apollo bay
apollo bay 3233 Victoria
now you’re really travelling the great ocean road
apollo bay things to do & see
stroll an award-winning beach
Kick the shoes off for a glorious wander as this beach was crowned one of the best by Tourism Australia in 2023, but we’ve known this for a long time!
SWIM IN THE southern ocean
Point Bunbury & the harbour wall create a protected bay best suited for families & leisurely bathers. This area is patrolled by the Life Saving Club during summer & popular weekends. Bring your togs/ bathing suit/ swimming costume/ boardshorts/ bikini/ budgie smuglers whatever your pick & a towel for a dip.
surf the bay
Moving north away from the breakwater of Point Bunbury, the swell starts to build, providing space for the coastal staples of surfing & fishing. Apollo Bay can be a great learners wave with protected conditions.
saturday farmer’s market
Right in the heart of town on a Saturday morning you can’t miss the local crafts & food wares market next to the beach, small in size but quite a treat.
ANNUAL SEAFOOD FESTIVAL
If your in Victoria in February don’t miss this annual seafood festival pack-filled with pop-up restaurants, cooking demonstrations & seafood markets full of crayfish, abalone, calamari, mussels, flake, scallops, snapper PLUS land based treats like raspberries, shitake mushrooms, olives, wines, beers, truffles, cheeses, vegetables & meats all locally sourced.
WHERE TO eat IN apollo bay
This town, while not big, has a lot to offer for a lunch stop. See our list of food options on our ‘ultimate’ tour to the Great Ocean Road to get you excited.
direct market seafood
Keep driving past the main shop area to head to the fisherman’s harbour, or better still wander the bay shore to the jetty to reach the fresh seafood co-op market for local caught including the speciality Crayfish (Rock Lobster) closed Monday’s though.
PICNIC ON THE beach
Opt to take-away fish n’ chips, souvlaki, bakery delights of gourmet pies (if you haven’t tried an aussie pie yet this is definately the place to do it!) & fresh salad sandwhiches with vegan options too, there is plenty to choose from here plus coffee.
To finish off with, try an award-wining ice-cream from Dooley’s - they even make a Vegemite flavour!
sit down & relax at a cafe
There’s plenty to choose from in a walk along the main street, like popular Chopstix tasty asian or George’s.
The bakery is best known for its seafood scallop curry pie and its worthy of that title but i’ve tried many of their meat/seafood/veg ones and they’re all spot-on to me & I haven’t yet had a guest tell me their choice wasn’t top-notch either! You can take-away food or sit down at tables inside or out under umbrellas.
apollo bay’s History
Our detailed info page on Apollo Bay is PASSWORD PROTECTED for our day trip virtual tour in other languages, please speak to your tour Guide on your tour day for access
marine life spotting along the great ocean road
WAtch stingray glide at fisherman’s harbour
Wander up to the Fisherman’s harbour jetty to spot the local sting-rays that patrol the boats for leftovers.
kayak or snorkel Marengo Reefs
Just past the Apollo Bay township & 150 meters offshore is a reef sanctuary packed with sea life to explore & is home to a colony of Australian Fur Seals, get up close and personal!
dolphins & migrating whales
From May to October along the Great Ocean Road you may spot a whale tail slapping in the horizon or see a big splash as they breach & play on this migratory corridor with Antarctica. Thankfully now these Southern Right Whale beauties are protected & numbers have regenerated.
Each year, the coastline along the Otways plays host to 25 species of migrating whales, including Southern Right Whales, Humpback Whales, Blue Whales & Killer Whales (Orcas).
Many of these whales breed here & socialise with each other before heading off to feed in sub-Antarctic waters. Southern Right Whales give birth to their calves in sheltered bays right along the south-west coast of Victoria. Unfortunately, their name was given because they were the ‘right’ whales to hunt being close to shore.
If you spot a fin closer to shore first instincts are usually shark!! Yes they are out there but its more likely a pod of dolphins as becomes clearer when a few start leaping & arching as they glide through the surf :) happy days
references & photo credits; Australian Government & Visit Victoria,
our sightseeing tour to the 12 apostles along the Great Ocean Road visits apollo bay for lunch, with blissful beach views
On our ‘ultimate’ day trip to the 12 Apostles, we have a lovely lunch stop in this seaside town full of great food options & one of Australia’s recently crowned award-winning beaches. I personally couldn’t agree more as I sit on it’s shores tucking into a gourmet seafood pie admiring the stunning backdrop of rolling green hills & just think… how lucky am I? I hope you feel the same reaction.