
Eureka Skydeck
From the 88th floor in Southbank, on clear days you can see as far as Port Phillip Bay and in the direction you'll be heading tomorrow.
Evening: Brunswick Street in Fitzroy
The nightlife strip north of the centre is lined with record shops, vintage stores and live-music pubs that stay open past midnight.
Day 3Surf Coast: Torquay to Aireys Inlet
Onward to Torquay
Hotel check-in
Australian National Surfing Museum
The collection in Torquay shows boards from Bells Beach winners and tells how Rip Curl and Quiksilver began in this town.
Bells Beach
From the wooden platform above the cliffs you look down on the wave where the Rip Curl Pro has been held every Easter since 1962.
Point Addis
The lookout above the bay lies within a marine national park; a boardwalk leads down to the wide, usually deserted sandy beach.
Split Point Lighthouse
The white lighthouse with its red top has stood above Eagle Rock since 1891; from the cliff edge you can see the rock stacks rising from the water.
Evening: Fairhaven Beach at sunset
The six-kilometre beach west of Aireys Inlet faces due west, so the sun sets right behind the surf.
Day 4Lorne: waterfalls above the bay
Onward to Lorne
Hotel check-in
Teddy's Lookout
From the platform above the St George River you see the road as an S-bend between river and sea – the most photographed view on the route.
Erskine Falls
A 30-metre waterfall plunges into a fern-filled basin in the rainforest behind Lorne; 240 steps lead down to the foot of the falls.
Lorne Pier
Fishing boats land at the pier, a well-known dive site lies beneath the piles, and pelicans perch on the beams.
Sheoak Falls
A short path from the roadside leads in 20 minutes to a broad waterfall that fans out over a sandstone ledge.
Evening: Mountjoy Parade in Lorne
The waterfront road is the coast's only nightlife strip: pubs with live music, an ice-cream shop and benches looking out over the illuminated bay.
Day 5Koalas and capes around Apollo Bay
Onward to Apollo Bay
Hotel check-in
Marriners Lookout
A short climb across a cow pasture ends on the ridge with a view over the whole crescent of Apollo Bay.
Apollo Bay Harbour
Lobster pots are unloaded in the small fishing harbour; on the breakwater a kiosk sells the catch of the day straight off the boat.
Marengo Reef Seal Colony
From the beach south of Apollo Bay you look out to the rock shelf where Australian fur seals lie – binoculars help.
Evening: Apollo Bay foreshore
In the evening the waterfront lawn along the Great Ocean Road is full of barbecue spots and starry skies, as there is hardly any street lighting.
Day 6Twelve Apostles and the Shipwreck Coast
Onward to Port Campbell
Hotel check-in
Gibson Steps
86 steps cut into the rock lead down to the beach, from where you see two of the limestone stacks towering above you.
Twelve Apostles
From the viewing platforms above the cliffs, seven of the limestone towers still stand in the water today – the rest have collapsed into the sea.
Loch Ard Gorge
In 1878 the only two survivors of the clipper Loch Ard washed up in this narrow gorge; stairs lead all the way down to the sand.
The Arch
A free-standing rock arch through which the surf shoots – the shortest stop on the coast, right next to the car park.
London Bridge
The double arch lost its link to the mainland in 1990, leaving two visitors stranded on the remaining island; today it is a free-standing bridge in the sea.
Evening: Port Campbell foreshore
The sheltered little bay with its jetty is the only safe swimming spot for miles around; in the evening half the town sits on the lawn above it.
Day 7Last bays and the way back
The Grotto
A half-collapsed cave with a seawater pool in its floor – through the opening you see the horizon as if through a window.
Bay of Islands
The coast's last lookout faces a dozen limestone islands scattered in turquoise water – usually without other visitors.
Departure from Melbourne
Make it your trip
Viatro AI opens this plan in the app — with map, travel times and opening hours. You change the days, pace and places yourself.
