Melbourne to Bells Beach road trip: Distance, drive time & stops

The best stops on a Melbourne to Bells Beach road trip along the Great Ocean Road include Werribee, Geelong and Torquay. By car, the distance from Melbourne to Bells Beachis 105km, with a driving time of around 1h21m.

The Melbourne to Bells Beach drive takes you from Victoria’s capital to the state’s most famous surf beach.

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.

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

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.

Melbourne to Bells Beach distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Melbourne to Bells Beach is 105km. You can expect a driving time of around one hour and 21 minutes.

The best stops on the way from Melbourne to Bells Beach include Werribee, Geelong and Torquay.

👇 7 great day trips while you’re in Melbourne 👇

Great Ocean Road tour – with koalas 🐨.
Brighton Beach, Moonlit Sanctuary and Phillip Island tour – with penguins 🐧.
Yarra Valley wine tour – with gin, cider and cheese 🍷.
Grampians National Park tour – with bushwalks and LOADS of kangaroos 🦘.
Mornington Peninsula tour – with hot springs bathing 🛀.
Wilsons Promontory tour – with all manner of native wildlife 🦘🐨.
Dandenong Ranges steam train ride – plus wildlife at Healesville Sanctuary and chocolate-tasting in the Yarra Valley.

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Melbourne to Bells Beach 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 Bells Beach drive leaves central Melbourne to the west, crossing the West Gate Bridge and passing the Scienceworks museum.

14 fantastic experiences that make the most of your free time in Melbourne

Get the very best views – on a hot air balloon flight over the city.
See the changing colours of the river – on a sunset kayaking tour – with dinner. (Highly recommended ✅)
Feast and see the sights at the same time – on a four course dinner cruise along the Yarra River.
A genuinely excellent street art tour, led by prominent street artists. (Highly recommended ✅)
The also superb Aboriginal heritage, plants and bush food tour in the Botanic Gardens. (💲 Great value 💲)
Best of Melbourne bike tour – you can see more on two wheels than walking.
Hidden laneways bar crawl OR foodie discovery tour OR chocolate and dessert tour.
Combo ticket for Australian Sports Museum and MCG tour.
Hassle-dodging advance tickets for the Melbourne Skydeck, Melbourne Zoo, the Ice Bar (with cocktails) and Sea Life Aquarium.

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 Bells Beach 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.

3 Geelong experiences to book in advance

A water bike tour along the coast.
A sunrise balloon flight – see the bay, hills and river from above.
Rent an electric picnic boat on the Waterfront.

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.

Your Torquay checklist

Skydive from 15,000ft – see the Great Ocean Road from above and get the thrill of your life.
Learn to surf – get standing on your board by the end of a beginner’s surfing lesson.
Book your Torquay accommodation.

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

Melbourne to Bells Beach road trip: Torquay to Bells Beach

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.

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.

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.

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.