In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
From Melbourne via Bells Beach, the Otways and the Twelve Apostles to Port Fairy and up to Halls Gap: around 680 km in the left lane, between koalas in the eucalypts, surf on the Shipwreck Coast and kangaroos in the last light.
The spirit of the route
The Great Ocean Road is a memorial – soldiers returning from the First World War blasted it out of the rock – and that is exactly how it drives: slowly, respectfully, on bends that hug every cliff. Between Lorne and Apollo Bay the Bass Strait is so close that sea spray dries on the windscreen. Then the rainforest of the Otways swallows the road, tree ferns stand in the mist, and koalas sleep in the forks of branches above the car park. Beyond Princetown the Shipwreck Coast opens up: ochre limestone stacks, surf thundering into caves, and evening light that turns the Twelve Apostles first golden, then pink. From the sliding door you watch whales off Warrnambool, shearwaters over Griffiths Island and, at the end, the rugged sandstone walls of the Grampians, which the Djab Wurrung and Jardwadjali call Gariwerd. In between: driving on the left, bushfire danger ratings, kangaroos at dusk – and campgrounds you should book early.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Melbourne to Torquay (via Bells Beach) (approx. 110 km)
- The drive
- From Melbourne take the toll-free West Gate Bridge or the tolled West Gate Tunnel, opened in December 2025, onto the Princes Freeway (M1) to Geelong, then via the Geelong Ring Road and the Surf Coast Highway down to Torquay. Multi-lane highway, well built, around 1.5 hours. The detour to Bells Beach follows Bells Boulevard along the coast, narrow and winding but drivable for any camper.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Bells Beach: the surf spot with the lookout car park above the breakers, venue of the Easter contest – with a south-westerly swell a spectacle even for onlookers.
- Surf Coast Walk between Jan Juc and Bells Beach on the clifftop path, a good 5 km one way.
- Australian National Surfing Museum in Surf City Plaza in Torquay.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Torquay Foreshore Caravan Park behind Back Beach, run by the coastal authority GORCAPA: powered sites, amenities, dump point, walking distance to the beach and town. Booked out well in advance in the summer holidays (December/January) and over Easter.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): On the Surf Coast, sleeping in your vehicle in beach and lookout car parks is not provided for; Surf Coast Shire requires a permit for camping on council land, and the foreshore areas are patrolled by rangers. Free camping at Bells Beach or the Jan Juc car park is not an option.
- Insider tip for campers
- Watch for toll roads in Melbourne: CityLink, EastLink and the West Gate Tunnel have no toll booths – buy a pass online in advance or within a few days of your trip, otherwise an expensive follow-up charge arrives. In Geelong (Waurn Ponds) supermarkets and fuel stations are cheaper than on the coast: stock up on supplies and diesel there.
2Stage 2: Torquay to Lorne (approx. 50 km)
- The drive
- The official start of the Great Ocean Road (B100): via Anglesea and Aireys Inlet, past Fairhaven through the Memorial Arch at Eastern View and then right along the cliffs to Lorne. Narrow from Eastern View, many bends, 80 km/h and less on some sections, hardly any overtaking opportunities. Pure driving time a good hour.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Kangaroos at Anglesea Golf Club: at dusk dozens of eastern grey kangaroos often graze there.
- Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet, the white-and-red lighthouse above the cliffs – view from the path at the end of Federal Street.
- Memorial Arch at Eastern View, the wooden arch commemorating the workers who built the road.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park (GORCAPA) with several sections, including Erskine River near the bridge: power, amenities, short walks to the beach and town. Sloping ground and tight access in some areas – with a long vehicle, choose the right section when booking.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Between Torquay and Lorne there are no legal free camping spots on the coast; foreshore car parks are off-limits at night. You can camp for free in the Otways State Forest in the hinterland, but further from the coast – see the next stage.
- Insider tip for campers
- Drive this stage in the morning in an east-to-west direction: the lay-bys are then on the left, the sea side, and you do not turn across oncoming traffic. Slow vehicles should use the signposted pull-over bays and let queues pass. Fill up in Lorne before the Kennett River section.
3Stage 3: Lorne to Apollo Bay (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- The most spectacular stretch of coast: in places the road hangs directly above the surf, with tight hairpins around the headlands at Cumberland River, Wye River and Kennett River. After storms, landslips and roadworks traffic lights are always possible here. About an hour's driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Erskine Falls, 9 km inland from Lorne along a winding forest road, with steps down to the foot of the falls.
- Grey River Road in Kennett River: koalas almost always sit in the manna gums by the roadside – go on foot, do not stop in your vehicle.
- Mariners Lookout above Apollo Bay with a view over the bay and harbour.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Apollo Bay Recreation Reserve on the northern edge of town with power, amenities and the beach on the doorstep, or Marengo Holiday Park 2 km south by the sea. Along the way there are holiday parks in Wye River and Kennett River – small and quickly booked out.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Colac Otway Shire, camping on council land is only allowed with a permit. You can stay free of charge and without booking at the basic forest campgrounds of the Otways State Forest, such as Beauchamp Falls, Dando’s or Aire Crossing in the hinterland: drop toilet, nothing else, gravel access; Stevenson’s Falls is only open seasonally. In the national park itself, only at booked sites.
- Insider tip for campers
- The council expressly asks you not to empty grey water or cassettes into public toilets and not to wash dishes in hand basins. You will find dump points in WikiCamps and CamperMate; the station named by the council is at Colac Central Caravan Park inland – if you are not driving to Colac, empty at your campground.
4Stage 4: Apollo Bay to Cape Otway and Aire River (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- Beyond Apollo Bay the B100 climbs into the rainforest of the Great Otway National Park. After around 20 km, Lighthouse Road turns off: 12 km of narrow, winding sealed road through eucalyptus forest to the cape. Back to the main road and shortly afterwards down a gravel road to Aire River. A good hour of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Maits Rest: 800 m loop on boardwalks through cool rainforest with myrtle beech and tree ferns, right on the B100.
- Cape Otway Lightstation, the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Australian mainland (1848), with a view over the meeting of the Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean.
- Koalas along Lighthouse Road – because of the many onlookers on the road, stop only in lay-bys.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Aire River Campground (Parks Victoria) on the west and east banks of the river mouth: toilets, fireplaces, no guaranteed drinking water, no power; booking and fee via the Parks Victoria website are mandatory. More comfort at Bimbi Park on Lighthouse Road, a private caravan park with power and amenities in the koala forest.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Great Otway National Park camping is only allowed at designated, booked sites – Blanket Bay, Aire River and Johanna Beach are among the most popular and are full weeks ahead at weekends and in summer. Without a booking you risk a warning from rangers.
- Insider tip for campers
- Always drive slowly on Lighthouse Road and at dusk: wallabies and kangaroos jump out without warning, koala watchers stand on the road. Check in advance whether your campervan rental terms allow gravel roads such as the access to Aire River.
5Stage 5: Aire River to Port Campbell (approx. 95 km)
- The drive
- Back onto the B100, via Hordern Vale up to Lavers Hill on the ridge of the Otways, then downhill through farmland to Princetown and onto the Shipwreck Coast. Optional detour from Lavers Hill to the waterfalls near Beech Forest. Winding and hilly, slow in fog and rain; without detours a good 1.5 hours. There are hardly any fuel stations between Apollo Bay and Port Campbell.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Triplet Falls and Hopetoun Falls in the rainforest near Beech Forest, both with short, steep paths.
- Gibson Steps: 86 steps down to the beach at the foot of two limestone stacks – reopened in February 2026 after rock stabilisation works; avoid at high tide and in big swell.
- Twelve Apostles in the evening light and Loch Ard Gorge, the gorge where two survivors of the 1878 shipwreck were washed ashore.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Port Campbell Holiday Park at the creek mouth in town, with power, amenities and five minutes to the beach. Simpler and cheaper: Princetown Recreation Reserve on the Gellibrand River (GORCAPA), a meadow with powered and unpowered sites, hot showers and a camp kitchen, around 6 km east of the Apostles; booking required.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Along the Shipwreck Coast – Port Campbell National Park and Corangamite Shire – sleeping in the lookout car parks is prohibited and enforced. The car parks at the Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge are for day visits only.
- Insider tip for campers
- At the Twelve Apostles site the new Visitor Experience Centre is being built, with completion planned for the end of 2026; car parks and paths are being reconfigured, and in 2026 large construction vehicles are on the road between Port Campbell and Princetown on weekdays and Saturdays. Check the current parking arrangements before your visit. For sunset photos arrive an hour beforehand – or come at sunrise, when you will be almost alone.
6Stage 6: Port Campbell to Port Fairy via Warrnambool (approx. 95 km)
- The drive
- West of Port Campbell the lookouts follow in close succession; from Peterborough the road becomes quieter and runs through dairy country to Allansford, where the Great Ocean Road ends at the Princes Highway (A1). On via Warrnambool and past the Tower Hill volcanic crater to Port Fairy. Flat and well built, around 1.5 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- London Bridge (only a single arch since its collapse in 1990), The Grotto and the Bay of Islands near Peterborough.
- Logans Beach in Warrnambool: from about June to September southern right whales calve just off the beach, with a viewing platform in the dunes.
- Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve in the collapsed volcanic crater, with emus, koalas and short walks on the crater rim.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Port Fairy, Moyne Shire runs several caravan parks, including Southcombe by the Sea on East Beach, with power, amenities and a footpath into town. In Warrnambool the council-run Surfside Holiday Park sits right on Lady Bay.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The councils in south-west Victoria prohibit camping on foreshore areas and car parks; in Warrnambool and Port Fairy rangers patrol, especially in summer. Plan on paid sites.
- Insider tip for campers
- Warrnambool is the last larger supply town before the Grampians: supermarkets, LPG cylinder swap at the large fuel stations, mechanics. In Port Fairy a causeway leads to Griffiths Island, where short-tailed shearwaters breed from about September to April – in the evening they return in their thousands; dogs are not allowed on the island.
7Stage 7: Port Fairy to Halls Gap (via Dunkeld) (approx. 180 km)
- The drive
- Via Koroit and Penshurst through the volcanic grazing land of the Western District Plains to Dunkeld at the southern end of the Grampians, then on the Grampians Road (C216) between the Serra Range and the Mount William Range north to Halls Gap. Wide country roads, little traffic, a good 2.5 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Mount Sturgeon and Mount Abrupt near Dunkeld – the climb up Mount Sturgeon takes around 3 hours return.
- View of the Serra Range from the Grampians Road, especially in the afternoon light.
- Brambuk – The National Park & Cultural Centre in Halls Gap, with an exhibition on the culture and history of the Gariwerd peoples.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Several caravan parks in Halls Gap, such as the centrally located Halls Gap Caravan Park or Halls Gap Lakeside Tourist Park south of town, both with power and amenities. In the national park, Plantation Campground lies a few kilometres from Halls Gap: toilets, fireplaces (except during fire bans), booking with Parks Victoria mandatory.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In the Grampians National Park, stay overnight only at booked Parks Victoria campgrounds. After the bushfires of December 2024 and January 2025, roads, tracks and campgrounds were closed for a long time; much has reopened, but individual areas may still be closed – check the current status on the Parks Victoria website beforehand. Free camping is possible in the surrounding state forests, not in the towns.
- Insider tip for campers
- In Halls Gap kangaroos graze on the sports grounds and by the roadside, and after sunset the road to Dunkeld is full of wildlife – plan to arrive before dusk. Fill up in Dunkeld: there are no fuel stations in the national park itself.
8Stage 8: Halls Gap to Halls Gap (northern Grampians loop) (approx. 60 km)
- The drive
- Round trip onto the ridge of the Mount Difficult Range: via Mount Victory Road up to Boroka Lookout, on to Reed Lookout and as far as the Zumsteins picnic area, then back the same way to Halls Gap. Steep, winding sealed road with a climb straight out of town; motorhomes with care, and caravans are better left in the valley.
- Highlights & must-sees
- The Pinnacle: climb from Wonderland Carpark through the Grand Canyon (around 2 hours return) or shorter from Sundial Carpark, with a view of Halls Gap and Lake Bellfield.
- Reed Lookout and The Balconies, a short walk to the overhanging sandstone ledges above the Victoria Valley.
- MacKenzie Falls, the best-known waterfall in the Grampians: because of construction works (new viewing platform, car park, paths) the entire area including the car park has been closed since February 2026, with completion planned for the end of 2026 – check with Parks Victoria beforehand whether it has reopened.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Second night in Halls Gap – you drive the loop as a day trip without moving camp. If you want a stopover on the return to Melbourne (a good 250 km), you will find caravan parks in Stawell or Ararat.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Sleeping in the lookout and walking-track car parks of the Grampians is prohibited. Some tracks in the fire areas (such as Fortress, Chimney Pots or Billimina) are still closed in 2026; Parks Victoria publishes changes on an ongoing basis.
- Insider tip for campers
- Set off early: Wonderland Carpark and the Zumsteins picnic area are full from late morning at weekends, and large vehicles then struggle to find space. Before walks, check the Fire Danger Rating in the VicEmergency app – on “Extreme” or “Catastrophic” days Parks Victoria closes parts of the park, and the advice is to avoid high-risk areas such as the Grampians.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- Victoria has no statewide freedom camping rule: responsibility lies with the councils for council land, the coastal authority GORCAPA for large parts of the foreshore on the Great Ocean Road, Parks Victoria for national parks and the environment department (DEECA) for state forests. Along the coast, sleeping in beach, lookout and town car parks is prohibited practically everywhere; rangers patrol and can issue fines.
- Surf Coast Shire and Colac Otway Shire only allow camping on council land with a permit; Colac Otway runs Meredith Park in the hinterland, a free council camping area with an online permit for stays of more than 24 hours.
- In national parks (Great Otway, Port Campbell, Grampians) camp only at designated campgrounds, which must be booked and paid for via the Parks Victoria website. In state forests such as the Otways State Forest, camping is generally allowed free of charge and without booking at designated basic sites.
- Rest areas on the highways are for driver breaks; stay overnight only where signs say it is allowed. For finding sites, WikiCamps and CamperMate are standard in Australia – both also show dump points, water points and user comments on patrols.
- Bushfire season: the CFA declares a Fire Danger Period for each municipality, usually from about November/December to April. On Total Fire Ban days campfires and open fires are prohibited, and gas stoves are allowed only under strict conditions. The daily Fire Danger Rating (Moderate, High, Extreme, Catastrophic) and warnings are in the VicEmergency app.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Dump points (disposal stations for cassettes and sometimes grey water) are available at most caravan parks, but only occasionally in public; WikiCamps and CamperMate show their locations. Never empty into public toilets – the councils expressly point this out.
- Tap water in the towns is safe to drink; at national park and forest campgrounds water is often untreated or missing altogether. Carry at least 20 litres in reserve.
- Gas: Australian gas cylinders today usually have an LCC27 valve (type 27), older ones still the POL fitting. Empty cylinders are exchanged at fuel stations and hardware stores in a swap system (e.g. Swap’n’Go); refilling only if the cylinder has a valid test date. European cylinders are generally not refilled – buy or hire an Australian cylinder locally.
- Fuel: between Apollo Bay and Port Campbell and in the Grampians National Park there are few or no fuel stations. Fill up before these sections; it is cheaper in Geelong, Warrnambool and the larger country towns.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Driving on the left: at uncontrolled intersections give way to the right; roundabouts are driven clockwise, and vehicles already on the roundabout have right of way. At some intersections in Melbourne “hook turns” apply: turning right from the left lane – watch the signs. Slow vehicles use pull-over bays and overtaking lanes to let queues pass.
- Speed limits in Victoria: without signs 50 km/h in built-up areas and 100 km/h outside them, up to 110 km/h on freeways. On the Great Ocean Road 80 km/h and less applies on some sections, often 40–60 km/h in towns. Slow to 40 km/h when passing stationary emergency and breakdown vehicles with flashing lights.
- Tolls: in Melbourne CityLink, EastLink and the West Gate Tunnel are electronically tolled (the West Gate Bridge itself is toll-free) – without a tag, buy a pass online, also afterwards within the deadline. The Great Ocean Road itself is toll-free.
- Animals on the road: kangaroos, wallabies and wombats are about at dusk and at night, and koala onlookers stand on the road. Avoid driving at night; do not swerve for wildlife, brake in a controlled way. Report injured animals to Wildlife Victoria.
- Rental campervans: many rental terms exclude unsealed roads, night driving in certain areas or damage from animal collisions from insurance cover – read the terms before your trip. Foreign driving licences are valid with a translation or an international driving permit. The blood alcohol limit is 0.05, phones while driving only in a fixed mounted cradle or hands-free, and checks are frequent.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Head torch with red light and a small torch – for the walk to the drop toilets at the Otway campgrounds without dazzling wildlife.
- Water container holding 20 litres: Aire River, Blanket Bay and the forest campgrounds have no guaranteed drinking water.
- Binoculars for southern right whales off Logans Beach, fur seals at the cape and koalas high in the eucalypts.
- Offline maps and printed booking confirmations: there are long mobile dead zones in the Otways and the Grampians.
- Head fly net and strong insect repellent – in summer flies and horseflies are a nuisance in the Grampians.
- Small fire extinguisher and fire blanket: in bushfire season a working extinguisher in the vehicle is simply sensible, and on fire ban days cooking setups are closely watched.
As of 2026-09. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
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