Great Ocean Road Day Tour: Unrushed Exploration of 12 Apostles and Shipwreck Coast
4.5
248 Ratings
Melbourne
Experience an unrushed exploration of the 12 Apostles and Shipwreck Coast on our Reverse Great Ocean Road Day Tour. Avoid the crowds and discover the stunning beauty of this iconic Australian destination.
Duration: 13 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • WWI Memorial - We stop to stretch our legs and enjoy morning tea
  • Twelve Apostles - We take time to admire the amazing Limestone stack formations with minimal other tourists around, also if you are keen to take to the skies and add a helicopter ride over the Apostles on to your experience then this is the tour for you!

Taking your time to walk along the boardwalks and capture perfect photos of the Twelve Apostles in the morning sun is just breathtaking.

  • Loch Ard Gorge - Also in the National Park we head down to Loch Ard Gorge, site of one of Australia’s most well know shipwrecks, hear the dramatic tale of Tom and Eva. Take time to walk down on to the beach and get the sand in-between your toes, or walk out over the top of the Gorge and find the Island Archway and Razorback rock formations.
  • Maits Rest Rainforest Walk - We then depart just as other tour buses start to arrive, we head Eastward along the Great Ocean Road, coming inland we drive through towering Eucalyptus trees until we arrive at a patch of Cool Temperate Rainforest. You will be amazed at the difference in scenery as we take a walk through the tree ferns and, marvel at the ‘ancient relics’ - the Myrtle Beach trees that provide perfect canopy shade and originate from when Australia was part of a super continent known as Gondwanaland. Breath in the fresh air before we take a relaxing drive out to the dramatic Shipwreck Coast!
  • Wye River - Along the journey we will be making stops to look for Koalas hanging out in the wild, as they are exactly that, wild, we cannot guarantee where they will show up, but our knowledgeable guides know all the best spots to search for them.
  • Great Ocean Road Memorial Archway - A monument to mark the original starting point of the Great Ocean Road.

After some photos at the iconic Memorial Arch and a lesson on the history of the soldiers who built this road and dedicated it to their fallen comrades, we will wind through more stunning views (of course stopping for pictures!)

What's Included
  • Entry fees to all National Parks included
  • Complimentary light picnic lunch
  • Opportunity to see Australian wildlife in their natural habitat
  • Experienced driver guide with engaging live commentary
What's Not Included
  • Meals not indicated
  • Personal expenses
Additional Information

Embark on a journey away from the bustling crowds with our Reverse Great Ocean Road Day Tour, and delve into the beauty of the 12 Apostles and Great Ocean Road! This day tour is the same as the standard, but includes a morning trip to the 12 Apostles and the Shipwreck Coast instead of the afternoon. With this reversed schedule, we bypass the busy tourist traffic, making it possible to fully enjoy everything this magnificent area can provide.

  • Please reconfirm within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
  • Children under 18yrs old, must be accompanied by an adult or legal guardian
  • Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking (on request only)
  • Not wheelchair, prams or stroller accessible please do not bring on tour.
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Location
Immigration Museum (Museums Victoria)
Flinders Street
Our default pickup location for this tour will be Immigration Museum, 400 Flinders St, corner of Market St, Melbourne @ 7:35am. If you wish to change your pickup location, please contact our friendly reservations team.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(248 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
973quynht
Apr 16, 2024
Memorable experience - Had been living in Melbourne for over a year and finally had the chance to visit the Great Ocean Road. Clearly lives up to its name. Amazing views, friendly and knowledgeable tour guide (Chris P "Kiwi"), highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cruiser733033
Apr 15, 2024
A must do when in Melbourne. - It was a great day trip, long 14 hour day but worth it. The views were great, saw some Kuala's and Roos. The driver was great fun and knowledgeable. Would definitely recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joi_w
Mar 26, 2024
Great day on the Great Ocean Road - We had a great time with Nial (sorry for the spelling). He was a great tour guide who provided lots of information as we navigated the Great Ocean Road. He was a safe driver and gave us plenty of time to do all of the activities. Great day!
Review provided by Viator
Rebecca
Mar 25, 2024
Excellent trip - Our tour guide, Kiwi (aka Chris), was wonderful. His knowledge of the local area and Australia is vast. This tour was excellent. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Linda_w
Mar 23, 2024
A long day but we'll worth it - Unfortunately the Reverse trip was cancelled but we were transferred on to the Standsrd trip. Ilkay was our guide who was very knowledgeable about every stop we made. He was enthusiastic and great stories to tell. He was very mindful of the passenger's needs. I felt we had adequate time to spend at each stop. At no time did I feel rushed to get back onboard the bus. If you are visiting the Melbourne and want to spend a day out of the city, then I would recommend booking the 22 Apostles trip 😀
Review provided by Viator
David_h
Mar 14, 2024
Great tour with Niall - Excellent tour. Niall was a brilliant, funny and entertaining guide. Would definitely recommend this tour being done in reverse.
Review provided by Viator
Katek977
Mar 8, 2024
Best day trip I’ve ever been on 😊 - Seeing the 12 apostles was a real bucket list thing for me and this reverse tour was perfect. Niall was fantastic all day. Very informative, but also gave us time to just enjoy the views. I’m not usually a fan of music on group tours but what a playlist he provided! Bus was great, and a/c kept us all comfortable. On board WiFi and charging points an added bonus on such a long day. Great itinerary, amazing views and a fabulous day out. Highly recommend 😊
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fabiopz464qe
Mar 8, 2024
Lovely experience, many things seen in a day - Niall the driver has been very nice, he’s very prepared, explained to us everything about the great ocean road and not only. He’s been very flexible and made us enjoy our day trip with lots of stops so we could see as much as we could without rushing. Totally recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rohit_s
Jun 11, 2024
Great adventurous experience. Bus could have been bigger with charging points. - 12 apostles and the Melba Gully. I enjoyed seeing the koalas and kangaroos. Complimentary breakfast and dinner should have been provided. Aidan is a great tour guide.
Review provided by Viator
Kathleen_g
May 9, 2024
Terrific Tour - This was a fabulous tour! Long day however. The 12 Apostles, Ocean Road, Rainforest were all wonderful. However, Autotopia should NOT pack the tour bus with 28 guests. The max should be 26. We were stuck on the back bench with 5 normal adult's but we should have been 5 skinny adults. It seats 5 but really 4 is comfortable with the 9-11 hours of driving given the seat width is only 13 inches. Not the drivers fault. He was terrific.
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
June 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today