The Great Ocean Road Overview
The Great Ocean Road has recently been voted as one of the Worlds Great Drives so it is unsurprisingly one of the wonders of the State of Victoria.
The Great Ocean Road is 160 miles (see map) of breathtaking scenery and without doubt one of Australia's most scenic coastal roads.
The road was built in the 1930's as a memorial to the servicemen of World War I and caresses the cliff tops of this rugged coastline.
Starts At Torquay
The road starts at Torquay, which is a short distance south of Geelong, its route flanked with deserted beaches, small towns and dramatic scenery.
There are many stops along the way, including Lorne, one of Victoria's most attractive small towns.
Lorne is on the Erskine River and bordered by both the ocean and state forests.
The Twelve Apostles
Apollo Bay is another worthy coastal stop. At this point the road winds inwards through the greenery of Otway National Park and bypasses Cape Otway.
This is rainforest country and the sounds of silence. The road rejoins the coast at Glenaire briefly before diverging inland again into another tract of the forest.
The Great Ocean Road rejoins the coast at the Shipwreck Coast at Princetown just before Port Campbell and its famous and often photographed rock formations, The Twelve Apostles.
There are eight huge stone pillars which stand majestically in the ocean, individually carved by the seas and winds, and take the ovation of the photographers' camera.
The Great Ocean Road passes through Warrnambool and sadly ends at Port Fairy - many people simply turn round and retrace the route once again!
At Port Campbell there are the remains of The London Bridge rock formation which succumbed to thousands of years of natural erosion in 1990.
Great Ocean Road accommodation
The Great Ocean Road has a good selction of accommodation along its length..
Alos see our general Melbourne accommodation for hotels and resorts and our Backpacker accommodation for hostels.
Location
The Great Ocean Road is located on the south west coast of Victoria, to the west of Melbourne, and has a Latitude of 38.4°S and a Longitude of 144.1° E.
Driving To The Great Ocean Road
Some approximate driving times to The Great Ocean Road:
250 Km from Torquay to Port Fairy
10Hrs From Sydney (950Km)
1.5Hrs From Melbourne (90Km) )
20Hrs From Brisbane (1800Km) )
7.5Hrs From Adelaide(600Km)
See Route and Distance Calculator for more accurate driving times and routes from additional locations.
Flying To Melbourne:
Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine), has both international and domestic terminals, is around 25km (10 miles) north west of the city. There is a good selection of accommodation at Melbourne Airport
The journey should take approximately 30 minutes depending on traffic conditions. Taxis, hire cars and airport shuttle buses are available.
As a guide, the approximate flying time from Melbourne to Perth is 4 hours, to Sydney 1.5 hours, to Brisbane 3.5 hours and Cairns 3.5 hours. Times do not include travel time to and from airports and adequate time prior to check in etc.
Victoria School & Public Holidays
New Years Day Tue 1st Jan.
Australia Day Mon 28th Jan.
Labour Day Mon 10th March
Good Friday 21st March.
Easter Monday 24th March.
Anzac Day Fri 25th April.
Queens Birthday Holiday Mon 9th June.
Melbourne Cup (Melbourne Metro only) Tue 4th November.
Christmas Day Thu 25th Dec.
Boxing Day Holiday Fri 26th Dec.
(End and start school on preceding and next week day (Mon - Fri) respectively)
School Starts Tue 29th January
Easter Holiday 21st March To4th April.
Winter Holiday 30th June To 11th July.
Spring Holiday 22nd Sept To 3rd Oct.
Summer Holiday 22nd Dec To Jan 27th
Starts Sunday 5th October
Ends 5th April 2009
Note: Dates for guidance only. Always check with your individual School as variations may occur for individual education authorities or establishments and dates may be subject to change. Always check with relevant State or Territory education department to confirm holiday periods at the commencement of each school year. Not all Public Holidays for individual regions within each state and territory are shown and public holidays falling on weekends are not listed. Not all Public Holidays may be applicable to all employers, organisations etc so always check with your employer, education authority etc which public holidays are applicable.
Great Ocean Road Climate
These figures are for guidance only:
Approximate Max Average Temperature
Deg C/ Deg F
Winter(June-Aug):14 / 58
Spring(Sep-Nov):18 / 65
Summer(Dec-Feb):23 / 73
Autumn(Mar-May):19 / 67
Approximate Average Monthly Rainfall - mm
Winter(June-Aug): 84
Spring(Sep-Nov): 66
Summer(Dec-Feb): 38
Autumn(Mar-May): 62
