Most people plan this trip once, and the single decision that shapes the whole day is which road you take. The coastal route and the inland route reach the same car park, but one is 35 kilometres longer and well over an hour slower. Here is what each actually involves.
How far is it, exactly?
The Twelve Apostles are roughly 275 km west of Melbourne if you follow the Great Ocean Road along the coast, and roughly 240 km if you go inland via Geelong and Colac. A return trip on the coastal road both ways is over 500 km.
The gap in distance understates the gap in time. The inland route is highway for most of its length. The coastal route is a two-lane road that bends around headlands, passes through half a dozen towns with reduced limits, and carries a lot of traffic that is in no hurry at all.
Driven without stopping, the coast takes something like four hours one way. Nobody drives it without stopping, because stopping is the entire point.
Can you see the Twelve Apostles as a day trip from Melbourne?
Yes, and most visitors do. It is a long day rather than a difficult one, and the way to keep it civilised is to drive out one way and back the other.
The loop is the trick almost everyone misses. Head out along the Great Ocean Road so you get the coast, the lookouts and the beach towns in daylight, then return inland through Colac. You see everything worth seeing, and you cut a substantial amount of driving off the back half of the day, which is the half where everyone is tired.
Doing the coast in both directions means covering the same 275 km twice, the second time in the dark, on the road where the bends matter most. There is little reason to do it.
What else is worth stopping for on the way?
The Great Ocean Road runs 243 km from Torquay to Allansford, and the Twelve Apostles sit near the far end. The stops before them are a large part of what you came for.
- Torquay
- Where the road officially begins, and the start of the surf coast.
- Split Point Lighthouse, Aireys Inlet
- A short walk from the car park to the headland.
- Lorne
- The usual coffee stop, and the turn-off for Erskine Falls.
- Kennett River
- Known for koalas in the roadside gums. They are wild, so nothing is promised.
- Apollo Bay
- The last substantial town before the road turns inland through the Otways.
- Loch Ard Gorge
- A few minutes past the Apostles, and thought by many to be the better stop.
Loch Ard Gorge deserves the mention. It is close enough that skipping it makes no sense, and it is a far more interesting piece of coastline than a viewing platform above the stacks.
When is the best time of day to be there?
Late afternoon generally has the best light on the stacks and the smallest crowds, because the coach tours have moved on. It also means finishing the drive home after dark.
This is a genuine trade-off rather than a secret. Coach tours run to a fixed schedule and tend to reach the Apostles in the middle of the day, so midday is both the busiest time and the flattest light. Arriving later is better for photographs and quieter on the boardwalk.
The cost is that you are then driving home in the evening. If you are behind the wheel yourself, that is a real consideration at the end of a 500 km day. If somebody else is driving, it largely stops being one.
Do you need to book anything?
No. The Twelve Apostles viewing area and the Loch Ard Gorge walks are free public sites with open car parks, and no ticket is required.
The helicopter flights that operate from beside the visitor area are the exception, and are booked and paid directly with the operator. Everything else along that stretch of coast costs nothing to visit.
Common questions
How long does it take to drive from Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles?
Around three hours by the inland route via Geelong and Colac, and around four hours along the Great Ocean Road without stops. In practice the coastal drive takes most of a morning, because the stops are the reason to take it.
Is the Great Ocean Road or the inland route better?
Take the Great Ocean Road out and the inland route back. You get the coast in daylight and a much faster return, and you avoid driving the same winding road twice.
Are there still twelve apostles?
No. There were never twelve, and erosion has reduced the number of standing stacks over time. The name is older than the count.
If you would rather not drive it
One price for the vehicle, your own route and your own stops. We check availability and send a written total before anything is confirmed.
More guides
Can you drive the Great Ocean Road in one day?
One day is enough for the Great Ocean Road, provided you accept up front that you are not seeing all of it. Choosing what to leave out is the whole plan.
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