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The Great Ocean Road is 243 kilometres long, running from Torquay to Allansford near Warrnambool. That doesn’t include the drive from Melbourne or your journey back. With seaside towns, rainforest walks and spectacular limestone cliffs along the way, there’s plenty to get out and explore! Here’s how much time to leave for the drive and the stops, whether you’re joining a day trip or heading away for a longer coastal break.
The Great Ocean Road starts in Torquay and finishes in Allansford, just east of Warrnambool. The 243-kilometre distance covers this B100 route, not a round trip from Melbourne.
Heading west, you travel through Anglesea, Lorne and Apollo Bay, with beach towns and gorgeous coastal views along the way. Beyond Apollo Bay, the road turns through the Otways before reaching the limestone coastline around the Twelve Apostles and Port Campbell. Forest is part of the journey too; you won’t be beside the ocean for every kilometre!
The Twelve Apostles are a highlight, not the end of the road. The Great Ocean Road continues west towards Allansford. If you continue to Warrnambool or Port Fairy, you’ll travel beyond the road’s official endpoint.
From Melbourne, allow just over an hour to reach Torquay. The coastal drive to the Twelve Apostles takes about 4½ hours, while reaching Warrnambool via the coast takes about 5½ hours. Those are all one-way driving times.
Add meals, walks and lookout stops to those driving times. Then allow for the return drive or an overnight stay. Your starting point in Melbourne, traffic and road conditions affect those driving times.
Allow just over an hour to drive from Melbourne to Torquay. That gets you to the start of the Great Ocean Road, with the coastal drive still ahead.
Decide how far along the coast you want to go before planning your stops. Visiting Torquay and the eastern beach towns involves less driving than continuing to the Twelve Apostles.
Tourism Australia puts the scenic coastal drive from Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles at about 4½ hours. That’s the outward drive, before you add sightseeing stops.
These iconic limestone stacks lie beyond Apollo Bay and the Otways, in the western part of the journey. They’re further west than the eastern beach towns, but what a view to arrive at!
Your return route matters too. Driving back inland is a different journey from retracing the coast; neither is included in that one-way estimate.
From Melbourne’s CBD, allow about 5½ hours to reach Warrnambool along the coast, or about three hours inland. The inland drive gets you to the city more directly; the coastal route takes you through the Great Ocean Road’s towns and scenery.
Warrnambool lies beyond Allansford, so the coastal estimate includes driving past the end of the Great Ocean Road. For a westbound sightseeing trip, an inland return lets you make a loop instead of driving the same coastal stretch twice.
The 664-kilometre figure belongs to Visit Victoria’s three-day Great Ocean Road touring route. It starts and finishes in Melbourne, continues west to Port Fairy and returns inland through Colac.
Its three driving legs are:
Together, they total 664 km and about 9½ hours of driving. The three-day itinerary leaves time between those drives for sightseeing and overnight stays.
A Melbourne day trip to the Twelve Apostles with an inland return follows a different loop, so don’t use 664 km as the distance for every return visit.
A shorter map estimate can refer to an inland route rather than the coastal drive you have in mind. If you only enter your final destination, the route won’t necessarily include Lorne or Apollo Bay.
Before setting off, add your coastal stops to the route. For an east-to-west trip, Torquay, Lorne and Apollo Bay mark out the eastern coastal stretch. Add Port Campbell for the limestone coast beyond the Otways. Look at the route line as well as the arrival time, so you don’t miss the beautiful coastal stretch you came to see!
The B100 itself heads inland through the Otways, so being away from the water doesn’t automatically mean you’ve taken a shortcut. Follow the B100 through the forest as well as the coastal towns.
For more on visiting the sights in the opposite order, check out our reverse or classic Great Ocean Road route guide.
You’ll need time for lunch beside the coast, forest walks and cliff-top stops, as well as driving.
Lorne and Apollo Bay are perfect places to break up your drive with a meal and some time by the water. Further west, stop at the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge for stunning limestone formations and cliff-top views.
Getting out of the car is part of the fun! Allow for parking and walking to viewpoints, not just reaching the car park. For roadside photos, pull completely off the road somewhere safe before stopping to enjoy the view.
Maits Rest is about a 15-minute drive west of Apollo Bay, with a rainforest walk taking around 30 minutes return. The boardwalk takes you past tree ferns and giant rainforest trees. That half-hour is walking time, in addition to driving and parking.
Allow extra time to drive out to a lighthouse or waterfall, then explore once you arrive. Leave space for those longer stops instead of treating them like quick roadside photos. If you’re driving, take a rest break every two hours and get out for a stretch.
Yes! A day trip from Melbourne can combine coastal highlights, a rainforest stop and the Twelve Apostles. You don’t have to drive every kilometre or visit every attraction to enjoy a Great Ocean Road day out.
For a full day with the driving and stops organised, join the Great Ocean Road & 12 Apostles Full-Day Tour. The 12-hour trip starts and finishes in Melbourne. You’ll visit Apollo Bay, Melba Gully, the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge before returning inland. That’s the whole outing, including sightseeing—not 12 hours behind the wheel.
On the tour, your driver takes you between the rainforest and coastal sights. Driving yourself lets you choose how long to spend at each stop, but you’ll also be at the wheel for the return to Melbourne.
No car? You can still enjoy the coastal sights without driving! Our Great Ocean Road without a car guide covers the transport choices beyond this day-tour example.
An overnight stay gives you an evening on this beautiful coast and spreads the sightseeing over two days. Longer trips give you time to explore further west.
An overnight stop in Apollo Bay lets you visit the coastal towns on the first day, then continue to the rainforest and limestone coast on the second.
Check out the Ultimate 2-Day Great Ocean Road Tour, which stays overnight in Apollo Bay. Day two includes Maits Rest and the Shipwreck Coast before returning inland through Colac. It’s a chance to turn a coastal day out into an overnight adventure!
Our Great Ocean Road one day or two days guide explains more about what that extra day adds.
Visit Victoria’s three-day loop continues to Port Fairy, beyond the Great Ocean Road’s endpoint. Its first two days each include about three hours of driving, leaving the rest of those days for stops and exploring.
With more days, you have room for lighthouse detours, longer rainforest visits or time around Warrnambool. You don’t need three days just to drive the 243-kilometre road. The extra time is for exploring the wider region.
There is no single speed limit for the whole route. Follow the posted signs, as limits differ between sections, and slow down for the conditions. Drive more slowly around narrow bends or on wet roads, even if the posted limit is higher.
No. The Great Ocean Walk is a separate walking trail from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles, stretching over 100 kilometres. The road runs between Torquay and Allansford. If you’re reading a walking itinerary, its distances refer to the walking trail—not the road or the time you’ll spend driving.
