Private Great Ocean Road Day Tour With Early Departure (12 Hours)
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Melbourne, Australia
- 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Travel one of the world’s greatest routes—the Great Ocean Road—on this full-day trip from Melbourne. Alongside a private guide, get an early start to beat other tour groups and focus on the sights without the crowds. See beaches, lighthouses, and ocean viewpoints; watch for kangaroos, koalas, and other wildlife; and visit Apollo Bay, the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, and more.
- Scenic drive by epic beaches, cliffs, ocean lookouts, and lighthouses
- Watch for wildlife like whales, seals, dolphins, kangaroos, koalas, and birds
- An early departure means you get to sights early and avoid crowds
- A private tour means a more personalized experience
What's Included
- Private Tour and Personal Driver/Guide (Only your group will travel)
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Fruit & snacks
- Bottled water
- Local Expert Guide dedicated to your group
- Direct Hotel Pickup in the Morning (7am)
- Gratuities
- Children under 12 cannot travel with us. We apologise for this inconvenience.
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
We pickup from most CBD, Southbank and Docklands Hotels/Accommodations at 7AM in the morning. if you are staying outside of this area, you will need to make your own way to our Generic Pick-up Point - 100 Lorimer Street, Docklands, VIC 3008. Note : Some hotels require a slightly earlier pick-up time of 6:45 AM. We will re-confirm with you the day before your tour of your exact pick up time and location. Please notify us of your accommodation, at least 24 hours hour prior to the tour date. To assist your driver in busy city centre areas, please sure you are ready at outside your pick-up location 5 minutes prior to the designated pick up time.
Operating hours.7:00 am
Itinerary
1
Torquay
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Anglesea Beach
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Fairhaven Beach (Pass By)
3
Great Ocean Road Memorial Archway
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Lorne Beach
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Great Ocean Road (Pass By)
5
Kennett River
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Cape Patton Lookout Point
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Apollo Bay (Pass By)
7
The Twelve Apostles
35 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
8
Loch Ard Gorge
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Victoria (Pass By)
9
12 Apostles Helicopters
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
10
The Razorback
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Pickup times will be advised at least 24 hours prior to the tour departure. Your guide will send a text message to re-confirm the Pick up location and time.
- Please call / text us on +61 466 888 775 to discuss the many different options you have on this tour, including the option to upgrade your Great Ocean Road experience.
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Near public transportation
- No children under 12 years of age
- We have a strict 24 Hours No Refund Cancellation Policy due to the limited and nature of out tours
- Most travelers can participate
- Driving time is 8 hours. If you get motion / travel sickness we do NOT recommend you choose this tour. We offer a 2 day tour which would be much more suitable.
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 222 reviews
Sylvia_B, Sep 2024
James was a great tour guide giving us all the highlights and being very responsive to what was important to us. (Seeing the wildlife). We hit all the great spots before the tour buses and got great commentary and photos with no crowds. James was easy to be with the entire day and a great conversationalist. Highly recommend him for this tour.
Joshua_G, Apr 2023
I highly recommend doing a private tour and James was the perfect tour guide. He catered the trip to make sure my son would enjoy it and we had a blast. From Bells Beach, wild Kangaroos, waterfalls and chocolate factory, the trip hit all the high points and we had a great trip.
Response from Host, May 2023
Thanks Joshua. I had a blast along the coast with you both. and I'm glad you enjoyed the hot chocolate at the chocolate factory !! :)
Glad I was able to hit all the high points for you. I hope you both enjoy your time in Cairns.
Warm regards,
James
Ocean Road Tours
Gary_b, May 2021
Tour matches their listing. Early start means sunrise over Bells Beach! Small group means less queuing for look outs, lunch and amenities. Also, easy 'hearing' in the small bus. Alot of Victoria is covered so really, you're getting a huge tour!
Response from Host, May 2021
Hey Gary, thanks for the review. I am glad you appreciated the subtle things. Early start is way better than the reverse tour, as we discussed. Why do the best things first and then the rest and how good was that sunrise? Early starts and no crowds. Cheers !
ChunKai_C, May 2021
Great trip to explore the great ocean road. Our tour guide is super friendly and love to explain the history and story about the sites and towns we have been. Lovely way to spend the day.
Response from Host, May 2021
G'Day ChunK, thanks for taking the time to write a review of our tour. I am happy you had a Great Trip. The weather certainly turned it on for us that day and we had quite a few laughs. Cheers.
Javis_L, Feb 2020
The tour started off really on time at the specific pickup location. Stuart is a great great tour guide with everything. There was a lady who was sick during the trip and Stuart handled it perfectly. Kudos to Stuart and all his arrangements. The food, time spent during the trip is perfect!
Response from Host, Mar 2020
Hey Javis, thanks mate. I appreciate your kind words re our sick traveler. I love your comments about the timing and food supplied, as we do try to fit in as much as possible without making people feel rushed and our Lunch stop has worked hard over the last year to make your lunch delicious and enjoyable.. Thanks for your review mate. Cheers :)
donaldcolantonio, Feb 2020
Outstanding tour of one of the best coastal locations on the planet. From the onset, punctuality was a plus to get to our destination before the crowds. The early call did not fail us! We never felt rushed. Our delightful and informative guide, Stuart, made sure we were all comfortable and let us know ahead of time when stops would occur. Operations aside, the side roads Stuart had carefully planned and mapped out gave us all the views we had yearned to see! We saw kangaroos in the grasslands amidst grazing cattle; a stoic koala wondering why we were staring; a few straying wallabies . . and flocks of cockatiel brightening the sky! Lunch was delightful – many choices as well – But the historic insight Stuart shared throughout the Great Ocean Road, and in making our viewing time at The Twelve Apostles optimal, was a gift only an expert could have planned. We had time to explore on our own and make it a memory to cherish. For certain, without Stuart as a tour guide, this was one of the best tours we've ever been on! (Saw the Big Bus rolling into town at 9pm . . . we got back hours before!)
Sue_M, Sep 2019
This was a well thought out real Australian experience.. Beautiful breakfast in paper carry bag on getting into a very comfortable mini van. All stops were timely, saw wild kangaroos and lots of birds and a wallaby. Stuart was an excellent guide. Commentary relevant and accurate (I am an Aussie) and some much appreciated quiet time. Lunch up in the Otway Ranges was delicious, I had the huge Aussie burger. Stuart certainly knew what he was showing us . I've been wanting to drive along the Great Ocean Road for years and seeing the Apostles and the magnificent scenery along the road exceeded my expectations. We were up close to Parrots and Rosellas with Stuart's help. Go with this company and you will have a fantastic time.
Norahs_T, Jul 2019
This was my 2nd visit to GOR and i had nothing to say except to applaude for the fantastic service from Stuart. He was very welcoming and friendly and was always sharing information and history about Australia and GOR. The snack pack he has prepared for every individual was nothing else but thoughtful. I am pleasantly surprised by this gesture. As this was an exclusive 8 pax tour, the ride was pleasant and cosy, we beat most crowd to get a first hand view of all the stopovers and arrived back in City before 4pm. I would recommend all to book with Stuart. Trust me, he is one of the best tours I’ve ever booked with!
Response from Host, Jul 2019
Thanks Global 1 for this great review. I am honored you think it is one of the best tours, as that is what I am striving for daily. I understand the importance of this being, in many cases, a trip of a lifetime and I want to make it so on every tour. I appreciate you taking the time to review my tour. Cheers.
DIANNE S, May 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Stuart. Small, intimate group (7), comfortable van and lively conversation. Weather was perfect allowing maximum enjoyment of sites along the way to the 12 Apostles. Lunch and snacks were included. Would recommend this to anyone who prefers not to rent a car and do it on your own. Last Stop made the trip .. 12 Apostles were beautiful to behold and we had plenty of time to enjoy the sites before making the trip back to Melbourne before the commuter traffic. Thank you Stuart.
Mel, Nov 2017
This was a great tour! I am so glad we left early so we could beat the crowds at some of the stops. The place where we ate lunch was fantastic - truly homemade food. My only warning is the road twists and turns a lot. I took motion sickness medicine in the morning and was even feeling it after that.
andrea.jermaine, Oct 2017
Stewart was an awesome guide! He's knowledgeable and passionate and I would highly recommend this tour! I loved that the tour was a small group and that it started early - we got back to the city in time to have dinner and enjoy our evening which wouldn't have been possible with other tours.
Giuseppe_M, Dec 2019
Bellissima esperienza da fare se si è nei dintorni di Melbourne. Paesaggi panoramici mozzafiato e guida meravigliosa che permette di avere più tempo a disposizione per visitare i posti più belli.Da raccomandare vivamente
Response from Host, Dec 2019
Thank you for your review
Translated to
Beautiful experience to do if you are around Melbourne. Breathtaking scenic landscapesWonderful guide that allows you to have more time to visit the most beautiful places. Fromstrongly recommend
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