Great Ocean Road Tour Notes.
www.greatoceanroad.vc

Important Safety Tips.

1. In Australia we drive on the left-hand side of the road, keep this in mind when leaving parking points.

2. The Great Ocean Road has numerous bends hugging the coast for most of its distance. With spectacular view you need to be careful and expect to find cars on the wrong side of the road due to other drivers looking at the view and not paying attention to the road. Recent upgrades to the road have reduced the risk of being forced over the cliffs into the ocean but have reduced the room on the side of the road to avoid accidents.

3. There are numerous slow vehicle turn offs and these should be used whenever possible to allow following vehicles to pass. We have provided a comprehensive list of parking and pull over points to assist in planning your trip.

4. Take your time and plan your trip.

5. Distances provided are approximate but as they are derived from car speedometer readings they can be up to 200 metres out. Use them as a guide to finding parking and slow vehicle turn out points.

6.  When parking in towns you will be booked if you are facing in the opposite direction to the cars around you.

7. Observe speed limit as both fixed and mobile speed cameras are used on The Ocean Road. There is a lot to see so if you have limited time or are not used to driving long distances plan at least one overnight stay.

7. Use information on the web site to find food, fuel and accommodation stops.

8. The Great Ocean Road is subject to land slips and as it is adjacent to National Parks animals may also be encountered on the road surface. Expect the unexpected.

9. The Great Ocean Road is one lane in each direction and it is difficult to pass other vehicles. Peak times are from December 25th to January 26th and weekends between December and April. Other busy holiday times include Easter, Labour Day long weekend in early March and Queens Birthday weekend in June. The best weather is late February to mid April. Close to the Ocean the weather is generally mild with temperatures generally between 10 and 25 degrees Celsius. Temperatures up to 40 degrees are possible in summer months.

Due to government tourist promotions and local town promotions what now defines The Great Ocean Road is a bit obscure. We have covered the distance from the round about at Torquay where the road heads west to Portland in far-west of Victoria as our virtual tour of The Great Ocean Road. As this is a distance of approximately 360 kilometres you need to plan out your trip carefully to safely explore the Great Ocean Road. In Australia it is recommended that you take a break or change drivers every 2 hours. Later in the travel notes we provided day trip, 2 day trip and 7day trip guides for travelling the Ocean Road.

Torquay is located approximately 96 kilometres South West of Melbourne. To get to Torquay take M1 to Geelong continue on M1 to the outskirts of Geelong and turn left on the Surf Coast Highway (C123) and travel the 21 kilometres to Torquay or continue on M1 and turn left on Anglesea Road(C134) and drive the 35 kilometres to Anglesea.  Use the Anglesea turn off if you have limited time for your trip. Allow approximately 100 minutes for the trip to either Torquay or Anglesea from Melbourne.

The Great Ocean Road officially starts at the roundabout leaving Torquay.
Distance Guide
The Great Ocean Road