The Great Ocean Road is usually sold as a loop out of Melbourne. It is easier to read as the first 275 km of the run to Adelaide, because that is the shape of it: Torquay at 90 km, the Twelve Apostles at 283, and 726 km to the end.
Once you accept the framing the question changes. The decision is not which lookout to stop at. It is whether the hire ends in Melbourne or in Adelaide, and that belongs before the booking rather than on the road.
Torquay is close enough to be a morning, which makes the first choice easy. The second one, at 275 km, is the one that costs money if you get it wrong.
The road west
| Place | Km from Melbourne | What the stop is for |
|---|---|---|
| Torquay | 90 | the start of the coast road |
| Twelve Apostles | 275 | the stretch everyone photographs |
| Adelaide | 726 | the end of the run, if you commit |
One-way or return
A short return hire suits a weekend on the coast and nothing more. The 726 km figure only makes sense with a vehicle you can leave in Adelaide, so ask about one-way terms before you choose the size of the van.
Explore Wicked Campers for campervan hire in Melbourne. Check vehicle availability and road restrictions with the operator.
Where this leads
the Nullarbor leg beyond Adelaide how far you can drive in a day the best months for this coast
Melbourne questions
Can the road be done in a day?
The 275 km to the Apostles fits in a day out of Melbourne, but it is a long one and it leaves no time on the coast. Two nights makes the drive worth the distance.
Where does the inland return go?
The Princes Highway runs behind the coast and rejoins it west of the Apostles, which is how most people get back without retracing every bend of the outbound leg.
What does the Apostles stretch demand?
Attention. It is slow, winding and shared with coaches, so the 275 km takes longer than the number suggests. Plan that day in hours rather than kilometres.