Great Ocean Road 3 Day Itinerary from Melbourne

Day	Area	Highlights
1	Melbourne to Apollo Bay	Torquay, Bells Beach/Djarrak, kangaroos in Anglesea, Lorne waterfalls, the cliff-hugging drive to Apollo Bay
2	Apollo Bay to Port Campbell	Maits Rest rainforest, Cape Otway Lightstation, Wildlife Wonders, Port Campbell, sunset at the Twelve Apostles
3	Port Campbell to Melbourne	Gibson Steps, Loch Ard Gorge, The Grotto, London Bridge, Bay of Islands, inland return

Before it was a postcard drive, the Great Ocean Road was cut into the coast by more than 3,000 returned First World War servicemen between 1919 and 1932. It was a memorial, an employment project and a hard piece of coastal engineering before it became one of Australia’s classic road trips. The direct answer: a Great Ocean Road 3 day itinerary is the right pace for Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles if you want beaches, rainforest, wildlife and limestone cliffs without turning the trip into a long out-and-back drive.

The road is now on Australia’s National Heritage List as a 242-kilometre coastal journey. This plan keeps the classic east-to-west rhythm: surf coast first, Otways rainforest in the middle, Port Campbell’s limestone coast at the end. Sleep in Apollo Bay on night one and Port Campbell on night two, and the whole drive feels calmer.

Day 1: Melbourne surf coast to Apollo Bay

Morning

Leave Melbourne for Torquay, the official start of the Great Ocean Road. Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism lists the drive from Melbourne CBD to Torquay as 1 hour 17 minutes; Avalon Airport is closer to the start of the road, about 35 minutes’ drive from Torquay.

In Torquay, keep the first stop easy: a beach walk, a pause in town and a look at why Visit Victoria calls it Victoria’s surfing and beach capital. Then drive five minutes to Bells Beach/Djarrak, on Wadawurrung Country. The Wadawurrung name Djarrak means “bended arm,” describing the shape of the cliffs around the beach.

Bells is famous for the Rip Curl Pro, held around Easter and described by the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority as the world’s longest-running continuous surfing competition. Its local origin story is pleasingly practical: surfers were riding here in the late 1950s, then Joe Sweeney hired a bulldozer in 1960 to improve the dirt track.

From Bells, continue west along the Great Ocean Road toward Anglesea. If wildlife is high on your list, time Anglesea for the guided kangaroo tours at Anglesea Golf Club. The club has a colony of more than 300 Eastern Grey Kangaroos and runs 25-minute tours in a 13-seat Roo Tour vehicle; sightings are common, not guaranteed.

Afternoon

Make Lorne your lunch stop and waterfall base. From here, choose one waterfall rather than trying to tick off every forest track nearby.

Erskine Falls is 10 kilometres northwest of Lorne. Parks Victoria says a short 5-minute walk reaches the upper viewing point; the track down to the base is steeper and uses 240 stairs, so save it for dry conditions and steady knees. If you prefer a gentler forest approach close to town, Sheoak Picnic Area is nine minutes from Lorne and has parking and bathrooms, with the Sheoak Falls Walk following Sheoak Creek through coastal woodland and wet forest.

After Lorne, slow down for the Lorne-to-Apollo Bay section. The local tourism board highlights this 45-minute stretch as one of the route’s most scenic parts, with viewpoints including Cumberland River, Mount Defiance, Wye River and Cape Patton. Pull over only where parking is clearly signed, and avoid stopping on narrow shoulders just because the view opens suddenly.

Evening

Arrive in Apollo Bay and stay put. The local tourism board lists Apollo Bay as 197 kilometres from Melbourne CBD and about a 2.5-hour drive, with the scenic Great Ocean Road route adding about 30 minutes. That makes it a logical first-night base: far enough along the coast to feel you have arrived, close enough to the Otways for a relaxed start tomorrow.

Walk the beach before dinner if the weather allows. This is also where the Great Ocean Walk begins its long run west: the 110-kilometre walking route from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles crosses beaches, clifftops, rainforests and hinterland in Great Otway National Park and Port Campbell National Park. You are only sampling the landscape by car, but knowing the walking route is there changes the way the coast feels: less like a chain of lookouts, more like one continuous edge.

Day 2: Otways rainforest to Twelve Apostles sunset

Morning

Start with Maits Rest Rainforest Walk. The Otways walks guide describes it as an easy 800-metre loop through ancient trees and fern gullies; another local Great Otway National Park page notes trees up to 300 years old. It is short enough to fit into the morning, but it shifts the trip away from pure coast: damp air, ferns, dark trunks, and the sense that the Great Ocean Road is as much forest as ocean.

Continue to Cape Otway Lightstation. The lighthouse was built in 1848 and its official site describes it as the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. It stands 21 metres tall and 91 metres above sea level, and was known as the “Beacon of Hope” because for many 19th-century migrants arriving by sea after months from Europe, Cape Otway was their first sight of land.

During research, the lighthouse tower itself was closed for conservation works, with no tower climbs or interior access, while the heritage precinct and cafe remained open. Re-check the Cape Otway Lightstation official site before you travel for tower access, opening days, hours and ticket details.

Afternoon

Return toward Apollo Bay and consider Wildlife Wonders, just outside town, if you want a guided wildlife stop rather than scanning roadside trees and hoping. The tourism board notes that visitors may see potoroos, wallabies, koalas, kangaroos and birdlife, and that profits go directly to the Conservation Ecology Centre’s Otways conservation and rehabilitation work.

Then drive west toward Port Campbell. Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles is approximately 85.5 kilometres and about 1 hour 15 minutes via the Great Ocean Road, but do not treat that as the only time you need. Add room for forest exits, weather changes and the first glimpse of the limestone coast.

Make Port Campbell your second base. It is the closest full-service town for staying near the Twelve Apostles, with shops, cafes and a Visitor Information Centre. This choice matters: staying here lets you visit the Apostles at the quieter edges of the day instead of arriving with the middle-of-the-day crowd.

Evening

Go to the Twelve Apostles for late afternoon and sunset. The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority says the site is busiest in the middle of the day; early morning and late afternoon are quieter, and sunset is one of the best times to visit. The access setup includes a large sealed car park, designated accessible parking, 600 metres of sealed paths to accessible boardwalks and viewing areas, a 24-hour wheelchair-accessible toilet, wheelchairs on request from kiosk staff between 10:00 and 17:00, and a kiosk open 10:00–17:00 daily.

Only seven of the original Apostles remain, though there are about 30 rock formations along this coastline, and erosion means the count will keep changing. That is part of the power of the place: the view looks fixed, but it is not. At dusk, visitors may see Little Penguins returning to the beach below and sometimes their tracks in the sand, though wildlife sightings are never promised.

From October 2026, the new Twelve Apostles Visitor Centre is expected to introduce advance reservations and a booking-and-fee model. Check the official Twelve Apostles information before you travel, especially if your trip falls in or after late 2026.

Day 3: Port Campbell cliffs and the inland return

Morning

If conditions are right, start at Gibson Steps before the day builds. Parks Victoria describes access as 86 steps down to the beach, while a visitor guide elsewhere lists 89; either way, it is a real staircase, not a casual ramp. At low tide, the Gog and Magog rock stacks can be seen up close from the beach.

This stop depends on tide, swell and closures. Parks Victoria warns that the beach is often closed or inaccessible because of high tides and large swell, and these beaches are unpatrolled and not recommended for swimming. If the steps are closed or the ocean looks heavy, stay above and use the viewpoints instead.

Next, return to the Twelve Apostles if you want a morning look in different light, or go straight to Loch Ard Gorge. The precinct has 7 kilometres of linked trails; the local tourism board says to allow at least one hour, while its detailed trail list suggests 2–3 hours to explore the trails. For a three-day itinerary, choose according to weather and energy.

Loch Ard Gorge is named for the clipper Loch Ard, which struck Mutton Bird Island in 1878. Of 54 people aboard, only two teenagers, Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, survived. A newer First Nations-led layer of interpretation now sits here too: Poombeeyt Koontapool, completed in 2025, overlooks the blowhole; its structure is inspired by a Southern Right Whale, and the name means “breath of the whale” in Keerray Woorroong language.

Afternoon

Work west through the Port Campbell formations rather than rushing straight back to Melbourne. The Grotto is a cave and sinkhole about halfway up the cliff from sea level, with a paved pathway and decked staircase descending to the viewing area. London Bridge has one of the coast’s best stories: it once had a double arch, but the inner arch collapsed in 1989, leaving two people stranded on the outer side until they were rescued by helicopter.

Continue to Bay of Islands Coastal Park if you still have appetite for sea stacks and wind. The park stretches 32 kilometres toward Warrnambool. Dogs on leads are allowed in several areas, but the small beaches are unpatrolled and Parks Victoria does not recommend swimming there.

From here, decide whether your trip ends with the coast or with the practical route home. Parks Victoria’s Port Campbell National Park visitor guide gives the useful comparison: Port Campbell National Park is about 380 kilometres and 4.5 hours from Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road, or 230 kilometres and 3 hours via the inland route. For most three-day travellers, the inland return is the kinder choice.

Evening

Drive back to Melbourne via the inland route if you are returning the car or catching onward travel. Keep the evening flexible: storms, landslips, roadworks and safety warnings can stretch the day. The official local driving advice is simple but important here: stay on the left, use extra caution on winding sections, and stop only in clearly signed parking areas.

If you like comparing big road trips, this route pairs well with our more remote Iceland Ring Road 7 day itinerary: both reward slower days, weather patience and not measuring success by the number of viewpoints you can collect.

Practical notes for planning your Great Ocean Road 3 day itinerary

Base yourself in Apollo Bay on night one and Port Campbell on night two. Apollo Bay gives you an easy jump into Maits Rest, Cape Otway and Wildlife Wonders; Port Campbell puts you close enough to see the Twelve Apostles in late light and return early if you want a second look.

A car is the simplest way to follow this itinerary. This plan does not rely on a sightseeing or transport pass; drivers should budget separately for car costs, attraction tickets and any tours they choose. Public transport is possible but requires careful planning: local tourism advice says buses operate along sections of the route, with services to Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne and Apollo Bay connecting from Geelong, Marshall and Colac stations on the Melbourne–Warrnambool train line.

The researched V/Line timetable includes a Melbourne–Apollo Bay–Warrnambool service via Geelong, Anglesea and Lorne, plus limited Monday/Wednesday/Friday coach stops at Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, Port Campbell, London Bridge and Bay of Islands. Re-check transport.vic.gov.au or the PTV app shortly before travel because reservations, public-holiday changes and fire-danger cancellations can apply.

Book ahead for accommodation in Apollo Bay and Port Campbell, kangaroo tours at Anglesea Golf Club, Wildlife Wonders, and Cape Otway Lightstation if ticketing or access rules apply. Also re-check the Twelve Apostles reservation-and-fee system if travelling from late 2026 onward. For road safety, check VicTraffic and VicEmergency before and during the trip, especially after storms, landslips, bushfire warnings or high-wind events.

For rain, lean into the Otways: Maits Rest, Triplet Falls and Hopetoun Falls all suit a moody forest day, though steps and tracks can be slippery. Hopetoun Falls has an upper platform near the car park, while the closer view requires a 200-step descent and a steep return climb. Triplet Falls is set among Mountain Ash and Myrtle Beech forest, with mossy tree ferns and a small picnic area.

With kids, trim the long walks and keep the most reliable short stops: Torquay beach, the 25-minute Anglesea kangaroo tour, Maits Rest’s 800-metre loop, the accessible Twelve Apostles boardwalks, and one or two Port Campbell lookouts. With a slower pace, add a second night in Apollo Bay or Port Campbell rather than trying to extend each day after dark.

If you use Trailroll, add it to your planning routine before you drive rather than while you are on winding coastal roads.

The best version of this drive is not the longest checklist. It is the one where you watch surfers below Djarrak’s cliffs, smell wet fern gullies in the Otways, reach Port Campbell before sunset, and still have enough attention left on day three to notice how the coast is changing under your feet.