The Great Ocean Road — 243 km of cliffside coast road in Victoria, Torquay (past Geelong) to Allansford near Warrnambool. Built 1919–32 by returned WWI soldiers — the world’s largest war memorial.
Officially: Melbourne to Warrnambool. To continue west to Perth, join the Princes Highway through to Adelaide, then cross the Nullarbor.
Don’t miss: Twelve Apostles at sunrise, wild koalas at Cape Otway, an overnight at Port Fairy, southern right whales off Warrnambool (Jun–Oct).
The drive
~664 km Melbourne → Adelaide. Comfortable in 3–5 days. Drive west so you’re on the ocean side.
Key stops, west from Melbourne
- Torquay — start. Surf museum
- Bells Beach — iconic surf break
- Lorne — pretty seaside stop
- Apollo Bay — good overnight 1
- Cape Otway — detour. Wild koalas in the eucalypts. Drive slowly, listen
- Great Otway NP — rainforest, fern gullies. Maits Rest walk
- Twelve Apostles — the postcard. Sunrise or sunset, not midday
- Loch Ard Gorge — read the 1878 shipwreck signs
- Port Campbell — natural overnight near the Apostles
- Warrnambool — official end. Southern right whales calve at Logans Beach Jun–Oct
- Port Fairy — gorgeous historic fishing village. Worth an extra night
Continuing to Adelaide
- Mount Gambier (SA) — Blue Lake crater, sinkholes
- Robe — historic, great lobster
- Coorong NP — long lagoon, birdlife
- → Adelaide
Logistics
- One-way rental Melbourne → Adelaide (watch the fee)
- Wildlife: kangaroos, wombats, koalas. Drive carefully dawn/dusk — see driving
- When: any season. Whales Jun–Oct. Avoid Dec–Feb peak holiday traffic. Spring/autumn sweet spot
Stay
Beach houses on Stayz or Airbnb usually beat hotels. Lorne or Apollo Bay (night 1), Port Campbell (Apostles night), Port Fairy.