Short answer
If you are based in Melbourne and have one day, the Great Ocean Road & Twelve Apostles Day Tour from Melbourne (from $159) is the one: a 13-hour day that reaches the Twelve Apostles in afternoon light. If you are travelling between Melbourne and Adelaide anyway, the 3-day tours (from $949 Melbourne to Adelaide, $949 the other way) turn the transfer into the trip.
Prices are per person in AUD, from our current listings (October 2026), and can change. Live prices are on our Great Ocean Road tours from Melbourne page.
What the Great Ocean Road actually is
A coastal road along Victoria’s south-west, built by returned soldiers after the First World War (the Memorial Arch marks it), running from the surf coast near Torquay through the Otway rainforest to the Shipwreck Coast. The headline is the Twelve Apostles, a line of limestone stacks standing in the Southern Ocean off Port Campbell National Park. There are fewer than twelve; the name stuck anyway. Loch Ard Gorge next door is named after a ship wrecked there in 1878.
The catch for a day trip is distance. The Apostles are a long drive from Melbourne, which is why every day tour is 12 to 13 hours and why the 3-day tours exist.
Option 1: Day trip from Melbourne
The Great Ocean Road & Twelve Apostles Day Tour from Melbourne is 13 hours on a medium coach for up to 38, with selected Melbourne inner-city pick-up and drop-off points.
What you see, in order: the Memorial Arch photo stop, morning tea with kangaroos and emus, a guided (easy) rainforest walk in the Otways, Loch Ard Gorge and the Shipwreck Coast, then the Twelve Apostles in afternoon light. National park fees, onboard Wi-Fi, the morning tea and commentary are included, with a translation app in ten languages. Meals beyond morning tea are yours to buy at the stops.
Good for: anyone with one spare day in Melbourne who wants the Apostles without organising a hire car. Not for: anyone who hates long coach days. It is 13 hours.
Option 2: 3 days Melbourne to Adelaide (or reverse)
Two tours, same operator style, opposite directions, each for a small group of 6 to 23 with a driver-guide: Melbourne to Adelaide from $949, Adelaide to Melbourne from $949.
Melbourne to Adelaide
The Melbourne to Adelaide 3 Day Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour (Shared Accommodation) starts with the Great Ocean Road: wild koalas, the Otways rainforest walk, the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge, then Tower Hill (a wildlife reserve inside an old volcanic crater, with emus and kangaroos). Night one is Warrnambool. Then north into the Grampians for the Pinnacle lookout hike and MacKenzie Falls, with a group dinner in Halls Gap on night two, and on to Adelaide on day three.
Included: the one-way transfer, two nights’ hostel dormitory accommodation with shared facilities (Warrnambool, Halls Gap), two breakfasts and two dinners, national park fees, guided walks of about 6.5km total, and a selected Melbourne inner-city pick-up with drop-off in Adelaide city.
Adelaide to Melbourne
The Adelaide to Melbourne 3 Day Grampians & Great Ocean Road Tour (Shared Accommodation) runs the same route backwards: Grampians first (MacKenzie Falls and the Pinnacle), night one in Halls Gap, then Tower Hill, night two in Warrnambool, and the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and the Otways rainforest walk on the final day into Melbourne. Two nights in budget-friendly shared rooms, two breakfasts, two dinners (guest participation), park fees and about 6.5km of guided walks are included.
Good for: anyone linking Melbourne and Adelaide. You would spend money getting between the two cities anyway; this makes the journey the point and bundles accommodation and four meals. Not for: anyone who needs a private room. Both are shared, dorm-style.
Option 3: Grampians as a separate day
If you want the Grampians (Gariwerd) but are not heading to Adelaide, three Melbourne day tours cover it at different group sizes.
- Grampians National Park Wildlife Tour (from $149, 12.5 hours, up to 23): Boroka Lookout and The Balconies, 160 steps down to MacKenzie Falls, wild emus and kangaroos, the Brambuk cultural centre and guided 4km bush walks. Park fees and city pick-up included.
- Grampians Day Tour (from $159, 12 hours, up to 42): MacKenzie Falls up close, the Grand Canyon walk and lookouts, kangaroo country. Air-con bus with free Wi-Fi and an audio guide in 16 languages; bring your own food.
- Grampians & Halls Gap (from $189, 12 hours, listed as up to 11): the small-minibus version with Boroka Lookout, a 400-step descent to MacKenzie Falls, the Aboriginal Culture Centre, village time in Halls Gap and hotel pickup included. Lunch is bought in Halls Gap.
Pairing the GOR day tour (from $159) with a Grampians day (cheapest right now: Grampians National Park Wildlife Tour at $149) covers both regions as day trips, with you sleeping in Melbourne in between. The 3-day tour, from $949, includes two nights’ accommodation, four meals and gets you to Adelaide.
Option 4: the add-ons
The Great Ocean Road 15,000ft Tandem Skydive (from $399) is a beach skydive over the surf coast from Connewarre: up to 60 seconds of freefall from 15,000ft, with APF membership and a certificate included. Video and photos cost extra. It is a 20-minute experience, not a tour, so it pairs with a hire car or a day in Torquay rather than replacing a GOR trip.
Other Melbourne day trips if you have time: the Yarra Valley Wine Tasting (from $169, max 11, all tastings included) and the French & Phillip Island Wildlife Expedition (from $239) for wild koalas by 4WD on French Island and the Penguin Parade at dusk.
If Melbourne is the start of a much longer run, the East Coast Explorer 7 Week Tour from Melbourne (from $7,189 18 to 35) folds a Great Ocean Road day into a 50-day group trip up the coast with 46 nights’ accommodation and a group leader. That is a different decision; our East Coast solo travel guide covers it.
Every tour compared
-
Great Ocean Road & Twelve Apostles Day Tour from Melbourne13 hours
from from $159
-
Melbourne to Adelaide 3 Day Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour (Shared Accommodation)3 days
from from $949
-
Adelaide to Melbourne 3 Day Grampians & Great Ocean Road Tour (Shared Accommodation)3 days
from from $949
-
Grampians National Park Wildlife Tour12.5 hours
from from $149
-
Grampians Day Tour12 hours
from from $159
-
Grampians & Halls Gap12 hours
from from $189
-
Great Ocean Road 15,000ft Tandem Skydive20 minutes
from from $399
See it as a table
| Tour | Length | Route | Sees | Sleeps | Meals | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Ocean Road & Twelve Apostles Day Tour from Melbourne | 13 hours | Melbourne return | Memorial Arch, Otways walk, Loch Ard Gorge, Twelve Apostles | Your own bed | Morning tea | from $159 |
| Melbourne to Adelaide 3 Day Great Ocean Road & Grampians Tour (Shared Accommodation) | 3 days | Melbourne to Adelaide, one way | Koalas, Otways, Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard, Tower Hill, Pinnacle, MacKenzie Falls | Hostel dorms, Warrnambool + Halls Gap | 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners | from $949 |
| Adelaide to Melbourne 3 Day Grampians & Great Ocean Road Tour (Shared Accommodation) | 3 days | Adelaide to Melbourne, one way | MacKenzie Falls, Pinnacle, Tower Hill, Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard, Otways | Shared rooms, Halls Gap + Warrnambool | 2 breakfasts, 2 dinners | from $949 |
| Grampians National Park Wildlife Tour | 12.5 hours | Melbourne return | Boroka, Balconies, MacKenzie Falls, Brambuk | Your own bed | None listed | from $149 |
| Grampians Day Tour | 12 hours | Melbourne return | MacKenzie Falls, Grand Canyon, lookouts | Your own bed | BYO | from $159 |
| Grampians & Halls Gap | 12 hours | Melbourne return | Boroka, MacKenzie Falls, Culture Centre, Halls Gap | Your own bed | Buy in Halls Gap | from $189 |
| Great Ocean Road 15,000ft Tandem Skydive | 20 minutes | Connewarre | The coast from 15,000ft | n/a | n/a | from $399 |
Which should you book?
- One day, Melbourne base, want the ApostlesThe day tour from $159. Accept the 13 hours.
- Moving to or from AdelaideThe 3-day tour in whichever direction you are travelling (from $949 Melbourne to Adelaide, $949 Adelaide to Melbourne). Accommodation and four meals are in, and you skip buying a separate bus or flight.
- Want wildlife and walks more than coastlineA Grampians day, from $149. Emus, kangaroos, waterfalls and lookouts.
- Small group mattersThe Grampians & Halls Gap minibus (from $189), or the 3-day tours (6 to 23) over the big coaches.
- Want a storyThe skydive from $399, then the day tour the next day so you can see from the ground what you fell past.
Timing and practical notes
Day tours run long. Pick-up is early and you are back late, so don’t plan anything that evening. The Apostles are photographed best in afternoon or evening light, which is why the day tours are sequenced west-to-east with the Apostles last. Weather on this coast is changeable in any season; bring a jacket even in summer, because the wind off the Southern Ocean does not care what month it is. The Otways rainforest walk is rated easy; the Grampians walks are longer (4km on the wildlife tour, about 6.5km over the 3-day tours) with steps down to MacKenzie Falls, so wear proper shoes.
Shared accommodation on the 3-day tours means dorm-style rooms. If that is a deal-breaker, do two day trips from Melbourne and sleep where you like.
FAQs
Can you see the Twelve Apostles in a day from Melbourne? Yes. The Great Ocean Road & Twelve Apostles Day Tour from Melbourne (from $159) does it in 13 hours, with the Apostles visited last in afternoon light.
Is the 3-day Melbourne to Adelaide tour worth it? If you are travelling between the two cities, yes: from $949 (Melbourne to Adelaide) or $949 (Adelaide to Melbourne) you get the Great Ocean Road, the Grampians, two nights’ accommodation, two breakfasts, two dinners and the transfer. If you are returning to Melbourne, two day trips are cheaper.
Which direction is better, Melbourne to Adelaide or Adelaide to Melbourne? Same route, same inclusions, and Melbourne to Adelaide and Adelaide to Melbourne are the same price ($949). Melbourne to Adelaide does the coast first and ends in the Grampians; Adelaide to Melbourne does the Grampians first and finishes at the Twelve Apostles. Pick whichever matches where you need to end up.
Does the day tour include the Grampians? No. The Grampians are inland and a separate day from Melbourne (from $149). Only the 3-day tours cover both the coast and the Grampians.
What accommodation is on the 3-day tour? Hostel dormitory or shared rooms in Warrnambool and Halls Gap, with shared facilities. No private-room option is listed on these tours.
How many of the Twelve Apostles are still standing? Fewer than twelve; the stacks erode and collapse over time. It is still the most photographed stretch of the road and the reason the day tours are sequenced to arrive there last.
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