Intro
Wild coastal freedom
Take some time to coast and cruise along our Great Ocean Road. Get swept up in the stunning scenery, bustling towns and villages, makers markets, lively festivals, fresh food, craft breweries and divine distilleries. Taste real freedom while exploring our rich culture, diverse communities, natural attractions, and endless coastline. Invigorating, enriching and full of character, this is your chance to feel the salt spray in your face as you experience the power of life where the land meets the sea.
For more information visit https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/great-ocean-road
Eat and drink
With a stunning coastline stretching for hundreds of kilometres, fertile farmland, celebrated restaurants and wineries, there’s lots for foodies and wine lovers to get excited about. Choose your own adventure, dig into freshly-caught seafood straight out of the Southern Ocean, or sample gourmet delights along the Otway Harvest Trail and the 12 Apostles Gourmet Trail. Pop into craft breweries, distilleries or wineries. Alternatively, just while away the days at seaside cafes up and down the coast.
Eat
In the heart of Anglesea, just opposite the river estuary, this is the place to chill, eat and drink. Drop by in summer and grab a spot on the deck, then tuck into a cheeseburger, lamb shoulder or crispy zucchini wedges. When you’re done, stroll along the river and check out the main beach.
Set on a hillside in Birregurra, Victoria, and set on a working organic farm that includes six luxury guest suites, Brae is the destination for world-class Australian cuisine. Immerse yourself in an ever-changing set menu incorporating produce from the farm, the surrounding land and local, ethical producers.
Merrijig Kitchen, set in seaside village of Port Fairy, features seasonal produce, locally sourced where possible, and inspired by French cuisine. Delicacies include new-season whole artichokes, duck-liver parfait, Portland Mirror dory with chickpeas and Portarlington mussels, and an entire menu of French cheeses with an award-winning wine list.
Set in one of the cutest towns along the Great Ocean Road, Airey’s Inlet, a la grecque is your go-to spot for contemporary Greek-Australian fare. We’re talking fried calamari with tzatziki, spanakopita with foraged greens, and ridiculous vegetable moussaka. There’s a roaring fire in winter, and plenty of outdoor dining in the warmer months. Kids are welcome too.
Located high above Skene’s Creek, you’ll find Chris’s Beacon Point Restaurant and Villas. It makes the perfect basecamp for your Great Ocean Road adventures, with comfy accommodation and a cracking restaurant. The views up here aren’t bad, either.
Take a detour to the beautiful town of Timboon and check out the local ice-creamery, famous throughout Victoria for its sundaes and milkshakes (picture Timboon vanilla bean ice cream with meringue shards, passionfruit curd and whipped cream). You’ll find this one just inland from Port Campbell.
Whether you are looking to tempt your tastebuds with a fine selection of local produce such as freshly caught seafood, gourmet cheeses, scrumptious olives and luscious hand-picked berries the Great Ocean Road has an amazing selection of produce, for further information visit https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/great-ocean-road/food-and-wine/local-produce .
Drink
Taste a range of beers, ciders and cooler climate wines produced amongst the pristine natural environment of Barongarook West, in the Otways just behind Apollo Bay. The cellar door, Otway Estate Bar & Café, is open Thursday to Sunday for tastings and a bite to eat. They’ve also got self-contained cottages, if you want to make a night of it.
Independently family owned, Forrest Brewing Company is part micro-brewery serving locally roasted coffee and meals, located in the Otways rainforest town of Forrest. The Forrest Brewing Company offers a unique place to stop, take a break, and rest while taking in the natural sounds or the prefect start or end point to the many surrounding mountain bike trails.
Situated on the Great Ocean Road in Apollo Bay, where the hills meet the ocean, the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse offers over 100 craft beers, including those from sister company, Prickly Moses. Settle in and enjoy a produce platter showing casing locally produced cheeses, dips, bread and olive oil. The chicken parmi goes down pretty well, too.
A boutique small batch craft gin company featuring botanicals and ingredients including indigenous botanicals such as kelp, salt bush, coast daisy, honey and gums from the Great Ocean Road and Surfcoast region. The tasting room is the seaside village of Aireys Inlet makes for a perfect pitstop before reaching the famous Great Ocean Road sign to continue your journey to the 12 Apostles.
Fun to say and fun to visit, Noodledoof Brewing & Distilling Co has put the small town of Koroit on the map (figuratively speaking; it was always on maps). There’s no better stop along the Great Ocean Road for craft beers and local gins. They even do flavour collaborations with the local Aboriginal Corporation, Worn Gundidj.
More Information
Find more top dining and drink tips visit https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/great-ocean-road/food-and-wine
Stay
Plan your stay to allow time to explore the region’s natural beauty and visit each destination with plenty of time to relax in between. Indulge in a little luxury and spend a night in one of the many hotels scattered along the coastline of the region, within easy distance of all the major attractions.
Alternatively, relax in boutique self-contained accommodation on the beachfront in one of the seaside villages along the Great Ocean Road, or in your own hideaway bush retreat just minutes from the coast. Or celebrate the end of your Great Ocean Walk experience with a well-earned dose of glamping.
You want luxury accommodation with wall-to-wall ocean views? You go to Sea Ranch, set right on the coast at Wye River. This is a four bedroom, double storey house, so it’s perfect for bigger groups and family stays. Make sure to book well ahead if you’re travelling in peak seasons, or school holidays.
Modern, luxurious, and with wraparound golf course views, the RACV Torquay Resort has always been a favourite on the Great Ocean Road. Being in Torquay, the unofficial start of the GOR, it makes a great jumping off point. There’s a great restaurant on-site, plus a day spa, indoor pool and direct beach access.
Most travellers along the Great Ocean Road will want to set aside a few nights in Lorne, and the two clear standout hotels are the Mantra (which is probably better for families) and the Lorne Hotel (which is more luxurious, and smack bang in the middle of town). The Lorne Hotel got a glow-up a few years ago, and there’s a great range of modern rooms available. The best bit? Lorne is right on your doorstep.
There are dozens, perhaps hundreds of holiday houses for rent along the Great Ocean Road (you can browse most of them through Great Ocean Road Holidays), but Cape Wye is one of the best. This is a blue chip spot in Wye River, with iconic views out over the Southern Ocean. It’s a big house, and it’s pet friendly, so grab your mates and make a booking!
For suggestions on where to stay visit https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/great-ocean-road/accommodation
More information
Find more accommodation options, from high-end to budget, at https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/great-ocean-road/accommodation
Play
Art & culture
Be inspired by the vibrant creative community along the Great Ocean Road and delve into the region’s rich maritime heritage or soak up the famous surf culture on beaches and in villages along the coast.
Visit the Warrnambool Art Gallery, which houses a diverse collection of works, from elegant European salon paintings to examples of avant-garde modernism from the Angry Penguins movement.
Port Fairy, Apollo Bay and Lorne have a growing arts, crafts and festival culture with galleries and studios open to the public with a wide variety of local art, including painting, sculpture and photography. Visit Qdos Arts & Sculpture Park for a celebration of visual and performing arts in an idyllic setting.
Outdoor adventure
The Great Ocean Road has some of the most beautiful natural attractions in Australia, from ancient rainforests, volcanic plains and iconic wildlife to towering limestone cliffs, sandy beaches and marine reserves teeming with life.
Discover the dramatic rock sculptures of the 12 Apostles and the mystical Bay of Islands in Port Campbell National Park. Choose from the many viewing points along the Great Ocean Road and take in spectacular vistas of the Southern Ocean. For a closer look at the pristine natural environment, dive beneath the waves at marine parks and reserves along the coast.
The Great Otway National Park offers walks amongst the tall trees and giant tree ferns, and discover beautiful waterfalls, see the Melba Gully glow worms, or just meander on secluded beaches along the shore at Cape Otway. Experience the Otway Fly tree top walk with breathtaking views and abundant plant and birdlife.
Surf the west coast of Victoria at many beaches throughout the Great Ocean Road region from the famed breaks of Bells Beach, a much-loved icon of Australia’s surf scene where the Rip Curl Pro is held every Easter, to the big right-handers of Blacknose, famous for a big south-westerly with a heavy sea, beyond Discovery Bay. There’s also the Australian National Surfing Museum in Torquay, for the hard-core wave junkies.
More information
For more information on what to do in the Great Ocean Road region , go to: https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/great-ocean-road/things-to-do
