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- All 25+ stops along the road Every named stop east to west, with driving distances from Melbourne.
- Attractions Limestone stacks, gorges, lighthouses and waterfalls.
- Great Ocean Road guide Where to start: the whole road, top stops and how to plan the drive.
- Interactive map The full route, towns and attractions on one map.
- Things to do Activities along the coast, sorted by the kind of day you want.
Attractions
- Bay of Islands Wide stretch of sea stacks and offshore towers.
- Bells Beach Australia's surfing temple — home to the Rip Curl Pro and some of the world's longest right-handers.
- Cape Otway Lightstation Mainland Australia's oldest surviving lighthouse, built in 1848 on the wild southern cape.
- Erskine Falls 30-metre waterfall plunging into a tree-fern gully ten minutes from Lorne.
- Gibson Steps 86 wooden steps cut into the cliff — the only beach access beneath the Apostles.
- Loch Ard Gorge Turquoise water, towering cliffs, and one of Australia's most haunting shipwreck stories.
- London Arch Formerly London Bridge — the inland span collapsed in 1990, stranding two tourists.
- Maits Rest 30-min boardwalk loop through soft Otway tree-fern gully.
- Memorial Arch The wooden arch at Eastern View marks the symbolic gateway to the Great Ocean Road.
- Otway Fly Treetop Walk 600-metre steel walkway 25 metres above the canopy.
- Split Point Lighthouse The 'White Queen' of Aireys Inlet — coastal walks, ocean views, and Round The Twist nostalgia.
- The Grotto Sea-arch viewing platform sitting below sea level at high tide.
- The Twelve Apostles Limestone giants rising from the Southern Ocean — the road's most photographed scene.
Towns and what's nearby
- Aireys Inlet Quiet lighthouse town with the famous Round the Twist headland.
- Anglesea Family beach town and the kangaroo-grazed golf course.
- Apollo Bay Midpoint town: working harbour, best food scene, Otway gateway.
- Beaches — Aireys Inlet Beaches in and around Aireys Inlet.
- Beaches — Anglesea Beaches in and around Anglesea.
- Beaches — Apollo Bay Beaches in and around Apollo Bay.
- Beaches — Lorne Beaches in and around Lorne.
- Beaches — Peterborough Beaches in and around Peterborough.
- Beaches — Port Campbell Beaches in and around Port Campbell.
- Beaches — Port Fairy Beaches in and around Port Fairy.
- Beaches — Princetown Beaches in and around Princetown.
- Beaches — Torquay Beaches in and around Torquay.
- Beaches — Warrnambool Beaches in and around Warrnambool.
- Getting here — Aireys Inlet Getting to Aireys Inlet.
- Getting here — Anglesea Getting to Anglesea.
- Getting here — Apollo Bay Getting to Apollo Bay.
- Getting here — Lorne Getting to Lorne.
- Getting here — Peterborough Getting to Peterborough.
- Getting here — Port Campbell Getting to Port Campbell.
- Getting here — Port Fairy Getting to Port Fairy.
- Getting here — Princetown Getting to Princetown.
- Getting here — Torquay Getting to Torquay.
- Getting here — Warrnambool Getting to Warrnambool.
- Lorne The road's prettiest town — pier, café strip, swimming bay.
- Peterborough Small fishing village with a sheltered cove between the Bay of Islands and London Arch.
- Port Campbell Closest town to the Twelve Apostles — sheltered harbour.
- Port Fairy Historic harbour town with bluestone cottages.
- Princetown The closest village to the Twelve Apostles — quiet, tiny, with a wetland and river estuary.
- Restaurants & cafés — Aireys Inlet Where to eat in Aireys Inlet.
- Restaurants & cafés — Anglesea Where to eat in Anglesea.
- Restaurants & cafés — Apollo Bay Where to eat in Apollo Bay.
- Restaurants & cafés — Lorne Where to eat in Lorne.
- Restaurants & cafés — Peterborough Where to eat in Peterborough.
- Restaurants & cafés — Port Campbell Where to eat in Port Campbell.
- Restaurants & cafés — Port Fairy Where to eat in Port Fairy.
- Restaurants & cafés — Princetown Where to eat in Princetown.
- Restaurants & cafés — Torquay Where to eat in Torquay.
- Restaurants & cafés — Warrnambool Where to eat in Warrnambool.
- Things to do — Aireys Inlet Things to do in Aireys Inlet.
- Things to do — Anglesea Things to do in Anglesea.
- Things to do — Apollo Bay Things to do in Apollo Bay.
- Things to do — Lorne Things to do in Lorne.
- Things to do — Peterborough Things to do in Peterborough.
- Things to do — Port Campbell Things to do in Port Campbell.
- Things to do — Port Fairy Things to do in Port Fairy.
- Things to do — Princetown Things to do in Princetown.
- Things to do — Torquay Things to do in Torquay.
- Things to do — Warrnambool Things to do in Warrnambool.
- Things to do near Aireys Inlet What's within easy reach of Aireys Inlet.
- Things to do near Anglesea What's within easy reach of Anglesea.
- Things to do near Apollo Bay What's within easy reach of Apollo Bay.
- Things to do near Lorne What's within easy reach of Lorne.
- Things to do near Peterborough What's within easy reach of Peterborough.
- Things to do near Port Campbell What's within easy reach of Port Campbell.
- Things to do near Port Fairy What's within easy reach of Port Fairy.
- Things to do near Princetown What's within easy reach of Princetown.
- Things to do near Torquay What's within easy reach of Torquay.
- Things to do near Warrnambool What's within easy reach of Warrnambool.
- Torquay Surf capital of Australia and the road's official start.
- Towns Ten coastal towns, each with food, beaches and where to stay.
- Warrnambool Western end of the road. Whales June–Sept at Logans Beach.
- Where to stay — Aireys Inlet Where to stay in Aireys Inlet.
- Where to stay — Anglesea Where to stay in Anglesea.
- Where to stay — Apollo Bay Where to stay in Apollo Bay.
- Where to stay — Lorne Where to stay in Lorne.
- Where to stay — Peterborough Where to stay in Peterborough.
- Where to stay — Port Campbell Where to stay in Port Campbell.
- Where to stay — Port Fairy Where to stay in Port Fairy.
- Where to stay — Princetown Where to stay in Princetown.
- Where to stay — Torquay Where to stay in Torquay.
- Where to stay — Warrnambool Where to stay in Warrnambool.
Itineraries
- 4-day relaxed By duration — 4-day relaxed.
- Couples By audience — Couples.
- Family By audience — Family.
- Itineraries Sequenced day-by-day plans from one day to a full week.
- The Apostles dash 12-hour return from Melbourne. Fast, exhausting, hits only the highlights — but it works.
- The classic loop Two nights, the full coast, koalas at Cape Otway, sunset at the Apostles, and time to actually breathe.
- The deep dive The Otway Fly, Tower Hill, Port Fairy, every waterfall, every secret beach. The only way to do the road justice.
- The weekend escape One night in Apollo Bay or Port Campbell, both ends of the road, sunset at the Apostles.
- With kids By audience — With kids.
Driving the road
Planning your trip
- Dog-friendly Great Ocean Road Which beaches, parks and tracks allow dogs, and which don't.
- Getting there from Melbourne Routes out of the city, drive times and the inland-vs-coast decision.
- How many days do you need? What you can honestly see in one, two, three or seven days.
- Plan your trip Everything to decide before you go, in the order you need to decide it.
- When to visit Season by season — weather, crowds, whales and wildflowers.