The Great Ocean Road is a 240-kilometre (150 mi) Australian National Heritage-listed coastal drive between Torquay and Allansford in Victoria. Built by returning WWI soldiers (1919-1932) as a war memorial, it is the world's largest war memorial. Infamously also known as the Shipwreck Coast, there is a 130 km stretch of Victoria coastline, traversed by the Great Ocean Road, that has been the final resting place of around 700 ships! Famous explorer Matthew Flinders described the coastline eloquently "I have seldom seen a more fearful section of coastline". Our group went out for the day for a most pleasant and scenic drive along the Great Ocean Road. We say the 12 Apostles (separate review), lush rainforest, surfing spots, a few towns along the way, kangaroos on the golf course, Koalas in the trees, and stunning views at almost every turn. We had a great tour guide and with a fun taste in Australian music that we enjoyed along the way. read more

Great Ocean Road - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Eastern View, VIC

Breathtaking views!! If you ever get a chance to travel to Australia this must be on your bucket list. From the 12 Apostles, the Gorge, Gibson Steps, the London Bridge, the Grotto, the Arch and Gourd, the Wreck, the Bay of Martyrs and more (in the order of my most favorites). 12 Apostles: Utterly breathtaking! One of Australia's great natural wonders (at least in my eyes) awaits your presence. From afar you can see a few apostles basking in the ocean waters with powerful waves crashing against its bottom. Walk your way to the lookout to see 2 more friendly apostles to your left. Whether in the overcast or the sunshine the 12 apostles stand firm along the limestone coastal haven. Did you know that the limestone coastline is eroded by 2cm each year?!?! (My top favorite). The Gorge: Like the 12 Apostles, these massive structured rocks stand proudly as the ocean waves dance around them. A site that will keep your eyes attached for a while. The Razorback used to stand out further but with every wave every 14 seconds it will eventually erode as well. :( (2nd favorite) Gibson Steps: With this view you'll be able to walk along the sandy coast and enjoy the coupled ocean rocks glaring in the sunshine. You'll see an opening at the top of one rock while the other is the smaller of the two sitting near it. This is a lively place to make sandcastles, have a picnic and intake the rays. (3rd favorite) The London Bridge: Just like the fable song, in 1990 the bridge piece fell down when 2 fellow scenic viewers walked along this bridge. They later had to be rescued by the helly (aka helicopter) to get back to safe grounds. Cannot walk on this bridge but can see it from afar and yet it's still stunningly beautiful. (4th favorite) The Grotto: Viewing through the Grotto you'll see the pure blue ocean waters and waves like a grand painting hung in a gallery. It's an introductory to what the ocean and mother nature offers to each owns eyes. (5th favorite) I'd say the Great Ocean Road was by far one of the best experiences to have done. You can compare it to the Pacific Coast Highway but 10 times better because of the varied sights to see. Make this part of your trip. It's about 2-2.5 hours drive each way so start early or book a night within the area. Driving there: you can take the short route (not along the coast) to get to sites more quickly. And then you can take coastal drive later. Or you can do vice versa. However if you choose the first option you'll have to make each scenic stop to a minimum of 10-15 minutes to intake everything in order to get the coastal driving view. It's all up to how much time you want to spend especially for taking pictures. Have fun! read more

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It's like the Australian version of the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway in California), but way prettier and longer! Take in how perfect the coastline of New South Wales. Stop by each of the 12 Apostles (def a Must see for tourists & non-tourists). Even if you can't stomach long road trips (like me), this drive will seem like Nothing with all the views you have access to. *Very limited gas and rest stop stations. *Make sure you have all day. *Try and make a destination at the end of the Great Ocean Road so you don't have to drive there and back on the same day (makes it more enjoyable and not such a long day when you do). read more

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Is there an option to give it more than 5 stars? I'll admit, I was a little skeptical about whether The Great Ocean Road would live up to my expectations. I've experienced the beautiful scenery of California's Highway 1 and when people compared The Great Ocean Road to Highway 1, I wasn't sure if it would be worth the time and effort. We rented a car first thing in the morning and headed out on our 11 hour journey. Yes, it was rushed but we simply did not have more time as we only budgeted 2 days in Melbourne. If we had more time, I would have liked to break it up to 2 or 3 days. It took about an hour to get out of the city to the starting point in Torquay. The first hour or so on The Great Ocean Road was scenic and definitely reminded me of California Highway 1. There are many spots where you can stop, walk along the beach, and take photos. We were in a time crunch and only stopped at a couple of places for a few minutes each. Toward the middle of the day, it began to rain and we regretted not bringing an umbrella. We took a few more significant detours here - first at Kennett River to see the beautiful birds and wild koalas and then at Cape Otway to see the famous lighthouse. We were getting tired but powered through as the best was yet to come. In the late afternoon, we finally arrived at the limestone formations. The most famous and consequently most crowded one is the 12 Apostles. There were bus loads of loud tourists but even that did not deter from the stunning beauty. We stopped at several other less famous sites within a few minutes of the 12 Apostles including Loch Ard Gorge, Gibson Steps, The Arch, and London Bridge. Although the others were not as famous, they were nonetheless impressive and provided a much more peaceful setting to enjoy the natural wonders. After visiting London Bridge, we headed inland toward Colac to get back to Melbourne. Even the inland route was beautiful as we passed through lush pastures and grazing animals. Unfortunately, we got a speeding ticket about an hour out from Melbourne. It's hard enough driving on the left side of the road and we really have no concept of what 100 or 120 kph means when we're trained to think and feel in mph. read more

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To paraphrase a famous idiom: "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Meaning: At some point in my life (2007), I traveled the world's most majestic, and scenic drives. Miles of wild coastline scenery took my breath away. And there are no words to adequately describe the picturesque view. Seriously! The road called Great Ocean Road. 151 miles of wild coastline scenery, with many twists and turns embracing the charm of the cliffs along the Southern coast. Exploring the intriguing road, where history and beauty meets. If you were lucky enough to be there, it'll be nearly impossible to miss The 12 Apostles. They are the famous and magnificent landmark of the road. i.e:Large limestone pillars formations. It's 12 Apostles and Five Yelps. read more

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"Where should I go in Melbourne?" "Great Ocean Road!" "Is that like... a road?" "Yes, definitely check it out!" "But... isn't it like just a road?" "No, go check it out!" After a handful of fellow colleagues who were born in Victoria recommended GOR for fourteen hundred times, I was finally (half-)convinced that I might take a look at the Great Ocean Road. And even by then I wasn't too keen. Obviously I didn't look it up enough on the interweb. All I did was booking a night at YHA hostel at Apollo Bay. I woke up early and drank my coffee, drove pass Geelong, and my first stop was at Anglesea for one more coffee (Melbourne coffee rocks!). At Aireys Inlet there was a lighthouse with fantastic (well, up to the standard at this point) view around it. Drove pass Aireys Inlet there was a big Great Ocean Road gate/arch, which got me very excited. Mind you it wasn't easy to start the first part of the road, as it involved a lot of zig-zags. If you are from a country which drive on the left, it may not be intuitive. Luckily, there were a lot of stops in between so I could always stop, take a picture and let the guys behind me to go first. The view was amazing, but not (again, up to the standard at this point!) jawdroppingly amazing, but I couldn't help myself stopping at the side every 5 mins to take more pictures. After Princetown it was a pretty straight road. Remember I said I prepared next to nothing about Great Ocean Road? Rookie mistake. You can even laugh at me. But what I did was just picking random detours (the tourist spot road signs in brown). I was at Gibson Steps (walk all the way down the steps please) with an unique view from the bottom of the cliff. I was also at Loch Ard Gorge, there were a lot of different rock formations/erosions that gave you a good hour of woo'ing. At the very same stop you can also see the old Island Archway, which was collapsed in the middle in 2009 and now two separate islands (you can still find on Google Map the image of the pre-collapsed Archway). And my confession time: My only mistake in this trip was... skipping the detour to The 12 Apostles! Yes, you hear it right... I missed it. Just because I didn't feel like making the 3 minute detour. And god knows how many amazing pictures of The 12 Apostles were in the interweb, I never registered in my mind. Well, I guess you can learn from my mistake, and on the other hand I have an excuse to come back again! I stayed at Port Campbell for a late lunch and drove back to Apollo Bay to stay overnight, before I went back to Melbourne the next morning. All in all it's a once a lifetime 6-star road trip here. I didn't go in-land through the rest of the Great Ocean Road, so feel free to tell me what else I missed! tl;dr version: Go Great Ocean Road, you won't regret. Enjoy the ride slowly and stop at every possible tourist spots. DON'T flipping miss The 12 Apostles! read more

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The Twelve Apostles might now be eight or nine but it's still one of the most majestic sights you'll ever see and here it is just a relatively short drive from Melbourne. Standing on the viewing deck, wind blowing across your face, and on the day we visited rain, is a humbling moment where you realise it's all so much bigger than you or I. You can definitely drive and take-in the grandeur of this iconic Australian drive in one day but I personally would say, "Take three. Heck, take a week and stop at some of the beautiful townships along the way. Lorne, Torquay,Port Fairy or Wye River." Stop for fish and chips. Get a coffee from the New Wave kiosk in Torquay. And have a driving partner - the sights are distracting and it's safer driving! read more

Great Ocean Road - Sure, you drive this road to see a few well known apostles, but there's plenty of other serene views to see along the way. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Eastern View, VIC

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This is the MUST DO while in Melbourne. If you have one full day, either drive it yourself or take a tour. There are a bunch of breath taking views along the way. The most famous is the 12 apostles, but there are many others. The drive itself is a bit winding, so take motion sickness medicine if sharp turns make you queasy. read more

Best road trip so far! Hired a car with my friends and off we went! It was a nice winter day in Australia - cool breeze, sun was out - it was perfect! They drive on the other side of the road which was quite daunting at first but you get used to it because it's a highway and at that time, there were not a lot of cars. View was just perfect! Must-see sights (definitely stop and see): the Grotto, 12 Apostles, the London Bridge, the Gorge, Gibson Steps, the Arch and Gourd, the Wreck, the Bay of Martyrs etc. We rented a place to stay at the end so that we didn't need to cram the ride in 1 day (and get to rest too and have decent food). Overall - highly, highly, highly recommended! A must-do if you go to Victoria! read more

The road itself was a bit of a let down. Was expecting to see more "ocean" and cliffs. Lots of sheep and cows, then BAM the 12 apostles. I have to say the 12 apostles were well worth the drive though. AMAZING! read more

Great Ocean Road - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Eastern View, VIC

Didn't know that the Great Ocean Road is a stretch of scenic roads till I travelled with a group tour. I made a last minute booking with wildlife tours - 7 hours before pick up time and I was panicking as I wasn't sure whether I could be a part of the tour as it might be fully booked. But my fear was overcome when I managed to get hold of the customer service by at 6.30am and normal pick up timings is 7.15am onwards (around CBD area). So yes, managed to get both my friend and myself on the one day tour to great ocean roads. Passed by the surf beach, took pictures on the memorial arch (start point of great ocean road), went for some beach walks, passed by Lorne and Anglesea. During the windy road trip, we managed to experience the stunning coastal views and stopped by Kennett River along the way to do some Koala spotting on Eucalyptus plants and feeding different breeds of birds and observing waddling ducks. For lunch, you can drop by at Apollo Bay for western or Chinese cuisines. You could also purchase some souvenirs along the way. Taste Vegemite, Honey comb and special gelatos at Dooley's ice cream. The tour also brought us to Otway's Rainforest or Mait's Rest which is along the way to the 12 apostles. There is a quick loop trail at this rainforest and some pretty trunks that you could take pictures off. At the 12 apostles, we couldn't see the 12 limestone stacks but it has a stunning view from the main point and Gibson point. The next scenic stop is Loch Ard Gorge where you can see the Archway with limestone cliffs. Not only the windy road offer coastal view, it offers the farm views as well. Definitely a must go place if you are in Melbourne especially if you have to decide this or Phillip island tour. :) read more

We did a two day trip between Christmas and New Years, starting in Melbourne. What an amazing coastline! We stopped at the information centre just outside Geelong - the staff there were awesome. One guy gave us a map and talked us through where to go and what was worth seeing. By the time we left, we had our itinerary down. Day One - driving from Melbourne: We had a late start, so you could easily fit in more if you start earlier than we did (about noon). First stop was Anglesea, where it's likely see lots of kangaroos around the golf course. It was raining where we arrived, so we didn't get out to walk around. We did see 3 kangaroos just driving around the outside of the course. Would recommend a stroll if you have better weather than us! Our second stop was the Spit Point Light House at Aireys Inlet. It's just a quick walk from the parking area to the lighthouse - huge lighthouse with a great view! Third stop was Erskine Falls, which are just outside Lorne. There was a music festival going on in Lorne, so the traffic was pretty nuts. The falls were really cool - def worth a trip. A bit out of the way at approx 15 mins outside Lorne. There is a higher and lower view deck - both great. I liked the lower one because you could really experience how big the falls are. Next, we stopped for lunch at Kafe Koala, around Kenneth River. It's nothing fancy, but service and food were both good. We arrived right around the same time as a tour bus, but service was still pretty quick. Between our group, we had the chips, hotdogs, sandwich and burger - all good. Prices were on the high end of average, but to be expected for a small store that far out. It also sold convenience store type food/necessities. The BEST part though was outside, where the red parrots would sit on your arm and eat from your had! There were also koala bear's living in the trees - super cute! From Kenneth River, we drove through to Port Campbell to see the twelve apostles. Unlike some "must-sees" that turn out to be a let down, this was about a million times better in person than in photos! It was super packed, but easy enough to get to a vantage point to see and take photos. It's phenomenal! Our final stop of the day was Warrnambool, where we spent the night. We booked a room back in November, and every other town was fully booked, with only a few rooms left in Warrnambool - so if booking over Christmas/New Years, advise would definitely be to book early! Day Two - heading back to Melbourne: I won't go into detail about every location, but everything was incredibly picturesque and pretty amazing! * Bay of Islands * Bay of Martyrs * The Grotto - the waves crashing here are so intense! * London Bridge * The Arch Gorge * Lach Ard, which also included Thunder Cave at the same location * Moonlight Head Lookout - just outside Lavers Hill read more

We visited the Great Ocean Road through the Go West Tour company. While it was a positive experience for what it was, I think I would've liked to have driven on my own. The drive is pretty straight forward, easy to navigate, and well paved. There were so many beautiful lookouts for photo ops and cute townships along the way. Apollo Bay seemed to be a popular spot for lunch and for the infamous Dooley's Ice Cream shop too. Of course, stopping at Port Campbell National Park is an absolute must because that's where the 12 Apostles, The London Arch, Loch Ard Gorge, Gibson Steps, and the Grotto are located. I wouldn't recommend going with a tour company. Drive yourself and stop where you want to stop! It's a beautiful drive and definitely a must if you are in the area. read more

Well, if road trips are you thing, and you're in Australia, you simply cannot go past the Great Ocean Road. It's just out of Melbourne, but has some of the most spectacular scenery that you can imagine. Personally, I've driven along here probably four times, once alone, but usually with friends (and come on, road trips aren't road trips unless you're with friends). Don't try doing it all in one day because you will either miss some of the best attractions, or you will discover that you are driving in the dark (and end up missing a bunch of the attractions). The road itself can be split into three sections, with a rather hair raising cliff drive between Lorne and Apollo Bay, a 'jungle' drive between Apollo Bay and Princetown, and then a bunch of attractions between Princetown and Warrnambool. Hey, they even have a cheese factory at the far end where you can buy, um, cheese (and other stuff, but mostly cheese). If there is one road that you should drive along in Australia, then it has to be this road, though I should warn you that if you travel along here during some of the peak holiday periods then you are going to be in for quite a few traffic jams, especially in Lorne. However, if you don't mind sitting in your car for extended periods of times, then that is probably not an issue, otherwise set your diary for a day that doesn't coincide with everybody else's. read more

I loved touring along the Great Ocean Road, located in the south of Victoria, Australia & overlooking the Tasman Sea. The road literally hugs the sides of the cliffs, affording the most spectacular scenic sights....obviously it's best to go when the weather is forecast to be nice - as otherwise the rain & mist take over & there's not much to witness other than the hazardous conditions on the road! It also has large stretches driving through forrests which can be a bit boring after a while - but there's no other alternative, so it makes the coastal stretches all the more special! Can be done in a day - but it is tiring for the designated driver. Well worth it though! read more

5 stars. A natural wonder that is an absolute must / I spent two days photographing and hiking the Great Ocean road. Some of my favs included a) Bay is Isles at sunrise b) Loch Ard Gorge c) the Razorback d) and The Twelve Apostles. The places can get crowded, so time it right - I would recommend staying the night in Warrnambool and getting an early (before sunrise start). The best part of the Ocean Road is that it is for everyone - there are paces paths and there are some challenging hikes as well. read more

A great drive with impressive views of the oceans and sandstone/limestone cliffs. A highlight of my trip.

Australia's answer to the Pacific Coast Highway in California. The apostles are awesome, there are a ton of great views along the drive, and there were also several interesting places to stop if you do a little research before hand. We drove from Melbourne to Adelaide and stopped at a winery, two cheeseries, and a chocalaterie. A highlight of my trip to Australia! read more

Wonderful scenery in Australia known for the 12 Apostles, which was not really 12 no more since some has disappeared..so that was a little disappointed and surprising to learn. Must come here if you are in Australia, at least once, especially more might be gone in the future. Very awesome to see it from above since we took a Helicopter ride..well worth it! I love nature (: read more

The drive along the Great Ocean Road is simply amazing, it's one of the most scenic roads in the world. The magnificient ocean views, spectacular coast line, beautiful gorges, the famous 12 apostle, etc. All has to be experienced at least once in a life time in person. The experience is well worth it. read more

This is road is amazing, the scenery is spectacular. If you go to Melbourne we must make.

We did 3 days on the GOR but could have easily done 5 days to a week. This is a must-do if you are in Melbourne. If possible, rent a convertible and drive down the dirt road by the Kennett River motorpark. We saw kangaroos, koalas, parrots, and kookaburras. Pretty much everything a tourist hopes for. The Otway National Forest is a beautiful, scenic drive. Be sure to stop at The Arch, 12 Apostles, and London Bridge, all outside of Port Campbell. They are all stunning. We stayed in Apollo Bay, where there was cool taphouse for us to eat dinner, a great beach, and some cute stores and cafes. We spent our second night in Port Fairy. The stores were mostly closed when we got there, but the town looked like it had a lot of potential during the typical trading hours. Be sure to stop at Little Creatures in Geelong on your way out from Melbourne, and get a picture by the GOR sign on the way into Lorne! read more

The Great Ocean Road is a must if in Victoria or Melbourne. When we visited Melbourne we took a day tour out along the Great Ocean Road with the main stop being the twelve apostles which has lovely views out to sea although it can get very windy!! My other half was also able to take a helicopter ride over the apostles which also had amazing views. read more