A Wintery Weekender's Guide to the Great Ocean Road
Queue the playlist and fill up the tank – here's our guide to exploring the scenic and culinary delights of Victoria's most famous coastline.
"It's about the journey, not the destination" rings true when applied to Victoria's Great Ocean Road — a road trip greater than the sum of its parts. For those looking for a wintry weekender filled with scenic coastal driving, forest hikes and excellent food and drink, the famed Victorian coastline is a degustation of seaside townships ranging from quaint to almost metropolitan, all approximately 30–90 minutes apart.
Given the layout, it's best to pick a central hub for accommodation and plan your days exploring by car. During long weekends (or in summer), you'll get more bang for your buck by opting for a smaller, central town — then it's just a matter of a full tank, a good playlist and a thoughtfully crafted itinerary.
Our top tip? Make the most of this incredible stretch of coastal highway with an especially fun (and safe) set of wheels. A comfy SUV, a luxe European sedan, or a convertible Mustang — check out peer-to-peer car hire service Turo for something to make the drive that bit more memorable.
The Great Ocean Road – Eliza Campbell
Saturday
At approximately an hour and a half from Melbourne's CBD, Torquay is our preferred breakfast stop on a Great Ocean Road road trip. It's one of the bigger towns along the coastline and takes cues from inner-city Melbourne's culinary culture — evident along The Esplanade and up Gilbert Street.
Our pick? The much-loved (by locals and Melburnians alike) Mortadeli — a Mediterranean grocer, pasta bar and sandwich shop in the Gilbert Street precinct. Grab a takeaway breakfast roll (add sausage) and a coffee to keep your hands warm during a crisp beach walk.
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Coming to Torquay and not stopping at Bells Beach would be borderline blasphemous. One of the most famous surf beaches in Australia and home to the annual Rip Curl Pro, Bells' dramatic cliffs and natural amphitheatre are connected by easy-access staircases. Rug up and get your phone out — this is one of the Great Ocean Road's best photo ops.
Bells Beach – Eliza Campbell
Next, make your way to Aireys Inlet, a pint-sized seaside town home to a cosy concentration of maritime landmarks, casual dining and gourmet Victorian produce. Check in to The Sunnymead Hotel, a cheerfully revamped motel that takes cues from a Slim Aarons scene, with bright yellow and orange-striped accents and a considered approach to sustainability throughout.
Adjoining the Sunnymead Hotel is Indie, a boutique day spa and bathhouse open to the public (guests get a discount on treatments when booked as part of a package). The Rasul steam room treatment is a must, complete with Moroccan scrub, melt treatment and hair masque and finished off with an invigorating Snowflake Shower.
Indie Spa at Sunnymead Hotel — supplied
For dinner, stroll to The Captain of Aireys for woodfired pizza topped with the best of the region's fresh produce. It's hard to pick a favourite, but the lemon and garlic prawn is a strong flavour contender to bookend a day of seaside exploration.
Sunday
One of the most iconic landmarks along the Great Ocean Road is the '12' Apostles — due to natural erosion, only seven stacks remain — a breathtaking group of limestone stacks located off the coast of Port Campbell National Park. Plan to head to the Apostles via the scenic route, stopping at Wye River for breakfast, the Otways for a mid-morning hike, and then home via an early dinner in Lorne.
Hopetoun Falls — Visit Victoria
The Wye General Store is a mandatory stop, offering a dine-in or takeaway menu, plus a shop full of locally sourced gourmet food and wares. Fuel up before heading into the Otways for a short-but-steep hike to Hopetoun Falls — one of the region's most beautiful waterfalls (even in winter).
From Great Otway National Park, make your way to the 12 Apostles. There are plenty of vantage points from which to view the Apostles, Mutton Bird Island, and beyond – but for a true bucket-list moment, a flight with 12 Apostles Helicopters is hard to beat. Choose between different durations, from London Bridge to the Bay of Islands and Cape Otway at the far end.
Great Ocean Road Tourism
Once your Apostles adventure is complete, plug the Lorne Hotel (now owned by the Merivale group) into your GPS. For an early dinner, choose between the hotel's bistro for classic pub fare or the Victorian iteration of Sydney's much-Instagrammed Bar Totti's. Order the woodfired bread — thank us later. Once you're sufficiently full of carbs, it's time for the journey home.
Totti's Lorne — supplied
Got more time on your hands? Explore our Great Ocean Road four-day itinerary, or check out these seven lesser-known stops along the way.
Concrete Playground explored the Great Ocean Road as a guest of Great Ocean Road Tourism and Turo.
Header image: Great Ocean Road Tourism
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