Great Ocean Road Tour

The spectacular FairHaven is one of the longest natural beaches on Great Ocean Road, located in Airey Inlet, the golden soft-sand beach and splendid coastline will offer you natural scenery like no other. Dip your feet in the refreshing Southern Ocean waters or let kids make a sandcastle of their imagination. Fairhaven is also popular with local surfers and fishing enthusiasts.

Split Point Lighthouse, first built in 1891 and later converted to automatic operation in 1919. Before then,  it was operated by three lighthouse keepers who were stationed in the nearby cottage. The original Fresnel lens made in the UK are still being used today in the lighthouse, however the the factory that produced the lens was destroyed during the war, making these lens extremely rare. The lighthouse is 34 meters tall,  it has a total of 132 staircases. The light  from the lighthouse can reach up to 37 kilometres at night!

Best way to remember your Great Ocean Road day tour? Take your GOR snaps in front of Eastern View Memorial Arch! The planning for building Great Ocean Road traced back to 1880s,  Great Ocean Road Foundation was founded, headed by then Geelong Mayor Alderman Hitchcock, the construction for Great Ocean Road began in August 1918. 3,000 soldiers returned from the First World War were deployed to build Great Ocean Road, it is one of the biggest war memorial projects in the world, paying tribute to all the Australian soldiers who had made sacrifice and contributions during the First World War for our nation. Unlike modern day construction, the work was manual and relied on very simple tools. The gigantic memorial project completed in November 1932.  The rich historic significance behind Great Ocean Road is just one of the many interesting stories you will hear on Great Ocean Road private tour.

Your Great Ocean Road private tour provides you with an opportunity to see koalas in the wild! Kennett River is commonly known as one of best places to spot koalas in the wild. Watch koalas resting on eucalyptus trees and munching on those succulent green leaves. In comparison to koalas seen up in the north of Australia, the koalas in Victoria are generally bigger and have thicker hair. They are great tree climbers and born with two thumbs on each hand.  Grown-up koalas can eat up to 400 grams of eucalyptus tree leaves a day which they rely upon for the much needed water and nutrition.

Due to the low nutrition level of eucalyptus tree leaves and koalas’ low body fat,  they have frequent intakes of the leaves. Adult koalas are 60-80 cm in height and weigh 4-16 kg. As eucalyptus tree leaves contain natural toxin which causes sedation, koalas generally sleep between 16-20 hours a day.

Apollo Bay is the largest seaside town along Great Ocean Road en route to Twelve Apostles. It is the most popular mid-way stop for Great Ocean Road day trippers and fantastic for multi-day travellers to relax and stay. The town offers many restaurants to choose from, such as: local-sensation fish and chips, pizzeria, steak houses, Chinese or Japanese eateries. You may also consider our Great Ocean Road two-day tour by spending a night in this lovely town. In summer, the town is very lively and an amusement park for kids operate till late.

Twelve Apostles is the most well-known attraction on Great Ocean Road. Curious about how many limestone stacks are still standing? we will keep a little secret until we get here. These magnificent limestone stacks vary in size and height, formed over millions of years of strong wind and seawater erosion.

Be amazed by these natural sculptures! Originally named “Sow and Piglets”,  the evolving natural landscape and the popularity in Christianity in early 20th century had its name changed to “Twelve Apostles” . The spectacular scenery at Twelve Apostle is unforgettable! The attraction boasts one of the most beautiful sunset in Victoria and is popular with photography enthusiasts. 

Take the wooden stairs down to Loch Ard Gorge. Admire the beautiful sandy beach and stalactites formed on the limestone boulders. The spectacular gorge was named after a shipwreck accident in June 1878,  “Loch Ard”, a sailing cruise departed from England to Melbourne. After 3 months of adventurous voyage, the ship crashed into the nearby Muttonbird Island before reaching its planned destination. Of the 54 passengers and crews on board at the time, there were only two lucky survivors.

15-year-old sailboat apprentice, Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael who immigrated to Melbourne with her family from Ireland. Tom managed to rescue Eva from the water and sought local assistance after climbed out of the gorge. Shortly after their recovery, the Irish girl returned back home, whereas Tom remained in Australia. Coincidentally, Eva Carmichael and Tom Pearce stayed in the cottage of Hugh Gibson post the ship wreck who later built the Gibson Steps.

The Island Archway is made up of two towering limestone stacks, the two pieces used to be inter-connected over the top, in the shape of an archway. However  extreme weather conditions, exacerbated by erosion from rainwater made the “archway” connecting the two huge limestone formations collapse in June 2009, creating two separate limestone stacks of approximately 25 meters in height. Slow down your footsteps and enjoy the beautiful views of the towering cliffs which is particularly magnificent at sunset. 

A further 250 metres from Island Archway, you will reach The Razorback. This huge limestone block has been washed away by seawater for thousands of years into a slender, towering standalone natural giant sculpture, it looks like the back of a razor from the sky. Seawater erosion and ferocious ocean waves had over the years rubbed away its right tip. Akin to a skilful artist, strong wind has carved out unique shapes on top of The Razorback. The footpath circles around and allows visitors to admire the beautiful scenery from different angles.

Overlook the spectacular coastline from Gibson Steps lookout. Originally built out of wood by local settler Hugh Gibson, mainly for indigenous Australians, Kirrae Whurrong to have access down to the beach back then. The 86 stone staircases of Gibson Steps will take you down to the beach where two majestic limestones of up to 70 meters in height stood firmly in the sea, named Magog and Gog. Be astonished by the combination of magnificent waves, limitless Southern Ocean and steep limestone cliffs. Enjoy a whiff of fresh sea breeze,  soft fine sand and breathtaking coastal natural scenery!

After an amazing day of fun and natural beauty.

Lay back and take a good rest. Your Great Ocean Road private tour will take you back to Melbourne, you can choose to be transferred either to hotel or any restaurant within CBD.

We will travel back to Melbourne via inland, the return journey is approximately 3 hours.