The Great Ocean Road in Two Days: Our Self Drive Itinerary

Known as one of the most scenic and beautiful road trips in Australia, the Great Ocean Road must be included on a trip to Melbourne. We spent two days self-driving this gorgeous stretch of coastline and it certainly lived up to the hype. Below is a two-day itinerary, perfect for seeing the most iconic spots. Certainly, adding a few more days to the trip would allow more downtime at some beautiful beaches or towns.

Note: I would not recommend taking an organized tour from Melbourne. It is done in a single day and provides little time at the sights with no flexibility.

Day 1

Rent a car in Melbourne

We rented a trusty Toyota Corolla in Melbourne and began our journey in the late morning. I would recommend picking up the car as early as possible, when the rental shops open. I had to wait a long time in line despite reserving on Expedia in advance.

Torquay

Our first stop was the town of Torquay. The Great Ocean Road technically starts there. Torquay is well-known as a surfing town, as the Rip Curl Pro Surfing Competition is held annually around Easter on Bell’s Beach. During our stop, we picked up some delicious coffee from Ocean Grind Coffee (highly recommended). We also grabbed some groceries from Aldi to make lunch and to have some snacks for our road trip!

Fisherman’s Beach provided a nice vantage point to enjoy our first glimpse of the ocean while enjoying our coffee in a peaceful setting. The water is much calmer and perfect for safe swimming. We watched a number of families enjoying a nice day at the beach.

Anglesea

Anglesea is a great place to stop if you want to see some kangaroos. Specifically, the Anglesea Golf Club is home to hundreds of ‘roos. The golf course offers 30-minute kangaroo tours between 10am-4pm for $12.50 AUD/adult.

We drove on the road beside the golf course and spotted a few kangaroos grazing in the shade under some trees. Knowing that they are most active from late afternoon to early morning, we decided to return on the following day.

Another place we stopped in Anglesea was Coogoorah Park Nature Reserve. There are a series of walking and biking trails and plenty of wildlife to see. Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to properly see the park, but we did get a glimpse of multiple bird species and various flora. It would be easy to spend a few hours there.

Airey’s Inlet

Our next stop was Split Point Lighthouse at Airey’s Inlet. This lighthouse was constructed in 1891 and offers beautiful views overlooking the inlet.

Although we did not take one of their daily tours to climb up the old stairs, we did enjoy checking out the gorgeous scenery.

Lorne to Apollo Bay drive

We saved the towns of Lorne and Apollo Bay until the second day, but it is worth noting that this stretch of the Great Ocean Road is the most scenic. There are plenty of places to pull off the road to take in the views. Take your time and enjoy the drive!

Kennett River

One of the best places to see koalas in the wild is Kennett River, located between Lorne and Apollo Bay. We heard koala sightings were guaranteed! Upon pulling off the Great Ocean Road at Kennett River, a left turn will take you to Grey River Road. This is where you are likely to see some of the adorable little guys.

We decided to park our Corolla near Kafe Koala and walk up Grey River Road.

Our first koala sighting occurred within the first 100m high in the trees. We saw another half dozen or so after that. They can be difficult to see, but your best bet is to look for a group of tourists pointing their cameras into a tree. That is a dead giveaway there is a koala nearby!

Twelve Apostles at sunset

After the koalas, we decided drive straight to the Twelve Apostles so we could catch them at sunset. Most of the drive after Apollo Bay is in a forested area and not incredibly interesting. Keep your eyes peeled for kangaroos though. We had one hop right across the road in front of our car!

Because the Twelve Apostles area such a popular attraction, a large parking lot is located on the north side of the highway. The walk from the parking lot and visitor centre to the Twelve Apostles is a short 10 minutes.  

Although these beautiful limestone pillars are called the Twelve Apostles, there are, in fact, only eight remaining. They erode at a rate of 2cm per year! This is due to harsh waves and wind, and the structures are susceptible to collapsing. The most recent stack to collapse was in 2005. However, because the cliff face is also eroding, the headlands will likely create new pillars in the future.

Port Campbell

We stayed the night in the coastal town of Port Campbell. We arrived to the Port Campbell Guest House and Flashpackers and after a quick bite to eat, we laid our heads on our pillows and were out for the count!

Day 2

The Grotto

There are a bunch of great things to see near Port Campbell including The Grotto. This was one of our favourite and most captivating places we saw on the Great Ocean Road. A wooden staircase led us down to a geological sinkhole.

This is where we were rewarded with an eye level view of the ocean through a giant limestone arch. Being there first thing in the morning was great, as there were only a couple of other people there and the lighting was fantastic.

London Arch (formerly London Bridge)

Our next stop was London Arch, an enormous limestone arch formed through natural erosion. It was previously known as London Bridge, as it resembled its namesake until it broke apart from the mainland in 1990. There are multiple viewing platforms to see the arch from different perspectives.

The Arch

Minutes from London Arch is yet another gorgeous arch, appropriately named The Arch. It was quite a dramatic sight to watch the waves crashing against the 8 metre high rock formation.

Loch Ard Gorge

This is a very popular stop on the Great Ocean Road, as it offers picturesque views of a gorgeous beach surrounded by impressive cliffsides. We did not descend to the beach, but rather took in the views from cliffside.

Despite the beauty of this place, the origin of its name carries a dark and tragic history. A ship by the name of Loch Ard experienced a shipwreck at nearby Mutton Bird Island in 1878. Sadly, only 2 of the 54 people aboard survived.

Twelve Apostles

We were so captivated by the Twelve Apostles that we returned on Day 2! Seeing it in the morning was a whole different experience than seeing it at sunset, due to the lighting and because there were far less people around.

We were not the only people with that idea, as we noticed some tourists we saw the night before as well! We absolutely recommend seeing the Twelve Apostles in the morning light, as the sun’s reflection off the rocks is impressively striking.

Gibson’s Steps

To get up close and personal with some giant limestone rock formations, we took Gibson’s Steps down the side of a cliff.

This took us to a beach where we watched the waves crash against the rocks and had opportunities to touch the large limestone rocks. You can reach the steps by walking from the Twelve Apostles Visitor Centre and parking lot (approx. 20 mins walk) or you can drive a few minutes down the road and park in the small lot on the side of the road.

Cape Otway

Because we thoroughly enjoyed seeing koalas on Day 1, we decided to go looking for more on day two. We learned that there is a large population that live near Cape Otway’s Lighthouse Road. Luckily, we were able to pull the car over on Lighthouse Road when we saw one lounging on a low hanging branch!

From a distance of no more than two metres away, we watched the adorable little guy eat his eucalyptus leaf lunch, scratch his itchy ears and wiggle his bum up and down the branch. We did notice the koala was getting quite agitated as more tourists stopped to join us, so that was our sign to leave.   

Apollo Bay

Our next stop was the cute coastal town of Apollo Bay. Many tourists use this as a place to spend a night, as it’s about the halfway point on the Great Ocean Road. We explored a few of the local shops and cooled off with some ice cream! If time permits, check out Mariner’s Lookout, which gives a gorgeous panoramic view of the town and coastline.

Lorne

Lorne is another charming town filled with great cafés, restaurants and shops beside another pretty beach. If time permits, take a drive up the hill behind Lorne to Teddy’s Lookout. This provides excellent views of the Great Ocean Road from a high vantage point.

Anglesea Golf Course

Since we wanted to see kangaroos when they are most active, in the afternoon, we returned to Anglesea Golf Course on Day 2!

There were no more tours scheduled for the day so we parked in front of the golf course and saw dozens of kangaroos hopping around living their best kangaroo life. We were even lucky enough to have a family of three hop right over to us!

Back to Melbourne

After getting our fill of beautiful landscapes and Australian wildlife, we headed to the Melbourne airport to drop our rental car off and prepare for our scheduled flight that evening.

Final Thoughts

Although we only spent two days driving along the Great Ocean Road, it is certainly possible to spend many more days exploring and relaxing on the beach. We did not visit each and every attraction along the way, but feel that this itinerary provides the highlights. We used our smartphones for photos, but if you are looking for a better camera, this one comes highly recommended. 

If you are visiting between June and September, I would suggest adding an extra day or two and going to Warrnambool. That time of year is a great time to spot Southern Right Whales! Finally, take your time to enjoy the sites, and be sure to keep an eye on your gas tank. There can be large distances between gas stations. Enjoy!