Three Day Great Ocean Road and Grampians Experience

Our guests on this micro group tour of just 8 people are collected from their Melbourne hotels and introduced to the wonderful journey ahead. We travel through the vast volcanic plains on route to Geelong where you have time to stroll along the beautifully transformed waterfront.

We start our journey along the Great Ocean Road at Torquay, stopping at various places along the coast including Bells Beach and maybe a visit to a brilliant chocolate factory to grab a coffee or engage your inner chocoholic.
Our focus then turns to Australian native wildlife as we observe Eastern Grey Kangaroos in the wild. This is one of many opportunities to see and hear about our unique and unusual animals in their native habitat.

Our journey then begins travelling the very scenic, cliff-hugging section of the Great Ocean Road. While winding our way along we stop to view sites such as the ‘Memorial Arch’ and tell you of the intriguing story of this incredible road.

Lorne is the largest of the seaside resorts, with its abundance of cafes and restaurants it is a perfect place for a lunch break. You may even find time to have a swim or do some shopping.
After lunch, we cruise along the spectacular road, stopping at many scenic spots including Kennett River where we can see koalas and many colourful native birds in the wild. Travelling through Apollo Bay we take time to explore the harbour, beach and township. We then check into ‘Beacon Point Ocean View Villas’. Your private self-contained villa is set high on a hill overlooking the Southern Ocean. This amazing setting is a great place to relax and unwind for a couple of hours. We have dinner tonight at the famous ‘Chris’ at Beacon Point’, this award-winning restaurant with breathtaking views has a modern Greek Australian menu and utilises great local produce.

Our journey then ventures into the Great Otway National Park where we take you on a guided walk through a cool temperate rainforest gully to see the world’s tallest flowering plants and prehistoric trees.

Our first stop on the shipwreck coast is at Castle Cove overlooking the Aire river valley. The 12 Apostles are Icons of Australia’s natural beauty. We arrive as the stacks are lit with the morning sun making them perfect for photos and crowd free. This is a bonus for joining our tour as the stacks are silhouettes and overcrowded in the afternoon. After hearing of the creation of the stacks and holding some limestone rock you can explore the boardwalks or brave a helicopter flight along the coastline (own expense).
We then visit ‘Loch Ard Gorge’, the site of the most famous 19th century Australian shipwreck. We retell the entire story from the calm voyage, the tragic wreck, the courageous survivors and their ultimate fate. While hearing the tale you will be able to see and hold some original artefacts, photos and documents from the ‘Loch Ard’ contained in our treasure chests.
Port Campbell is our lunch stop for today. The small fishing village of just 500 is set in a beautiful natural port and has some wonderful cafes and restaurants for food and views.
After lunch, we travel to a lesser known but highly impressive area of the Coastline west of Port Campbell. This section includes the limestone formations of London Bridge, Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs and Boat Bay and is seen only be a small percentage of the people travelling the Great Ocean Road.
Our journey then continues through to Warrnambool and Port Fairy with a visit to Tower Hill Game Reserve for the chance to see Koalas, Kangaroos and Emus living wild within this extinct volcanic crater.
We then leave the coast and drive north towards the Grampians National Park.
Your accommodation is at the foot of Mt Sturgeon staying and eating at the Royal Mail Hotel in Dunkeld. This hotel has an amazing restaurant which has won many awards for its menu and wine list. It also boasts the largest restaurant garden in Australia. A 5 course degustation dinner at the famous 'Wickens' at Royal Mail Hotel is included.

Our third day starts with a wonderful breakfast and an incredibly scenic drive along the Wonderland and Mt William Ranges while the sun is streaming in from the east lighting up the rocky cliff faces of the ranges.
An hour into our journey we arrive in Halls Gap in the heart of the Grampians NP. Our day includes a few short walks at Baroka Lookout, Reid’s Lookout and McKenzie Falls as well as visits to ‘Brambuk’ Aboriginal cultural centre, Parks Victoria visitor centre and the rock art site ‘Bunjil’s Shelter’.

Our journey back to Melbourne takes us by the gold mining township of Ballarat, once one of the richest towns in the world and the reason for Melbourne’s early prosperity. The end of our 3-day tour concludes back in Melbourne around 6pm.