Great Ocean Road Reverse SUNRISE TOUR–SML GRP-DLX BUS Hotel Pikup
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Melbourne, Australia
- 12 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
The Great Ocean Road's main stops draw crowds by midday, so timing your visit to the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge around the buses takes local know-how. Ride it in reverse in a small group instead, reaching the headline sights ahead of the crowds with more time at each. Hotel pickup from Melbourne's CBD and Southbank sorts the start, so you spend the day looking rather than driving.
- Hotel pickup from any Melbourne CBD or Southbank hotel for convenience
- Spot iconic Australian wildlife, including koalas and kangaroos
- A reverse itinerary means you have more time to spend at each location
- Sit back and relax while an expert navigates the winding roads
What's Included
- Hotel pickup (Melbourne CBD & Southbank hotels)
- Luxury, Air-Conditioned -Mini Premium Coach
- Professional driver-guide
- All national park entry fees
- Bottled water
- More time at each stop thanks to reverse itinerary
- USB Charging Ports Available
- Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Morning tea/coffee
- Personal expenses
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to your preferred meeting point, or request pickup.
Start time.6:50 am
Itinerary
1
Colac
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
The Twelve Apostles
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Tom And Eva Lookout
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
The Razorback
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
5
Loch Ard Gorge
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Port Campbell National Park (Pass By)
6
Melba Gully National Park
25 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
7
Great Ocean Road
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
8
Apollo Bay
40 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
9
Kennett River
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
10
Memorial Arch at Eastern View
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
11
Anglesea
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
12
Immigration Museum
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Travel time is already included in total tour duration.
- We Will Confirm Pick Up Time A Day Before the Tour. We will message you pick up time from specific hotels From Melbourne CBD & SOUTHBANK .
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 22 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
What an awesome trip 👏. The scenery along the Great Ocean Road and getting to see the Apostles was an amazing experience. The tour guide, Steve, was outstanding. He had an enthusiastic and cheerful character, and his commentary was interesting, informative and educational. I would highly recommend this trip. It is very worthwhile. Rosemary B.
Reviews
4.9
based on 1,718 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
The tour guide was absolutely fantastic, knowledgeable, deep, and kind.
He took us all to the best places, went out of his way to make the time, itinerary, and sightseeing memorable.
The company was efficient and informative. The driver/guide was professional and informative. I highly recommend this tour.
Ask to be there over email the night before to walk from my hotel up the street, 45 minutes early, at 6:15AM,, instead 6:50, Then they were delayed because of a shuttle change due to no headlights so now it’s 6:40AM
Puts you at ease already I bet, huh? Yeah Me too…Met up with rest of patrons and the forgiveness for tardiness a free coup of coffee 90 minutes away. Backwards tour, fine, went to the only things I wanted to see, 1st.
Driver Bil, semi-knowledgeable, but was vague as if it just came to mind. None of the stopping points were guided, but extremely limited in time. Other than the abbreviated 2 hours out of the shuttle, the Painful 12 hour ride over 242 miles/450km, was arduous. To the point that after we had not encounter anything promised, we stopped on the “side of the road” to look up and able to not clearly photograph koalas 40 meters high. I had better shots on my cellphone at the zoo the day before. The coup de grace was lets see some kangaroos, then take us to a residential area golf course that has kangaroos roaming while golfers golf?!,,,HELL all I needed was a golf tee time at the Anglesea golf club instead of this BS poorly run tour to hang up close with Roos, instead of watching them 200 meters away from some neighbor street behind a wired fence, SIGN ME UP!
At the end the driver Asked how each person trip was? I was blown away on that some thought it was great, I just thought I paid $99 AUS $75 US…I got what I paid for ….and much much less. Your choice folks but to be honest, this was my 1st in over a decade doing a bus/shuttle tour and now I remember why…I’m just sayin!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Since it was your 1st Bus Tour in last 10 years.( as you mentioned in the review). We can understand you were not use to how Bus Tours operate.
Your booking included hotel pickup, and you were collected directly from your hotel. We acknowledge that we had to change vehicles that morning because one of the headlights stopped working. The safety of our guests is our highest priority, so we could not operate that vehicle until the issue was addressed. We sincerely apologise for the resulting delay, and our offer of complimentary coffee was intended as a gesture of goodwill.
As you mentioned, the other guests told you that they enjoyed the tour. We also received seven five-star reviews from guests travelling on the same tour. Nevertheless, every guest’s experience is important to us, and we take your concerns seriously.
Our tour includes opportunities to see wildlife in its natural environment. Because these are wild animals, sightings and their proximity can never be guaranteed. We support observing animals in their natural habitat rather than confining them solely for close-up photographs.
We would genuinely appreciate the opportunity to speak with you by phone to better understand what disappointed you and how we could have improved your experience. Please contact us directly at your convenience.
Kind regards,
Tours Around Melbourne
Absolutely amazing experience! Jerry was very informative, provided great recommendations, was friendly and funny, and just made the overall experience that much better just for being there!
Saw all of the main sites on Great Ocean Road.
We had hotel pickup which was nice.
Would recommend this tour.
Beautiful scenery, landscapes.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Hi Michelle. We appreciate Your call. That you pressed 3 star by mistake instead of 5 stars.
Regards
Taking the reverse tour of the Great Ocean Road was great because we avoided the large crowds and got some beautiful photos. Our guide, Jerry, was thoughtful, knowledgeable & had a fun sense of humor. He knew where to spot koalas & kangaroos during the route and stopped to let us take photos. Highly recommend this tour.
Great experience, tour guide Bill extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his job. Collected from our hotel on time, good value for money, would thoroughly recommend this tour for anyone wanting to do the Great Ocean Road
Steve did a great job leading our tour! We had a great time with plenty of time at each stop, and his great stories for the Ocean Road. Definitely grab breakfast at the first stop (or bring snacks) because the lunch is on the later side (2-3pm), but overall we would choose this reverse itinerary without crowds over a normal lunchtime.
Bill was great. So much energy. You can tell he loves what he does. Even made sure we got chocolate at the end.
This one day tour from Melbourne provides a snapshot view of all the sites and animals all the Great Ocean Road. The tour guide/driver Bill was outstanding and very knowledgeable.
I travelled with my elderly mother. It was difficult for someone with mobility issues particularly with short stops (necessary to see ao much in one day). Bill was fantastic in his accommodation of mums mobility concerns.
Great to travel with, no problems experienced. Lots of destinations included. Stops are a little quick.
Our tour guide Raffi did a fantastic job! Highly recommended! Was very helpful in giving out tips on what to look out.
Tour guide cum driver is fantastically and friendly. He can tell the history of tourist spots and sing well.
Very long day but worth the effort especially if you're looking for something outside Melbourne & have limited time
We had a great time was an amazing tour!
The Great Ocean Road is a must see one of the most beautiful and interesting places in Australia.
Steve our guide made the day, he is a 5 star tour leader and a all round great person!
It was a wonderful day trip and the scenery was beautiful. It was a great way to see the sights along the ocean road. Our driver/guide Steve was very informative and so friendly and fun. He made the day even more excellent!
Steve, our tour guide was excellent.. informative and witty.. showed us the kangaroos and koalas… safe driver … had a lovely time …
Steve was very warm and friendly and brought the trip to life. Most enjoyable experience and we would recommend any day. Planning to do again.
Steven was fun and energetic. Good to see 12 apostles in morning, better sun direction. Spotted wild koalas.
Day trip to the Great Ocean Road was amazing! 🌊✨
The views along the 240+ km coastline were breathtaking from sunrise to sunset. We also spotted wild koalas and kangaroos in their natural habitat. 🐨🦘
It was awesome.... made especially so by our tour host Steve... who was charming, informative, inventive and extremely knowledgeable! We would HIGHLY recommend it! Thank you so much!
We had an amazing experience on the reverse Great Ocean Road tour from Melbourne, and a big part of that was our driver, Steve. He was friendly, professional, and extremely knowledgeable throughout the trip. He shared interesting facts about the places we visited, kept the tour well organized, and made sure everyone was comfortable.
The reverse route was a fantastic choice, allowing us to enjoy the major attractions before the crowds arrived. Steve's safe driving and great sense of humor made the long journey enjoyable. We never felt rushed and had plenty of time to take photos and enjoy the stunning scenery.
Thank you, Steve, for making our Great Ocean Road tour such a memorable experience. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Melbourne!
This is a must do tour if you are coming to Melbourne for the first time. Steve was a fantastic tour guide- very knowledgeable, friendly and patient. He gave us more than enough time to click pictures and also helped click some pictures. He also took extra effort to show us kangaroos and koalas :)
The time flew by during the beautiful scenic drive. Advantage of doing reverse tour is that you get to the twelve apostles during a time when other tourist buses have not crowded the place. I am so glad I chose this tour. Would recommend it 100%
I got some stunning pictures, but pictures don't do it justice. This was a great day tour with other stops along the way that were good.
The trip was well organized and Stephen, our tour director, did a great job personalizing the tour to make it more interactive and work around the poor weather. The Great Ocean Road is an iconic, historic and beautiful place to visit. The trip involves lots of time in the van. Travelers should be prepared for the close quarters on winding country roads. I would discourage taking children under 10 or those who have difficulty sitting still for long periods of time. My preference is for less salty language, especially when kids are involved. It would also be good to let people know that there is hotel pickup, but no hotel delivery and where the drop off will be. Overall, a worthwhile experience!
Very well thought of itinerary. Bill, our host was exceptional!
Will highly recommend for those who actually read reviews to decide.
Great tour guide Steve! It was arsenal day and he really made the most of it. I would recommend him to anyone.
Bill was a great driver and had a lot of knowledge about the tour stops and sights along the way. Be advised that the roads wind around a lot and you will get motion sick if you’re prone to that. My friend was out for nearly the whole trip and couldn’t even look at the views. If you don’t get motion sick, it’s a great time!
Steve was an exceptional guide! He really made sure everyone had a great time. He was very knowledgeable, welcoming and engaging. The 12 hour tour flew by because of his upbeat attitude. He also made sure everyone had a great experience...stopping for pictures, finding wildlife, adjusting stops to beat or outrun some storms...it was such a great day and great tour!
Apart from the gorgeous sceneries at great ocean road, Steve is truly an excellent guide. He was knowledgable, funny and is always making sure everyone on board is well. It is really rare to see guides like him who don’t constantly hard sell souvenirs or paid activities. This trip was made enjoyable because of great guides like Steve! 👍🏼
Member Pricing
From
$67.22
per personWas $70.75(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Great Ocean Road Reverse SUNRISE TOUR–SML GRP-DLX BUS Hotel Pikup
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