SaveToRoam

Itineraries/Oceania/Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road

10 Days in Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road

Melbourne's zoo, markets, and tram network — then the Great Ocean Road's Twelve Apostles, Kennett River koalas, and Otway rainforest — then the Grampians' red-rock ridges, oval-side kangaroos, and Brambuk First Nations cultural centre. A classic Victorian family loop that covers city, coast, and inland wilderness in 10 nights without ever needing to fly twice.

10 nights
Family of 4
~A$8,000
3 stops
Melbourne4n
Apollo Bay3n
Halls Gap (Grampians)3n
Start with this itinerarySwap hotels, adjust dates, change stops any time

Your stop-by-stop itinerary

3 stops across 10 nights. Each one chosen so you experience a different side of Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road.

1

Melbourne

4 nights
Fly direct to Melbourne (MEL) from Sydney (1h 30m), Brisbane (2h 15m), Adelaide (1h 20m). Pick up a hire car at MEL Airport — you'll need it for days 5–10 but can leave it parked in Melbourne for the city leg. Alternative: use trams in Melbourne CBD (free tram zone) and pick the car up on day 5.

Highlights

  • Melbourne Zoo — world-class zoo in the city, kids free on weekends and school holidays
  • Werribee Open Range Zoo — African safari day trip, kids free weekends
  • Queen Victoria Market + Night Market (Wednesdays in summer)
  • Melbourne Museum + Scienceworks (free entry for under-16s)
  • MCG tour or AFL/cricket match in season
  • Free tram network inside the CBD — trams are free without tapping on within the zone

Local tips

  • 💡Melbourne Zoo is free for kids on weekends and Victorian school holidays — plan your zoo day around those. Werribee Open Range Zoo has the same free-kids policy and pairs naturally with Melbourne Zoo.
  • 💡Day trip to Sovereign Hill in Ballarat (90 min drive or V/Line train) for gold-rush living history — full-day outing, family pass $145.50, genuinely one of the best family attractions in Victoria.
  • 💡Buy MYKI cards at any 7-Eleven for the tram/train network. The free tram zone in the CBD means you never tap on for inner-city trams — just hop on.
Suggested stay: 2-bedroom apartment in Southbank or Docklands
2

Apollo Bay

3 nights
Drive from Melbourne (3 hrs along the Great Ocean Road — allow the full day with stops at Bells Beach, Airey's Inlet, Lorne, and Kennett River for the roadside koalas)

Highlights

  • Twelve Apostles + Loch Ard Gorge + London Bridge — iconic limestone stacks, day trip 60 min west
  • Kennett River koala spotting — roadside koalas in the gum trees along Grey River Road, free, near-certain sighting
  • Otway Fly Treetop Walk — 25m-high canopy boardwalk through rainforest
  • Great Otway National Park — Triplet Falls, Erskine Falls, Melba Gully glow-worms at night
  • Apollo Bay harbour and Mariner's Lookout for sunrise
  • Bells Beach (returning toward Melbourne) — iconic surf break, scenic viewing platform

Local tips

  • 💡Drive the Twelve Apostles at sunrise or sunset — midday light flattens the rock stacks and it's the most photogenic spot in Victoria. From Apollo Bay it's 60 min each way. Leave at 5:30am for sunrise.
  • 💡Kennett River koalas are the best free wildlife experience on the trip. Pull over along Grey River Road, walk 50 m up the side street, look up in the gum trees. Kids 5+ will spot them easily.
  • 💡Otway Fly Treetop Walk closes early (5pm most of the year). Either do it on the Melbourne → Apollo Bay driving day or first thing on your GOR day, not as an afternoon add-on.
Suggested stay: Family apartment on the Apollo Bay foreshore
3

Halls Gap (Grampians)

3 nights
Drive from Apollo Bay (4 hrs via Port Campbell and the Western Highway). Return hire car at Melbourne Airport (MEL) on departure day — 3 hrs from Halls Gap.

Highlights

  • Halls Gap oval at dusk — guaranteed kangaroo sightings, free, 5 min walk from most accommodation
  • Pinnacle Lookout walk — 2.5 hr return, moderate, the Grampians' iconic view
  • Brambuk Cultural Centre — First Nations-led interpretation, gold coin donation, start your Grampians stay here
  • Reed Lookout + Balconies — 20 min easy walk to sweeping sandstone views
  • MacKenzie Falls — 45 min return steep walk to one of Victoria's largest waterfalls
  • Halls Gap Zoo — small family zoo with native wildlife, good rainy-day backup
  • Wildflowers in spring (Sept–Oct) — grass trees and native orchids across the range

Local tips

  • 💡Brambuk Cultural Centre is a gold coin donation and the best First Nations family experience in Victoria — do it on your first afternoon to frame the rest of the Grampians stay.
  • 💡Kangaroos on Halls Gap oval at dusk is near-guaranteed — 6:30pm in summer, 4:30pm in winter. Bring a picnic, sit on the grass bank, count them. Emus sometimes turn up on the golf course next door.
  • 💡The Pinnacle Walk is moderate, 2.5 hrs return, suitable for 7+ year olds. Skip it for toddlers — do the shorter Reed Lookout walk instead for the same sandstone view with a 20-minute round trip.
Suggested stay: Family cabin or 2-bedroom holiday park unit

Good to know

Estimated cost

The ~A$8,000 estimate covers accommodation across all 3 stops. Flights, daily spending, activities, and transport are additional — use SaveToRoam’s savings planner to track it all.

What’s included

When you use this template, SaveToRoam creates your trip with all 3 stops, estimated accommodation costs, and a personalised savings plan. You choose your dates and budget — we handle the maths.

Fully customisable

This itinerary is a starting point. Once it’s your trip, add stops, swap hotels, adjust nights — your savings target updates automatically.

Ready to start saving for Melbourne & the Great Ocean Road?

Pick your departure date and we'll build a week-by-week savings plan that adjusts as you go.

Start with this itinerary

Swap hotels, adjust dates, and change stops any time