Experience the Great Ocean Road’s top attractions on this guided excursion that follows the iconic road in reverse. Embark on your journey and beat the crowds while learning about the region’s scenic landscapes and pretty coastal towns from an informative guide. Visit sites including the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, Port Campbell, London Bridge, and Great Otway National Park Rainforest.

Explore Victoria’s Great Ocean Road on an all-day reverse tour
Discover the region’s history and culture with a knowledgeable local guide
Get going early and enjoy a small-group experience that beats the crowds
Experience London Bridge, 12 Apostles, Great Otway, and other sites

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

An early-morning start means this tour arrives at attractions before the crowds and other tour buses arrive.

What's Included

National Park fees
Live commentary on board
Professional guide
Pickup and drop-off from designated meeting points
Guaranteed to skip the long lines
Transport by air-conditioned minivan
Bottled water

Food and drinks

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

State Theatre
100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
Pick up at 6:50 am, please wait on St Kilda Road in front of the theatre. Important Note: It can be very tricky to get an Uber early in the morning in Melbourne. In case you're planning to use Uber, we recommend leaving well ahead of the departing time. The buses leave the city no later than 7 am.

Start time

06:50 AM

End point

State Theatre
100 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne VIC 3004, Australia
Expected return to Melbourne: around 7 PM.

What To Expect

Make your own way to the meeting point for your early morning departure from Melbourne. Settle into the minivan and head inland toward the Twelve Apostles.

Arrive at the Twelve Apostles ahead of the crowds and enjoy the magnificent limestone formations at their most peaceful.

Follow Gibson Steps down to the beach below the vertical cliffs and take in a different view of the giant limestone stacks rising up out of the sea. Make a stop at the Loch Ard Gorge and snap photos of the Razorback, the most impressive formation.

Continue along the Great Ocean Road, through Great Otway National Park, to Mait's Rest for a walk through the rainforest. Stop at Apollo Bay Stop for lunch (own expense) before continuing to Kennet River Koala Walk to spot the cute marsupials and orange-bellied parrots.

After a final photo stop at Teddy’s Lookout, your tour ends back where you began.

Winchelsea

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Twelve Apostles

40 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Gibsons Steps

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

The Razorback

25 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Loch Ard Gorge

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Port Campbell National Park (Pass By)

The Great Ocean Road

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Great Otway National Park (Pass By)

Mait's Rest

25 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Apollo Bay

45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Kennet River Koala Walk

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Teddy's Lookout

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
We are not able to accommodate children under 7 years of age on this tour, as according to VicRoads regulations they must travel on child restraints, which are not available in our minibuses. Passengers who show up with under 7 years old kids will be refused boarding without refund.
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
This is a small groups tour and the vehicles are 12 seaters minibuses Toyota Hiace or similar. In case extra room is required, send us a message so we can arrange large coaches option.

Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
If you are traveling with people, not in the same booking, please let us know at least 24 hours in advance. We operate with multiple buses and can't guarantee sitting together without being informed.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

SEOKHYEONG_L

Jimmiy chan, the tour guide, was so kind. He explained the detail of the city and tour. As a solo traveler, it is the best tour cuz there are many other solo travelers. Best weather, cute koalas I would recommend this tour

Reviews

5.0

2,554 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 2,554 reviews

Nice experience at the Great Ocean Road

JuanJose_B, Apr 2024

We could see different spots from that region which is nice for me. The driver was helpful and kind and we travelled during the whole day. We saw kangaroos, koalas, birds, etc.

The weather was very...

Suhana_C, Apr 2024

The weather was very beautiful and we were able all the places on the itinerary. Our guide Maddy was wonderful and provided us with ample information on each place we visited.

Geologic Wonders

Marybeth_M, Apr 2024

It was a small group & my husband a geologist had ample time to look & take pictures. I enjoyed the spectacular views.

Swift small group tour to Great Ocean Road

Marsella_M, Apr 2024

Van arrived really on time. Jay was also quite humorous. The spots we went to though were very touristy so you may need to take turns to take pictures. We also went to see some koalas and a rainforest, which is pretty cool and added a variety to the visit to the 12 apostles and the gorge. My only negative feedback to the tour is your WA customer service. Whoever was handling your WA may need to be replaced, or tell him/her to any non customer related position. Very cold, short and unhelpful response..

Awesome day

Sherry_U, Apr 2024

Our day was entertaining, with new experiences and loved the penguins! Enjoyed having a safe drive while we took it all in..

The weather suck but Neil is there to assist us …

Yunmei_C, Apr 2024

Neil did a great job under a harsh weather… due to the wet weather , we need to cancel some of the short walk… Neil still trying his best to entertain us so not bad… if only the weather is nice then everything with be perfect!

Excellent guide (Neill Churches) + outstanding tour

Lambert_J, Apr 2024

Even for a wide travelled person: it's must do tour. There are very few coastlines in the world, for ex. Namibias coast, that could rival that stunning beauty.

Memorable

dinesh_s, Apr 2024

We had a good time with family including a 7 YO highly energetic kid who had lot of questions , special kudos to Mr.Chen who had patience and was very effective in communicating to people from all backgrounds

Highly Recommend!

Jonathan_A, Apr 2024

Great tour! There are a bunch of these tours out there on Viator and this one stands out. Many of them have 24 people which can take away a lot of time for the site since there are so many people the guide needs to corral and look after. This tour is a max of 12 (we had 11 tourists + 1 guide) which makes a world of a difference. We went on another tour to Phillip’s Island the day before that had 24 people and it was like night and day. We saw so many great places and some wild koalas. For a 12-13 hour tour, this day really flew by in the best way possible. Our guide, Jon, was awesome. He was knowledgeable, hilarious and knows how to stick to the schedule.

Amazing experience

Tania_G, Apr 2024

Amazing experience. We had most of the attractions to ourselves, allowing plenty of time and space to take in the views and take a few photos. It was great being part of a small group and our tour guide Sam was very knowledgeable.

Pete was a lovely guide!

Lucy_F, Apr 2024

Pete was a lovely guide who liked to tell stories, very informative and wanted to make the most out of our trip. Put the people and the experience first. Really lovely day!

HIGHLY recommended !

Michael_P, Apr 2024

a fantastic day with Marty, the greatest of tour guides ! He made the experience one to remember ! We had a blast !

Amazing view of the great ocean road.

Theresa_A, Apr 2024

Had the best time traveling, well organized and safe. Our guide provided many interesting information about animals, landscape and history. Thank you so much. Would do it anytime again.

The 12 Apostles,...

Bryan_W, Apr 2024

The 12 Apostles, Razorback and Lock Ard Gorge are stunning. Our tour guide John is excellent and knowledgeable. He gave us detailed information about the Shipwreck Coast which made our visit unforgettable. I would highly recommend this tour.

Spectacular scenery.

Sheila_B, Apr 2024

In in addition to seeing the Great Ocean Road with its spectacular scenery, we also saw kangaroos and koalas in the wild. Marty was an exceptional guide who explained the points of interest along the way as well as having a sharp eye for hiding koalas and kangaroos. This is a long tour lasting around 12 hours. The first hour and a half is relatively uninteresting to get outside of Melbourne. However, once underway, we enjoyed one interesting site after another. We ended the day with a visit to an ice cream and chocolate producer. I highly recommend this tour.

Good thing about reverse...

DeborahJoy_B, Apr 2024

Good thing about reverse itinerary, you avoid the crowd. Less photobombers. Neil, our driver and guide, shares a lot of info about the places we visit. Feels like I'm a student and wrote some of the facts he's sharing. And as a solo traveller, he's also my instant photographer.

Magical

Pratikshya_G, Apr 2024

John was really good tour guide. He went to places with us and explained the history behind it.. we stopped several places and saw koala in the wild. I’m so glad that I did the tour with them.

Great tour but could skip some stops

ioana_i, Mar 2024

Great tour, reliable driver and company, and great guide Matty he was very funny and knowledgeable, however I feel that the stops were too short and we were rushing all the time. I believe the only stops that were worth it were the 3 stops around 12 Apostiles, the Koalas in the wild, the kangaroos in the wild and the Great Ocean road lookouts. Maybe better to focus on those, giving more time and creating a better experience around only these 6-7 stops

Great Tour

Stephen_K, Mar 2024

Our driver, Marty, was an outstanding guide who provided lots of interesting information and told great stories. The views along the Great Ocean Road are fabulous, and we also drove into and stopped in a rainforest. I love eucalyptus trees ( known as gum trees here), and we saw forests of them, many even hanging over the road from both sides, forming a canopy over the road. Great tour!

See a whole lot and hear many great stories

Daniel_B, Mar 2024

Great tour - it's a very long day but you see a lot, and get a lot of interesting stories & information from your guide Peter. He was very energetic and affable and really loves showing off the sights & scenery & wildlift, as well as telling tales like the story of the ill-fated Loch Ard ship. The van is unfortunately very small, so folks are packed in extremely tight - and this is in combination with the required fast speed (we had to drive fast to get to all the stops in a single day), bumpy surface and twisty coastal roads left me feeling rather car sick the entire day. So if anything I'd recommend the company invest in larger vehicles with USB ports, wi-fi, strong air conditioning and more spacious seats - that would have made the long day more easier to endure. But I still loved the tour regardless!

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