In 2024, the Festival will return with a weekend long celebration of running, music and wellness hosted in the towns of Lorne and Apollo Bay. Whether you want to entertain the family at our kite festival or relax at a yoga session by the beach followed by an afternoon of live music – we have it all. Just make sure you have your Race Bib on you to gain access to all FREE activities.
SHOW YOUR RACE BIB TO GAIN ACCESS
Your Race Bib is your key to access all of the the FREE activities on offer exclusively to RACV Solar Great Ocean Road Running Festival participants, including the wellness program, free kites for kids & live music. Ensure that you are registered in one of the nine distances on offer. If registered before April 5th with an Australian address, your Race Bib will be mailed to you. Otherwise, you will need to collect this from either our Lorne or Apollo Bay Race Week Office to collect.
Apollo Bay Festival Hub
Apollo Bay is home to the Start & Finish lines of all Saturday events, and the Finish line of the Marathon events on Sunday- but that’s not all!
Check out the Festival Hub located on the Apollo Bay foreshore for deals on running products, sponsor activations, activities for the whole family, plus more! You will also find the Merchandise Store where you can pick up some Official Event Merchandise.
Visit the Race Week Office in Apollo Bay to pick up your bib, change/register for an event, or for any questions you may have!
DON’T MISS:
Pub to Pub Waiter’s Race
Saturday, May 18 – 1.05pm
Watch the action as local wait-staff battle it out, racing to carry a tray of beer from the Apollo Bay Hotel to the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse and back, trying not to spill a drop! Make sure you’re there to witness history in the making, and find out who will take home the trophy.
Lorne Festival Hub
Participants will be able to get involved in a a range of activities at the Lorne Festival Hub, located on the Lorne foreshore. Participate in a free yoga class, head to the Lorne Hotel for some live music, or get the kids active at the inflatable sports park. More information to come!
Lorne will host the start lines of the 60km Ultra, 44km Marathon, and now the start and finish lines of the Lorne Hotel Great Ocean Road Walk and NEW 6.5km and 12km Trail Runs on Sunday, May 21.
Visit the Race Week Office in Lorne to pick up your bib, change/register for an event, or for any questions you may have!
Live Music
APOLLO BAY HOTEL: LIVE ENTERTAINMENT ALL WEEKEND
Kite Festival
A kaleidoscope of kites in all shapes and sizes will take to the skies in Apollo Bay during the Festival. Offering fun for the whole family, dual Kite Festivals will lift off on the spectacular foreshores of both towns all weekend long!
Free Kites for Children
All children who are registered in either the Great Ocean Road Walk, Great Ocean Road Real Estate Kid’s Gallop, 6km Run or 14km Paradise Run will receive their own kite to decorate & fly. Make sure you’ve got your Race Bib with you to claim your free kite, 10am – 4pm Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 May.
Nominal fee for non-participants.
Lorne Theatre
Since 1937, Lorne Theatre has entertained locals and visitors along the Great Ocean Road. An Art Deco theatre in the Moderne style, its symmetrical facade, parapet and iconic vertical sign open up to terrazzo floors, geometric ceiling panels, metal balustrading, lush carpets and an impressive 550 seat auditorium with mezzanine. Almost 90 years later, guided by the talented and passionate Golden Age team, Lorne Theatre embraces the adage of ‘the good old days are now’.
Concession Priced Tickets + Free Popcorn at any film across the race weekend for runners who show their registration
Participants registered in a Great Ocean Road Running Festival event can take advantage of this offer on entry to the Lorne Theatre by showing your Race Bib or race registration confirmation upon arrival at the Ticket Office. Films include latest releases Challengers (a sweaty, sporty love triangle starring Zendaya) and The Fall Guy (with Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling), as well as the new kids film, IF, directed by John Krasinski and starring Ryan Reynolds. Combine your trip to the Theatre with a visit to our next-door neighbours The Clam, who are offering complimentary kids meals for event attendees on Saturday and Sunday
The Clam
A hidden gem at the end of the earth, The Clam is a celebratory place – fun, irreverent and always evolving.
Led by David Moyle (co-owner of The Salty Mangrove and ex-Harvest, Longsong, Franklin) our Tavern Menu explores the incredible food bowl that surrounds Lorne, both ocean and inland. A relaxed place where simple dishes are presented casually alongside a quality wine, cocktail and beer list.
Complimentary kids meals on Saturday and Sunday for event attendees across the race weekend for runners who show their registration
Otway Fly Treetop Adventures
Located 20 minutes from the Great Ocean Road, Otway Fly Treetop Adventures features a breathtaking Treetop Walk. The 600m long, 25m high elevated walkway provides unrivalled views of the unique beauty of the region’s flora and fauna, from the rainforest floor up into the towering heights of the treetops. Visitors can also climb the 45m tall Spiral Tower and the cantilever perched above Young’s Creek, which is a truly exhilarating experience as you gently sway with the rainforest canopy.
Visitors can also enjoy the first Zipline Tour in Victoria, a unique eco-wilderness adventure. Participants zip from one ‘cloud station’ to another connected by cables up to 30m above the forest floor. This exciting adventure lasts 2.5 hours and is guided by experienced guides. Guides will provide you with an insight into the forest’s history and its features and provide you with an experience you won’t forget! Visitors will see the trees and forest in a new light and learn about this growing and vibrant rainforest.
Treetop Walk – 2 for 1 offer
Participants registered in a Great Ocean Road Running Festival event can take advantage of this 2 for 1 offer on entry to the Treetop Walk by showing your Race Bib upon arrival at the Ticket Office. Bookings not necessary.
Zipline Tours – 20% off
Participants registered in a Great Ocean Road Running Festival event can take advantage of a 20% discount on Zipline Tours.
Present your Race Bib at the time of booking to receive a 20% discount on entry. Offer valid Thursday 12 May – Tuesday 17 May to coincide with the Great Ocean Road Running Festival weekend. For more information on the Otway Fly and to plan your trip, head to the Otway Fly website.
Wildlife Wonders
Discover the wild side of the Great Ocean Road at Wildlife Wonders, just 5km from Apollo Bay.
Wildlife Wonders is a unique wildlife sanctuary where wildlife lives freely in a stunning wild environment overlooking the ocean.
The café at Wildlife Wonders is open to the public (you don’t have to be doing a tour) from 9.30am to 2.30pm daily. It offers excellent locally-roasted Hello Coffee, a delicious lunch menu and tasty sweet treats. The café is kid-friendly with lots of space and kids activities, including visiting our resident turtles and blue tongued lizards.
Tours of the Sanctuary run multiple times per day, where you’ll experience a 75-minute journey through lush tree fern gullies, eucalypt woodlands and spectacular ocean vistas with a conservationist guide, who will share the secrets of the unique plants and animals who call the Otways home. It’s a fantastic experience for families and kids, and for anyone interested in Australia’s native wonders.
Walk with Wildlife – 10% discount
Wildlife Wonders is delighted to offer all participants and supporters at the Great Ocean Road Running Festival a 10% discount on our Walk with Wildlife guided tours over the whole weekend. Use the code RUNFEST23 when booking to redeem the offer.
Every visit also gives back to nature as all profits from tours, the café and the gift shop support environmental conservation along the Great Ocean Road.
Find out more or book now at: wildlifewonders.org.au
Australian National Surfing Museum
The Australian National Surfing Museum is the world’s largest surfing museum. Situated in Torquay, Australia’s surfing capital, it celebrates 100 years of surfing and beach culture in Australia. With themed exhibition spaces, films, photographs, kids activities and of course iconic surfboards, it traces the growth and developments around the amazing activity that is riding waves.
Australian National Surfing Museum Admission – 2 for 1 Admission
Present your Race Bib upon entry to receive a 2 for 1 discount on your admission. Offer valid Thursday 16 – Tuesday 21 May to coincide with the Great Ocean Road Running Festival weekend.
To learn more about the world’s largest surfing and beach culture museum and plan your trip, visit the Australian National Surfing Museum website.
Live Wire Park
Offering electrifying outdoor experiences in the heart of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road Region, Live Wire Park is the first completely off-grid elevated adventure park in Australia.
Nestled among the towering Otway treetops, Live Wire Park is powered by nature. The park has been thoughtfully designed to have a minimal impact on the environment. Fuelled by solar power, paired with all water being collected, used and treated on site, makes Live Wire Park a sustainable business. Live Wire Park is a family-owned business, run by locals who are passionate about the environment and sharing the natural wonders of the Surf Coast of Australia with the rest of the world.
Present your Race Bib upon entry/booking to receive a 15% discount, Offer valid for bookings from Thursday 16 – Tuesday 21 May to coincide with the Great Ocean Road Running Festival weekend.
To learn more and book, visit https://livewirepark.com.au/book-now/
Indie Spa
Indie Spa is the place to go on the Great Ocean Road to sip, steam and soak. This day spa and bathhouse is located at Sunnymead Hotel in Aireys Inlet. Indie caters for couples and groups as well as individuals. Delightfully different, you’ll still find everything you expect from a day spa – beautiful lounge areas, massages, facials and delicious teas, but also the unexpected in their signature sunny style. Indie has three private treatment rooms including a dual room with Vichy shower, as well as a Rasul steam room and bathhouse.
Indie Spa are offering Great Ocean Road Participants a special offer, only available event week from Monday 15th May – Monday 22nd May. Please show proof of registration to claim this offer:
Indie Spa – Complimentary DIY Rasul steam (40 mins) with any 1-hour treatment booked – subject to availability
Indie Spa
64 Great Ocean Road, Aireys Inlet 3231
(03) 5289 6666
Great Ocean Road Gin
Great Ocean Road Gin is a small batch craft gin company producing gins that are inspired by the beauty and botanicals from the Great Ocean Road.
Gin Tasting Room & The Gin Kitchen
Great Ocean Road Gin has a showcase tasting room where you can experience & buy our signature coastal gins, or you can enjoy lunch or dinner in our new restaurant – The Gin Kitchen located right next door in the picturesque coastal town of Aireys Inlet. Great Ocean Road Gin are offering participants 2 for 1 G&T’s at the Gin Garden in Aireys! Simply show your race bib to receive this offer.
For more information visit https://greatoceanroadgin.com.au/tasting-room-gin-garden
Torquay Distillery Bar & Cellar Door is Now Open!
The Distillery Cellar door and bar will offer tasting trays, mini negroni and mini martini tasting trays plus signature cocktails and mixed drinks – featuring Great Ocean Road Gin of course. Great Ocean Road Running Festival Participants can claim 2 for 1 Gin Tasting trays at the Torquay location!
Lux Spa & Wellness
Lux Spa & Wellness offers a sanctuary from the noise of the outside world. Located at Great Ocean Road Resort and surrounded by natural beauty in the heart of Anglesea, the spa has been designed with your every need in mind. Lux Spa & Wellness offers guests luxurious treatments and facilities including high performance facials with LED, relaxation and remedial massage, body wraps, shirodhara, vichy shower, infrared sauna, kinesiology and reiki. Lux Spa also offers all-inclusive spa and wellness retreats.
Lux Spa & Wellness are offering Great Ocean Road Participants a special offer, only available event week from Thursday 16 – Tuesday 21 May. Please show proof of registration to claim this offer:
Lux Spa & Wellness – Complimentary Infrared Sauna (45 mins) ‘with any 1-hour treatment booked- subject to availability
Lux Spa & Wellness
105 Great Ocean Road, Anglesea 3230
(03) 5261 6865
Walks and Waterfalls
Go chasing waterfalls along the Great Ocean Road! Explore a great variety of distances and environments. There are more than 70 bush and coastal walks in the Surf Coast region. Some are only short but, in 10 minutes or so, they can take you to a spectacular coastal lookout, waterfall or forest.
Apollo Bay Walks and Waterfalls
