welcome
to your great ocean road 12 apostles tour,
we want to make it amazing for you!
Use the Translator drop down box at the top of this page to select your language
ASK US ANYTHING
If you have any questions, or need assistance today, please speak to your very friendly Guide when the bus is stopped at each location. We can use a translator app to solve the language barrier, but we find its quite easy to use hand gestures & facial expressions to mime many common things, and of course have a laugh at our attempts!
We are a ‘tour family’ today, so please don’t feel isolated as we have travellers from all over the world join us - it’s why we are here - to show you around this beautiful country of ours. We may have travelled to yours too, or would like to, so have a chat with us & teach us a few words!
tAke a seat where you like
Please take a seat wherever you like from those available when you first board the bus, doubles or groups stick together as the single bookings have preference for the single seats. If you can’t find seats together please let us know to assist/ give some direction to everyone. This seat is now yours for the day (unless we need to adjust for a valid reason).
WE PICK-UP EVERYONE
Please bear with us while we collect our tour travellers from our list of hotels, we chose them to avoid traffic as much as possible so it shouldn’t take very long before we have everyone & be on our way! The bus will exit the city swiftly to a highway to commence the tour as those beautiful Great Ocean Road views aren’t a part of the metro area.
GUIDE WILL TELL YOU THE TIME TO COME BACK
At each location we visit/ stop to exit the bus at, the Guide will advise what time to be back at the bus, as it will leave at that time. Make sure you understand the time given & ask again if not.
Don’t keep your new friends waiting on you as nobody wants that done to them, all our time is precious, and we will return to the city at the time advertised so any extensions have to come off a different location - trust us (the experts) we know where you need your time allocated today to make a day-trip to the 12 Apostles National Park the best it can be, plus have you home for dinner & rest after an epic day exploring.
At some of the locations visited we stay together as a group with your Guide leading you (not a set return time), stay where you can see the Guide to leave together.
do you want A helicopter ride?
At the 12 Apostles site later today there is an option to do a helicopter flight, but you can’t decide when you get there it’s too late then. If you haven’t already booked it when you booked this tour then it may still be possible if you advise your Guide first up in the morning to arrange for you, they will let you know if it was possible to book it in & you will pay the provider directly on arrival.
seatbelts & snacks
Your food & drink snacks on board the bus today are fine, just not the stinky one’s of course & please use the rubbish bin bag hanging behind the front passenger seat to keep clean & tidy. Cleaning charges will apply for any spills, but really you just don’t want a wet seat all day!
Please fasten your seatbelt, for children it’s essential, your safety & protection is our top priority. Don’t stand in the bus while its moving - send a message forward if you need the drivers attention before the next stop.
You can use these links below to go direct to the page of info, or use the < > buttons at the base of each info page to go forward to the next location, or back to the one before.
Don’t be shy, if you get confused or can’t tell where we are (streetside signs at the start of the towns are handy) just ask a neighbour near you to help find the right one, a smile & wave ‘excuse me’ always works then point at the list :) or your Guide when the bus is stopped can help you stay on track, relax you’re on holidays!
Of course, when viewing natural wonders & travelling public roads there are conditions which may affect us & require us to alter the sequence or locations we visit on your tour day because of reasons out of our control - rest assured we are making your day-trip the very best it possibly can be & we will only alter what we have to, keeping your safety & enjoyment as our highest priority.
tour locations in order
am THE MORNING
We exit the city centre & travel over the mighty Westgate Bridge with the Yarra River flowing underneath. Port Melbourne & St Kilda is in the Port Phillip big bay area to the left, this body of water exits through a mouth to the Southern Ocean - this is the ocean we will be viewing today along the Great Ocean Road when we join it from our first location.
We stay on this highway for an hour to reach our first location visited, you won’t miss anything if you get a bit of rest now.
1st location
Enjoy complimentary Anzac biscuits & morning juice to learn our Aussie history in the gardens to awaken at The Chocolaterie at the start of the Great Ocean Road, your Guide will hand them to you before you go inside.
This is also a chance for you to purchase gourmet snacks for the day or barista coffee/tea or other drinks if you wish, they have pastries on a ‘to go’ menu if you haven’t had breakfast yet (pre-order before arriving by scanning the QR code on your phone camera to purchase so the food/drinks are ready for you to enjoy when you arrive as its too late once you arrive to order due to all tour busses arriving at the same time).
They will give you free chocolate drops at the front desk just hold out your hand where you see the tubs of them, or ice-cream tastings.
There is water from a jug available at the tables, please also use bathroom facilities here located inside the building at the back.
Return to the bus in the carpark at the time the Guide advises you.
2ND location
Shortly after is Anglesea we drive-by the golf course slowly to see if we can spot some kangaroo’s (we’re not allowed to enter the grounds).
The next small town we drive through is Aireys Inlet which has a tragic bushfire history, you will then see the architecural Pole House high above the others.
3RD location
We stop briefly (5 minutes) at the Memorial Arch for the statue that commemorates the Great Ocean Road construction history & road sign to take a picture before the jaw-dropping views along the road open up before your eyes.
Stay off the road, your Guide will help you get a photo with the sign behind you on the left side (no bathrooms here).
4th location
We stop for 10 minutes at Lorne under the gum trees at the top of the bay views, use the bathrooms here if you need as your next lunchstop is 50 minutes away passing through small villages, admiring the views,
plus we pull over at an elevated road-side position at Cape Patton to grab a spectacular photo of this coast-hugging road.
noon lunchtime
I hope your belly is rumbling as this beachside town has some fantastic food for you to choose from at Apollo Bay - too many to list here so check out this page for some lunch ideas, but you can just walk the short main street to see what you like & order from them.
Tell your Guide if you’d rather be driven up to the Fisherman’s harbour to try the local caught Crayfish/ lobster speciality.
You have free-time here to go off and do as YOU please, but to continue on the tour be back to the bus at the time your Guide advises you to be - enjoy!
you can swim in the ocean
If you brought your bathing suit & towel you may want to go for a quick swim (between the flags if the Life Saving Club is present), or just kick your shoes off for a walk along the beach? Best then to grab ready-made food to go from the bakery or George’s to fit it all in your stop.
Don’t worry about a little bit of sand on your feet we have a broom for that - just enjoy your time here at this beautiful beach!
pm after lunch
As we leave Apollo Bay, the Great Ocean Road departs the coastline to change into forest scenery.
Rainforest boardwalk
Shortly out of town is a small pocket of rainforest inside the Great Otways National Park called Maits Rest that we take a leisurely walk, staying together as a group, around the loop track that takes about 25 minutes or so stopping for photos & the Guide will point to significant highlights (you may want to read the info before your arrival because wifi service cuts out of range inside the forest). At the start & end there is a bit of an incline so take your time there, no rush, the rest of the loop is fairly flat.
We now have one hour now to stay on the Great Ocean Road through the towering forest to reach the coastline again at the tour grand finale for the afternoon.
Please use the public toilet block when the bus stops at Lavers Hill half way - because the first National Park sites visited don’t have a toilet at all.
Port Campbell National Park
We visit the highlights for the afternoon, we drive you the few minutes between 3 of the major sites so you can see as much as possible & walk out the lookouts of your choice;
Gibson Steps (as long as conditions on the day permit us to enter this site, if we can’t we’ll go to the Thunder Cave later instead). You can just view the cliff from the top lookout, or if you’re feeling energetic the steps down will reward you at the shoreline.
Take care here as the waves can come up abruptly - many people leave with wet shoes as wasn’t expecting it while taking photos. This is not a swimming beach due to rips & reefs.
Take care on the way up, allow 5 minutes time, just let faster people go past around you - no problemo! Come back to the bus on time so you still get to see the other sites as well (no toilets here).
Loch Ard Gorge you are free to spend the time at this location how you wish (no toilets here). You can take the small but many steps down to the beach & caves behind if you wish, or if you just want to view the gorge from the top do the Island Archway lookout - you need 15 minutes or more to view by walking out to the end & back again.
At the other end of the carpark is the Razorback, allow 20 minutes atleast as it’s a flat 5 minute walk each way plus you’ll want to ponder at the end view. Plus there is the ‘salt ‘n pepper shaker’ twin stacks half way to admire.
Thunder Cave if we couldn’t get into the Gibson Steps today we come here instead to view this lookout.
12 Apostles here you will walk yourself out the back of the building towards the coast to view the cliff stacks from high platforms. We come here last to avoid the crowds & also for you to freshen-up with bathroom facilities & food kiosk before we start the long journey to return back to Melbourne.
If arranged in the morning or when you booked your tour there is an optional helicopter ride at this site.
Return to the bus on time at the carpark - walk over the zebra crossing on the road to the bus carpark on the left side - you will find the right bus easy by looking for your driver Guide.
Our National Park viewing is now complete!
Return to Melbourne
We are now heading back to Melbourne the quickest way possible, which is inland through farming countryside of the Colac & Otway region, you’ll see plenty of our dairy farm yards in action.
We make a bathroom stop half way at Winchelsea 1hr 20mins away, then be arriving into Melbourne city around 1hr 20mins after that, to commence the hotel drops in the quickest way (St Kilda will be the last to exit).
The hotel drops are a quick bus exit so please when you get to the Westgate Bridge again coming into the city check around/ under your seat to not leave your belongings behind that may have shifted on you - you need your things when travelling! And say farewell to new friends made :)
We may drop you on the other side of the street for the direction of best traffic flow so please take care to cross the road safely. Your guide will advise you when coming up to your location booked to exit.