Melbourne to Apollo Bay road trip: Best stops, distance & time

The best stops on a Melbourne to Apollo Bay road trip along the Great Ocean Road include Anglesea, Lorne and Kennett River. By car, the distance from Melbourne to Apollo Bay is 186km, with a driving time of around 2h51m.

The Melbourne to Apollo Bay drive covers a significant chunk of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. Apollo Bay is the last town before the Great Ocean Road heads inland.

Before leaving, you may want to tick Melbourne Cricket Ground tours, Yarra River dinner cruises and cross-city hot air balloon flights off your Melbourne wish list. For a great range of Melbourne tours and experiences, explore here. To track down the best value Melbourne accommodation, come this way.

For Apollo Bay accommodation, hunt for good deals here.

This guide is aimed at travellers who are self-driving, and want to plot out the best stops on a Melbourne to Apollo Bay road trip itinerary. Click through on the links for more detailed information on the towns and attractions.

Melbourne to Apollo Bay distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Melbourne to Apollo Bay via the Great Ocean Road is 186km. You can expect a driving time of around two hours and 51 minutes.

The best stops on the way from Melbourne to Apollo Bay include Anglesea, Lorne and Kennett River.

Melbourne to Apollo Bay road trip: Melbourne to Werribee

The first section of the drive is from Melbourne to Torquay, covering a 101km distance in around one hour and 13 minutes. Obviously, this can vary significantly depending on Melbourne traffic.

The Melbourne to Apollo Bay drive leaves central Melbourne to the west, crossing the West Gate Bridge and passing the Scienceworks museum.

The West Gate Freeway becomes the Princes Freeway as the drive passes through Melbourne’s south-western suburbia. The biggest chunk of this is Werribee.

On the outskirts of Werribee, it’s only a short detour to the River Walk Village water park and the Cocoroc Historic Township open air museum.

But the most interesting potential stop here is the Werribee Open Range Zoo.

Melbourne to Apollo Bay drive: Werribee to Torquay

There are wetlands to the east of the freeway after leaving Werribee. The Little River Bird Hide is a pleasant spot to observe the bird life. But the most attractive mini-detours are to the west of the highway.

The You Yangs Regional Park offers wildlife and walking trails through a series of granite ridges, while the Serendip Sanctuary provides close-up encounters with native Aussie wildlife.

The Freeway then skirts the southern edge of Lara, home to the Lara Museum and the cactus displays at the Roraima Nursery. Avalon Airport is on the eastern side of the freeway.

There are plenty of things to do in Geelong. These include the National Wool Museum, helicopter rides, the Baywalk Bollards on Geelong Waterfront and the Boom Gallery.

But most tackling the Melbourne to Torquay drive won’t want to go into the city. Buckley Falls, however, is just off the freeway, should you be wanting a quick photo stop.

When the Princes Highway diverts west towards Winchelsea, you need to head south and join the Surf Coast Highway. South of Geelong, there’s a short stretch of farmland before the Surf Coast Highway passes through Torquay.

Things to do in Torquay include the Australian National Surfing Museum, surfing lessons, and aerobatic flights at Tiger Moth World.

Click through for the next section: Torquay to Anglesea.