The Great Ocean Road is one of the top road trips in Australia and takes in stunning beaches, rare wildlife, epic waterfalls and beautiful view after beautiful view. It’s easy to do this trip independently, the tricky part can be working out which spots to stop at if you have limited time. We’ve put together this handy two day Great Ocean Road itinerary, the perfect weekend away from Melbourne.
We wouldn’t recommend any less than two days as you’ll find yourself rushing through, especially as the drive without any stops is three hours long.
If you want to take it easy, then we’d recommend spreading this itinerary over three days or more, as it’s quite action packed.
Two day Great Ocean Road Itinerary
The trip starts from Torquay at the eastern end of the Great Ocean Road and winds along the coast to Port Campbell, at the western end. From here you can choose to loop back to Melbourne or head onwards to the Grampians, a place known for its brilliant hiking and one of our favourite places in Victoria.
We would recommend staying overnight in Apollo Bay or the Otways as well as Port Campbell at the end. Both are relatively central and are close to quite a lot of the best things to do on the Great Ocean Road.
Day one
If you’re starting from Melbourne, it will take just over an hour to drive to Torquay for the start of the road trip.
Stop 1: Coffee at Torquay Beach
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 0 km
Torquay has a pretty beach and it’s a nice way to start your Great Ocean Road trip! It’s a quintessential Aussie beach and frequented by locals more than tourists. There are a couple of good coffee shops in town to grab your morning brew, which we’d recommend as you won’t see another until you get to Anglesea or Lorne.
Stop 2: See the swells at Bells Beach
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 11km - 15 minutes
Just down the road from Torquay is Bells Beach, something a little more dramatic than the tranquil Torquay Beach.
Bell’s Beach is known for its surf and huge waves, it’s where they hold the Rip Curl Pro surf competition. We’ve seen pictures where the waves look huge and the swell is just crazy. The Great Ocean Road is famous for its choppy waters and has several famous shipwrecks scattered along the coast. From the viewpoint at Bells Beach, you’ll get a glimpse of why so many sailors struggled!
Having said that we saw it on one of the calm days as there was barely even a wave when we visited!
Stop 3: Spot kangaroos at Anglesea Golf Club
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 19km - 20 minutes
Further along the Great Ocean Road you’ll come to the town of Anglesea. There’s not much to do here, but it is famous for its unexpected residents on the local golf course. This is one of the best places to spot wild kangaroos close to Melbourne, who can’t resist the fresh green grass on the golf course.
You can drive round the outside of the course (not on the golf course itself which is private) to find the mob, or even take one of the tours offered by the golf course. Generally it is better to look for kangaroos early morning or late afternoon but as it isn’t a detour it’s worth stopping to try your luck.
Stop 4: Take in the views from the lighthouse at Airey’s Inlet
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 28km - 25 minutes
Airey’s Inlet provides one of the best views along the Great Ocean Road. Although you can’t go into the lighthouse itself, it’s very picturesque from the outside, perched on the top of a cliff. There’s a short walk to several great lookouts. It doesn’t take long and you can see for miles down the coast.
Stop 5: The Great Ocean Road sign
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 33km - 35 minutes
You would have thought this would be the first stop, but for some reason the sign welcoming you onto the Great Ocean Road is 33 km in! This is an icon of the Great Ocean Road and a spot where seemingly everyone pulls over to get the photo to prove they’ve done it!
There’s a car park near the sign, so you won’t need to park alongside the road.
Stop 6: Chill on Lorne Beach
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 47km - 50 minutes
Lorne is a small, pretty town, and a good base to see the Otways, Kennet River and some of the best beaches on the Great Ocean Road.
The highlight of the town is Lorne Beach, an absolutely huge stretch of sand which will guarantee space and solitude (we visited at one of the busiest times of the year in the Christmas holidays and you can see from the picture below how quiet it was!). The beach is fringed by eucalyptus trees at the eastern end and is a great place to chill, take a dip (if you can brave the cold water!) and admire the views.
If you decide to spend longer in Lorne, we have lots more tips on what to do there.
Stop 7: Take in the view at Teddys Lookout
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 136km - 2 hour 40
Teddy’s Lookout is a great place to see a section of the Great Ocean Road from above as it winds its way along the coast. The road up to the lookout is incredibly steep, but from the car park to the lookout it’s just a flat one minute walk away.
There are also plenty of native birds like Crimson Rosellas which you can see from here if this is one of your first trips to Australia.
Stop 8: Spot wild koalas at Kennet River
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 69km - 1 hour 15
Kennet River is one of the best places in Australia to see koalas in their natural habitat, and it’s very easy to find them. You simply need to turn off the Great Ocean Road, find Grey River Road and keep your eyes fixed on the mid to top level of the trees. We managed to see five and we visited in the middle of the day! It is called the Kennet River Koala Walk, but it is essentially a dirt road you drive down (we actually wouldn’t advise walking as the cars going by kick up a lot of dust).
You can get surprisingly close to these incredible creatures as they often sit in the trees just by the road. Simply park on the side of the road (allowing room for others to pass) and look for a curled up ball!
Stop 9: Apollo Bay
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 90km - 1 hour 40
Apollo Bay is probably the most famous beach on the Great Ocean Road and is almost exactly halfway along. This is the last stop before the Great Ocean Road heads inland to the Otways before going back to the coastline again.
It is another spectacular beach and has beautiful, clear water to swim in. The views here are also great, but it can get pretty busy on a hot summer’s day.
Where to stay on day one
We’d recommend staying in Apollo Bay or in the Otways for night one.
Apollo Bay Waterfront Motor Inn
The majority of accommodation in Apollo Bay are holiday rentals which work well if you have a small group or you want to cook your own meals. If for one night you’d prefer a motel with no cleaning fees, the Apollo Bay Waterfront Motor Inn gets great reviews, and rooms look fresh and modern. Apollo Bay is your best bet if you want access to restaurants as the Otways are much more remote.
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Otways Tourist Park
We chose the Otways for our overnight stay, and chose the Otways Tourist Park. Cabins are dated but clean and have a full kitchen. It’s a family holiday kind of vibe and the area is lush and green with plenty of bird life.
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Bimbi Park
We had wanted to stay at Bimbi Park as there are loads of wild koalas on site but it was unfortunately full.
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Day two
Day two will take you to the Otways and Port Campbell area, our favourite section of our two day Great Ocean Road itinerary. It will take you into the lush green forests of the Otways, to dramatic waterfalls, and the incredible sea stacks of the 12 Apostles. You may also get lucky and see one of the most unusual animals in the world in its natural environment.
Stop 10: Spotting platypus at Lake Elizabeth
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 186km - 3 hours 30
If you are happy to make a very early start for the one hour drive to Lake Elizabeth you will be in for a treat. Seeing the bizarre looking platypus in the wild isn’t easy, but if you get lucky it’s a magical experience. These illusive creatures are most active at dawn and dusk, and are easily spooked - so be as quiet as possible.
Lake Elizabeth is one of the best places in Australia to spot wild platypus and the setting is also stunning, even if you don’t manage to spot one. We also saw many active koalas here, growling at each other from the trees which is another bonus of visiting early (in the middle of the day they tend to just sleep). The lake has lots of photogenic tree trunks in the middle of it, and is surrounded by hills covered in the iconic eucalyptus trees.
The best way to see the platypus here is by booking a tour that takes you onto the lake, spotting them from the boat. You can try to spot them from the shore, but it isn’t as easy (it’s a big lake!). We spotted one from the shore but with hindsight would have done the boat trip as they saw three to our one.
The 1km walk to the lake is very steep in parts, so be prepared for a brief bit of leg burn!
Stop 11: The epic Stevenson Falls
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 203 km - 4 hours
Stevenson Falls is one of the best waterfalls on the Great Ocean Road and is tucked away in the stunningly green Otways. The falls are down a long dirt track, but from the car park it’s a short, flat walk of 500m each way.
This waterfall feels wild and a million miles from civilisation. You can take it in from a railed lookout, or from the rocks just before it, pictured below.
Stop 12: The Redwoods
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 240km - 5 hours
Until visiting the Otways, we didn’t realise that Redwoods could be found outside of California! But deep in the Otways, you can find a small pocket of these huge trees, which immediately transported us back to northern California.
The Redwoods here are beautiful and it is an easy, short walk that we highly recommend. It’s so different to the rest of Australia and a spot we fell in love with. The car park is right beside the grove pictured below so you only need to walk for a few seconds to get amongst the trees. We’d recommended walking for 10-15 minutes, as far as you can along the river before the trail is blocked, for a really peaceful half hour stop on your Great Ocean Road itinerary.
Stop 13: The beauty of Hopetoun Falls
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 242 km - 5 hours
Hopetoun should be on the list for all waterfall lovers, and is just around the corner from the Redwoods. The 500m walk down to the falls is short and steep but well worth it.
Hopetoun feels like a little fairy grotto with huge tree logs that have fallen across the river and is surrounded by towering tree ferns. If you are a keen photographer, you can scramble across the rocks to get a closer look, but be careful - they’re incredibly slippery. I brought back a huge bruise on my leg after going over!
Stop 14: Loch Ard Gorge
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 308 km - 6 hours 3
Loch Ard Gorge is the first stop on the Port Campbell section of the Great Ocean Road and is a beautiful inlet and beach. The view is incredible, but it can get very busy in peak season. Be patient as the car park is small, so you will probably have to wait if you are planning on visiting in the summer time.
Don’t let that put you off though, as the views from inside Loch Ard Gorge are beautiful. To get to the gorge is only a few minutes walk, down a wooden staircase, straight onto the beach.
Stop 15: London Bridge
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 332km 6 hours 15
London Bridge overlooks what seems like one of the most beautiful beaches in the world that humans can’t get to! From the lookout, you’ll see a huge expanse of glorious sand that is below an incredibly steep cliff. It’s all fenced off but and it would be worth the stop even if it wasn’t also the location for another of the Great Ocean Roads most famous sea stacks.
The lookout gives you a great view of London Bridge - a stack that was originally part of the coast, but eroded over time. It’s a remarkable rock formation and another stunning view you can’t miss. The view is a minutes walk from the car park.
Stop 16: Sunset at the Twelve Apostles
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 340 km - 6 hours 35
No Great Ocean Road itinerary is complete without visiting the iconic Twelve Apostles at sunset. This is the highlight of the Great Ocean Road, and one of the best views in Australia at sunset.
The viewpoint is a short walk from the car park, and looks out to several stacks (note several and not 12 as many have already fallen into the water). We’ve visited this spot twice and been in awe both times. It’s one of those places which is completely mesmerising, despite the crowds, and we spent hours each time just taking it in. Prepare to clear your camera because it is definitely one of Victoria’s best photo spots.
Stop 17: Glow worm spotting at Melba Gully
Distance along the Great Ocean Road: 376 km - 7 hours 5
After sunset (and a well deserved dinner in town), head back to the Otways for something truly magical. We recommend waiting for at least an hour or two after sunset to get a good amount of darkness for this experience.
The path to the glow worm dell is well formed, but you will need to bring a torch with you. The trail is 750m each way and heads downhill to the dell. You may see the occasional glow worm on the way, but the majority are at the wooden platform at Anne’s Cascades at the end of the trail.
Once there, turn the torch out, keep quiet and allow your eyes to readjust and take in the light from the incredible glow worms! This was one of Cat’s favourite things to do in the Otways and it is well worth the effort of venturing out after dark.
Before you head back
Stop 18: Morning at Gibson’s Steps
Gibson’s Steps is one of the few places you can walk along the beach and see the stacks from ground level. It can get very busy during the day, so we recommend visiting in the early morning or late afternoon to miss the majority of the crowds.
From the bottom of the staircase that leads from the car park, walk right to the cove backed by huge cliffs for our favourite spot on the beach. It is another stunning place on the Great Ocean Road and a worthy finale for this epic road trip.
Where to stay on day two
The best place to stay for night two is definitely Port Campbell. There are plenty of accommodation options from holiday lets to budget and high end motels. The restaurants in town aren’t great and quite pricey but it’s doable for a short stay if you opt for a motel over self catering.
Port O’Call Motel
For a modern and high end motel try the Port O’Call Motel. The rooms are very stylishly furnished and its the perfect place to retreat to after a day on the Great Ocean Road.
Portside Motel
We stayed in the Portside Motel which was good and a bit cheaper but doesn’t look anywhere near as nice as Port O’Call if you have a little more budget.
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Are you planning a trip along the Great Ocean Road? What would you include in your itinerary? Let us know in the comments below!
