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A road built in remembrance
According to the Australian War Memorial, the Great Ocean Road was built by 3,000 returned servicemen from the Western Front, as a memorial to those who died in the First World War. Work began in September 1919; a section between Eastern View and Lorne opened on 18 March 1922, and the road was completed in November 1932. It runs for 243 km along Victoria’s south-west coast, to the edge of Warrnambool.
At Eastern View, the Memorial Arch recalls that history. The original arch dates from 1939 and has been replaced several times since, according to Visit Great Ocean Road.
From Torquay to Apollo Bay
According to Visit Great Ocean Road, Torquay is about an hour and a half’s drive from Melbourne, Lorne about two hours and Apollo Bay about two and three-quarter hours; these times, given from central Melbourne, are approximate.
Along the way: Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet, Lorne between the Otway Ranges and Louttit Bay, and, inland in the Otways, a grove of Californian redwoods. Your chauffeur stops at the lookouts you choose and collects you at the agreed spot.
The Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge
In Port Campbell National Park, managed by the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority, the Twelve Apostles are limestone stacks rising from the Southern Ocean, changing colour with the light. Gibson Steps and Loch Ard Gorge are in the same park. At dusk, little penguins can sometimes be seen coming ashore, according to the park authority.
Some access points may be closed: the park authority reports, for example, that the beach steps at Loch Ard Gorge are closed because of unstable ground. Check its website before you set off.
According to Visit Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles are nearly four hours’ drive from Melbourne. A helicopter flight over them can be arranged on request; it is operated by the aircraft operator chosen, under its own responsibility: see yacht, helicopter and jet.
A night on the coast, or the inland route back
Driving to the Twelve Apostles along the coast and back in a single day makes for a long day on the road. Two ways to make it easier: a night in Lorne, Apollo Bay or Port Campbell, to travel the road over two days; or the return to Melbourne inland, via Colac, which is more direct than the coast.
What to tell us
- your pick-up and return addresses;
- where you will spend the night on the coast, if you plan to;
- the stops you would like, and the time of your table, if it is booked;
- the number of passengers and bags;
- your preferred return time, with some margin if you might stay longer.
With these details, we send you a personal quote: write to us. For the latest road information and alerts, Visit Great Ocean Road directs travellers to VicEmergency and VicTraffic. For a shorter day out from Melbourne, see the Yarra Valley.