Melbourne CBD - Apollo Bay (Via Lorne)

Great Ocean Road Auto Tours - Private Day Tours - Great Ocean Road Explorer offers exclusive private tours. As local experts, we tailor each tour to our guests’ preferences, showcasing our in-depth knowledge of the area.

Bells Beach - Bells Beach is a renowned spot with excellent viewpoints along the cliff. It’s ideal for experienced surfers, featuring an exposed reef and point break with superb right-hand breaks, especially during autumn and winter.

Point Addis Marine National Park - This park boasts stunning scenery with expansive sandy beaches, eroding limestone and sandstone cliffs, rocky platforms, and numerous small rocky reefs. The coastline is shaped by powerful waves from the southern ocean. Your guide will lead you along a beautiful boardwalk with breathtaking views. Have your cameras ready!

Coogoorah Park Nature Reserve - Located by the Anglesea River, this wetlands reserve is rich in birdlife, flora, and fauna, creating a refreshing and invigorating environment. Enjoy a personal guided walk through these wetlands with your guide.

Loveridge Lookout - Visit the historic Loveridge Lookout, a World War II observation post used as an early warning system against enemy attacks. Manned by the Volunteer Air Observers Corps, it highlights the civilian contribution to national defense.

Split Point Lighthouse - At Split Point Lighthouse, choose from three great viewpoints or opt to climb the lighthouse (additional cost). This iconic lighthouse on the Shipwreck Coast is still operational, guiding vessels through the treacherous Bass Strait waters. Time permitting, visit the local cafe, once the stables for the lighthouse keepers’ horses and carts.

Fairhaven Beach - Feel the sand between your toes at Fairhaven Beach, the longest beach on the Great Ocean Road. Stretching six kilometers, it offers easy access from the road and runs west from Moggs Creek before curving east at Cinema Point.

Great Ocean Road Memorial Archway - Built to honor the 3,000 servicemen who constructed the Great Ocean Road from 1919 to 1932, the Memorial Arch is a tribute to those who lost their lives in World War I. Your guide will share stories about the local family who managed the toll booths. The current arch is the fourth version, with the original sign still in place.

Devil’s Elbow - This plaque commemorates World War I servicemen who built the Great Ocean Road. Designed by Dr. Ross Bastiaan, it is part of a series celebrating the road’s 75th anniversary.

Lorne Swing Bridge - Located at the mouth of the Erskine River, the Swingbridge Cafe offers a tranquil escape from Lorne’s bustling main street. Your guide will reveal this hidden gem, and you can decide whether to explore further.

Live Wire Park - This optional extra requires advance booking and additional payment. Live Wire Park is an adventure park offering zip lining, roller coasters, climbing, and forest canopy exploration. It aims to reconnect visitors with nature and each other through world-class facilities and inspiring staff.

Teddy’s Lookout - Teddy’s Lookout offers some of the best views along the Great Ocean Road. From its high platform, enjoy stunning vistas where the St George River meets the sea. Your guide can take a group photo to remember the tour.

Erskine Falls - An optional stop, Erskine Falls is a popular waterfall in the Otways, plunging 30 meters into a lush tree-fern gully. Enjoy views from two lookouts: an easy five-minute walk to the upper lookout or a more strenuous descent down 240 steps to the base.

Lorne Beach - Take a break from sightseeing at Lorne Beach. Patrolled during summer, it’s a perfect spot for rest and relaxation within the bay’s protective cove.

Qdos Arts Gallery - An optional stop, Qdos Arts Gallery is set in the lush forest behind Lorne. It features contemporary art and an open-air sculpture garden. Be prepared for high prices.

Great Ocean Road Story - This optional stop offers an insight into the construction of Australia’s most famous road. Built by over 3,000 returned soldiers from 1919, the Great Ocean Road is a memorial to those who lost their lives in World War I. It has since become a tourist mecca and an engineering marvel.

The Lorne Pier - Home to the annual 1.2-km Lorne Pier to Pub swimming race, the pier is steeped in local history. Your guide will share stories of the race, including their own experiences.

Mount Defiance Lookout - Between Lorne and Wye River, Mount Defiance is one of the most challenging sections of the Great Ocean Road. Built by World War I returned soldiers using explosives and pick-axes, a plaque here details the road’s remarkable construction.

Kennett River Koala Walk - Experience wild koalas in their natural habitat at Kennett River. Your guide will know the best spots for sightings, which can change frequently.

Cape Patton Lookout Point - Enjoy spectacular views towards Apollo Bay and Skenes Creek from Cape Patton Lookout. Your guide will share local stories, leaving you to decide if they are folklore or fact.

Carisbrook Creek - A hidden gem, Carisbrook Creek is rarely mentioned in guidebooks. Follow a 500-meter track along the ravine to a lookout over Carisbrook Falls.

Apollo Bay - Port Campbell (Via The 12 Apostles)

Mariners Lookout - Start your day with a guided walk to Mariners Lookout in the Otway hills, offering a bird’s-eye view of Apollo Bay. Originally privately owned, the land was donated to the local shire council for all to enjoy.

Great Ocean Road - Wildlife Wonders is an optional extra with an additional cost. Guided by a conservationist, you’ll encounter unique wildlife in a stunning bushland setting overlooking the ocean. Learn about the Otway Ranges’ ecology and conservation efforts. All profits support conservation projects.

Mait’s Rest - Take a guided rainforest walk at Maits Rest in the Otways. See fern gardens and ancient rainforest trees up to 300 years old. A wooden boardwalk provides unique views while protecting the delicate ecosystem.

Cape Otway Lightstation - An optional extra with an additional cost, Cape Otway Lighthouse is the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. Built in 1848, it sits 90 meters above Bass Strait and has a fascinating history of shipwrecks and 19th-century migrants. Decide on the morning of the second day if you want to include this stop.

Great Otway National Park - Your guide will showcase the best of this national park, including guided walks through ancient rainforests and magnificent waterfalls.

Castle Cove - A perfect coastal lookout after some inland touring, Castle Cove is where the Great Ocean Walk meets the Great Ocean Road. Your guide will explain the walk and offer advice on booking if you plan to return.

Otway Fly Treetop Adventures - An optional extra with an additional cost, the Otway Fly offers a unique forest view through a Tree Top Walk and Zip Line Tour. The Tree Top Walk is the longest and tallest of its kind, providing a bird’s-eye view of the forest.

Lavers Hill - Often a lunch stop, Lavers Hill features cafes and a landmark wood sculpture called “Drift,” a tribute to the marine environment and local history.

Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park - An optional extra with an additional cost, this family-run park offers close encounters with iconic Australian wildlife, including guided dingo encounters.

Princetown Wetlands Boardwalk - Enjoy a peaceful self-guided walk through the Princetown wetlands, ending at the Gellibrand River estuary. Your guide will pick you up at the end of the walk.

Twelve Apostles - Often the highlight of the tour, the Twelve Apostles were formed by erosion from the Southern Ocean. Your guide will explain their formation and the ongoing erosion that shapes them. On a 3-day tour, you can view this area at sunset for better photography.

Gibsons Steps - Marvel at the 70-meter high cliffs and the giant limestone stacks known as Gog and Magog. Weather permitting, descend to the beach via 86 steps carved into the cliff by settler Hugh Gibson.

12 Apostles Helicopters - An optional extra with an additional cost, these helicopter flights offer breathtaking views of the 12 Apostles and the Shipwreck Coast. Prices start at $160 per person for a 15-minute flight.

Loch Ard Gorge - Hear stories of the Loch Ard shipwreck from your guide. In 1878, the ship ran aground, and only two of the fifty-four passengers survived. The nearby Island Archway collapsed in 2009, and the remaining pillars are named Tom and Eva after the survivors.

Twelve Apostles Marine National Park - Enjoy a guided tour of this area, with the Twelve Apostles as the main attraction.

Port Campbell National Park - This park features several incredible rock formations. Your guide will choose the best ones to visit based on your interests, time, and weather conditions.

Port Campbell - Melbourne CBD (Via Timboon)

Port Campbell - Take some time to explore the small town of Port Campbell and its idyllic surf beach before continuing your journey.

Port Campbell precinct and foreshore - Stroll along the foreshore and local beach before heading west to see more incredible rock formations.

The Arch - A natural rock formation shaped by wave action from the Great Southern Ocean, The Arch is a stunning sight.

London Bridge - Once a double-spanning bridge, London Bridge partially collapsed in 1990, stranding two visitors who were later rescued by helicopter. Hear the stories and folklore surrounding this event.

Bay of Islands - A favorite stop for many guides, the Bay of Islands offers outstanding ocean views and geological features. Decide for yourself if it surpasses the 12 Apostles.

Bay of Martyrs - The last coastal site before returning to Melbourne, Bay of Martyrs is beautiful but has a dark history. Learn about the tragic events at nearby Massacre Bay, where local Aboriginals were driven off the cliffs by European settlers.

• Hotel pickup and drop-off
• Bottled water included
• National Park fees covered
• All taxes, fees and handling charges included
• Professional driver/guide
• Goods and Services Tax (GST) included

• Food and drinks
• Hotel Accommodation
• Gratuities

Join us on an exclusively private ‘Extended Highlights Tour’ to explore the beautiful Great Ocean Road and all that it has to offer, in your own personal luxury vehicle together with an experienced driver / tour guide.

We are the experts of The Great Ocean Road as we specialise in ONLY The Great Ocean Road.

We visit all the main hot spots such as the world famous 12 Apostles, plus other must-see attractions including Maits Rest and Great Otway National Park. Stay 1 night in the beautiful coastal townships of Apollo Bay(1st night) and Port Campbell (2nd night), before embarking on a stunning introduction to Port Campbell National Park on the final day (home to the 12 Apostles).

Tour departs Melbourne 10am. Returns back to Melbourne at 4pm on the final day.

As this tour can be fully personalised and custom-built, we always recommend you Call/text/ to discuss this 3 day ‘Extended Highlights’ tour in more detail prior to making a booking.

• Minimum age is 16 years (we are unable to provide booster seats)
• A minimum of 1 people per booking is required
• A maximum of 5 people per booking
• Pets are not permitted

If you cancel at least 6 full day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a full refund.
If you cancel between 2 and 6 day(s) before the scheduled departure time, you will receive a 50% refund.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, you will receive a 0% refund.