From Melbourne: Great Ocean Road, 12 Apostles, Wildlife Tour

About This Experience

This is the most-booked Great Ocean Road day trip on GetYourGuide, and the numbers explain why: more than 6,400 travellers have rated it, and it still averages 4.7. It is run by a third-generation Australian family business, and it covers the full classic route — Torquay and the surf coast, wild koalas in the eucalypts, a guided walk under the Otways canopy, and the Twelve Apostles late in the day.

The feature that sets it apart is the app-based commentary. Instead of one guide talking over a microphone in English, you follow the route in your own language through your phone — fourteen are supported, including Mandarin, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Arabic and Hindi. Bring headphones; they are not supplied.

Morning tea is included, which is more than most tours at this price offer. Lunch and dinner are not — you buy your own during the stop at Apollo Bay, where there is a row of cafes and a bakery within a few minutes' walk of where the coach parks.

At 13 hours 30 minutes door to door it is a long day, and during peak periods the operator may run a larger vehicle than the one pictured. If you would rather travel in a genuinely small group, the Otways walking tour or one of the private options will suit you better — but for coverage per dollar, this is the benchmark the others are measured against.

Highlights

• The full classic route in one day: Torquay, Memorial Arch, Kennett River, the Otways and the Twelve Apostles
• Wild koalas and parrots in their own habitat, not an enclosure
• A guided walk beneath some of the tallest trees in the world
• Commentary in 14 languages through an app, not a single-language microphone
• Morning tea included; pickup from selected Melbourne CBD hotels

What's Included

• ✓ Pickup and drop-off at selected Melbourne CBD hotels
• ✓ Return travel in an air-conditioned vehicle
• ✓ Morning tea
• ✓ Guided koala and parrot spotting in natural habitat
• ✓ Guided forest walk in the Otways
• ✓ Full coastal highlights tour with app commentary in 14 languages

Not Included

• Lunch and dinner
• Headphones for the commentary app
• Gratuities

What to Bring

• Comfortable walking shoes
• Headphones for the app commentary
• A charged smartphone
• Sunscreen
• A jacket — the coast is colder than Melbourne
• An umbrella

Good to Know & Caveats

• Pickup is from selected Melbourne CBD hotels only; the exact point and time arrive by email after booking.
• During peak periods the operator may use a larger vehicle than usual.
• The commentary runs through your own phone, so bring headphones and a charged battery.
• Wildlife is wild — koalas and parrots are very likely but never guaranteed.
• Lunch is not included. The stop at Apollo Bay is where most people buy it.

Meeting Point

Pickup from selected Melbourne CBD hotels. Your exact pickup point and time are emailed after booking.