This Half Day Express Tour showcases the main coastal section of the Great Ocean Road, from Aireys Inlet, all the way up to as far as Apollo Bay. The tour then cuts inland through the inland townships of Forrest and Birregura back to Melbourne. ***NOTE : This tour does NOT include the 12 Apostles*** Whilst other operators sell tours throughout Victoria, we specialise in only The Great Ocean Road, so you are safe in the knowledge you have an expert tour guide who knows the area inside out. Should you wish to visit the 12 Apostles, we recommend you choose either the full 1 day tour, 2 day or 3 day tour.
Prices are per person when two book together; a solo traveller pays $640.
Larger groups pay less per person.
In demand: 30 of the next 30 departures are already sold out.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 12.
Half Day Great Ocean Road Express Tour
Half Day Great Ocean Road Express Tour (Tour excludes The 12 Apostles)
We stop here in to search for local wildlife, including the elusive koala, king parrots, Cockatoo's and Crimson Rosella's
We make a stop here for lunch, before turning inland and heading back to Melbourne
Our default meeting place is outside Eureka Tower Observation Deck - located at 7, Riverside Quay, Southbank 3006 by 7am. If you would like to be picked up directly from your hotel, please contact us in advance of your tour so we can confirm if a direct pick-up is possible. We can pick up from most Melbourne CBD, Docklands and Southbank hotels. We can also pick up from Avalon Domestic Airport. (There are some hotels that we cannot pick up from or they maybe outside of the CBD radius)
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 839 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Private Great Ocean Road Express Tour (9 Hour Tour) lasts about 9 hours. The itinerary has 15 stops.
Prices start at $355 per person for this Melbourne experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. That is the per-person price when two book together; a solo traveller pays $640. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, starting at 7:00 AM.
It can: 30 of the next 30 departures are already sold out, so booking ahead is a good idea.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Yes, pickup is offered. Our default meeting place is outside Eureka Tower Observation Deck - located at 7, Riverside Quay, Southbank 3006 by 7am. If you would like to be picked up directly from your hotel, please contact us in advance of your tour so we can confirm if a direct pick-up is possible. We can pick up from most Melbourne CBD, Docklands and Southbank hotels. We can also pick up from Avalon Domestic Airport. (There are some hotels that we cannot pick up from or they maybe outside of the CBD radius) Pickup points include Avani Melbourne Jazz Corner Residences.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a private experience: only your party takes part. Up to 5 travellers can book together.
Children under 12 years of age are not permitted to travel
Confirmation is sent by the operator within 24 hours of booking.
Travellers rate it 5.0 out of 5 across 3 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor; it is run by Great Ocean Road Tours.
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
The Great Ocean Road is not all that far from Melbourne and if you get a wriggle on 9 hours is plenty of time to see it. The two main features are the 12 Apostles and the Loch Ard Gorge, which are not very far apart. The roiling waters of stormy Bass Strait batter the coast unceasingly, see it while you can
We had a wonderfull time! James was very friendly and professional. The car was very luxueus and clean.
We were determined to see the great ocean road, even if we didn’t really have enough time to see it all. So we choose this half day tour option. It’s worth mentioning though, that this tour does not stop at the 12 aspotles - although they do make this abundantly clear when you go to book. Kudos to them for that. Still, we got to see the main coastal section of the great ocean road and many other things to boot : Bells beach - amazing surfing beach. Saw almost 50 surfers! Kangaroos in the wild - our first roo sighting, very special Morning tea - homemade scones and tea at a tiny local cafe Lighthouse visit - amazing views Memorial site - where they first started building the road. Great for photos. Lorne - super cute town Museum - sounds boring but actually very interesting with short history of the road Teddy’s - great lookout point over the road and out to sea Waterfall - sorry I can’t remember the name but it was a stunning walk to the falls Koala walk - managed to see a few koalas in the wild. Pretty cool. Hand fed wild parrots - bit scary at first, but once you realise they don’t bite it’s ok lol Lookout over Apollo bay - sorry I don’t know the name. We had a look around Apollo Bay, had quick lunch and then headed back inland. Was quite interesting to drive through the forest and some of the local farming region. They’ve had heaps of rain, I guess as it winter so everything is lush and green. Fortunately it only rained for a short period during our tour. Best to bring a rain coat just incase. If you are super short on time, this is a great tour. I would have loved to have go all the way to the end. Maybe next time when I have more time.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private Great Ocean Road Express Tour (9 Hour Tour) | 9 hours | 5.0 (3) | $355 | |
| Private Great Ocean Road Day Tour With Early Departure (12 Hours) | 12 hours | 4.8 (222) | $355 | View |
 Great Ocean Road 12 APOSTLES Tour REVERSE–SML GRP- Hotel Pick UP | 12 hours | 4.9 (1,817) | $70 | View |
 Private Great Ocean Road Tour (overnight option) | 2 days | 5.0 (320) | $1,208 | View |
 Full Day Private Custom Tour of Great Ocean Road & 12 Apostles | 10–11 hours | 5.0 (31) | $1,563 | View |
 Great Ocean Road Discovery Tour-12 Apostles & Golden Hour Wonders | 12–13 hours | 4.8 (21) | $56 | View |
 Private Great Ocean Road - The Ultimate Aussie Adventure | 11–12 hours | 5.0 (84) | $796 | View |