Tour the Great Ocean Road

Drive the Great Ocean Road from Geelong   Historic lighthouses and shipwrecks   Bring your camera for lots of photo opportunities

The Rose Garden Motel provides direct access to the famous Great Ocean Road tour. Like sentinels guarding a wild and untamed coastline, the Twelve Apostles offer one of the most enduring memories of a drive along Victoria's internationally renowned Great Ocean Road. The stark beauty of these rock formations is mirrored in that of the steep cliffs, with their caves, gorges and blowholes - all found in the awe-inspiring Port Campbell National Park. Acknowledged as one of the world's most spectacular coastal drives, the Great Ocean Road winds along beside quiet bays and beaches, pounding surf beaches, tranquil green rainforests, and historic shipwreck sites. Penguins, whales and seals also feature along the road, which stretches from the bay-side city of Geelong, (75 kilometres from Melbourne), to Nelson in Victoria's far west. The Great Ocean Road was painstakingly built by returned soldiers from the First World War as a permanent memorial to their mates who died fighting. Surf Torquay's Bells Beach After leaving Geelong, your first stop is Torquay - Australia's 'Surf City'. Torquay's magnificent stretch of coastline is recognised around the world as having the best waves this side of Hawaii. Each year in April, Bells Beach hosts the Rip Curl Pro and Sun Smart Classic, the most prestigious World Championship Tour event in the world. Play golf in Anglesea At the coastal township of Anglesea, golfers can tee off among kangaroos, which remain oblivious to the action around them as they graze and relax under shady trees around the course. Walk rainforests near Lorne Between Anglesea and Lorne, the road hugs cliffs and offers magnificent views around each corner, until entering the resort town of Lorne with its Mediterranean atmosphere and string of fine restaurants and cafes. Surrounding Lorne is the Otway Ranges where cascading waterfalls, crystal clear rivers and bubbling streams descend, under canopies of giant trees and ferns, to the ocean below. Further along the Great Ocean Road, the Otway National Park is a green haven of lush rainforest scenery with wooded board-walks, bush tracks and picnic spots. Ferns abound, as well as mighty moss-covered trunks of old beech and myrtle trees, some said to be 300 years old and direct descendants of those that once sheltered the dinosaurs, which roamed the Otways more than a million years ago. The 'Big Tree', an Otway Messmate, has a massive girth of 27 metres Port Campbell National Park For most visitors, the Great Ocean Road's highlight is Port Campbell National Park, home of the Twelve Apostles and many other natural formations, such as London Bridge and the Bay of Islands. This stretch of the 'Shipwreck Coast' is the graveyard of many 19th century ships that foundered in the treacherous seas. You can now head back to Geelong along the Princes Highway, or continue on to Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland. Top Home Location Touring the Bays Touring Geelong || The Rose Garden || Booking