Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles Day Trip from Melbourne
4.5
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About
Forget about self-driving and concentrate on the scenery of the Great Ocean Road on this day trip from Melbourne. Admire the sights from your touring vehicle, make stops, and learn stories about the historic road you may miss otherwise. Pause for refreshments at Anglesea, spot wild koalas, see the 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge, and stretch your legs on a walk in the Otway Forest.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 38 per group
Duration: 13h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Live guide: English
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Audio guide: German, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish
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Written guide: German, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese, Italian, French, Dutch, Spanish
Print or digital reading material such as a guide, map, brochure, etc.
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Highlights
- Travel the Great Ocean Road stress-free on a tour from Melbourne
- Skip self-drive and public transport to focus on the famous road’s scenery
- See the 12 Apostles and other sites, and get insights you may miss alone
- Includes stop for lunch (own cost)
- Admission to Great Ocean Road National Park
- Australian wildlife sightings, over morning tea
- Air-conditioned coach travel with onboard WIFI
- Expert driver guided tour experience
- Live tour commentary spoken in English
- Roundtrip transportation to and from Melbourne
What's not included- Lunch at own expense
- Personal expenses
- Start:
- Immigration Museum (Museums Victoria), 400 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, AustraliaOur default pickup location will be Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders St, corner of Market St, Melbourne @ 7:35am. If you would like to arrange an alternative pickup point, please contact our reservations team on +61393931300.
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infant seats available
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6121P6- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Infants and children do not travel free, protective seats are available on request at the time of booking
- Not suitabled for wheelchairs, prams or stroller accessible, please do not bring on tour as you will be asked to leave at the hotel.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Most travelers can participate
- For this tour we have a translation app that can translate all guide commentary to the languages listed above. The traveler just needs to ask their guide or request this on the date of departure and we can advise them of how to download and listen.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 38 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 6121P6
From $81.34
$77.28
per adult
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Itinerary
- 400 Flinders St, Melbourne VIC 3000, AustraliaOur default pickup location will be Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders St, corner of Market St, Melbourne @ 7:35am. If you would like to arrange an alternative pickup point, please contact our reservations team on +61393931300.
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Krishti A0 contributionsGreat tour and sightsAmazing tour and guide. Great locations (McKenzie Falls was great). Our guide Steve was helpful and a great guide. Would highly recommendWritten January 9, 2025
- I9203LWdavidc0 contributionsGreat tripOur guide Wayne was great. Plenty of explanation and advice on walking routes helped to optimize our enjoyment of the trip. Totally worth going on this trip. Glad we booked it.Written January 9, 2025
- B6996EOjennac0 contributionsWonderful experience & even better guide! Matt was knowledgeable and all around fantastic!We cannot say enough great words about our guide, Matt (Matthew) who was originally from England, but has been in Australia for some time now. He was absolutely fabulous with our 8 yr old son. We was knowledgeable and an all around wonderful guide! He even provided us with morning tea and snacks to break up the drive. We especially enjoyed getting out and doing little walks at the lookouts and it was fun to explore the lower lands when possible. Unfortunately we couldn't go down to Ship Wreck beach (as it's closed off due to rocks falling. The only thing missing would have been to get to see the 12 Apostles from the beach, but were informed that time wasn't built into our trip. I would highly recommend taking one of the other smaller stops away to add that in, if the tour operator could make that happen?Written January 9, 2025
- 111aussie1110 contributionsExcellenceExcellent tour guide/ bus driver Fiona.explanations were great and had great locations. Maximised the tour with her knowledge. Treated everyone as individuals and not cattle.Written January 6, 2025
- tmridula0 contributionsLong trip for an average experienceWe were underwhelmed; we must have seen about 100 little penguins in the one hour. The koala sanctuary was OK. Our driver Adrian was perhaps the highlight. It was 4 hours of travel for an average experience. We could have done more exciting stuff in Melbourne perhaps.Written December 29, 2024
- 80juliettew0 contributionsHighly recommended tour with lots of penguinsI had the best time on this tour, Fiona was an amazing tour guide and had so much good energy, great information and tips about how to see the most penguins - i couldn’t recommend this more !Written December 27, 2024
- 274signeb0 contributionsAmazing trip!!Absolutely adorable, fantastic and stunning tour. We've been so so lucky with timing and guide. Misty is your tour guide and bus driver, but will become a friend and companion along the way. The enthusiasm, history, sights and knowledge she brings really leveled up the whole trip! One of my own highlights was visiting the Bunjil cave, and it really was an introspective and important thing to witness. Thank you so much for our lovely trip, wish we could stay in Australia and do many, many more!Written December 21, 2024
- mtmorgen0 contributionsPositive and BeautifulFiona was upbeat, respectful and positive. Fiona shared the beauty of the indigenous people as well as the beauty of the floral and animals. The bus had seating that was too small, which was uncomfortable. It was nice to have Internet access.Written December 2, 2024
- W1222ZMbenw0 contributionsWhat a great trip!What a great tour! It was good to do it in reverse with the small group we had beating all the crowds, this definitely made a difference to enjoy the amazing sites. We took our kids aged 11 , 7 and they had an awesome time as well. It is kid friendly, ( but our kids are well behaved) it is a long day. Aiden was brilliant, very knowledgeable and super friendly and he made very enjoyable for us and is an asset to the team! Thank you for a great day!Written November 16, 2024
- pchauhan090 contributionsAmazing tour with GrahamExcellent tour doing the great ocean tour in reverse direction to avoid crowds. Because we were on time with the schedule we did a slight detour to see kolas and kangaroos. Well paced tour highly recommend.Written November 5, 2024
- Expedition8167610 contributionsFabulous day at Koala Reserve and Penguin Parade on Philip Island fronted by a truly exceptionally good guide, Fiona.Phillip Island was wonderful. Loved the Koala Bear Walk and amazing penguin parade. Our guide, Fiona, went the extra mile and was a brilliant tour guide. An exceptional tour which I thoroughly recommend. A Brilliant day with an exceptionally good and dedicated guide. Top marks to Wildlife Tours.Written November 1, 2024
- CherylM20100 contributionsThis is a worthwhile tripThe scenery was stunning and there were a perfect number of opportunities to get off the bus. Jacob was a great driver and gave us lots of pertinent information.Written October 15, 2024
- jennifersnell0 contributionsFantastic tourOur driver and guide Kiwi Chris was amazing. So knowledgeable about the area. He spotted koalas for us. We had a fantastic time and would highly recommend this tour. So much to see. Worth every penny!Written October 13, 2024
- Getaway7917430 contributionsThe fantastic 3 day Melbourne to Adelaide Great Ocean Road and Grampian tourA fantastic experience! This was an absolutely wonderful tour made so by our guide/driver Craig. He was so incredibly knowledgeable not just on the animals, birds, plant-life and culture of the people of the area, new and old. Not only did we see the promised sights, but with efficiency and getting up a bit earlier, he took to us to many other wonderful sights as well, that improved the already great experience. Being extremely well travelled and having led tours in many parts of Australia, he was able to to give us wide perspective on how what we were seeing could be both unique and similar to other places in the world. He had an incredible sense of humour which put a smile on many of our faces. It was wonderful seeing the natural beauty of this part of the world. Our only reservation in not giving the tour 5 stars was because despite the fact that our tour was only half of the maximum number of people that the bus could take, the seats were cramped, without much leg room and there were no bins overhead to put small carry on bags into.Written October 3, 2024
- joeharper0 contributionsVery enjoyable day!Fabulous trip with the knowledgeable Jordan. Saw lots of wildlife and beautiful flora and fauna. Jordan is very enthusiastic, entertaining and has great local insight. Highly recommend.Written September 27, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
120 reviews
Excellent
89
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18
Average
7
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3
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3
Tony A
Indianapolis, IN7 contributions
Jan 2020
The great ocean road expereince was awesome. Simon C was our tour guide and had a lot of knowledge regarding the area. We started out at 7:15 am on a comfortable 39 passenger bus. We stopped at several places along the Ocean road. One little town we stopped in for lunch was Apollo Bay at a fish and chips establishment. The food was good but it took a while for us to get out food. We only had an hour time for lunch and the restaurant we went to took 35 min. We were able to see Koalas in the wild which was amazing. The once we got to the 12 Apotles other than the flies it was a beautiful memrable trip. We returned going through colac and hearing about the farmning and logging industry. Over all a great trip and is well worth doing. The bus was compforatable for the 12 hour excursion.
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there, and thank you for your review! Awesome to hear you enjoyed the day with Simon. We hope to see you again :)
Written February 1, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Teal B
2 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
With only one day planned for sightseeing outside of Melbourne, we were unsure which day trip to choose. We absolutely LOVED the day trip to 12 Apostles with Steve and would highly recommend it. Steve was a fun, engaging, and knowledgeable tour guide. The bus was new and comfortable, and we had plenty of time for all sights. We mentioned to Steve that we hadn't seen kangas or koalas and Steve made slight adjustments to the time schedule to allow some stops at places where native wildlife would be found. We were glad for the the slightly shorter day (11-12hrs) compared to other tours that were 13+ because we had an early international flight the next day.
For folks travelling on a Sunday, you may want to bring snack bars, because some spots had only 1 open cafe for food and the lines could be quite long due to other tour buses and travellers. This is not the fault of the tour company-- this would happen with any.
For folks travelling on a Sunday, you may want to bring snack bars, because some spots had only 1 open cafe for food and the lines could be quite long due to other tour buses and travellers. This is not the fault of the tour company-- this would happen with any.
Written May 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laura O
New York City, NY36 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
We had Steve as our guide!!! Boy was he amazing! Even convinced us to do a helicopter ride (an option for some extra $ but totally worth it) and I am scared of heights!!! So glad we did it. He was so informative and always had excellent recommendations! We were so lucky to have him as our guide. As one of the last pick up spots my husband and I were seated in the back of the bus which could tend to get cold or “rocky”. He always made it a point to check in on us to make sure we were okay!!! His company is so lucky to have him as a guide!
Written August 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi There,
Thanks heaps for leaving us a great review and for all the great feedback on your guide Steve.
We are so thrilled you had a great time on tour with him and we hope you made some amazing memories.
Cody
Written August 6, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
kiki
3 contributions
Sep 2022
Booked this tour very last minute but we had a great experience. Although the time on bus is quite long, we had stopped at multiple spots so didn't really feel like so. The guide was super nice and giving away sun stories and knowledge related to the areas we were in. However, the bus is not so comfortable to sit in for long hours and I am not too sure if the AC was working.
Written September 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
olenders
London, UK100 contributions
This was an absolutely fantastic day out. The scenery was as you'd expect, fabulous; but the experience was further enhanced by our exceptional guide, Tim, whose enthusiasm, knowledge, and ability to get the balance right between information download, entertainment, and quiet time, was perfect. Coming across as a thoroughly decent and nice guy even at the end of a long day, as he dropped people off at their preferred locations, also helped.
This is a long trip with an early and punctual 07.30 start. Do not expect to get back until late in the evening. That is inevitable given the massive distance to be covered and the number of things that you will see on the Great Ocaan Road from Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles as well as a little inland. But it is SO WORTH IT!
After an early morning coffee/breakfast stop, we stopped at a variety of locations: Lorne Beach, Teddy's Lookout, Appollo Bay (for lunch... I recommend the scallop pie at the bakery, which also does enormous lamingtons), Mait's Rest (rainforest walk), Aire River (where we saw many koalas in the wild), the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Bay, and the Razorback. We then drove back inland stopping off at Colak to pick up some dinner as the last of the dusk faded.
This is not a trip just about the stopping points. The scenery throughout, whether on the coast or slightly inland, is very beautiful along this stretch of the Great Ocean Road. I was certainly never tempted to have a nap as there was so much to see out of the window, on what was also a perfect spring day.
In summary, I found this the perfect was to see much of the Great Ocean Road in a day. I did not have especially long in Melbourne while on a bit of a taster trip around Australia and this was the perfect solution for me.
This is a long trip with an early and punctual 07.30 start. Do not expect to get back until late in the evening. That is inevitable given the massive distance to be covered and the number of things that you will see on the Great Ocaan Road from Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles as well as a little inland. But it is SO WORTH IT!
After an early morning coffee/breakfast stop, we stopped at a variety of locations: Lorne Beach, Teddy's Lookout, Appollo Bay (for lunch... I recommend the scallop pie at the bakery, which also does enormous lamingtons), Mait's Rest (rainforest walk), Aire River (where we saw many koalas in the wild), the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Bay, and the Razorback. We then drove back inland stopping off at Colak to pick up some dinner as the last of the dusk faded.
This is not a trip just about the stopping points. The scenery throughout, whether on the coast or slightly inland, is very beautiful along this stretch of the Great Ocean Road. I was certainly never tempted to have a nap as there was so much to see out of the window, on what was also a perfect spring day.
In summary, I found this the perfect was to see much of the Great Ocean Road in a day. I did not have especially long in Melbourne while on a bit of a taster trip around Australia and this was the perfect solution for me.
Written October 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jamuna K
1 contribution
Jul 2022 • Family
Tour operator (Mr. TIM) was friendly and very humble. He kept on entertaining us whole time with the history and stories and also the music.
Time management was excellent.
Had a wonderful day.
Highly recommend 😊
Time management was excellent.
Had a wonderful day.
Highly recommend 😊
Written July 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zoe
2 contributions
Jan 2023
The scenery is stunning! Loved the Loch Ard Gorge particularly. Has inspired me to come back and spend a week or so camping in the area. Should have bought togs so I could jump in the water quickly at Loch Ard Gorge. It's a long day! Bring a neck pillow for the bus ride. The tour guide Charlie was a very articulate, eloquent communicator and delivered the history and facts of the tour exceptionally well. I learnt lots about Australia which I didn't know about. He is a wealth of knowledge. Saw koalas in the wild for the first time, amazing! And a wild echidna, so cute! Wear a hat and sunscreen!
Written January 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Seaside676624
2 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
We really enjoyed the trip, great scenery in nice sunshine, good pace and a lot of stops for taking pictures or bathroom breaks. Craig was super nice, and shared a lot of informative and interesting stories. He was also kind waiting for us few minutes late because of the time consuming purchase of a KFC meal for diner on the way back.
Written July 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Erin
Montreal, Canada11 contributions
Mar 2020 • Solo
I enjoyed this day so much. Even though there is a lot of driving, all the activities really broke it up great. Sylvain was a great guide and really made the most of the day for us after we discovered the 12 apostles lookout was closed. We had the opportunity to do the helicopter tour instead and were able to spend extra time at the other stops. Everything was beautiful, even when it was raining. Highly recommend.
Written March 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dordor-Sin
Singapore, Singapore1,207 contributions
This is the worse experience I had with Aust tours despite I joined a same one during winter in 2024. Meeting time was 640am and yet guide didn't turn up. 2nd coach guide took over but we only left at 715am! It was quite a mess, and we only had our driver, and the guide for our bus was said to be on MC. I think it's he/she probably partying on Xmas day so didn't make it for our tour on Boxing Day. Due to heat wave on 26Dec so guide said he will reverse the itinerary to avoid crowds and heat which was a good plan. He also remotely talking to us via mobile connected with mic but still, it's not good. The whole itinerary seems messed up except 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gouge, and we ended up sitting in the bus for long hours and bad bumpy rides especially at Toquay area. Some travellers felt sick and vomited too due to the bumpy and turnings. Felt very short changed for this tour, and lunch only happened at 3pm too.
Written December 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
G'day,
Thank you for your feedback, we are sorry you didnt have the experience you hoped for.
We believe you may not have been on our tour and may have been on another tour provider. We do not have a pick location that alligns with 6:40am . On boxing day both of our standard and reverse Great Ocean Road tous were fully booked and no changes were made to the tour route.
In regards to this tour there seems to be a bit of confusion, our tours only have one driver who is also an experienced guide too.
Please contact us on our direct email so we can investigate this issue further:
info@wildlifetours.com.au
We look forward to working with you on this to investigate this further.
Kind regards
Wildlife Tours
Written December 30, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Vaccines not required to travellers, right?
Thank you.
Written October 30, 2022
do you pick up at the Pan pacific hotel. or where is the closest pick up from this hotel? thank you.
Written June 30, 2022
Yu N
Singapore, Singapore
Hello, I am booking for two for the great ocean road.
I would like to be picked up from my Airbnb which is in Carlton.
Would it be possible?
If yes, do you have whatsapp? so that I can drop you my location?
Written May 8, 2022
I have the reverse 12 Appstles tour booked for tomorrow. I have paid. But not received the email or mobile ticket confirmation. Who do I phone?
Written November 11, 2019
Punitha M
Sentosa Island, Singapore
Hi i am planning to take this tour on 24th July. Do you pick up from 4 Points by Sheraton at Docklands?
Written June 4, 2019
I am not travel guide or tour provider. When you purchase the tour ask them about pick up. Most on line tour companies provide this information on their website.
Hope this helps.
Written June 5, 2019
Hi, do you do pick ups and drop offs at the Rendezvous Hotel in Melbourne?
Written May 20, 2019
You should confirm with the tour company. We had hotel pick up at Langham Hotel. Confirm and be there at least 10 minutes early. It’s a wonderful trip.
Enjoy!
Written May 20, 2019
We'd like to make a booking for the Great Ocean Road and 12 Apostles Day Trip from Melbourne for our group of 17 people (9 Adults and 8 kids) for the 7th of June 2019. We'll be staying in the St. Kilda area. Please email us the best option that you can offer for a Family Friendly tour.
Awaiting your response. Thank you.
Written May 1, 2019
We used Sightseeing Tours Australia. 1 300 661 225
They do hotel pick up and drop off.
We had a coach tour. Since you have a larger group you may arrange for a private tour as well. I am not aware of rate for private tours. The tour was amazing. If you go private, spend more time at the 12 Apostles and ship wreck area. It was such an amazing place.
Viator is a major portal for such trips as well.
Hope this helps. Enjoy the tou
Written May 1, 2019
Hi there, we will be in Melbourne from 23 to 26 Dec. ...is there a tour on the 24 Dec. during christmas season?
Written April 27, 2019
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