The Great Ocean Road which runs along the coast west of Melbourne is among the most beautiful stretches of highway in the world. It officially starts in Torquay at the iconic Great Ocean Road gate however we’re going to cover some other must see areas. These are the places we recommend you stop at and explore.

Bellarine Peninsula Wineries
Point Lonsdale
Point Addis
Erskine Falls
Koala Walk
Mariner's Lookout
Twelve Apostles
Loch & Gorge
London Bridge
The Grotto
Thunder Cave

Bellarine Peninsula Wineries

There are many excellent wineries located on the bay side with incredible views. The most impressive winery is Jack Rabbit and on a clear day you can see the skyscrapers of Melbourne.

We had a wine tasting at Scotchmans Hill. It was one of the best we have done. They had us compare similar wines that were made differently. It was located in a beautiful old building.

Point Lonsdale

A small quiet town is located on the headland of Port Phillip Bay. On the opposite side, across ‘The Rip’, is Fort Nepean. From Queenscliff, there is a ferry that can take you to the other side.

A steep path takes you over and down the sand dunes to the beach. The beach is wide and long. We walked along this beach at sunrise towards the lighthouse and captured some epic photos with a 200mm zoom lens.

Point Addis

Located next to the world famous Bells Beach. We drove to the car park at the peninsula viewpoint where there was a boardwalk with stunning coastal views. We had seen drone photos of a more spectacular spot. In search, we drove back towards the highway, parked the car on the side of the road and walked through the bush until we finally found the spot. Click here to view on google maps.

Lorne

Our first stop was Lorne, we had a lovely Greek breakfast at Salonika on the main beach street. After we had a short drive inland to the Erskine Falls. From the car park, we walked 5 minutes down the steep stairs to get a view from the base of the 30-meter tall waterfall. Alternatively, take the track that follows the river from Lorne to the waterfall.

The road between Lorne and Apollo Bay is the most picturesque with the road winding through dense rainforests and along the edges of towering cliffs.

Jamieson Beach

The main beach in Lorne is very popular. So in search of a quieter beach we found Jamieson Beach. The beach is located next to the Great Ocean Road just after Lorne. There are 2 small car parks on the side of the road and the beach is slightly hidden.

Volcanic rocks scatter the beach but there are some nice sections where you can walk into the ocean without rocks. We walked along the beach and found a nice spot in the shade below some trees.

Carisbrook Creek

Further along the Great Ocean Road, just before you reach Apollo Bay is another hidden beach gem. This beach is harder to find as there is a small car park hidden off the side of the road just after passing Carisbrook Creek. A secluded path led us through the bush and down to the beach. We were the only people on the beach and we watched the sunset. The beach was pristine with footprints of wildlife and volcanic rock pools scatter the beach.

Kennett River

The Koala Walk is halfway between Lorne and Apollo Bay. At the car park, we saw many Cockatoos and Parakeets landing on tourists and eating food from their hands. We walked up the inclining dirt road and spotted some wild Koalas. They weren’t hard to find as others had already found them. However, they were far away and sleeping. Back at the car park, we spotted a koala directly above us. He woke up and greeted us with a morning wee.

Apollo Bay

Like Lorne, Apollo Bay has many food options including Dooleys Ice Cream. We had time to spare so we found a quiet spot on the tranquil beach and relaxed. Before driving to our accommodation we drove up to Mariner’s Lookout for a stunning view of Apollo Bay and the coastline.

Our accommodation was a Glamping Tent on a farm in Sugarloaf (15 minute drive from Apollo Bay) with an unbeatable view of the ocean. This was our favourite stay during our travels. We went for a walk along the Great Ocean Road and We had a picnic dinner on the balcony and had cows watching us from the other side of the fence. The next day, we woke up early to watch the sunrise. The tent was in a perfect position so that we could watch the sunrise from our bed. All we had to do was open the tent door.

Port Campbell

Port Campbell is located close to the Twelve Apostles National Park. There are many incredible coastal rock formations to see and Port Campbell is a good base. The sights mentioned below were our favourites. All sights are located near a car park so there is not too much walking.

We spent the night at Port O’Call Motel. This modern beachy Motel was everything that we had hoped for and was in the center of town.

There aren’t as many food options in Port Campbell. Luckily we found Real Pizza Pasta Salads. On the other side of the road, we had yummy ice cream at Port Campbell Ice Creamery.

Twelve Apostles

The most popular, Twelve Apostles, was our first stop. The path took us along the towering cliff to the lookout with breathtaking views along the coastline. Although only 8 remain due to erosion.

Gibson Steps

Before reaching the 12 Apostles lookout there is the Gibson Steps car park. From here, we walked down the steep zig zagging staircase to the beach. Towering cliffs rise from the beach and a large stand alone rock sits in the water. It’s an epic spot for sunset.

Loch & Gorge

Make sure you bring your swimming gear with you as the path takes you down the stairs to a sheltered cove with calm water and sheer cliffs.

London Bridge

You wouldn’t expect to find a site called London Bridge here. However, there is an uncanny resemblance.

The Grotto

The Grotto is a very unique rock window. From here you look through the jagged-edged circle to the ocean and reflecting rockpool.

Thunder Cave

Our last stop was Thunder Cave. As the name suggests, the waves hit the cave and make echoing thunder noises.

Timboon

20 minutes inland from the 12 Apostles is Timboon. This little town is a foodies paradise and it’s on the food trial. We had the most delicious ice cream at Timboon Ice Creamery. They also have little shops along the Great Ocean Road. The next morning we were back to have breakfast at Schulz Cheesery. Followed by a whisky tasting at Timboon Railway Shed Distillery.

River Nook

The Gellibrand River runs through Princeton and meets the sea next to Princeton Beach. We parked our car near here and continued on foot. If you have a 4WD you can continue driving until you reach the Rivernook Beach Lookout. We walked through the bush on a sandy path for 2.8km until we reached the lookout. We looked down and could see River Nook beach however there was no visible path. We continue walking along the Great Ocean Track and found a small hidden path at the end of the boardwalk. Click on here to view where path intersects on google maps. We followed this narrow path through vegetation to the beach. It was one of the most untouched and remote beaches we have been to. There was no sign that people had been here before. It was windy so we found a sheltered spot next to the big rocks at the end of the beach.

Port Fairy

Port Fairy is a lovely small town. It has beautiful shops and excellent restaurants.

We noticed beautiful pottery in the shops. This was made by Kit Ceramics and she does workshops. We contacted her and did a workshop the following day for 2 hours. Tammy made 4 pots while I watched and took photos/videos.

We stayed at the gorgeous heritage listed Oak and Anchor Hotel. The spacious and luxurious room had a bathtub and we loved the beach interior design. We were able to check in easily with a lockbox. Unfortunately the highly rated bar and restaurant wasn’t open.

For sunset we did the Griffiths Island Lighthouse Walk. It was an easy 5km walk and we saw so many wallabies. The track took us along a beach with white sand. Black volcanic rocks scatter the coast

We had a delicious brunch at Bank St + Co. For dinner we got excellent take away pizza from Coffin Sally and enjoyed it at Pea Soup Beach. After we went for a drink at the Caledonian Inn which is the Oldest Licensed Hotel In Victoria (Established 1844).

We hope this blog helped you with your planning. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask!

Where To Stop On The Great Ocean Road?