📍 Destination Overview
The Great Ocean Road is a world-famous 243 km coastal highway on Victoria's southwest Australian coast, a memorial to the ANZAC soldiers of World War I. Its star is the Twelve Apostles, limestone stacks in the Southern Ocean that glow gold at sunrise and sunset, plus bays, rainforest, surf towns and whale-watching. A feast for the eyes and journey.
🌊 Location
Victoria, Australia · south-west coast
🗓️ Best season
Spring-summer Nov-Mar (driving)
🕐 Time difference
2 hours ahead Beijing (3 in summer)
💰 Currency / Language
Australian Dollar (AUD) / English
🕐 Suggested stay
2-4 days (full drive)
🔌 Plug / Voltage
Type I · 230V
☀️ Best Time to Visit & Climate
☀️ Summer: Dec–Feb
Best weather & busy.
🌸 Spring–autumn
Fewer crowds, great light.
January
☀️
24°/14°
Best
February
☀️
24°/14°
Best
March
🍂
22°/13°
Best
April
🍂
19°/10°
May
🌦️
16°/8°
June
🌧️
14°/6°
July
❄️
13°/5°
August
❄️
13°/6°
September
🌸
16°/7°
October
🌸
18°/9°
November
🌸
20°/11°
December
☀️
22°/13°
Best
Great Ocean Road Tours
View All →![10 days [Eastern Australia three-city trip] Sydney + Melbourne + Cairns + Great Barrier Reef | Blue Mountains + Port Stephens + Great Ocean Road + Twelve Apostles + take the "Sunlover" | Includes airport transfers, including internal air tickets](https://qiniu.usitour.com/images/picture/detail_7_1413950622_au_aus_syd.jpg?imageView2=2&w=1920&q=70&format=webp)
🎯 Great Ocean Road Experiences
Apostle sunrise
Catch the dawn glow.
Drive the cliffs
Wind along clifftop bends.
Canopy walk
Trek above the Otway forest.
Whale watching
Spot humpbacks in winter.
The Great Ocean Road shines for a spring–summer drive (November–March) in warm, bright weather, while winter (June–August) suits whale watching. A classic route starts at Torquay, calls at surf towns, hikes the Otway rainforest canopy, and finishes with the Twelve Apostles glinting at sunrise or sunset — the road itself is a moving coastal panorama. Self-driving is best; allow time for winding roads and rest stops. Accommodation fills in peak season, so book ahead. Cliffs, lighthouses and the deep-blue Southern Ocean draw this legendary highway's most iconic scenes.
🚌 Transport & Stays
City Transport
✈️varies
Flight
Fly Melbourne, then hire car
varies
🚗~AUD$70–150
Self-drive
The essential choice
~AUD$70–150
🚌varies
Tour bus
Good without a car
varies
Recommended Stay Areas
🏨 Lorne / Apollo Bay
Classic overnight stops
🏖️ Near Twelve Apostles
Closest to the stacks
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