melbourne to portland via great ocean road melbourne to portland via great ocean road

When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. You also get to enjoy free WiFi onboard, tea and snacks and relax in comfort between spots. The Great Ocean Road was built as a memorial for soldiers of World War I and this timber arch commemorates them. Sometimes, Tyler and Kara feel like they will never be able to escape the attention of people curious about their blond hair. A walkway just outside Lorne offers views of the ocean lapping up the mouth of the Saint George River and the Bass Strait. We are a single Mum with 3 kids, 8yo Boy and 5 and 4 yo girls. There are also speed traps to catch those not sticking to the limits with fines up to (and above) $300AUD. It offers easy transport options to Geelong and Torquay as well as plenty of car hire options. Youll also find theAustralian Surfing Hall of Famehere as well. Once youve had your fill, hop in the car for a quick drive and to the next and last destination of your road trip. Start your 3 day Great Ocean Road itinerary with a lazy morning in Torquay. In Portland we stayed at the Portland Holiday Village. It shows off sheer limestone cliffs, dairy farms and heathland, and gets you up close and personal with the crashing . A few minutes down the road from Sherbrook West is a large car park with trails to various viewpoints. There is no dearth of viewpoints on the Great Ocean Road and Teddys Lookout is another magnificent spot added to the list. Check out the Vline train & bus timetable to make your way between Geelong and Warrnambool. Brekkie tacos, smoothie bowls and a full lunch menu to eat in or take away will please anyone visiting. Day 3: Warrnambool to Port Fairy then Melbourne (or Adelaide) Distance: 30km to Port Fairy, then 312km to Melbourne. Less people in your 12 Apostles selfie! Walk up near the Grey River Road and you will find koalas lounging on the trees. If you have a registered account with us,then we have sent you an email to reset your password. I highly recommended checking out Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve and Port Fairy. The Great Ocean Road spans 200 kilometers, from Port Campbell in the west to Torquay in the east. Burrell received her first James Beard nomination for "Best Chef: Texas" in 2020 and . Melbourne - This is usually the starting point when planning an itinerary for Great Ocean Road. Finally, we made it to Bells Beach in Torquay, the end point of the Great Ocean Road. Or Warrnambool, Camperdown, Geelong, Melbourne. A staircase leads you to view it at the eye-level and is best experience at low tide at sunrise or sunset. Chasing waterfalls? Memorial Arch (8am) Our first stop was the Memorial Arch, which is located just past the city of Torquay. Depending on the vehicle you choose to travel, you can calculate the amount of CO2 emissions from your vehicle and assess the environment impact. Surf Culture at Australian National Museum of Surfing. Along the way be sure to stop off at one of the small towns for a late afternoon-snack or coffee, or you can take a detour up to Ballarat for the night to learn about the gold rush. - See 1,941 traveler reviews, 942 candid photos, and great deals for Melbourne, Australia, at Tripadvisor. After the last couple of years, it seems everyone wants to be out and about and go travelling. You will receive a link to create a new password via email. It has diverse vegetation ranging from lush rainforest to rugged coastline, it has everything from stunning waterfalls to tranquil lakes. The road winds through picturesque locations outdo one another in terms of visual extravaganza. For the best panoramic views in Apollo Bay head straight forMarriners Lookout. If youve hired a car youll most likely collect it at the airport. Conveniently located a little ways from Port Campbell, these serviced apartments have great rooms, a gorgeous pool area and make for a great stopover. Trust me, though, it'll be worth waking up early for. If you travel one way from Port Campbell to Melbourne (or vice versa), it is a 300 km journey. For many people, the Great Ocean Road is a highlight when visiting Australia. Republishing this articleand/orany of its contents (text, photography, etc. Not even 15km from Apollo Bay is the incredibly lush and beautifulGreat Otway National Park. An alternative to this driving route is that you do it in the reverse order. 15 years ago Save Would appreciate any advice for how long it would take to drive from Adelaide to Melbourne via the Scenic Ocean Road. GREAT OCEAN ROAD Routing: Melbourne to Adelaide Duration: 5 Days Code: M01 From AUD$685.00* per person, based on standard double/twin share accommodation. Apollo Bay is a gorgeous seaside village, located at the entry to the Otways, and without a doubt is one of the most scenic and picturesque stops on our Great Ocean Road drive. No Great Ocean road trip is complete without making a stop atMemoria Arch, which is less than 30 minutes from Torquay and a real highlight of the journey. A great photo op spot, this is one of the most photographed spots along the Great Ocean Road. The Great Otway National Park is located within the Otway ranges and covers the area from Torquay to Princetown. Blazing Saddles Trail Rides, Aireys Inlet. Mum, works 2- 3 days a week, Tues and Wednesday and Friday and has the children in daycare and . It can be done. Youll also find the end of theGreat Ocean Walkhere, which allows you to get some stunning coastal views from a boardwalk before taking to the beach to see these immense stacks from the ground. But if you are driving under the speed limit and following protocols, it could be one of the best drives of your life given the amazing view throughout the drive. Loch Ard Gorgeis the first attraction on the way, just a stones throw from the Twelve Apostles. 21 Awesome Things to Do in Ipswich, Queensland (2023 Guide), The Perfect 3 Days in Rockhampton Itinerary, 16 BEST Cairns Day Trips Not to Be Missed [2023 Guide]. Bells Beach is Australias premiere surf spot, a spot also labeled by some as the best surfing destination in the world. Now 2 pillars are left standing above the sea and make for an impressive view inPort Campbell National Park. It is a beast to carry around with me everyday but I love the photos get with it. Would like to do it in 3 days, 2 nights lodging and still see a few things. All the while, Tyler and Kara were screaming with delight, laughing afterwards. Part 1: Melbourne Part 2: Melbourne to Ballarat Part 3: Ballarat to Torquay Part 4: Torquay to Port Campbell Part 5: Port Campbell to Warrnambool Part 6: Warrnambool to Portland Part 7: Portland to Mount Gambier This will help you make the most of your time so you can see the things that matter to you. With the last day of your Great Ocean Road itinerary upon you, there is still so much to be seen and experienced. Read our detailed blog to know all about Skydiving in Melbourne and book your Great Ocean Road skydive. There were no surfers, really there was no one else here other than a few curious people like ourselves. Day 1 - Drive to the Grampians National Park from Melbourne, visit McKenzie falls and stay overnight in the town of Halls Gap. Have a great time. If you fancy trying your luck to spot some wildlife head out to nearbyLake Elizabeth. Carry a fast-drying towel, a bathing suit and a change of clothes to go swimming. ThePort FairyBotanical Gardensare a lovely spot for an afternoon walk and to admire the plants and flowers. Dont feed the koalas or the parrots as they are in the wild and any feeding them our food will disrupt their natural behaviour. Built in honour of the 3,000 soldiers who worked on this stretch of road after WWI, there is now also a sculpture there to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the arch. Thanks Natalie Seltz Towson, MD. . The worlds largest war memorial is built along the road whose story began in 1919 when World War I heroes returned home and started building a memorial for their martyrs. Private Great Ocean Road tour. The Great Ocean Road is one of the most epic road journeys you can go on across the world! We have been travelling the world together since 2008, with a passion for adventure travel and sustainable tourism. Whether you're a history buff, foodie, nature lover or adventurer get ready for a great weekend. The coastline of the Great Ocean Road is constantly changing and one such natural formation is the London Arch. 6 Melbourne: Werribee Open Range Zoo Admission Ticket. Things all of a sudden became a lot more exciting. Planning a trip to Australia? If you really want a unique perspective though, and love a bit of adventure, how does skydiving over the 12 Apostles sound? The Great Ocean Road offers amazing scenery, unforgettable natural features and quaint towns making it a unique vacation spot. Required fields are marked *. For more information on routes and trails visit the websitehere. The Great Ocean Road is one of Australias great drives. If you dont want to visit Warrnambool, drive from Melbourne to the 12 Apostles (over 2.5 hours). The direct route between these two locations is 142km, taking drivers around two hours to complete. The property at 36 Braemar Street sold for $6 million by private sale. Melbourne To Phillip Island Tour: A Complete Guide For A Perfect Day Trip, We've served 15 million+ guests and we are here for you, All You Need For An Epic Great Ocean Road Tour From Melbourne, Happy customers across 10,000+ experiences, 5,000+ verified reviews with 90% excellent score, Featured and recommended by the best brands, Have a question? Melbourne's two best day tours, Great Ocean Road & Phillip Island, with entrance to Melbourne Skydeck. All the points of interest mentioned above are marked on the Great Ocean Road Map below. If that is not an option though, or you dont like the idea of driving on the wrong side of the road, there are plenty of excellent tours likethis onethat will take you to see all the sights including the Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell, Otway National Park and more. Copyright 2023 | Sightseeing Tours Australia ABN: 53 204 539 966 | 252 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000 |, What should you not miss on the Great Ocean Road, Great Ocean Road Weather Local Weather Forecasts. Tip: Beat the tour buses to avoid the traffic and crowds. 375km of scenic winding roads along the southern ocean will take you through some of the countrys most beautiful UNESCO-listed landscapes. Although i highly recommend visiting Warrnambool, you may not have the time to spend there. Starting from Torquay, this route takes you through beautiful seaside towns and rain forests as you follow the winding road along the exquisite coastline. Truly a paradise, the area is a popular destination for water sports and recreation activities. We are Alesha and Jarryd, the award-winning writers and professional photographers behind this blog. Monumental. The Great Ocean Road is where you experience breathtaking nature and the great outdoors of Australia! Join the adventures on our YouTube channel! We had a villa, a small, two bedroom cabin with a kitchen and ensuite bathroom. . The Twelve Apostlesare one of the most amazing sights within Australia and its not hard to see why as you drive along the coast from Great Otway. If youd like to continue travelling Australia beyond the Great Ocean Road, you canhead northwest to Adelaide. You dont have to miss out on this epic road trip just because you are short on time. Check our. After the Twelve Apostles, continue along the Great Ocean Road towards Port Campbell. Read all of our articles in our Australia Travel Guide. You can walk, trek, horse-ride or bike through the park. It takes about 75 minutes to drive to, depending on the traffic leaving Melbourne. The distance between Melbourne to Portland via Great Ocean Road is 446 Km by road. Grab some coffee and stroll the foreshore. One of the most adventurous things to do on the Great Ocean Road drive is to do a bit of scuba diving. The Great Ocean Road winds through picturesque locations that outdo one another in terms of visual extravaganza. Further along, you will find verdant bush where koalas nest and then onto the lush rainforests with spectacular waterfalls and native wildlife. The Grotto is one of the most impressive sections of the coastline, and essentially a sinkhole. 3. Lorneis the closest town from the arch and a great spot to grab some lunch atBottle of Milk, use the facilities and continue on towardsKennett River. Now youll be able to find the wreckage in shallow waters, which makes it great for divers to explore. Yes, you can do this as a one day trip from Melbourne, but I dont recommend it. PLACES TO GO IN AUSTRALIA: Spend some time in Sydney, go wine tasting in Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale, explore Uluru and the Red Centre of Australia, visit Melbourne, go snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, and dont miss Tasmania, one of our favorite places in Australia. A Melbourne road trip to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road can be done over 5 days, easily seeing the best of the Ocean Road highlights. You will want to try and get ahead of as many tour buses as you can. Imagine free falling from the sky onto these gorgeous views? 5 Melbourne: 2-Hour City Highlights River Cruise. For most people, the trip willstart in Melbourneand can be done in a loop or a return journey. Our particular itinerary starts in Melbourne and finishes in Port Fairy over 3 days, and is the exact route we have personally done numerous times. Just a few minutes west of the border you'll come across a beautiful pink salt lake. ULURU: In our Guide to Uluru and Kata-Tjuta, learn how to get here, what to do, and how to plan your time. Most take this road trip to visit the iconic Twelve Apostles but fall in love with the grandeur of nature. How far is the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne? 1 Melbourne: 1-Day Entry Ticket to Melbourne Zoo. The Great Ocean Road in Victoria is a world-famous, Australian National Heritage-listed site along the Sydney to Melbourne drive. Hopetoun Falls Just gorgeous, the walk to these falls is not very far, though it does involve steps. A sandy trail took us down to a beach. However, if you're short on time and want to cover a good portion of the Great Ocean Road, signing up for an organized trip from Melbourne will come handy. Phone: +61 3 5227 9100 Toll Free: 1800 AVALON (1800 282 566) Getting to the Great Ocean Road By Car Travel time FROM MELBOURNE CBD 1hr 17min The step by step directions below should take you there: - Travel from Melbourne city onto the Westgate Freeway - Continue onto Princes Freeway - Continue onto Geelong Ring Road - Follow the signs for Torquay Battery Hillis a great spot to get a view from on high of the town and see some pieces of Port Fairy history like the remnants of a Russian invasion from the 1860s. Day 2 - Pinnacles Walk in the Grampians National Park and drive to Port Campbell on the Great Ocean Road to stay overnight. Sandstone cliffs plunging into the ocean, pillars of hardened sandstone sitting just offshore, all of this being pounded by some serious waves. The standalone arch was earlier connected to the coast with another such arch giving it the name London Bridge, but in 1990 the connecting arch fell down due to erosion. MELBOURNE: Melbourne is our favorite city in Australia. Drive Time: 30 minutes to Port Fairy, 4 hours to Melbourne. If you don't want to take the ferry, you can also take the alternative route via Geelong by car, although the ferry crossing is much nicer. It takes 3 day to drive through the Great Ocean Road and to see all the attractions on the way. Continue on from this point as there are tons of Great Ocean Road attractions to come. The Perth to Adelaide Drive (via the Nullarbor Plain) 3,700 km | 16 days Swim with dolphins, climb the giant Gloucester Tree, camp among . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Earth Trekkers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon.com. We could not get too close to the edge or else we would risk being pulled into the ocean by a rogue wave. We parked at a small car park and were the only ones here. During your travel, you plan to visit the following- 1) Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay, Victoria, Australia Recent Melbourne distance calculations Distance from Melbourne to New York , United States Distance from Melbourne to Canberra via Albury NSW 2640 It has great local produce, excellent surf beaches, and play parks for the kids to burn off energy. There are also several wineries and breweries in the area worth stopping in at to pick something up to enjoy throughout the rest of your trip too. It is the southernmost active regular passenger railway station on the Australian mainland (several other Victorian Railways lines such as the branch lines to Timboon and Crowes did venture further south but all have now closed). Wendy Report inappropriate content Its a lot of driving. We personally stayed there when we travelled across Australia, and highly recommend it. Phillip Island: Penguin Parade Afternoon Wildlife Tour, Autumn (March to May): Cooler weather and fewer tourists, Winter (June to August): Whale watching season, cheaper accommodation and few tourists, Spring (September to November): Flowering season, perfect for visiting the Otways, mild weather and fewer crowds. From Melbourne, head to Geelong and then south to Torquay. Day 1: Melbourne to Port Campbell We depart from Southern Cross Coach Terminal on Spencer Street at 8:30am before we commence this amazing 4 day, 3 night guided Great Ocean Road & Beyond Itinerary. Its a highlight of a Great Ocean Road itinerary! To do this, leave Melbourne before 8am as most tours leave Melbourne city between 8am and 9am. In this guide, learn how to plan a trip around the world. Stevenson Falls, Triplet Falls, Little Aire Falls, andHopetoun Fallsare just a few of the many highlights here. For those who love to drive and are comfortable in driving outside the city and through a variety of terrain it is a paradise waiting to be explored. A lot of people will finish the day in Warrnambool and spend the there, as it is the largest town along the Great Ocean Road. Poor Tim got hit hard by the wave, soaking his feet. The Cape Otway lighthouse is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Australia and was rightly known as the Beacon of Hope. With great facilities, cozy apartment-style suites and great views from almost any room on site, this is your best choice if youd like a bit of space to stretch out after a big day of driving the Great Ocean Road. The lake views here are stunning and if youre lucky you might even be able to lay your eyes on a platypus or two. Director, editor and producer of feature documentary about animal welfare in farming. The whole trail is about 15km, but your best chances for spotting the cute indigenous animals are about 6km in atGrey River. Sightseeing Time: 4 hours. The two-way highway is scenic as it gets and covers iconic landmarks like the Twelve Apostles, Apollo Bay, and the Otways. Its not nearly as scenic to do it this way, but it does save you about 50 km and one hour of driving. The total time you can expect to spend driving the Great Ocean Road and return, including stops, is at least 10 hours. Find out more and plan your adventure. Loch Iel (Pink Lake) The inland Melbourne to Adelaide drive takes around 5.5 hours from the Grampians. Along the way you'll stop by the border of Victoria and South Australia and a red line marks the exact spot. Your Great Ocean Road itinerary may be coming to an end, but dont worry, youll finish up with a dreamy little visit toPort Fairy. Bunyip Tours: Great Ocean Road - See 1,943 traveler reviews, 942 candid photos, and great deals for Melbourne, Australia, at Tripadvisor. Bells Beach is known for hosting Rip Curl Pro, a world surfing competition. We walked out to the tip of the peninsula. Before making your way onto day number 3 of your adventure-packed Great Ocean Road trip youll be looking for a place to catch a good nights sleep. It takes travellers past world-class surfing breaks, through pockets of rainforest and calm seaside towns, and under koala-filled tree canopies. The Twelve Apostles are giant limestone stacks jutting out of the ocean that form one of the most recognizable landscapes in Australia. Both are natural, offshore stone archways. Cannon Hillis a great place to start if you want to get the lay of the land. FromWarrnambool Breakwaterall the way toLogans Beachthis is a great spot to take in the coastal views and even pass a little penguin breeding ground. You can also find the flight distance or distance to fly from Melbourne to Portland via Great Ocean Road. However, Loch Ard Gorge is still a stunning place for a swim. The waves here are huge and come fast and furious, making this area a great surfing spot. It has some of the best park guides in the area to teach you about the history of the volcano as well as local Aboriginal history. Lorne Seabaths, Gym, inground Trampolines for kids, and more. These two areas are highly populated by local surfers, keen to ride their magnificent waves. I dashed out of the cave to higher ground, able to stay dry. The first stop when driving the Great Ocean Road will beGeelong. Just prepare yourself for a full day with an early start and late(ish) finish. While it is a large city the laid back beach vibe is very present here and you could wind up spending more time here than you planned. The drive offers plenty of places to stop off and explore. If you arent restricted to only 1 day, give yourself at least 2 days to do the Great Ocean Road drive. Departs: 7:00am. 30 mins), 446 Km - Distance from Melbourne to Portland via Great Ocean Road, FAQ about Distance from Melbourne to Portland, The driving distance from Melbourne to Portland via Great Ocean Road is, Directions from Melbourne to Portland via Great Ocean Road, map from Melbourne to Portland via Great Ocean Road, Travel time from Melbourne to Portland via Great Ocean Road, Distance from Melbourne to New York , United States, Distance from Melbourne to Canberra via Albury NSW 2640, Distance from Melbourne to Canberra via Albury New South Wales, Distance from Melbourne to Canberra via Orbost.