Great Ocean Road: Your Ultimate 2 Day Itinerary

Great Ocean Road 2 Day Itinerary

So you want to drive Australiaâ€™s famous, Great Ocean Road…

Excellent. Youâ€™re in for a real treat. This road certainly lives up to the hype as each twist and turn winds along the ocean for some truly magnificent views of the southern Australian coast line. Roll down the windows and turn up the music because itâ€™s time to check this bucket list road trip off your list!

Where is Great Ocean Road?

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 151 mile stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the small towns Torquay and Allansford. But many people start their road trip in Melbourne. We picked up a rental car at the Melbourne airport but this trip can be done in reverse as well of course!

Step-by-Step 2 Day Itinerary

We started out our day early from Melbourne with a rental car from Budget. Split between 3 people, it balanced out to be about $100 AUS per person for 3 days with the car. Just remember, in Australia they drive on the left hand side of the road! It can be a tricky adjustment to get used to, so drive carefully if you’re not from Australia!

Time to hit the road, it’s an hour and a half drive to the first stop.

Torquay

We stopped in this quaint little beach town to grab a coffee and hit up the Rip Curl Outlet. After eyeing some of their suits all over Australia, we were thrilled to find some for as cheap as $5 AUS. (Just $3 USD!) You wonâ€™t need too long at this little beach town- maybe coffee and a few shops. Then off to the next!

Optional: Take a surf class

Bells Beach

Great lookout points, tons of surfers and massive waves. Located just 9 minutes from the Torquay main strip. Bells Beach is considered one of Australia’s best surfing beaches. There are some short trails you can walk above the beach to soak in the views. But be sure to go down and dig your toes in the sand as well!

Split Point Lighthouse

Now youâ€™ve got a 25 minute drive until you arrive at Split Point Lighthouse. If youâ€™re Australian, you might recognize it from the TV show Round The Twist. This historic lighthouse started construction in 1819 because so many ships were crashing into the rocky coast line here.

This was one of my favorite lookout points on the drive.

It costs $10AUS to go to the top of the lighthouse.

There is some information inside and a guide at the top who can answer any of your historical questions! Yes, it’s a little expensive just to walk to the top. But the funds go to preserving this historic lighthouse so I was more than happy to pay for the great view from the top!

Great Ocean Road Lighthouse Great Ocean Road 2 Day Itinerary

Great Ocean Road Sign

Surprisingly, this well know sign is pretty far into the drive. Less than 10 minutes after the Split Point Lighthouse, you will see the sign up ahead. There is a small parking area where you can pull over and park so you can get the iconic photo with the Great Ocean Road sign!

Various Lookouts along the way

As you drive you will pass a number of scenic lookouts. These are marked so it’s easy to pull over and enjoy! Take your time as the road winds along the ocean.

Lunch Stop: Lorne

Depending on how long you take on the various lookouts, you can plan to do lunch in Lorne, it’s only 20 minutes from the sign. (Ours was a late lunch but still the perfect lunch stop!)

There is only one main strip of restaurants, shops and pubs in town but still, some great dining options! We chose to eat at The Bottle of Milk and have some dessert at Lorne Ice Cream afterwards.

We loved eating our ice cream at the park right across the street because the wild cockatoos here are awfully friendly! These birds were eyeing our ice cream cones up and down, it was funny to see them action. After sitting for only a moment, we were quickly surrounded by these eager birds!

Erskine Falls

From downtown Lorne, you can drive to the parking lot of Erskine Falls. Just a quick 15 minute drive and easily located on Google Maps! Itâ€™s a very short walk to the first viewing platform. But be sure to take the steps down and see the falls from the lower platform. There are a fair bit of steps coming back up but great views below.

After our time at the falls, we stopped for some groceries for picnic that evening. Then we drove to our Airbnb.

Two options here. First option: Spend the night in Apollo Bay. Some choose to watch the sunset at the Twelve Apostles but thatâ€™s a lot of driving back and forth so I don’t necessarily recommend that!

2nd (and I think better!) option: Stay in this idyllic yurt located right on Great Ocean Road.

Or somewhere nearby Sugarloaf if it’s booked for your dates! They also have guest houses on the site if glamping isn’t your thing.

Youâ€™ll have a beach nearly to yourself at sunset and fall asleep listening to the waves crash. You can see the road winding past and the site has great common areas for the additional rooms onsite. Itâ€™s remote, charming and my favorite place we stayed in all of Australia. The sunset was absolutely magnificent. The bed was awfully comfortable as we drifted off to sleep under the twinkling fairy lights.

Get $55 off your first Airbnb stay!

If you go, tag me in the post or story so I can reshare your visit to my all -time favorite spot 🙂

Great Ocean Road Great Ocean Road 2 Day Itinerary

Kennett River

If you have time to walk Kennett River the day before (after the Erskine Falls) feel free to do it then! Otherwise itâ€™s just a short 10 minute drive back the way you came. That way, you can go to the Kafe Koala for breakfast after your night in the yurt. Park your car at the cafe then walk up the gravel path through the manna gum forest for the best place to spot wild koalas in Australia!

These little guys are everywhere. We saw 7 wild koalas in the short time we were there. You can also drive up the gravel road if youâ€™re wanting to speed things along. But it’s easier to spot the koalas if youâ€™re walking! You will most likely spot some King Parrots as well.

Apollo Bay

Time to hit the road and drive 30 minutes up Great Ocean Road to Apollo Bay! Again, another small beach town. Here, there is just one strip of restaurants, shops, bars and souvenir stores. Walk on the beach, buy some souvenirs or grab lunch before you head on!

Enjoy cruising through the grassy hills of southern Australia as Great Ocean Road winds more inland.

Optional stop: Castle Cove Lookout 30 minutes from Apollo Bay

Twelve Apostles

Then youâ€™re off to Great Ocean Roadâ€™s most famous attraction, the Twelve Apostles approximately 45 minutes away. This collection of limestone stacks are a part of Port Campbell National Park and a massive tourist draw. Some people opt for a one day drive of Great Ocean Road and only come here. And while this spot is lovely, it’s not the only one worth visiting!

Optional: Helicopter Ride

Loch Ard Gorge

One of my favorite spots on Great Ocean Road was actually Loch Ard Gorge, just 5 minutes away from the Twelve Apostles.

Walk along the scenic tracks above but make sure you head down the stairs to the beach! Because that is where this beautiful gorge is located, also a part of Port Campbell National Park.

Shop my look: I recommend this Australia slouch hat. Or this one!

From here, you can chose to drive back to Melbourne. Reversing the route will take you about 3 hours if you opt to take the A1 inland highway back.

Or if you have the time, stay one more night and drive back to Melbourne in the morning like we did!

We opted for an Airbnb near Yuulong!

This allows time for several other great sites in the area:
Cape Otway Lighthouse
Triplet Falls
Johanna beach

We opted for sunset at Johanna Beach and had the entire place to ourselves.

Glow Worms at Melba Gully

We specifically stayed near Yuulong so we could see the glow worms at night! Fortunately our Airbnb host took us and showed us exactly where to go and there were hundreds lining the path! It was magical.

If you want to go yourself, just park at Melba Gully. Then walk down the path and follow Madsens Track. Follow this along the boardwalk. Keep going until you find the big patches of moss. Itâ€™s about a 10 minute walk in the forest at night but the boardwalk is easy to follow, just make sure you have a light. Then when you arrive at the worms, just be sure to shine your torches away. Turn them off for the full effect and take in the sight. As our host said, â€œ it’s like the lights of a city, twinkling from a distanceâ€.

This photo might not look like much but the reality behind this photo is quite astonishing. These small glowing lights are actually the thousands of glow worms living throughout Melba Gully. We clicked off our lights and stood before them in amazement.

The next morning we woke up and drove back to Melbourne. If you have time, stop at Cape Otway Lighthouse and Triplet Falls if you didn’t have time the day before.

Great Ocean Road 2 Day Itinerary

Did I miss anything on my 2 day itinerary? Let me know in the comments below!

And remember, always take the scenic route…