In shortA great ocean road wildlife tour here is one of two things: a full 12-hour day from Melbourne that adds koala, kangaroo or wildlife-park stops to the Twelve Apostles run, or a 75-minute guided walk at Apollo Bay from $41. All five run with an English-speaking guide, and the walk uses headsets so you hear the conservationist guide while moving quietly. The day trips, from $91 to $172, suit travellers based in Melbourne; the short walk suits anyone already staying on the coast.
5tours compared
from $41per adult
★ 5.018 reviews
Premium small group with wildlife and lunch
12 h · from $112 · ★ 5.0 (18)
For travellers who want meals handled: lunch, morning billy tea and coffee by the beach, a small minibus that reaches spots big buses cannot, and a bonus lookout photo stop when time allows.
See this tour
Backpacker wildlife day, ages 18-35
12 h · from $91 · ★ 4.9 (213)
Only 18 to 35-year-olds travel on this one, in an air-conditioned vehicle with coffee and/or tea, stopping at Kennett River, Lorne Pier, Fairhaven Beach, Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge.
See this tour
Walk with Wildlife at Apollo Bay
1 h 15 min · from $41 · ★ 4.9 (169)
For anyone already on the coast or wanting an easy path: 75 minutes with a conservationist guide along 1.4 km of all-abilities trail through grassland, forest and tree fern gullies, with headsets and binoculars provided.
See this tour
Small group with wildlife park entry and lunch
12 h · from $172 · ★ 5.0 (15)
For travellers who want kangaroos and emus seen for certain: wildlife park entry, a supervised educational dingo encounter, lunch at Apollo Bay, maximum 15 guests and a guaranteed window seat.
See this tour
Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles small group
12 h · from $112 · ★ 4.9 (30)
For people happy to buy their own food: an early departure to stay ahead of the crowds, national park fees included, and stops at Kennett River, Mait's Rest, Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge.
See this tourPhotos: the tour operator
What a great ocean road wildlife tour actually covers
The phrase covers two very different products on this page. Four of the five are 12-hour days out of Melbourne that fold animal stops into the run down to the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge. The fifth, Walk with Wildlife, is a 75-minute guided walk from $41 leaving from the Visitor Centre five minutes west of Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road, so it is something you add to a coastal stay rather than a day trip.
Kennett River is the koala stop, halfway between Lorne and Apollo Bay, with Grey River Road the main wildlife-viewing spot. Two of these tours list it: the 18-35 backpacker day from $91 and the Explore Australia small-group day from $112. Large tour coaches are not permitted to enter or stop within the Kennett River precinct, which is why wildlife itineraries run minibuses and midi-coaches.
Kangaroos and emus are far easier to see in a park than in a paddock from a moving bus. The $172 small-group tour includes entry to the Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park for kangaroos and emus plus a supervised dingo encounter at a sanctuary that supports conservation research, and it caps numbers at 15. The Nara minibus from $112 keeps to wild sightings along the route, with kangaroos and koalas watched for between Anglesea, Split Point Lighthouse, Apollo Bay and the Great Otway National Park.
Feeding and touching animals is prohibited. The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority operates under the Wildlife Act 1975 and explains that hand-fed animals lose foraging skills, gather in unnatural numbers that spread disease, develop dietary deficiencies and become aggressive. An H5 bird flu warning is active across Great Ocean Road parks: do not touch sick or dead wildlife, and report sightings to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888. Official advice for koala spotting is to look from a walking trail or designated area rather than pulling over on the roadside.
Timing decides what else you see. Southern right whales use Victorian waters from May to October and calve at Logans Beach, Warrnambool, between June and September, often within 100 metres of shore; humpbacks are most active off Victoria in June and July and again in September and October. Little Penguins come ashore at dusk below the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge lookouts, usually starting 10 to 15 minutes after sunset, with most arriving 20 to 25 minutes after. None of these five itineraries is built around whales or penguins, so read the stop list before choosing a date.
Which one fits you
First-timers who want everything arranged: the Nara day from $112, 12 hours, rating 5.0 ★ (18 reviews). Lunch and morning tea or coffee by the beach are included, pickups run between 7:00 am and 7:30 am from six city points, and the minibus keeps the group small.
Travellers aged 18 to 35: the Ride Tours day from $91, rating 4.9 ★ (213 reviews), is restricted to that age range. Air-conditioned vehicle, coffee and/or tea, and a stop list that takes in Kennett River, the Lorne Pier, Fairhaven Beach, the Razorback and the Memorial Archway.
Anyone staying on the coast, walking slowly or using a wheelchair: Walk with Wildlife from $41. The path is 1.4 km and all-abilities, the walk lasts 75 minutes, binoculars and headsets come with it, and family passes and the Companion Card are accepted. Profits go to the Conservation Ecology Centre.
Travellers who do not want to leave the animals to luck: the wildlife-park day from $172, maximum 15 guests, rating 5.0 ★ (15 reviews). Park entry, a dingo encounter, lunch at Apollo Bay, Mait's Rest, barista coffee before departure and a glass of sparkling, wine, beer or a non-alcoholic option at the Twelve Apostles.
People who prefer to buy their own lunch: the Explore Australia small-group day from $112, rating 4.9 ★ (30 reviews). National park fees and a friendly guide are included, lunch, snacks and coffee are not, and the early departure is designed to reach the main sites before the busiest hours.
Before you book
- Nara Day Tour pickups: 7:00 am at the bus and coach zone behind Federation Square, 7:05 am at the Chinatown 7-Eleven on the corner of Little Bourke and Russell St, 7:15 am at Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens, 7:20 am at Adina Apartment Hotel, 7:25 am at Rendezvous Hotel and 7:30 am at The Savoy Hotel. Look for the bus marked 'Nara Day Tour & Charter'.
- The wildlife-park tour meets outside Protagonist Café at Arts Centre Melbourne, 100R St Kilda Rd, by the spire, about 5 minutes from Flinders Street Station and inside the Free Tram Zone; drop-off at city-centre hotels is available on request.
- Explore Australia asks you to wait outside the main entrance of 688 Bourke St at least 10 minutes before your confirmed pickup time. That time is sent by message before departure and can differ from the advertised start time, so check your messages.
- Walk with Wildlife leaves from the Visitor Centre 5 minutes west of Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road. Headsets and binoculars are handed out, and the walk pauses at the Conservation Ecology Centre Research Hub.
- Food differs sharply: lunch and morning tea or coffee on the Nara day; lunch at Apollo Bay plus a drink at the Twelve Apostles on the wildlife-park day; coffee and/or tea on the backpacker day; lunch, snacks and coffee excluded on the Explore Australia day.
- All five listings offer a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Pack a windproof layer whatever the month. Cape Otway averages mean winds of 27.6 km/h at 9am and 3pm in August, and Apollo Bay's mean maximum drops to 13.1 degrees C in July.
- Dogs are not allowed at the Twelve Apostles, at Loch Ard Gorge or in Port Campbell National Park generally, and only assistance dogs are welcome at Tower Hill.
Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 10 November 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.
← Compare all 15 Great Ocean Road tours
More ways to plan your visit
