How long does a Great Ocean Road day tour from Melbourne take?

Great Ocean Road day tours from Melbourne usually take 12 to 14 hours. There are a lot of sights to fit in, and a lot of distance to cover.

The Great Ocean Road in Victoria is one of the most popular day tour destinations in Australia, even though it’s best tackled over two or three days.

Every day, dozens of tour buses depart from Melbourne in search of the Great Ocean Road’s highlights, such as Bells Beach, the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge.

But just how long are these Great Ocean Road day tours from Melbourne? Are we talking about a nine to five kind of trip, or a more gruelling day with an early start and late finish.

Pick the right Great Ocean Road tour from Melbourne

For wildlife and nature focus: One day tour with koalas and guided forest walk.
To beat the crowds: Reverse direction Great Ocean Road day tour.
For adventure: Two day camping and surfing trip.
For backpackers: One day highlights tour aimed at younger travellers.
For exclusivity and flexibility: Private tour where you can pick the sights you want to see.
For an extended trip: Three day Melbourne to Adelaide tour.

What time to Great Ocean Road day tours start?

Well, the bad news for those wanting to have a lie-in is that most Great Ocean Road tours start early in the morning and get back to Melbourne after dark.

The exact timings vary from tour to tour, but as an example, the reverse itinerary boutique tour is scheduled to last around 12 hours. A wildlife-focused tour that adds a rainforest walk takes around 13 hours. And the small group eco tour takes 14 hours.

So, you can expect a Great Ocean Road day tour from Melbourne to take 12 to 14 hours.

7 fantastic Great Ocean Road experiences
1. Crowd-beating reverse direction tour. 2. Surfing lessons in Anglesea. 3. Split Point Lighthouse climb. 4. Shockwave Zip-Coaster. 5. Guided wildlife walk. 6. Budj Bim National Park tour. 7. Great Ocean Road by motorbike.

Why do Great Ocean Road day tours take so long?

The operators of these Great Ocean Road day tours would like to tell you that the reason they start so early is that there’s so much to pack in. But the real reason is the sheer distance covered.

Most Great Ocean Road day tours turn back from Melbourne once they reach Warrnambool at the end of the Great Ocean Road.

If you’re driving yourself, the drive from Melbourne to Warrnambool via the Great Ocean Road is 350km long. It’s not the fastest of roads either, so without stopping, that Melbourne to Warrnambool drive takes around five hours and 15 minutes.

The inland short cut on the way back is quicker, but even so, that’s a lot of distance covered and a lot of driving.