Great Ocean Road 12 Apostles kangaroo, koala and chocolate tour
Badge of Excellence
Melbourne, Australia
- 12 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
See the best of the Great Ocean Road without breaking the bank on this budget-friendly tour. Explore stunning Australian landscapes, encounter native wildlife, including koalas and kangaroos, and see the iconic 12 Apostles. Stop along the way at the Memorial Arch, a chocolate shop for tasty samples, and Apollo Bay for lunch (own expense).
- Leave the navigating to someone else while you soak up the sights
- Enjoy plenty of get-down spots to take photos and explore
- Maximize your chances of spotting wildlife with a tour guide
- Round-trip transport from central Melbourne and selected hotels including The Hotel Windsor and Citadines on Bourke Melbourne ;
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
Itinerary
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos





Reviews
4.4
based on 261 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
This is a wonderful day out. Plenty to see plenty of time for all experiences. Our driver was very helpful and knowledgeable.
Our tour was canceled. However, Colin the owner of this company worked some magic and put us with another tour company for the same tour. We are thankful because this tour is not to be missed. Absolutely beautiful scenery.
It was very beautiful nature 12 apostles amazing and I’m very thankful to the Lord. It’s a must see on travel. The London bridge, nice beautiful scenic view. A kangaroo cross the road instantly, I only caught seeing the back part of the kangaroo. Mr Hugh the tour guide was knowledgeable, and smart. He rerouted us while the weather did not cooperate and some place got flooded. Towards the end, the weather got better and the more it so gorgeous and beautiful nice day. I had so much
The team did a good job coming up with an alternative route due to recent flooding. It was disappointing though because we didn't get a chance to see any wild animals as a result. This was no fault of the tour group - just mother nature getting in the way.
the driver was experienced, safe and respectful of all the customers.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for your understanding as we try to run a business while mather nature getting in the way. I wish you well?
Colin
DO NOT BOOK THIS TOUR! Sorry I am too angry right now as my day is ruined! I waited at the pick up point before the schedule and stayed longer after that only to find out that the tour got cancelled! Totally unacceptable! I flew 16+ hours to have this tour and my flight back home is tomorrow! And my dream of seeing the Great Ocean and 12 Apostles is no longer coming true in this trip! I’m so upset and this has soured my Melbourne trip! I hope the tour operator/owner and Viator get their karma and lose their business! No consideration to tourist’s time and plans. Shame on you! Hope you lose your business!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi deeply sorry you feel we let you down we made so many efforts to contact you as we lack numbers which is part of our terms and conditions that we reserve the right to cancel also there was a horrible situation happening in my hometown of sydney
As for the tour we didn't run our tour we put clients on our co share partners.
We also cancel as the business owner I am originally from sydney my hometown I have my mum and many family members in sydney I was worry about what happen in sydney 16 dead 40 in hospital and my hometown community grieving over what happen.
Also I am told when you text us about a tour we weren't running as the owner told you about also he told you what happen in bondi and your response wasnt good. We did offer you a free tour the next day but you just attack us.
I take responsibility but trying to destroy our business when I as the owner was trying to reach you and other clients who we move all clients to a tour another day we also gave you a full refund and offer you a free tour for the next day.
We welcome viator/tripadvisor to do a full independent investigation into your review.
Although it wasn't with the original operator, the partner group ran it very smoothly. Thankyou Colin (original operator) for clear communication regarding the transition to the partner operator. The day was smooth with no interruptions. Weather held off and was able to view the attractions well.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
thanks for the kind words all the best
Timely pickup from the designated place and smooth driving experience with scheduled brakes and Timely return with no hassles. The driver cum guide Mr Neil was highly matured and professional and cooperative with suitable explanations throughout the trip
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thanks for great review.
Not what it advertised. Did not follow itinery. No wildlife stops. Said no koalas at Kennet river which I know to be untrue so did not stop. Very long drive with limited walking. Not what expected limited photo ops and a lot of drivel at times about holiday homes. Nice beaches but that was all we saw for hours of driving. Find a tour that makes an effort to give you what you paid for would be my advice
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Sorry if you felt disappointed:
This is from someone who gave us a 4 star review to start with as did not stop at wildlife viewing areas listed in itinerary. Worth provider looking at that as felt mid-sold. However after lunch at Apollo bay we were taken to see seals, then to a eucalyptus glade to see three koalas and loads of cockatoos. Then via the forest for more koalas and finally the wonderful natural rock formation in the bay. Thought we would not see kangaroos but driver managed to find a mob of about ten of them in Simpson I think it was called. So great afternoon in the end and lovely group
What all people come to Australia, see kangaroo and koala. So we booked this trip. We were excited to see Kangaroo and Koala, but we didn’t see anything. Very disappointed.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Sorry you didn't see wildlife we do our best to look for it but as per our term and conditions we can guarantee you will see it.
Daniel took over as our tour leader & provided the best possible service you can ask for. He got us all to our destinations in a timely manner, safe and sound. I really appreciated the information he shared with us throughout our 12 hour journey. You can tell he loves what he does. Thank you Daniel for providing us with an incredible experience on what was a beautiful day to explore the Great Ocean Road!
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Awesome i am glad you like the driver its so important
What can I say ! A fantastic day all around ! Amazing sights and amazing tour guide ! If you get Richard he is a fountain of knowledge and keeps you interested all day :)
5 Stars !
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thanks for the review
It was one of the best trips of my life and the tour guide Collin? was fantastic and friendly. Keep it up. You make us feel like home in a tour
Response from Host, Jul 2025
thanks for the good reviews stay safe
No stops at wildlife sanctuaries. Drive by places that might have kangaroo and Kuala. Long drive great ocean road.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Sorry you feel the review deserves 3 stars the driver actually got tips from clients so I am confused. Also we don't stop at any wildlife sanctuary where you have to pay money to look for kangaroos and koalas we visit Anglesea Golf course or near bells Beach or Prince Town reserve to try and find kangaroos or if koalas are not in one location will try to find them in other locations.
Also the tour is a 500 km plus drive it's a long day about 12 hours so we try to go to many places. May I suggest you try our 2 day great Ocean road tour it cover more places with more time at each location.
This trip was lovely! Driver Milan was on time, very sweet and great to chat with. He was patient with us taking photos and helped us stop koalas in the wild and some kangaroos. This tour doesn't include an animal site. We were confused about that but he managed to show us in the wild. The chocolate shop stop on the road was delicious as well as every spot to eat. They provided water which other providers don't do with a long trip like this and I appreciate it. Great company.
Great day! Doing it reverse is really cool because there was not a lot of people. We saw a lot of things.
The tour was great! Milan was a very knowledgeable driver, that gave us a lot of informations about all kind of places we passed during our tour. He also gave us plenty of time to discover the places we stopped at.
It’s such great day trip with Richard. He makes sure everyone comfortable on the bus. He stops as many stops as possible to fill our requests. Very accommodating. He is super entertaining, customer focus. We had great time with Richard on his bus tour. Thanks Richard for a such great day trip!
It was excellent, driver/ tour guide is excellent, he shared so much to us about the trip along the Southern part of Ocean
We had an outstanding experience with Richard as our tour guide. He is very passionate and very knowledgeable, sharing with us lots of information about Australia and its history and the wildlife while keeping it very engaging. We were able to see many koalas and kangaroos in the wild in addition to the amazing views. He has good driving skills and he managed to bring us to a number of places under a tight timeline. We also loved his sharing and singing during the drive.
Of the few tours we joined in Melbourne, this is the most well-organised, and Richard is the best guide we have met.
That was an amazing experience mainly thanks to our driver and tour guide Richard. The way he organized the whole trip was incredible. He provided us with many details regarding visited places. His goal was to show us as much as he could and even shared his singing talent 😀 We had a wonderful time!
The tour was well organized, everything was spot on time with interesting stops along the coast line, at the nice beach town, rainforest, and gorgeous stone formation that take your breath away. Just no advertised animals, if you really want to see. Only few ostriches very far away, one koala on a random stop, and no kangaroos at all. Come for the nature beauty though.
Great Great Ocean Road Tour, 12 Apostles and Neil/Neal driver was very friendly, accommodating as I had to get to Airport same night for flight out
The day was outstanding! We views were spectacular and we were able to see koalas, kangaroos, many birds and an echidna throughout the day. The driver Neal, was very friendly and knowledgeable and did a great job taking us to less crowded areas to see the wildlife.
The experience was very good, but the stop at the twelve apostles was a bit too short (only 20 minutes).
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thanks for the feedback during the holiday season i have been advice there has been issues cause of the traffic etc. So I am trailing out doing the tour in reverse.
I appreciate the feedback and when we get it up and running we would love for you to do our 2 days 1 night gor budget tour. colin may
I never leave bad reviews because most of the time, in my opinion, it’s not worth it and sometimes I’m just being picky. However, this will not be left unchecked. The only reason this isn’t a 1 star review is because what we saw was good enough.
Let’s begin with time: Viator informed me of a 0700 pickup. Most were informed 0700 as well. An email came out stating 0720. I wasn’t sure which one to go with so I showed at 0700 as did most others. Not sure whose fault that is, just keep in mind times may vary. Not upset about it but some thought we were starting way later than we should have.
The guide was late on some occasions and I was worried at multiple stops that I missed the bus as did others because the driver was not on time and/or in place for pickup.
Information: Information was adequate but the guide was not energetic, passionate, engaging, or lively. There was no script, were not many details for the things pointed out, and information seemed to be thrown together as we were driving. The whole tour actually seemed pieced together last minute as if you forgot family was visiting and needed to entertain them somehow.
Driving: The driver’s ability is concerning to put it lightly.
Professionalism: As much as the entire review is based on unprofessionalism, the driver was visibly and “tour guidingly” unprofessional. We did not receive a warm/hearty welcome and intro and the guide’s attire was not any type of uniform with no name tag, badge, company logo, etc. I looked at some other company’s guides and wished I had them based strictly on appearance.
Accountability: Tour guide did not count everyone on the bus before and after stops, leaving some behind at a stop. He relied on passengers to inform him of everyone’s attendance.
Kangaroos and koalas: You are NOT GUARANTEED to see any. Driver drove by and stopped where a sighting is possible. The tour title requires changing to exclude any animals.
In my many tour taking experiences, this was by far the worst. I have never felt so uncared for and ill-managed. I recommend driving The Great Ocean Road yourself or using a different company. To the guide, I know you may enjoy what you do, but it’s time to hang it up. Tour taken 31 Dec 2024.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Subject: Re: Recent Great Ocean Road Tour Experience
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on the recent Great Ocean Road tour. We appreciate you bringing these points to our attention.
Regarding the pickup time: While the original email indicated a 7:00 AM pickup, a subsequent email with the updated 7:20 AM pickup time was sent out. We understand that this may have caused some confusion, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
Regarding the guide's punctuality and the driver's timing: We strive to maintain a punctual schedule for all our tours. However, unforeseen circumstances such as traffic delays or unexpected passenger issues can sometimes impact the tour's timeline. We are investigating these specific instances to ensure they do not reoccur.
Regarding the guide's presentation style: Our guides are encouraged to provide a balance of informative and engaging commentary. We will review the feedback regarding the guide's presentation style and work with them to enhance their delivery in the future.
Regarding the driver's professionalism: We require our drivers to adhere to professional standards at all times. We will address the concerns raised regarding the driver's demeanor and ensure that appropriate measures are taken.
Regarding the wildlife sightings: As you know, wildlife sightings are not guaranteed on any wildlife tour. The presence of animals is dependent on various factors such as weather conditions, time of day, and animal behavior. We always strive to maximize the chances of wildlife encounters but cannot guarantee any specific sightings.
We understand that this tour did not meet your expectations, and we sincerely apologize for any shortcomings. We value your feedback and will use it to continuously improve our services.
I saw Krishna’s unbelievable creation. Everything came from Him . It was really good trip , our driver was so friendly & patiently as well as knowledgeable.
Richard was the greatest tour guide ever!! He was so knowledgeable about EVERYTHING, history, trees, animals, etc. He was so great bringing us to all of our stops and even singing to us with his great voice!!! Highly HIGHLY recommend booking with Richard!!
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Richard is amazing if you didnt know his a cancer survivor like me and we are glad that he got a miracle to be given a second chance to serve the people who travel with us.
This experience was life changing. It was truly amazing to see such incredible Australian views and landscapes. Richard was amazing and so informative about every location we visited.
Amazing tour and above all, amazing tour guide Richard! This was one of the best days for me in Australia 🥰
Unbeatable tour for the price. Our tour guide Richard was an animated speaker who brought the Ocean Roads to life through his stories and facts about the land. I could not recommend this experience enough.
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