Great Ocean Road Day Trip from Melbourne: A Small-Group Coastal Journey with Nature Encounters

Embark on a small-group coastal journey along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, exploring breathtaking landscapes and encountering native Australian animals. Capture the magic of the Twelve Apostles & Loch Ard Gorge and contribute to koala conservation by planting a tree in their habitat.

Duration: 11 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Apollo bay township - Spend some time exploring the quaint coastal town of Apollo Bay. A sleepy little town located at the foothills of the Otways. Enjoy some free time to explore the long sandy beaches or enjoy a bite to eat at one of the many locally sourced food offerings.
  • Great Otway National Park - Enjoy exclusive access to the Great…
What's Included
  • Selected City Centre Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Live commentary on board
  • Transport by air-conditioned minivan
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Embark on an unforgettable exploration of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, where 243 kms of stunning coastal scenery lies ahead, chauffeured by your skilled guide. Pause for a meal at the charming seaside town of Apollo Bay. Mingle with a variety of native Australian wildlife in their natural habitat, letting the natural beauty envelop you. The grand finale…

Location
Mercure Melbourne Southbank
Riverside Quay
Please meet your guide at the entrance of Mercure Melbourne Southbank hotel.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.8
(250 Ratings)
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1 star
Gail
Feb 1, 2025
Wonderful Day With Fred - Wonderful trip with our lively, informative, driver Fred. Beautiful beaches, rock formations, and countryside. Long day but well worth it to see all, including koalas and kangaroos, that is in that area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dave
Jan 20, 2025
Interesting tour Great Ocean Road - Collected by Adam our driver and tour guide for the 11 hour trip. It’s a long day in the van but Adam made it interesting with facts about the area and stops along the way including a chocolate factory, Apollo bay, 12 Apostles and loch ard gorge. Met so great people on the bus and made the day special. Recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexst1629pm
Jan 4, 2025
Amazing day on the great ocean road - Had an amazing day with Fred showing us around the great ocean road, so many funny and intriguing stories and just a fab day! Couldn't recommend enough!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
475jaryds
Jan 3, 2025
Tours with Fred - We did the city tour and Great Ocean Road tours with Fred who was fantastic! Very knowledgeable and passionate about Melbourne and the surrounding areas. Incredible story teller, hopefully one from us can make his book! That would be cool, “HUH”?! (Inside joke)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cristinagj
Dec 19, 2024
I would recommend this tour - We really recommend the tour and the tour guide Kevin, he was amazing showing us all the small animals and the key spots and making our trip unforgettable
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Suzannebarry
Dec 1, 2024
A memorable experience of the Great Ocean Road - We were a group of 11 and completed the Great Ocean Rd tour with Dandy as our guide and driver. The majestic scenery, rock formations and coastal views should be on everyone’s bucket list. Dandy made the day so much more memorable. His wealth of knowledge and sense of humour had us informed and entertained throughout the tour. Consulting with us during the day, he adapted the tour according to our interests and needs. His passion and enthusiasm for his country and its history was clearly evident in the reciting and playing Australian poetry and music, telling fabulous stories and singing a well known song towards the end. Dandy was so caring and kind, helping our group when needed. Within a couple of hours he knew everyone’s name and engaged with each individual which goes above and beyond. We are a well travelled group and we all agreed Dandy was one of the best guides we’ve ever had the pleasure to come across. What a wonderful ambassador for Australia!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
J0angelam
Nov 28, 2024
A Day with Fred and unbelievable views - Had an amazing experience with our tour guide Fred. He is an amazing host, guide and storyteller. He shared some amazing sites. The trip is worth every second of your time. Thank you Fred and Oceania for a memorable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C7056fakatherines
Nov 13, 2024
Trip exceeded expectations - The guide (Kevin) was terrific. He made a point of finding locations where we could see koalas and kangaroos in the wild. He told background stories and showed us additional things that the massive tour buses didn’t see. We had explanations of the sites and their history, including the gateway to the Great Ocean Road and the sinking of the Loch Ard. He pointed out the pleasant eucalyptus fragrance of koala poo. We had excellent stops for ice cream (two different places) and lunch.
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Curly0258
Nov 20, 2024
Great trip, - Overall a brilliant day, made all the more special by our guide, Dandy. What a breath of fresh air he was, knowledgeable, made sure all the guests were ok, plenty of comfort breaks. The sights were very good, enough time at each stop to see everything without over staying anywhere. The only down is the vehicle they use , it’s a small van a Renault Master. The seats are very uncomfortable, the vehicle has the suspension you’d expect in a builders van so every little bump … and there are some big bumps due to the roads, sends you up in the air to land again in the seat with a thud . The seat belt when used sticks in your upper thigh. A wheelbarrow would be more comfortable I think 🤔 Given the length of the trip and day, it’s a relief to get out of the van at the end . I’d recommend anyone to do the trip and to use Dandy as a guide, but a few extra quid spent on better vehicles would make this a 5 star trip .
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jimlu5890bc
Feb 10, 2025
Long Day But Worth the Effort - Our tour of the great ocean road was a good experience overall. Even though the weather was cold, windy and light rain (not anyone’s fault) the scenery was still spectacular and the “not” 12 apostles was the highlight of the trip. Amazing views. We also stopped along the way to the apostles to see koalas in the trees along the road. Compared to guides we have had on other tours on this trip, Ron was more of a driver (a competent one for sure) rather than a guide. When he did provide information he was knowledgeable and articulate and had a sense of humor but his contributions were less than what we have experienced on other tours. Given that this is already a very long day, more narration and interaction with the passengers would have helped. I looked through most of the reviews and did not see a single mention of Ron. That makes me wonder if he is a regular guide or subbing in for someone. Regardless, he could have been more enthusiastic and engaging. We did have one anxious moment when the van wouldn’t start after lunch because it was not fully in park or neutral. Eventually Ron got it going and we were on our way. By virtue of being the last to be picked up we were relegated to the back row of the van and this made for a noisy and bumpy ride, particularly on the way back to Melbourne. All in all this is a very worthwhile tour but be prepared for a lot of seat time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 11 guests
1 Adult
February 2025
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