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The Great Ocean Road Region
The Great Ocean Road Region of Victoria takes its name from one of the world's most scenic coastal routes. The Road was constructed by returned soldiers from World War 1. It traverses Victoria’s Southern Ocean coastline from Geelong to the South Australian border.
Geelong, Victoria’s second largest city, is a one hour drive from Melbourne by freeway. The City encompasses much of Victoria's industrial and agricultural history because of its location at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay.
Queenscliff, on the Bellarine Peninsula has majestic seaside buildings and historic fort. A car and passenger ferry travels between Queenscliff across the Port Phillip Bay to Sorrento on the MorningtonPeninsula, saving many hours of driving time.
On the Surf Coast, the town of Torquay hosts the oldest professional surfing contest in the world at its famous Bell’s Beach. The Shipwreck Coast is named for the number of vessels that foundered along its rugged coastline while bringing immigrants to the new colonies. The Twelve Apostles are a series of limestone stacks close to the beach between the towns of Princetown and Port Campbell. Tiny fairy penguins and muttonbirds inhabit coastal burrows. Whay not ramble on the Great Ocean Walk?
The Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum at Warnambool houses historic memorabilia relating to the history of the Great Ocean Road. The picturesque fishing town of Port Fairy holds an annual music festival and the estuary MoyneRiver creates a natural harbour for recreational boating and Port Fairy’s fishing fleet.
Inland from the ‘Road’ the Otway Ranges are covered with vast eucalypt forests home to lush fern glades and fascinating glow worms and country towns surrounded by dairy, cattle and sheep farms.
January
- Skandia Geelong Week (formerly the Festival of Sail and Waterfront Festival
- Geelong Vintage Rally
- Danger 1000 Swim – Torquay
- Mountain to Surf Run – Lorne
- Pier to Pub Swim – Lorne
- Apollo Bay Show, Food & Wine Festival – Apollo Bay
- Custom Car and Bike Show – Colac
- Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic – Warrnambool
- Moyneyana Festival – Port Fairy
- Tyrendarra Rodeo – Portland
February
- Pako Festa – Pakington Street, Geelong
- Australian International Airshow – Avalon Airport near Geelong (biennial)
- Rock to Ramp Ocean Swim – Anglesea
- Otway Odyssey Mountain Bike Event and Forrest Festival – Apollo Bay
- Great Ocean Sports Festival – Apollo Bay
- Otway Idol – Beech Forest
- Sungold Field Days – Warrnambool
- Wood, Wine & Roses Festival – Heywood
March
- Victorian Surf Life-Saving Championships – Apollo Bay
- Apollo Bay Music Festival – Apollo Bay
- Port Fairy Folk Festival
- Lara Food and Wine Festival
April
- Rip Curl Pro World Surfing Titles – Bells Beach, Torquay
May
- Great Ocean Road Marathon – Lorne to Apollo Bay
- Warrnambool Racing Carnival and Graded Annual Steeplechase
June
- National Celtic Festival – Portarlington
- Australian Kelpie Muster – Casterton
- Scarf Festival – Geelong
July
- Fun4Kids Festival – Warrnambool
- Scarf Festival – Geelong
August
- Festival of One Act Plays – Anglesea
- Shipwreck Coast Golf Classic – Warrnambool
September
- Angair Wildflower and Art Show – Anglesea
October
- Birregurra Weekend Festival
- Melbourne – Warrnambool Cycling Classic
- Spring Music festival – Port Fairy
- Glenelg River Fishing Competition – Nelson
- Lorne Sculpture Exhibition
November
- Queenscliff Music Festival – Queenscliff
- Toast to the Coast - Geelong
- Australian Woolsports Championships – Winchelsea
- Portland Bay Festival – Portland
December
- High Tide Festival – Torquay
- Falls Music Festival – Lorne
Your host will be able to tell you more about what to see and do, where to shop and eat in the area.
The Great Ocean Road region hugs the contours of Victoria's rugged south west coast and offers visitors one of Australia's greatest and most spectacular coastal drives.
Start your journey in Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula and discover beautiful beaches, great eateries, a fascinating heritage and an enormous range of recreational opportunities from fishing and golfing to diving and surfing. Take in the colourful and lively ambience of bayside Geelong, Victoria's second largest city, or visit quaint Queenscliff and discover the town's rich maritime history, excellent restaurants and heritage hotels.
Along the coast, seaside resort towns such as Lorne and Apollo Bay are the perfect base for a seaside escape. They offer stunning beaches and water sports as well as some of Australia's best rainforest scenery in the nearby Otway Ranges.
One of the most visited stretches of the road is Port Campbell. Buffeted by wild seas and fierce winds, the coastline around Port Campbell has been sculpted over millions of years to form a series of striking rock stacks that rise out of the Southern Ocean. Known as the Twelve Apostles, they are one of the most spectacular natural attractions in Victoria.
The Great Ocean Road region also has a rich maritime past. Historic towns such as Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland allow you to enjoy seafaring village life, with their fishing wharves, beautifully preserved colonial buildings and maritime museums recounting the stories of ships that have foundered off the rugged shipwreck coast.
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