How to do the Australia Great Ocean Road

When you visit Melbourne, one of the must-do is the Great Ocean Road scenic drive. People usually spend 2-3 days to enjoy the fullest of this road trip.  If you are thinking of doing it in a day then it will be very rush.

Great Ocean Road starts at Torquay and ends at Warnambool. It travels 243 km and this is the most famous road trip in Australia! There are many things to do in Great Ocean Road and not just the iconic landmark -Twelve Apostles.

Renting a car is always a good idea if you have more people traveling together but always remember not to drive at night, especially for Great Ocean Road as it is not the easiest of roads to drive on. The road can be dangerous when raining and in Victoria, there are 4 seasons in a day so you never know. Always find your hotel before the sunset.

If you are not into driving, you can also join the day tour from Melbourne.

How do you start?

If you are driving from Melbourne, set your destination in GPS as Port Campbell, it is the direct way and you can start the Great Ocean Road itinerary from there. Always start your road trip early, that way you can avoid the crowd and enjoy as many attractions as possible.

The star of Great Ocean Road – Twelve Apostles

There are many lookout areas along the Great Ocean Road but people usually rush to the Twelve Apostles. The Twelve Apostles are the rocky stacks that stand tall and proud along the shore. It used to have 12 of them but only 8 left because of the harsh and extreme weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually erode the soft limestone and eventually collapse.  Another good way to see the Twelve Apostles is to fly up high on the helicopter.  View from the top should be spectacular.

Port Campbell National Park

This is a fantastic park and well constructed with walkways that lead you to all the different lookout attractions with viewing platforms. The park is very clean with no trash. The weather is bad during my visit, it was wet but the stairs are with handrails.

We saw signs saying “WARNING – Venomous snakes”, both in English and Chinese. It means a lot of Chinese tourists here.

Other famous viewpoints are:

Loch Arch Gorge – This is another interesting scenic place with a protected beach nestled amongst cliffs. It is only 3 mins drive from the Twelve Apostles. The gorge is named after a ship, called the Lock Ard, which ran on nearby Muttonbird Island in 1878.

The Razorback – It is along the Twelve Apostles and adjacent to Lock Ard Gorge. You will find a huge, elongated limestone stack with dramatic serrated rock formation along its top line. Don’t miss out on this one as this is very impressive also! Some people think the Razorback is better than the Twelve Apostles.

Port Fairy Lighthouse On Griffiths Island – You will see lovely views of Port Fairy and surrounded by the blue ocean. You also get a good view of the lighthouse. Walk for about 1km to get there from the carpark.

Beauchamp Falls – Nice camping area surrounded by the forest. One of several waterfalls in the Great Otway National Park, this 20-meter waterfall rewards a somewhat strenuous walk, about 3km path, an hour’s walk return.

Point Addis – Another nice lookout to the ocean and go uphill to see the nicer view from the top. Good spot to see surfers.

Erskine Falls – This is the most impressive waterfall amongst the rest of the waterfalls here.

Childers Cove -This is a hidden gem and fewer crowds. A little away from the Port Campbell section.

Merriners Lookout – This lookout point is in Apollo Bay, you need to do a mini-hike up, just 5 mins and you will be rewarded with spectacular views of Apollo Bay neighborhood, the ocean, and blue sky.  If you are lucky you may catch the paragliders doing the paragliding as it is the location to take off.

Final thoughts:

I was here during the winter month doing the Great Ocean Road scenic drive. The weather is unpredictable! But I am thankful to be able to see storms rolling in and out along the coastline. What an amazing experience! In between storms the sun creates nature’s finest rainbows and spectacular photos opportunities.