Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and the Otways, from Melbourne
Fifteen Great Ocean Road tours from Melbourne, from a 12-hour coach day to a three-day trip that ends in Adelaide. Start with the route, the size of the group and how many days you have.
Pick the kind of tour:
The classic order: Torquay, the Memorial Arch and koalas in the morning, the Twelve Apostles in the afternoon, and Melbourne after dark. Most of these days run 12 to 14 hours.
Best for most visitorsMorning tea near Torquay, koala spotting at Kennett River, a rainforest walk in the Otways and about an hour at the Twelve Apostles, with pickup from a set list of hotels.
Pickup 7:00 to 8:00, back about 8:30 to 9:30 pm
Morning tea included, and the choice to walk down Gibson Steps to the beach below the cliffs. Pickup from selected hotels.
Pickup 7:00 to 8:00
Lowest price in this orderA mid-size coach with a free audio guide app and national park fees in the price. Meet at Flinders and Market Streets or outside a listed hotel; lunch is bought in Apollo Bay.
Meets 7:00 at Flinders and Market Streets
Lunch includedLunch and a morning tea by the beach are included, with wild koala spotting on the way. Meet in front of The Savoy Hotel Melbourne.
Meets at The Savoy Hotel Melbourne
These tours drive inland first and reach the Twelve Apostles in the morning, then follow the coast road back towards Melbourne.
Most reviewed reverse tourNo more than 12 guests in a minivan, the Twelve Apostles in the morning and a 20-minute rainforest walk on the way back. Pickup points are a short walk from anywhere in the CBD.
Pickup points from 6:30
Drives inland first, so you reach the Twelve Apostles in the morning, then the Razorback, Loch Ard Gorge and lunch in Apollo Bay. Hotel pickup in the CBD, Southbank and Docklands.
Hotel pickup, time sent the day before
Lunch includedDrives inland to the Twelve Apostles first; a light lunch, morning tea and a guided rainforest walk at Maits Rest or Melba Gully are included.
Meets 7:35 at the Immigration Museum
Lowest priceThe lowest price on this site: the coach leaves from the Immigration Museum on Flinders Street and drives inland to the Twelve Apostles first. Lunch is at your own cost.
Starts 7:00 at the Immigration Museum
A later start with the Apostles at the end of the day, a car for your own party, or two or three days with nights on the coast or in the Grampians.
Later startPicks up mid-morning and saves the Twelve Apostles for the end of the day, with a dinner stop in Colac on the way back.
Pickup 9:00 to 10:00, 10:00 to 11:00 in daylight saving
Only your partyOnly your party, picked up from your Melbourne address, with tolls and parking included; how long you stay at each stop is agreed with your driver-guide.
Starts 8:30, 8 to 12 hours
A night in Apollo Bay in a dorm bed (upgrades available), Erskine Falls and Sheoaks Falls on day one, and the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge on day two.
Pickup on Flinders Street, two days
Ends in AdelaideOne way to Adelaide with nights in Warrnambool and Halls Gap, about 6.5 km of guided bushwalks in the Grampians, and breakfasts and dinners included.
Meets 7:35 at the Immigration Museum, ends in Adelaide
An example based on one tour, the most-reviewed on this site: the small-group eco tour from Melbourne. Stop lengths are the operator's own; other tours run the same coast in a different order.
From a hotel on the operator's list; the exact time comes after you book.
Included, near the start of the Great Ocean Road.
The photo stop under the arch.
Looking for wild koalas and native birds in the eucalyptus.
Free time and lunch at your own cost.
A guided walk among tall trees and ferns.
The lookouts, and Gibson Steps when conditions and access allow.
Cliffs, a sheltered beach and the story of the 1878 shipwreck.
A short dinner stop at your own cost.
About 14 hours after the first pickup.
Tour or driving yourself
| Driving yourself | On a tour | |
|---|---|---|
| The drive | A Twelve Apostles day from Melbourne takes 12 to 14 hours with the stops, on the left-hand side of the road, and the Lorne to Apollo Bay section is narrow and winding. | A driver-guide does all of it, and you watch the coast. |
| The way home | The official advice is not to drive the Lorne to Apollo Bay stretch at night and to take a break every 45 to 60 minutes. | Most day tours get back after dark, and someone else is at the wheel. |
| Twelve Apostles entry | Since 16 October 2026 you need a booking to enter the precinct, car park and lookouts included. | Operators can reserve arrival slots up to four months ahead. |
| Koalas | Easy to drive past Kennett River without stopping in the right spot. | Most day tours stop there to look for them with you; sightings are never guaranteed. |
| Signal and food | Phone reception is unreliable, and many cafés along the route close by 2:30 pm. | Lunch stops are timed in Apollo Bay or Lorne, and some tours include lunch. |
| The stories | Signboards at the main stops. | Commentary on the road builders and the Loch Ard shipwreck as you go. |
Honest note
Driving yourself works well with two or three days, which is what the regional tourism body recommends: the road is slow and the stops are many. For a single day from Melbourne a tour is the easier choice, because the day is 12 to 14 hours and the drive back is mostly in the dark. With more time, a two- or three-day tour gives you both.
Compare the toursPractical info
The weather by season, and what to bring on the day.
Tours run all year. Seasons are the southern-hemisphere way round: at Apollo Bay the average high is 21.9 °C in January and 13.1 °C in July, and the weather can turn within a couple of hours in any month.
Summer days are long enough to see the Apostles in the evening light; in winter the light goes early and August is the wettest month, which is also when the waterfalls run best. Short-tailed shearwaters return to Loch Ard Gorge at dusk from October to April.
More detail: Great Ocean Road weather and the best time to go
Most day tours leave Melbourne between 6:30 and 8:00 am and get back in the evening. Bring layers and a windproof jacket whatever the forecast, shoes with grip for the steps at Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge, and cash or a card for lunch.
Lunch is at your own cost on most day tours. Phone signal is patchy, so save your booking confirmation before you leave. Do not touch sick or dead wildlife: a bird flu warning is active in the Great Ocean Road parks.
More tips: What to expect on a Great Ocean Road tour
Starting prices and ratings from each booking page. Tour prices are in US dollars, as listed on Viator, and per person.
The classic order: Torquay and the surf coast in the morning, koalas at Kennett River, lunch in Apollo Bay, the Twelve Apostles in the afternoon and Melbourne after dark.
Most reviewed in this group
14 h
Morning tea near Torquay, koala spotting at Kennett River, a rainforest walk in the Otways and about an hour at the Twelve Apostles, with pickup from a set list of hotels.
13 h
A mid-size coach with a free audio guide app and national park fees in the price. Meet at Flinders and Market Streets or outside a listed hotel; lunch is bought in Apollo Bay.
13 h
Morning tea included, and the choice to walk down Gibson Steps to the beach below the cliffs. Pickup from selected hotels.
12 h
A small group of hikers: a 1 km rainforest hike to an Otways waterfall, the Californian Redwoods and the beach at Gibson Steps. Meet outside the NGV; adults only.
from $154 per person
Check dates
12 h
Lunch and a morning tea by the beach are included, with wild koala spotting on the way. Meet in front of The Savoy Hotel Melbourne.
from $112 per person
Check datesThese drive inland first and reach the Apostles in the morning, then follow the coast road back. The official land manager advises visiting early or later in the day to avoid crowds.
Most reviewed in this group
12 h
No more than 12 guests in a minivan, the Twelve Apostles in the morning and a 20-minute rainforest walk on the way back. Pickup points are a short walk from anywhere in the CBD.
12 h
Drives inland first, so you reach the Twelve Apostles in the morning, then the Razorback, Loch Ard Gorge and lunch in Apollo Bay. Hotel pickup in the CBD, Southbank and Docklands.
13 h
Drives inland to the Twelve Apostles first; a light lunch, morning tea and a guided rainforest walk at Maits Rest or Melba Gully are included.
from $126 per person
Check dates
12 h
The lowest price on this site: the coach leaves from the Immigration Museum on Flinders Street and drives inland to the Twelve Apostles first. Lunch is at your own cost.
A later start with the Apostles at the end of the day, a car for your own party, or an 11-hour day with no more than 11 passengers.
Most reviewed in this group
11–14 h
Picks up mid-morning and saves the Twelve Apostles for the end of the day, with a dinner stop in Colac on the way back.
11 h
A shorter 11-hour day in a minivan, with pickup from selected city-centre hotels and a stop at the Great Ocean Road Ecolodge.
8–12 h
Only your party, picked up from your Melbourne address, with tolls and parking included; how long you stay at each stop is agreed with your driver-guide.
A night in Apollo Bay or the Grampians, or three days that end in Adelaide. More time at each stop and no 14-hour day.
Most reviewed in this group
2 days
A night in Apollo Bay in a dorm bed (upgrades available), Erskine Falls and Sheoaks Falls on day one, and the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge on day two.
3 days
One way to Adelaide with nights in Warrnambool and Halls Gap, about 6.5 km of guided bushwalks in the Grampians, and breakfasts and dinners included.
2 days
A night in the Grampians after the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge, with about 4 km of guided bushwalks, lunch and dinner included. Adults only.
Worth knowing
FAQ
Short answers to what people ask most before they book. Tour details come from each tour's booking page, checked 10 November 2026.
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