Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles Day Trip from Melbourne: Experiencing Coastal Wonders
4.6
413 Ratings
Melbourne
Embark on a breathtaking day trip from Melbourne to the Great Ocean Road and witness the coastal wonders of the 12 Apostles, surf beaches, koalas, rainforest, and more.
Duration: 13 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Melbourne - We depart from Melbourne at 7:35am sharp, and head over the Westgate Bridge towards the surf coast capital. It’s recommended guests eat breakfast before the tour as we don’t stop until mid-morning.
  • Anglesea Visitor Information Centre - Once we have left Melbourne, we head down to the Surf Coast, passing through gorgeous seaside townships such as Anglesea, Lorne and Airey’s Inlet, we stop along the way for some morning tea and to breath in the fresh sea air whilst spotting surfers out on the water, with the proximity to Antarctica you will learn why this is great surf but also why wet suits are a necessity!
  • Great Ocean Road Memorial Archway - A monument to mark the original starting point of the Great Ocean Road.

After some photos at the iconic Memorial Arch and a lesson on the history of the soldiers who built this road and dedicated it to their fallen comrades, we will wind through more stunning views (of course stopping for pictures!)

  • Great Ocean Road Visitor Information Centre - A welcome lunch break is taken in Apollo Bay at the end of the surf coast, you’ll have plenty of time to explore this seaside community and eat from one of the many local cafe or pubs (at own expense).

Once you have explored Apollo Bay, grabbed any souvenirs you wish to buy, or tasted some delicious ice cream then it is back on the bus to head inland to the Green Coast.

  • Great Otway National Park - till on the Great ocean Road but now continuing up into the lush green Otway’s we drive through towering Eucalyptus trees until we arrive at a patch of Cool Temperate Rainforest. You will be amazed at the difference in scenery as we take a walk through the tree ferns and, marvel at the ‘ancient relics’ - the Myrtle Beach trees that provide perfect canopy shade and originate from when Australia was part of a super continent known as Gondwanaland. Breath in the fresh air before we take a relaxing drive out to the dramatic Shipwreck Coast!
  • Loch Ard Gorge - Also in the National Park we head down to Loch Ard Gorge, site of one of Australia’s most well know shipwrecks, hear the dramatic tale of Tom and Eva and then head down to the beach to look for the caves. This is also where you will find rock formations such as Island Archway, Razorback and the ‘Salt and Pepper Shakers’ too.
  • Twelve Apostles - Once out of the trees and back by the Southern Ocean we arrive in Port Campbell National Park, home to the iconic 12 Apostles. We will spend about 40mins at the Apostles where you will enjoy free time to take in the views from every angle, walk along the boardwalks, and get the perfect pictures of this wild and rugged coastline.
  • WWI Memorial - After a full day of exploring we say goodbye to the Great Ocean Road and turn back inland to drive back to Melbourne via country roads. We pass through farmlands en route to the country town of Colac, here you can grab a quick bite for dinner (at own expense)..
  • Melbourne - We return to Melbourne late in the evening, at approximately 8:00pm.
What's Included
  • Live tour commentary in English
  • Expert driver-guided experience
  • Comfortable air-conditioned coach
  • Convenient roundtrip transportation from Melbourne
  • Opportunity to see Australian wildlife in their natural habitat
  • Included admission to Great Ocean Road National Park
What's Not Included
  • All Meals
  • Personal expenses
Additional Information

Embark on a day’s journey from Melbourne along the renowned Great Ocean Road. Renowned for its surfer-friendly beaches, koala habitats, lush rainforests, the historic Shipwreck Coast, and the picturesque 12 Apostles, this coastal highway has much to offer. Visit the breathtaking Loch Ard Gorge and enjoy the splendid views from the top-rated vantage points in Port Campbell National Park. Take a leisurely stroll through coastal towns like Apollo Bay and allocate time to discover other stunning beaches and nature trails.

  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Infants and children do not travel free, protective seats are available on request at the time of booking
  • Not suitabled for wheelchairs, prams or stroller accessible, please do not bring on tour as you will be asked to leave at the hotel.
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • For this tour we have a translation app that can translate all guide commentary to the languages listed above. The traveler just needs to ask their guide or request this on the date of departure and we can advise them of how to download and listen.
Location
Immigration Museum (Museums Victoria)
Flinders Street
Our default pickup location will be Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders St, corner of Market St, Melbourne @ 7:35am. If you would like to arrange an alternative pickup point, please contact our reservations team on +61393931300.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(413 Ratings)
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Jan_l
Jun 13, 2024
Great coastal road tour - An amazing day! My first time in Melbourne and Australia ( from uk). The whole day was perfect with beautiful scenery and I learnt so much - especially the history of the road. Great lunch stop and walk through rainforest. Crowning glory of the 12 apostles. My special thanks to Craig and Barry for their help and excellent information at every point of the tour. Thankyou so much. Jan lewis
Review provided by Viator
Joas_b
Jun 7, 2024
Would love to do it again 👍👍 - It was an amazing trip with my family. The great ocean road and 12 apostles tour is really a breathtaking. Also, to our tour guide/ driver (James) all I can say is THE BEST!! 👍👍
Review provided by Viator
Wendy_s
May 28, 2024
Steve was great! - The entire experience was fantastic! Steve, our tour guide was awesome! The meeting place was easy to find, we left on the tour on time! We got back at a reasonable hour! And our tour guide Steve gave us just the exact amount of time needed at each location. Steve was also a very safe driver. Please make sure to tell Steve thank you very much.
Review provided by Viator
340tealb
May 19, 2024
Fun and knowledgeable guide, great tour - With only one day planned for sightseeing outside of Melbourne, we were unsure which day trip to choose. We absolutely LOVED the day trip to 12 Apostles with Steve and would highly recommend it. Steve was a fun, engaging, and knowledgeable tour guide. The bus was new and comfortable, and we had plenty of time for all sights. We mentioned to Steve that we hadn't seen kangas or koalas and Steve made slight adjustments to the time schedule to allow some stops at places where native wildlife would be found. We were glad for the the slightly shorter day (11-12hrs) compared to other tours that were 13+ because we had an early international flight the next day. For folks travelling on a Sunday, you may want to bring snack bars, because some spots had only 1 open cafe for food and the lines could be quite long due to other tour buses and travellers. This is not the fault of the tour company-- this would happen with any.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Susan
May 16, 2024
A wonderful day out seeing natures beauty - Comfortable tour bus and professional tour guide/ bus driver that knows his job well. I enjoyed seeing The Great Ocean Road and all the natural beauty in the part of Victoria. It was a long day but well worth it. I highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Yengling_k
May 16, 2024
Great tour with... - Great tour with experienced and friendly driver/tour guide. The itinerary was well planned. Professional
Review provided by Viator
Gerald_t
May 16, 2024
Great experience! - Great day exploring the Great Ocean Road! Not having to worry about driving and trying to find places makes this trip enjoyable! Jordan our guide was informative and had a great sense of humour! His driving was excellent!
Review provided by Viator
Cheri_w
Jun 8, 2024
Beautiful scenery, worth the long day - Our Guide/Driver Peter was great. Beautiful area / scenery . The bus seats were cramped and not very comfortable for a 12 hour tour. The WiFi did not work at all and only a USB port for charging. Overall a good tour and would recommend. Several people chronically late returning to the bus at every stop which decreased our time at the next stop.
Review provided by Viator
Cathrin_s
Jun 16, 2024
Great Ocean Road great, driver/guide did a poor job - The Great Ocean Road is really a Place to visit. I would however recommend the reverse tour, because then you see the 12 Apostles in the morning with better light. Unfortunately, the driver wasn't much of a pleasure. He hardly spoke to us and even nearly lost an Italian Couple because he only briefly announced the time slots we had at different stopping points in English, though knowing that they did not understand a word. Moreover, he did not give us any information about the places we visited.
Review provided by Viator
Les_r
Jun 3, 2024
Not enough time provided at 12 apostles - 12 apostles had 35 mins out of a 13 hour tour - too much time at National Park for lunch could have used the time better
Review provided by Viator
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June 2024
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