What day trips can you do from Melbourne?
Two: the Great Ocean Road and Phillip Island. The coast road and the Twelve Apostles from $139, or the penguin parade at dusk on Phillip Island from $149. Both come back the same evening, and both include pick-up. The Grampians need a night.
Checked on 6 October 2026.
Melbourne has two great days out and they point in opposite directions — west along the coast to the Twelve Apostles, or south-east to the penguins. Both are long days, and both are better done with somebody else driving.
The day trips
| Day trip | What you do | Effort | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Great Ocean Road + Rainforest Tour | **The Great Ocean Road**. Twelve Apostles, rainforest and wild koalas | 2 of 5 | $140 |
| 1 Day Great Ocean Road Reverse Tour (with lunch) | The same road **driven in reverse**, so the Apostles come later in better light. Lunch included | 2 of 5 | $150 |
| 1 Day Phillip Island and Penguins | **Phillip Island** and the penguin parade at dusk | 3 of 5 | $150 |
All leave from and return to Melbourne. Prices update on their own.
Which one?
- The Great Ocean Roadif you only do one. It is the famous drive, and the Twelve Apostles earn the reputation.
- The reverse-direction versionif you can choose — you reach the Apostles in the afternoon, when the light is better and the coaches have gone.
- Phillip Islandif you're travelling with children, or if you have already done the coast. The penguins come ashore at dusk and it is a genuine wildlife event rather than a show.
If you can spare a night
Two days stops you spending half the trip in the vehicle, and three adds the Grampians — sandstone ranges, waterfalls and some of the best short walks in Victoria, and nothing like the coast.
| Trip | Length | What it adds | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Day Great Ocean Road Tour | 2 days, 1 night | Time on the coast rather than a day of driving it | $371 |
| 2 Day Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour | 2 days, 1 night | **The Grampians** as well as the coast | $475 |
| 3 Day Great Ocean Road & Grampians | 3 days, 2 nights | Both, properly, with two nights | $695 |
Heading somewhere else from Melbourne
Melbourne is also the southern end of two long runs — west to Adelaide along the coast, and north to the Red Centre.
| Trip | Length | Route | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Day Melbourne to Adelaide Tour | 2 days, 1 night | Melbourne / Adelaide | $499 |
| 3 Day Melbourne to Adelaide Tour | 3 days, 2 nights | Melbourne / Adelaide | $922 |
| 8 Day Melbourne to Alice Springs | 8 days, 7 nights | Melbourne / Alice Springs | $1910 |
| 21 Days Melbourne to Cairns | 21 days, 20 nights | Melbourne / Cairns | $2765 |
What to do in Melbourne with kids
All three day trips take children, and each one has its own child price. Phillip Island is the one children remember: hundreds of little penguins come out of the surf and cross the beach after sunset.
| Day trip | What it is | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Day Phillip Island and Penguins | The penguin parade at dusk, with park entry included | $150 | $116 |
| 1 Day Great Ocean Road + Rainforest Tour | The Twelve Apostles at sunset, with a lunch stop in Apollo Bay | $140 | $101 |
| 1 Day Great Ocean Road Reverse Tour (with lunch) | The Great Ocean Road in reverse, Apostles before the crowds, picnic lunch included | $150 | $140 |
Children's prices are per child and update on their own. Lunch on the Phillip Island and the standard Great Ocean Road days is at your own cost.
The trips
1 Day Great Ocean Road + Rainforest Tourfrom $1401 dayView trip
1 Day Phillip Island and Penguinsfrom $1501 dayView trip
2 Day Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tourfrom $4752 days, 1 nightHostel and CabinView trip
3 Day Melbourne to Adelaide Tourfrom $9223 days, 2 nightsHostel and CabinView trip
1 Day Great Ocean Road Reverse Tour (with lunch)from $1501 dayView tripPeople also ask
- Can you do the Great Ocean Road in a day from Melbourne?
- Great Ocean Road itinerary — 1, 2 or 3 days
- What trips go from Adelaide?
- Which Australian tours can you do with children?
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.