This tour is a perfectly balanced Grampians tour from Melbourne that covers spectacular coastline and rugged mountains. We spend the first day and a half on the Great Ocean Road, following the same route as our 2-day tour, before travelling north into the Grampians ranges. It feels like experiencing two incredible tours in one.
Guests booking this Melbourne to Grampians tour are collected from their city hotel or Federation Square before we quickly depart via the West Gate Bridge. We travel across the vast volcanic plains towards Geelong, where you have time to stroll along the beautifully revitalised waterfront. From here we begin our journey along the Great Ocean Road at Torquay, stopping at highlights such as Bells Beach and our scenic morning tea location.
Our focus then turns to Australian native wildlife as we search for Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the wild. This is one of many chances to see and hear about Australia’s unique animals in their natural habitat. We then begin travelling the very scenic, cliff‑hugging section of the Great Ocean Road, stopping to view the ‘Memorial Arch’ and to hear the fascinating story behind the construction of this iconic road.
Lorne, the largest of the seaside resorts, is our lunch stop, with its wide choice of cafes and restaurants. You may even find time to swim or browse the local shops. After lunch we cruise further along the spectacular coastline, pausing at several lookouts, including Kennett River where we often see koalas and many colourful native birds in the wild.
Continuing through Apollo Bay, we head into the Great Otway National Park. Here we take you on a guided 1 km walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully to see some of the world’s tallest flowering plants, prehistoric trees and ferns, and unusual features such as ‘Yabbie Chimneys’.
That evening we visit Apollo Bay before checking in to Beacon Point Ocean View Villas. Your private self‑contained villa sits high on a hill overlooking the Southern Ocean, providing an amazing setting to relax and unwind for a couple of hours. Dinner tonight is at the famous “Chris’ at Beacon Point”, an award‑winning restaurant with breathtaking views, a modern Greek‑Australian menu and excellent local produce.
Our second day starts with a beautiful continental breakfast while looking out over the coastline. Great coffee, tea and a generous breakfast selection make this a perfect start to another full day. We travel through the Otway Ranges and on to the legendary Shipwreck Coast, with our first stop at Castle Cove overlooking the Aire River valley.
Here your guide introduces the strong Aboriginal heritage of the region, where many First Nations communities lived successfully around the coastline for thousands of years. In the same area, millions of years earlier when Australia formed part of Gondwana, dinosaurs roamed the land; a unique discovery made along this coast in 1987 revealed important clues about the prehistoric world.
We arrive at the 12 Apostles as the stacks are lit by the morning sun, ideal for photos and far less crowded. This is a major benefit of booking a Great Ocean Road and Grampians tour rather than arriving in the busy afternoon when the stacks are silhouettes. After hearing how these limestone towers were formed and handling some rock samples, you can explore the boardwalks or opt for a spectacular helicopter flight along the coast (own expense).
Next we visit Loch Ard Gorge, site of one of Australia’s most famous 19th-century shipwrecks. We retell the gripping story – from calm voyage to tragedy to the courage of the survivors and their ultimate fate – while you view and handle original artefacts, photos and documents from the Loch Ard, stored in our treasure chests.
Port Campbell is our lunch stop, a small fishing village of around 350 people set around a pretty natural harbour, with several excellent cafes and restaurants. After lunch we continue to a lesser-known but highly impressive stretch of coastline west of Port Campbell, including London Bridge, Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs and Boat Bay – spectacular sites seen by only a small percentage of Great Ocean Road visitors.
Our journey then continues through Warrnambool and Port Fairy, with a visit to Tower Hill Game Reserve. Set within an extinct volcanic crater, this is a fantastic place to spot more native wildlife, including koalas, kangaroos and emus living freely. Leaving the coast behind, we drive north towards Grampians National Park. Your accommodation tonight is at the foot of Mt Sturgeon, staying and dining at the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld, a multi‑award‑winning property recognised for its outstanding food and wine.
Our third day begins with an incredibly scenic drive along the Wonderland and Mt William ranges to Halls Gap, the main township sitting in the heart of Grampians National Park. The morning covers several short walks to Baroka Lookout, Reid’s Lookout and McKenzie Falls – each offering a completely different perspective of this ancient sandstone landscape, from sweeping valley views to one of Victoria’s most impressive waterfalls. Keep an eye out for kangaroos and emus grazing freely along the roadside as we wind through the ranges.
We also visit the Brambuk Aboriginal Cultural Centre to learn more about the region’s First Nations history, followed by a rock art site at Bunjil’s Shelter – one of the most significant Aboriginal rock art sites in south-eastern Australia. This Grampians National Park day tour concludes with a stop in the historic gold mining town of Ballarat – once one of the richest towns in the world during the 1850s gold rush – before returning to Melbourne at around 6 pm.
Our Great Ocean Road & Grampians tours depart Melbourne at 08:30. Pick-ups are available from all Melbourne city hotels, and guests are returned to their original pick-up point by approximately 18:00 on the final day.
3 day small‑group guided tour (Great Ocean Road & Grampians)
Hotel pick up and drop off in Melbourne CBD
1 x 2‑course dinner
1 x 5‑course degustation dinner
2 x continental breakfasts
Quality accommodation:
Beacon Point Ocean View Villas (Apollo Bay region)
Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld (Grampians foothills)
Guided rainforest walk in Great Otway National Park
Tower Hill Game Reserve visit for wildlife viewing
All National Park entry fees
We include breakfast and dinner for each night on tour. Chris’s restaurant does a wonderful meal overlooking the ocean followed by a deluxe continental breakfast the following morning.
The Barn has one of the best steakhouses in Australia and it is to die for. They also do a cooked breakfast to kickstart the next day.
When we stay at the Royal Mail Hotel at Dunkeld at the foot of the Grampians, we include the degustation menu at ‘Wickens’. It is a celebration of food and creativity and should not be missed. A simple in room continental is all that is necessary the following day but a stop by the bakery on the way out of town is not unheard of.
We will do the GOR in a day if we cannot convince people to do the 2-day or 3-day options, but it is not something we promote nor recommend. It is such a long day of driving, and you are limited in what you can see and the amount of time at each place. It is better doing it in a small vehicle rather than a big bus but if you have the time, an extra day is certainly worth it.
