Victoria Great Ocean Road
5
Day Itinerary •
Australia
Five days in Victoria give you the full extraordinary sweep of Australia's most culturally rich state, from Melbourne's remarkable laneway cafe culture and the extraordinary Yarra Valley wine region to the Great Ocean Road's wild Southern Ocean clifftops, the remarkable Twelve Apostles and the extraordinary Grampians National Park with its fine Aboriginal rock art and the finest wildflower displays in Victoria. This route covers the complete Victoria experience. Melbourne laneways and Fitzroy, the Yarra Valley wine and food trail, the Great Ocean Road from Torquay to the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge, and the extraordinary Grampians National Park with the remarkable Mackenzie Falls, the Pinnacle Walk and the fine Brambuk Cultural Centre.
Best Time To Visit
Mar to May and Sep to Nov. Sep to Nov wildflowers in Grampians.
Getting There
Melbourne Tullamarine Airport. Direct international and domestic flights.
Getting Around
Melbourne tram free in CBD. Car essential for Great Ocean Road and Grampians.
Budget Per Day
Approx A$200 to A$450 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy to moderate. Pinnacle Walk in Grampians is moderate.
DAY 1
MELBOURNE CITY
MORNING
MELBOURNE LANEWAYS AND STREET ART
Melbourne's extraordinary laneway network gives the finest hidden urban experience in Australia, the famous Hosier Lane with its layered street art, the remarkable Degraves Street espresso strip and the fine Flinders Lane gallery precinct giving the finest single urban morning in the country. The remarkable Flinders Street Station and the extraordinary Federation Square beside the Yarra give the finest city introduction. The remarkable Birrarung Marr park along the Yarra is outstanding. Free. Travel: 15 min tram
MIDDAY
QUEEN VICTORIA MARKET
The Queen Victoria Market operating since 1878 is the most extraordinary working market in the Southern Hemisphere, its remarkable fresh produce sheds, the extraordinary deli hall and the fine clothing and craft stalls giving the finest single place to experience Melbourne's multicultural food culture. The remarkable organic Wednesday and Saturday markets are the finest in Victoria. The extraordinary night market in summer runs Wednesday evenings. Travel: 20 min tram
AFTERNOON
FITZROY AND COLLINGWOOD
Fitzroy's extraordinary Brunswick Street and the fine Smith Street in Collingwood give the finest inner-city neighbourhood experience in Australia, the remarkable concentration of independent bookshops, vintage clothing stores, galleries and bars giving the most vibrant cultural afternoon in Melbourne. The extraordinary Gertrude Street with its remarkable design precinct and the fine Edinburgh Gardens are outstanding.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
Hosier Lane is famous but Rutledge Lane directly behind it has equally extraordinary street art with almost no other visitors. Walk through Hosier and loop back through Rutledge for the complete experience. Entirely free. The finest hidden street art in the Melbourne CBD.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Degraves Street cafe Outstanding laneway coffee. Melbourne's flat white culture is extraordinary. | Lunch: Queen Victoria Market Outstanding fresh market food. Victorian produce, deli and fresh juice. | Dinner: Attica, Ripponlea Outstanding Melbourne fine dining. Local Victorian produce at its finest.
DAY 2
YARRA VALLEY
MORNING
HEALESVILLE SANCTUARY
Healesville Sanctuary in the Yarra Valley is the most extraordinary Australian wildlife park in Victoria, its remarkable collection of native animals in naturalistic habitats including the extraordinary platypus, the wombat and the koala giving the finest single wildlife encounter accessible from Melbourne. The remarkable Birds of Prey show and the extraordinary Tasmanian devil enclosure are outstanding. Approx A$42 adult. Book the platypus experience in advance. Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
YARRA VALLEY WINE TRAIL
The Yarra Valley is the most extraordinary cool-climate wine region near Melbourne, its remarkable Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from producers including De Bortoli, Domaine Chandon and Punt Road giving the finest cellar door experience within an hour of the city. The extraordinary Domaine Chandon sparkling wine estate with its remarkable gardens and the fine Yering Station with its historical winery building are outstanding. Most tastings free. Travel: 1 hour drive to Torquay
AFTERNOON
TORQUAY AND GREAT OCEAN ROAD START
Torquay's extraordinary Bells Beach, home of the Rip Curl Pro surf contest since 1961, and the remarkable Surf World Museum give the finest introduction to Victoria's surf culture before starting the Great Ocean Road. The remarkable cliff-top walk above Bells gives the finest surf panorama in Victoria. The extraordinary Great Ocean Road memorial arch at the official start just west of Torquay marks the beginning of one of the world's finest coastal drives.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Warburton town in the Upper Yarra Valley is the most extraordinary hidden arts town near Melbourne, its remarkable collection of galleries, the extraordinary redwood forest walk and the fine Warburton Bakery giving the finest undiscovered valley town in Victoria. Entirely free to visit. 30 minutes from Healesville.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Hotel breakfast in Melbourne Before the Yarra Valley drive. | Lunch: Yering Station winery restaurant Outstanding Yarra Valley lunch. Local Pinot Noir and Victorian produce. | Dinner: Restaurant in Lorne Outstanding Great Ocean Road dinner. Local Victorian seafood.
DAY 3
GREAT OCEAN ROAD
MORNING
GREAT OCEAN ROAD AND LORNE
The Great Ocean Road from Torquay to Lorne gives the most extraordinary coastal morning drive in Australia, the remarkable road winding between the cliffs and the Southern Ocean past extraordinary surf breaks, dramatic headlands and the fine Aireys Inlet lighthouse giving the finest opening section of the road. Lorne's extraordinary Erskine Falls 10 minutes above the town give the finest waterfall accessible from the road, the remarkable 30-metre cascade into fern gully outstanding. Travel: 1 hour drive
MIDDAY
KENNETT RIVER KOALAS AND CAPE OTWAY
Kennett River between Lorne and Apollo Bay is the most extraordinary free koala viewing site on the Great Ocean Road, the remarkable grey gum eucalypts housing the finest accessible wild koala colony in Victoria. The extraordinary Cape Otway Lightstation, Australia's oldest surviving lighthouse built in 1848, gives the finest historical lighthouse experience on the road with the extraordinary Southern Ocean view from the tower. Lightstation entry approx A$22. Travel: 45 min drive
AFTERNOON
APOLLO BAY AND THE OTWAY RAINFOREST
Apollo Bay is the most extraordinary fishing village on the Great Ocean Road, its remarkable fish co-op with the freshest catch in Victoria and the extraordinary Otway Ranges rising immediately behind the town giving the finest combination of fishing village and rainforest on the road. The remarkable Mait's Rest rainforest walk 20 minutes east of Apollo Bay gives the finest ancient Otway myrtle beech and blackwood walk on the road. Walk free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Turtons Creek firewatch tower in the Otway Ranges above Apollo Bay is the most extraordinary hidden viewpoint on the Great Ocean Road, accessible by a short walk giving a 360-degree panorama over the Otway Ranges, the Southern Ocean and Apollo Bay below. Entirely free. Almost entirely unknown to visitors on the road.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Torquay or Anglesea Coffee before the road. | Lunch: Lorne restaurant Outstanding Great Ocean Road lunch. Local fish and chips. | Dinner: La Bimba, Apollo Bay Outstanding Apollo Bay restaurant. Local crayfish and Victorian wine.
DAY 4
TWELVE APOSTLES
MORNING
TWELVE APOSTLES AT SUNRISE
The Twelve Apostles are the most extraordinary coastal formation in Australia, the remarkable limestone stacks rising to 45 metres from the wild Southern Ocean giving the finest single coastal viewpoint in Victoria. The extraordinary sunrise light turning the stacks golden before the tour buses arrive gives the finest experience at Australia's most visited regional attraction. The remarkable helicopter flights over the stacks give an extraordinary aerial view. Viewing free. Travel: 15 min drive
MIDDAY
LOCH ARD GORGE AND THE SHIPWRECK HERITAGE
Loch Ard Gorge is the most extraordinary sea gorge on the Shipwreck Coast, its remarkable vertical limestone walls above a perfectly sheltered beach giving the finest single coastal walk in Port Campbell National Park. The extraordinary story of the 1878 Loch Ard shipwreck where only two teenage survivors reached this gorge, the remarkable Razorback stack and the fine Island Arch nearby are outstanding. Walk free. Travel: 2.5 hour drive
AFTERNOON
THE GROTTO AND GRAMPIANS ARRIVAL
The Grotto near Peterborough is the most extraordinary hidden coastal feature on the Great Ocean Road, a remarkable natural sea arch and cave eroded into the limestone cliffs giving the finest view through an arch to the Southern Ocean. The return inland via the Princes Highway to the Grampians National Park takes approximately 2 hours, the remarkable approach through the Western District farmland and the extraordinary first sight of the Grampians massif on the horizon outstanding.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Bay of Islands at Peterborough beyond the Grotto has limestone formations equal to the Twelve Apostles with almost no visitors. The extraordinary sea arches, stacks and blowholes give the finest undiscovered coastal park on the road. Entirely free. The finest hidden coastal gem on the Great Ocean Road.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Port Campbell cafe Before the sunrise walk. | Lunch: Cafe in Peterborough Outstanding local seafood. Southern Ocean crayfish. | Dinner: Halls Gap restaurant Outstanding Grampians base town restaurant. Local lamb and Victorian wine.
DAY 5
GRAMPIANS
MORNING
THE PINNACLE WALK, GRAMPIANS
The Pinnacle Walk from Halls Gap is the most extraordinary short hike in the Grampians, the remarkable 3.5km return route climbing through extraordinary quartzite rock formations to the Pinnacle viewpoint giving the finest panorama over the Grampians valley, Halls Gap and the Western District plains. The extraordinary rock art at Bunjil Shelter nearby shows the remarkable Bunjil eagle spirit, the most important Aboriginal art site in Victoria. Walk free. Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
MACKENZIE FALLS
Mackenzie Falls in the Grampians is the most extraordinary waterfall in Victoria, the largest waterfall in the state and the most remarkable year-round flow in the Grampians giving the finest waterfall experience in the park. The extraordinary walk down to the base of the falls and the remarkable swimming hole at the bottom are outstanding in summer. The fine Zumsteins historic picnic area with its remarkable kangaroo mob nearby is outstanding. Walk free. Travel: 30 min drive
AFTERNOON
BRAMBUK CULTURAL CENTRE AND RETURN
Brambuk Cultural Centre in Halls Gap is the most extraordinary Aboriginal cultural centre in Victoria, the remarkable living cultural centre operated by five Koori communities giving the finest introduction to the extraordinary spiritual and cultural significance of the Grampians to the Djab wurrung and Jardwadjali peoples. The remarkable building designed by Gregory Burgess and the fine cultural displays are outstanding. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Silverband Falls walk in the Grampians is the most extraordinary short waterfall walk in the park, a remarkable 30-minute return walk to a beautiful tiered waterfall in extraordinary bush with almost no other visitors compared to Mackenzie Falls. Entirely free. The finest hidden waterfall in the Grampians National Park.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Cafe in Halls Gap Coffee before the Pinnacle Walk. | Lunch: Cafe at Mackenzie Falls or Halls Gap Outstanding Grampians village cafe. Local lamb and produce. | Dinner: Restaurant in Halls Gap or en route to Melbourne Outstanding farewell Victorian dinner.
Where To Stay
Melbourne, Nights 1 to 2 QT Melbourne or The Adelphi. CBD. Approx A$180 to A$450. Port Campbell, Night 3 Port Campbell Guesthouse or Waves. Approx A$150 to A$320. Halls Gap, Nights 4 to 5 Grampians Eco YHA or Grampians Retreat. Approx A$80 to A$280.
Top Tips
1. Melbourne's Free Tram Zone covers the entire CBD. No myki needed within this zone.
2. Book Healesville Sanctuary tickets in advance in school holidays. Platypus and wombat encounters fill quickly.
3. The Twelve Apostles are most extraordinary at sunrise before tour buses arrive. Stay overnight in Port Campbell.
4. Grampians Pinnacle Walk is 3.5km return and the finest viewpoint in the park. Arrive by 8am in summer.
5. Kennett River koalas are the finest free wildlife stop on the Great Ocean Road. Drive slowly on Grey River Road.
6. Grampians wildflowers peak in September and October. Book accommodation months ahead for this season.
Total Budget
Approx A$200 to A$450 per person per day