Australia’s Great Ocean Road: A Perfect 1-Week Roadtrip Itinerary
I was so excited to get back to Australia for a visit after having spent 4 months living in Sydney a couple of years back. This time around, I convinced a friend in Sydney to join me for a roadtrip down to Melbourne and along the famous Great Ocean Road! It was an absolute blast, and I’ve recounted my 1-week itinerary here. I’ll definitely be posting some Sydney content separately in the future, especially on my favorite coastal walks - the best way to explore the city, in my opinion!
Day 1: Sydney to Merimbula
We covered a lot of ground on this roadtrip, and the first two days were big driving days. We planned for our first overnight stay at a cabin just outside of Merimbula along the coast. We enjoyed some classic stops on our way, including at Bald Hill Lookout, where we got to watch the paragliders taking off over the ocean. We also drove the famous Sea Cliff Bridge, which is an absolute must for any jaunt south from Sydney. On previous roadtrips, I’ve also stopped off to hike Wedding Cake Rock and to whale watch by the Kiama Blowhole. Today, we opted for a break along Narooma Beach where I got to dip my toes in the sand and (chilly) sea and stroll along for a bit. We enjoyed dinner at a pub in town before resting up at the cabin for another big day of driving tomorrow!
Day 2: Merimbula to Melbourne
We started the morning off with a quick hike at the Pinnacles Loop and got to see the beautiful layered rocks for which the track is famous. After a few more hours in the car, we stopped for lunch in Lakes Entrance and had a chance to stretch our legs - I got to see my first black swans under the bridge near town!
We made it to Melbourne in the evening and hopped on the tram into the city proper to explore a bit and grab a bite. The city was so lively, but definitely felt more laid back (or more corporate?) than Sydney. I loved seeing some of the older architecture like Victoria Market and Melbourne Central Station.
Day 3: Melbourne to Apollo Bay
We started the day off right at Lune Croissanterie in the Fitzroy neighborhood of Melbourne. The bakery (which also has a sister location in Sydney) is super popular, and for good reason. Such tasty pastries! Fitzroy itself was also a really cool neighborhood - very artsy, a bit grunge, and with lots of boutique shops and restaurants. Really cool street art as well. I would love to come back and spend more time exploring here on a future trip to Melbourne!
We continued our way down the coast towards the official start of the Great Ocean Road and stopped off for a stroll in Geelong. This town had such unique energy, with all sorts of seaside entertainment venues and wacky art installations - perfect for a coastal stroll. Not too far from town, we grabbed a light bite and some drinks at a winery, which is one of my favorite ways to explore a new region. Cheers!
We kept driving a bit this afternoon and enjoyed some sites in Torquay - Bell’s Beach, Split Point Lighthouse, and of course the Memorial Arch, which commemorates the work of the soldiers returning from WWI who helped to build the Great Ocean Road. We enjoyed the evening exploring Lorne, which is chock-full of cute shops and restaurants. After a quick dinner here, we caught the sunset along the coast and checked into our airbnb near Apollo Bay, home for the next two nights.
Day 4: Hiking and Exploring
Today definitely made up for the past few days stuck in the car - we got lots of good hiking in today. We enjoyed a few classic trails in the region, including Lower Kalimna Falls, Sheoak Falls, and Erskine Falls, all beautiful! We also had extremely good luck spotting koalas in the wild, which was a first for me. I think we saw 5 on our first hike of the morning, all chilling individually in their own eucalyptus trees.
We spent the late afternoon and evening driving further along the road, passing through Apollo Bay proper and driving out to the Cape Otway Lighthouse for golden hour. While we arrived a bit too late to see the lighthouse proper, the bush trails were still open so we got to enjoy a nice stroll along the coastal track for sunset. Absolutely gorgeous views, and we were even joined by some friendly wallabies from the nearby fields, hopping down the trail right ahead of us. It was magical!
Day 5: Apollo Bay to Port Campbell
We started today early with a rainforest hike through Maits Rest. This was a nice accessible loop with a boardwalk, but you still felt immersed in the rainforest, with huge treeferns and old growth trees surrounding you. Highly recommend!
We did a bit of driving off the beaten path this morning to hit some less popular spots, including Johanna Beach and Wreck Beach, where we got to do some exploring and more hiking. In the afternoon, we headed along to the more famous tourist sites, including the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge, and the Grotto. These are all famed rock formations along the coast and they make for truly dramatic scenery, especially on some of the windier and overcast days we were having. The ocean felt so powerful here!
Day 6: Port Campbell to Albury
After one last bit of scenic driving along the coast, we headed inland and north to start the drive back home. On our way north, we stopped off to visit Eureka Centre in Ballarat, which was the site of the famous 1854 Eureka Stockade Rebellion. I enjoyed getting a chance to check out the museum as this was a big event in Australian history that I’d never even heard of, and was useful context as well for considering modern political movements. After getting our fill of political history, we stopped in the historic mining town of Bendigo for lunch and enjoyed strolling to check out a bit of the older architecture here.
The rest of the drive to Albury was fairly uneventful but meant we were one step closer to being back in Sydney!
Day 7: Albury to Sydney
We opted to stop off in Canberra today and got to enjoy the annual Floriade flower festival. There were so many beautiful gardens and living artworks. For the grand finale, no Australian roadtrip is complete without a stop at the Big Merino! No explanation needed… And that’s on a week well-spent along the Great Ocean Road!
