If you have three days to spare and enjoy surf beaches, lush rainforest and native Australian wildlife, consider choosing the airport car rentals savvy travellers turn to and drive along the beautiful Great Ocean Road.
You won’t have any regrets about choosing to go along this road, and the 664 km long journey should take you around three days to complete, providing you don’t get swept away by the romantic views!
First leg: Melbourne to Apollo Bay
On the first day of your trip you can pay homage to some of Australia’s top surf beaches. Make sure you stop and hang 10 at Torquay. This beach marks the official start of the Great Ocean Road. Here you can learn all about the culture at Surf World so you will be an expert in no time!
The next stage of your adventure will have you learning about a different sport, but one that is still just as exciting – golf. The Anglesea green is the perfect spot to snap a pic (or two) of kangaroos who like to take a break under the trees that surround this golf course.
If you enjoyed that spot of nature, keep driving! Once you reach the Kennett River you should be able to spot a few koalas in their local habitat.
As you continue along this route, you will be spoilt for choice if you are after a beautiful picnic spot to enjoy a leisurely lunch. You will be driving along spectacular cliff tops and there are plenty of wild beaches along the way. Stop at a lookout, or continue on to the beach.
The final highlight of this trip, before you head back to Apollo Bay for the night, is the Cape Otway light station. This is mainland Australia’s oldest surviving lighthouse and if you climb up to the top of this structure you can see unrivalled views of the spot where the Bass Strait meets the Southern Ocean.
Leg two: Port Apollo to Port Fairy
On day two of your adventure, you will be covering around 189 km, which means you will be in the car for around three hours all up.
So, what can you do with the remaining time left in your day?
You could start off with the Otway Fly Tree Top Walk, which is only an hour’s drive away. This is the longest and highest tree top walk the world over, so it’s well worth a visit. If that adrenaline-pumping action is not your cup of tea, you could get your heart racing with a zip-line tour instead.
The next must-see on this part of your journey is the spectacular coastline around Port Campbell and the famous 12 apostles. This stunning rock feature can be seen up close if you make your way down all 86 of the Gibson steps.
As you continue on, there is plenty of beautiful coastline to view and if you’ve decided to do this trek in the winter, you might just get lucky along Logans beach. Often southern right and blue whales can be spotted here and sometimes they can be seen schooling their young.
The next spot is a great place to see native wildlife all year round. The Tower Hill State Game Reserve is the perfect location to glimpse kangaroos, koalas, emus and waterbirds.
After that adventure, head down to beautiful Port Fairy for the night.
Day three: Port Fairy to Melbourne
Port Fairy is a quaint fishing village, so there are a few ways you can keep yourself occupied. Whether it be exploring the beaches or heading along a historic walking trail to see old whalers’ cottages, there is plenty to do.
Then simply trace your way back to our car hire Melbourne office! You can stop off at your favourite places and click a few more snaps.