Doing the GOR mid August. Hubby and I are self driving and taking the long scenic route in the morning and returning at night via the A1 to Melbourne. YES, I know we should stay overnight BUT we have FREE hotel rooms in Melbourne. We are young and don't mind sharing the driving and staying out til midnight to do so!

Plan is to get up to 12 Apostles and then make our way back.

Figure will get bfast in Melbourne so wanting lunch places on the GOR and some place for dinner heading back on the A1.

What kind of speeds are allowed on the A1?
Are there plenty of places to stop and take bathroom breaks?

Has anyone visited the "new" 12 Apostles info center? feedback?

Thanks

We leave August 6th for NZ and Melbourne!

Generally, the Great Ocean Road is not a road for "Speed", due to its winding & twisting nature around numerous headlands. The road hugs the coastline, and has fantastic water views, so watch out for motorists coming in the opposite direction, "rubber necking" as we say, ie. looking at the view & not the road. Also be careful, when pulling into parking areas, that are on bends, especially, those parking spots that are nearest to the cliff face. Motorists sometimes cut straight across the road in front of other motorists, just to park & view the scenic coastline.
The GOR is not a road to be "rushed", but enjoyed. Its a pity you can't stay in one of the villages/towns along the way.

Please read the question carefully before answering!

I asked about SPEED on the A1 not the GOR. We are going to take our time driving up to the 12 Apostles.

Main reason we aren't taking a bus tour is so we can stop along the way if we see something interesting that we like.

We are thinking of doing the same - return to Melbourne in a single day (for the same reason, free hotel nights!).

How much time would it take to drive from Melbourne to 12 Apostles (include times for stopping and walking and stuff) via the long scenic road ?

Finally, how much time would it take to drive back via the A1 ?

I am trying to get a sense for how long a day we are talking about here, which might influence my decision about whether to spend a night along the GOR or not.

Thanks !

On one of the official GOR websites I found yesterday...but can't find right now said from Melbourne, allowing time to stop along the way would take 5-6 hrs.

It is around 260 km to 12 Apostles from Melbourne if I recall the details correctly.

http://www.12apostlesnatpark.org/_12/

Try this website!

The quickest route.
To the 12 Apostles from Melbourne, a distance of 240kms (time 3 hours) is:

Drive on the Princes Highway A1 through Geelong and Colac.

Then ~13kms west of Colac, turn left into the Simpson-Timboon Road, C163.

Then follow the signs to the Great Ocean Road B100 through Simpson to Princetown

Turn right at the Great Ocean Road B100 and the 12 Apostles are 3kms along the road on the left.

The most spectacular route:
From Melbourne drive is along the Great Ocean Road, a distance of 285kms
Drive on the Princes Highway A1 through Geelong and turn left to Anglesea, C134 (To Great Ocean Road)
Drive along the Great Ocean Road B100 through Lorne and Apollo Bay
Travel over the Otway Ranges (temperate rain forest) at Lavers Hill to Princetown at the east end of the Port Campbell National Park

Time 5-6 hours - to include time to stop at the lookouts, walking tracks, take photos and a snack.

Based on the WEBSITE from the 12 Apostles National Park I figure minimum 9 hours probably 10-11hrs if we take a leisurely lunch and stop for lots of pictures. BUT if we leave by 9am that gets us back before we normally would go to bed at 11-12 anyway!

5-6hrs out on the scenic route and 3 hrs back on the A1

My Dear Alise,
I have resisted for a while and I feel I need to comment.
I think your tone to tropo was a little out of order.
OK so the question was misread, I've done it and I bet you have too.
I will be surprised if tropo or any one else for that matter bothers to answer this post at all now.
Perhaps you are getting the gentle informative australian forum confused with the brash usa forum.
Or perhaps you were just rude.

Sorry It needed saying
Muck

Yes Alise, I have to say I agree with Mucky. Your tone was out of order. After all, the people who respond on this forum are only trying to be helpful in answering your questions....therefore sometimes they may respond incorrectly and may misread your question and one just has to have patience and perhaps correct them or maybe rephrase the question in a polite way! Not reply so rudely.

Dear Alise and CarlPost2
Just my personal opinion, but why bother going to the trouble and cost of renting a car, the stress of driving along a difficult, winding and unfamiliar road, then turning around and rushing back to Melbourne all for the sake of a free hotel room!!
You may as well take a day tour with any number of tour companies, which will give you the same glimpse of the GOR attractions in a stree free environment.
I agree with Tropo, that the GOR needs time and an overnight stay would be optimal. Accommodation on the GOR in August will be much cheaper than in Melbourne and you would be able to pick up excellent accommodation at bargain prices thro? a last minute website such as wotif
If you do decide to change your mind, an accommodation option that I would recommend is Chris?s at Beacon Point Restaurant and Villas, which are about 5 minutes from Apollo Bay on the Skenes Creek Rd, The property is 1000 feet above sea level with spectacular views of the ocean and Bass Strait (www.visitvictoria.com/christos)
The following website has many dining options to answer your original question.
http://www.greatoceanroad.com.au/
I trust this is of assistance to you

I was not meaning to be brash/rude but at the same time I wasn't asking for an opinion on my schedule for the trip but wanted to know a few pointers on the road/places to eat on the chosen route.

I specifically stated that I know (based on the reading I have done here and the opinions given that to be properly DONE) I should stay overnight but that isn't in the cards.

We really don't have the extra $ at this time to pay for another night's lodging (seeing as how I will be unemployed for the next year with school starting the end of this month).

I imagine at some point in time when I am much older and have unlimited free time I will be able to dedicate several days to exploring the GOR as it should be.

In the meantime I want to get a get glimpse/overview.

Most of us in the US only get 2 weeks vacation a year and to give it all up at one time means suffering the rest of the year with NO time off. Hubby and I aren't in to leisurely vacations. We like to stay busy and keep our days packed with activities. I married a type A personality!

I am sorry I offended anyone, I am running out of time to put on the finishing touches for our trip, trying to pass final exams and wrap things up at work. Thankfully I am quitting work a week early.

In the future I will just ask the specific question and not give any background information if I don't want opinions on it.

The speed on the A1 is 100km/h(60 mph). That is the state maximum. Since I don't know where you are from, I can't make comparisons to any local road conditions. But, I CAN tell you that the A1 is NOT like any motorway in the UK or freeway in the US. Generally, most of it is a one lane each way road with gravel edges, but it has parts that are two laned each way(still gravel edges) and some brief parts close to big towns/cities that can be considered to be a freeway. When approaching towns,the speed limit drops to 80, then 60 and maybe even 50 or 40- if you are travelling through a residential area or past a school on a school day.
The GOR(in the cliff-top areas) is like driving down a windy country road. The same skills are needed. There are a few almost hairpin bends. Average speed would be about 60-80 km/hr in most places, with some longer straighter stretches where you can get to 100.
I'm not sure if the route I usually take between the A1 and the GOR is the same one you are planning, but if it is- it will probably be one lane each way. I may have gone a slightly different way, but I even remember going through a stretch where, if you meet any cars, you had to slow down and traverse the gravel edges while sharing a single lane.
When tropo says that the GOR (and we Melburnians generally refer to that as meaning the WHOLE return route to Melbourne(whichever way you choose to go) is one you need to take time over- he isn't kidding. Safety AND scenery-wise.
Possum

Alise, perhaps I may have misinterpreted your message. However, my reply was only to reinforce, that the GOR is truly a "must see" in Victoria, and should never be rushed. As Possum so rightly said, its a safety & scenery issue, and thus where possible should never be rushed. My reply was to hopefully change your plans, so that you might stay 1 night along the GOR and forget the "free" Melbourne accommodation, to thoroughly enjoy this spectacular drive.I guess that a lot of overseas visitors only get a short holiday period, and therefore, they try to fit in as much as possible, before returning home. My travel saying is, "stop & smell the roses". I think most Aussies would agree with staying a night on the GOR.
The ocean along the way, can be so changeable, with its various moods, sometimes flat as tack, and other times, wild & furious, with sea mist, such a beautiful part of the world.

Regarding the 'dining' side of this question, you must drop in for a meal or just a drink at the Rookery Nook Hotel at Wye River. Possum, I bet you know it. The view is spectacular and the local kookaburras are bound to drop by for a feed! It's between Lorne and Apollo Bay. Have a great trip! By the way, if you don't know, a kookaburra is a large kingfisher-like native bird that is also known as the laughing jackass because of its loud call.