Melbourne to Warrnambool road trip via the Great Ocean Road

Melbourne to Warrnambool road trip: Princetown to Port Campbell

Many of the Great Ocean Road’s star attractions come on the stretch from Princetown to Port Campbell.

Clifton Beach is the in-the-know secret, but all the Great Ocean Road highlights that the tour buses come for arrive thick and fast afterwards. The Gibson Steps lead down to Gibson Beach, then the Twelve Apostles come into view. Here, a 12 Apostles helicopter flight is a great way to see the coast.

The blizzard of grandstanding rock formations keeps coming. The Tom and Eva Lookout overlooks the Razorback, Loch Ard Gorge provides a sea-cut canyon and the Muttonbird Island Lookout peers over to a colony of shearwaters.

A little further along are the Bakers Oven and Sparks Gully, should you be in the market for more weird coastal rock formations.

Port Campbell, when you arrive, is little more than a village. But there are plenty of Port Campbell accommodation options and a few good lookouts at the end of short walking trails.

Port Campbell to the Bay of Islands

From Port Campbell, the Great Ocean Road continues west past a few more of the impressive coastal rock formations – notably London Bridge and the Grotto. Then, from the tiny Great Ocean Road/ Peterborough Airport, you can go skydiving.

Skydive 12 Apostles lets you jump out of a plane, taking in the spectacular Shipwreck Coast on the way down. Bookings should be made in advance.

Peterborough is a little further along, and it’s on the eastern shore of Curdies Lagoon. You can have a bit of beach time here, too. Peterborough Beach is reasonably well protected by offshore reefs.

Further round, there’s gorgeous little cove Worm Bay. There are more coastal rock formations at the Bay of Martyrs, with car parks near the lookouts with the best views.

The best single view, however, is at the Bay of Islands, where a series of rock stacks fill the panorama in a broad sweep. It’s arguably more impressive than the 12 Apostles, and receives a fraction of the visitors.

Melbourne to Warrnambool drive: Bay of Islands to Warrnambool

From here, the Great Ocean Road heads inland, although you can take a short diversion towards Childers Cove. It has much of what makes the Great Ocean Road so impressive – high cliffs around a photogenic cove, with rock stacks just beyond the shoreline.

The Great Ocean Road ends in Allansford just outside Warrnambool, where it meets the Princes Highway. The last attraction before the end is Cheese World, which is a cheese factory with a small museum attached. Admission is free.

Top things to do in Warrnambool include land-based whale watching at Logans Beach and visiting the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum – which has a great sound and light show.

Top Warrnambool experiences to book before arriving

Take a geologist-led tour of Budj Bim National Park – discover the Aboriginal cultural connections to the ancient volcano.
Relax in the rockpools – at the geothermally-fed Deep Blue Hot Springs.
Tandem skydive near the 12 Apostles – jump from a plane over the Shipwreck Coast.

The best Warrnambool accommodation options

The top places to stay in Warrnambool are:

For a family-friendly holiday park with a kids’ club: Discovery Parks Warrnambool.
For luxury with a full service spa: Deep Blue Hotel and Hot Springs.
For waterfront location: Lady Bay Resort.
For high quality apartments with a pool: Gallery Apartments.
For a good value motel: Mid City Motel.