Great Ocean Road itinerary — 1, 2 or 3 days
One day reaches the Twelve Apostles and back — it is a long day and it works, from $139. Two days lets you stop properly and adds the Grampians. Three days does the coast and the mountains without hurrying either. All start and finish in Melbourne.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
The Great Ocean Road runs about 240km west from Melbourne and the famous stretch sits near the far end. That is the whole planning problem: a day trip spends a lot of itself driving, and the second day is where the road stops being a destination and becomes a drive.
1 day — the Twelve Apostles and back
What the day holds
- The surf coast at Torquay and Bells Beach, where the road begins.
- Rainforest at Maits Rest or Kennett River, and wild koalas in the trees above the road.
- The Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge — limestone stacks standing off the cliffs.
- Back in Melbourne the same evening. The reverse-direction version reaches the Apostles later, when the coaches have gone.
2 days — stopping properly
Day by day
- Day 1 — the coast road west with time at each stop rather than a photograph from the car park, overnight on the road.
- Day 2 — the Apostles in the morning light, then inland to the Grampians on the longer version, or back along the coast.
3 days — the coast and the mountains
Three days is the one that adds the Grampians as a place rather than a detour — sandstone ranges, waterfalls and some of the best short walks in Victoria, and a complete change from the coast.
Every length, with prices
| Trip | Length | What is in it | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Great Ocean Road + Rainforest Tour | 1 day | The classic day — coast road, rainforest, koalas and the Apostles | $139 |
| 1 Day Great Ocean Road Reverse Tour (with lunch) | 1 day | **Driven in reverse**, so the Apostles come later in better light, lunch included | $149 |
| 2 Day Great Ocean Road Tour | 2 days, 1 night | Two days on the coast with a night on the road | $369 |
| 2 Day Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour | 2 days, 1 night | Two days, adding the Grampians | $475 |
| 3 Day Great Ocean Road & Grampians | 3 days, 2 nights | Three days — the coast and the Grampians properly | $695 |
All leave from and return to Melbourne. Prices update on their own.
Which to pick
- One day if Melbourne is the trip and the road is an excursion. Take the reverse-direction run if you can.
- Two days if you want to watch the sun go down over the Apostles rather than drive away from them.
- Three days if you would rather see two landscapes than one — the Grampians are nothing like the coast.
- Penguins instead? Phillip Island is a different day out of Melbourne entirely, and the parade is at dusk.
The trips
People also ask
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Where this comes from. Each operator's own itinerary and pick-up sheet, as held on that trip's page here. Prices are the current from price and update on their own.