Melbourne to Apollo Bay road trip: Best stops, distance & time
Melbourne to Apollo Bay road trip: Torquay to Anglesea
The drive from Torquay to Lorne is the first leg of Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. The official start of Australia’s most famous driving route is just south of Torquay.
Several of the Great Ocean Road’s highlights line up along this stretch of the journey, so plan your stops and you can make a day of it.
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.
The Torquay to Lorne drive starts by skirting the Lorne-Queenscliff Coastal Reserve at Jan Juc before heading to Bells Beach. Perhaps the most famous surf beach in Australia, Bells was the fictional setting for the final scenes of Point Break. You need experience to attempt to surf the breaks at Bells Beach, but non-surfers can watch the action from the clifftop lookouts.
Before you come into Anglesea, you might want to make a stop at Point Addis Beach in the Point Addis National Marine Park. There are some great coastal lookouts at Point Addis – keep an eye open for whales in winter. The marine park is also renowned for good snorkelling and diving.
Otherwise, keep going until you reach the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie in Bellbrae.
Chocolate-tasting complete, you can move on towards Anglesea, which has lots of accommodation options, including the Anglesea Caravan Park. The Anglesea Golf Course is notorious for kangaroos on the fairways, and Anglesea Beach is relatively safe for swimming. It is protected from the swell somewhat by Point Roadknight.
Where to stay in Anglesea
The best Anglesea accommodation choices are:
- For best overall quality: Great Ocean Road Resort.
- For a solid, affordable motel: Anglesea Riverside Motel.
- For backpackers: Anglesea Backpackers.
- For keeping the kids occupied: Anglesea Family Caravan Park.
Anglesea to Lorne
On the way from Anglesea to Lorne, there are several good photo stops. Keep your camera ready for the Loveridge Lookout, Soapy Rock, Guvvos Beach and Urquhart Bluff.
The next town along the Great Ocean Road is Aireys Inlet. Highlights here include the Split Point Lighthouse – aka the Round The Twist Lighthouse – plus Aireys Pub. Blazing Saddles also offers horse-riding tours.
Fairhaven Beach, which stretches from neighbouring Fairhaven towards Moggs Creek, is a lovely spot, too.
From here, the Great Ocean Road runs along the coastline to the Memorial Arch. The information signs here tell of how the Great Ocean Road was built as a war memorial by returned soldiers. It is seriously twisty in places, and the lookouts at Devil’s Elbow and Cathedral Rock are testament to that.
3 great experiences to try in Lorne
- Learn to surf – with a beginner’s surfing lesson at Lorne Beach.
- Swing, clamber and balance through the tree tops – on the Live Wire Park super circuit.
- Travel through the trees at 40km/h – on the Shockwave Zip Coaster.
Soon afterwards, the Great Ocean Road comes into Lorne, arguably the single most appealing town on the whole drive. Lorne Beach is the obvious focal point, but the restaurant scene is buzzy with the likes of Ipsos Lorne and Movida Lorne. Live Wire Park provides the adrenalin rushes, and Teddy’s Lookout the classic Great Ocean Road Views.
Best places to stay in Lorne
The top Lorne accommodation options are:
- For overall quality: Cumberland Lorne Resort.
- For adults-only apartments with spa baths: Lorne Surf Apartments.
- On a budget: Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park.
- For an affordable, good quality motel: Lorne Anchorage Motel and Villas.
Click through to the next section: Lorne to Skenes Creek.