I am starting in Melbourne, renting a car to drive and see the Great Ocean Road. Can anyone tell me if it is worth driving beyond Appollo Bay to Adelaide or should I just drive to Appollo Bay and back to Melbourne. I have a very short time to spend and need each day to count. Thanks, Barb

G'day Barb,
Apollo Bay is only just past the start of the GOR. The most scenic part only starts after and the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Corge are close to Port Campbell.
You don't have to drive all the way to Adelaide.
I usually go as far as Port Campbell one day and come back the next, often via the Grampians.
If you need more info you can also e-mail me.
Enyoy,
Mike

I agree with Mike - you need to go well past Apollo Bay to really enjoy the road and a day down and a day back is really the minimum.

We left the Avis car rental at 9am and made it to the Twelve Apostles in 4hrs (with a brief potty stop along the way and to pick up some snacks). We spent about 2-hrs in and around that area and returned to MEL (with another potty stop) by 6:30pm in time for our 7pm dinner reservations.

And YES, we did get a speeding ticket (return trip)- only 3-miles above limit. It came by mail within a week after we arrived home - one of those "camera" tickets. Sweetie actually had the never to ask "were we speeding?", "were we on that road (the inland road/highway)." With my "yes" responses, he mailed a check for $75.

Not that he wouldn't be allowed back into the country (at some future date) if he hadn't paid, but he's a regular customer of Avis, and Avis wouldn't like his not paying.

If you are really limited on time but want to see the best of the GOR, my suggestion is to leave early in the morning and stop at Lorne, Appollo Bay, Otway Nat'l Park, Port Cambell (about 1/2 dozen stops there including the famous Twelve Apostles), and overnight in Warrnambool or Port Fairy (Gobles Mill House is a very nice B&B there and it's a cute town) and then drive straight back to Mel early the next morning via the inland route (A1/M1). By the way, you won't have even gone 1/3 of the way to Adelaide if you turn around at Warrnambool...

Thanks to everyone who replied to my query. We have decided to drive the inland route straight out to Port Fairy and spend some time looking around there (any must sees let me know) and staying over at Hearns Cottages, leaving in the morning to drive the Great Ocean Rd. back stopping at all the sights and staying overnight at Erskines on the Beach Lorne. We will get up early and drive back to Melbourne to catch our 10:30 flight to Cairns. I'm getting excited only a couple of months until we leave on Christmas Day. Cheers, Barb

Barbee -- we did that trip in reverse, starting in Melbourne and taking the G.O.R. to Port Fairie: it was fantastic.

My suggestion to you is to try for a picnic in a state park above P.F. called Mount Eccles. It was in our Frommers book & is the only place I have ever seen multiple Koalas in the wild!