The Great Ocean Road in a campervan: what we did, twice

Can you do the Great Ocean Road in a 2WD van?

Yes. Ron is a 2WD, and as we say on our essentials page, we stick to sealed roads and firm tracks. The Great Ocean Road itself is sealed. What slows you down is the bends, the hills and the traffic at the big stops. Here's how the roads and places on our route, plus a few of the popular stops in the boxes below, stack up (official pages checked 2 November 2026):

Our habit for anything unsealed: check what the road looks like on Google Street View first. If it doesn't have Street View, there's usually a reason for it. It's the lesson we learned the hard way in Tasmania.

How long, when, and our route

We've done the road twice, about a year apart, and we'd do it again. Both times were in summer. At the end of January, the day before we started was in the mid to high 30s, then it dropped to 20 to 25 and we had jumpers on at Split Point. In February 2026 we had scorching sunny days and a night of rain in the forest. Pack for both, and check the weather before you go. Summer is the busiest time, and the Twelve Apostles, Gibson Steps and Memorial Arch were full of tour buses.

Our route, east to west:

1. Torquay and Anglesea, where the road starts.
2. Memorial Arch, then Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet.
3. Lorne, and on our first trip, Erskine Falls.
4. Artillery Rocks and the koalas at Kennett River.
5. Apollo Bay, then inland to Maits Rest, the Redwoods, Hopetoun Falls and Beauchamp Falls.
6. The Otway Fly, then back to the coast at Gibson Steps and the Twelve Apostles.
7. Port Campbell and The Grotto.
8. Tower Hill, near Warrnambool, where the road ends.
9. With Paul, on along the coast to Mount Gambier in South Australia, then Adelaide.

How the time fell, roughly:

• First trip, just the two of us (end of January 2025): we arrived after a 14-hour drive down from Tamworth. Day one was Torquay, Anglesea and Memorial Arch, then Hammonds Campground, a booked national park campground. Day two was Split Point, Lorne and Erskine Falls, then a paid night at Kennett River. Day three was Apollo Bay, Maits Rest and the Redwoods, then a free forest campground at Beauchamp Falls. We reached Gibson Steps, Port Campbell and London Bridge on that first run too, and came back about three weeks later, while we were working in Warrnambool, in the sunshine for the Otway Fly, Gibson Steps again, the Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell and The Grotto, then a free camp near Warrnambool and Tower Hill. In Port Campbell on that second visit, we said we'd been there about three weeks before (see it in our video).
• Second trip, with Paul (February 2026): we stayed at Anglesea Family Caravan Park the night before. Day one was Split Point, Memorial Arch, Lorne, Artillery Rocks and Kennett River, then the last two spots at Apollo Bay Holiday Park. Day two was breakfast in Apollo Bay, the Redwoods and Hopetoun Falls, then the free campground at Beauchamp Falls, where we got in at about 2pm before the rain. Day three was about an hour's drive to the Twelve Apostles, then Port Campbell and Tower Hill. After a rest-and-washing day further along the coast, we spent a full day in Mount Gambier, then drove north to Adelaide.

If you can, give it three or four days to Warrnambool, more if you want the walks. Every pull-in has a view, and you'll want to stop at most of them.

Torquay, Anglesea and Memorial Arch

• Torquay. This is where the road starts. There are beachfront showers, which we used to freshen up, and the views start about 5 minutes' walk from where we parked. It was very windy (see it in our video).
• Anglesea Golf Club kangaroos. The golf club runs kangaroo tours, but when we went, the weekday tours only ran until 3pm, and we turned up at 4pm. We still saw loads of kangaroos from the road outside the course. If you want to be sure of seeing kangaroos up close, it's worth getting there in time for a tour (see it in our video).
• Memorial Arch. It's really touristy, as you'd expect, and everyone gets the same photo. There's a car park right next to it. Read the plaques: the road was built by and for the soldiers and sailors who came back from the First World War, and this is the third arch (see it in our video, and again with Paul).

Split Point, Lorne and the Lorne waterfalls

• Split Point Lighthouse and the Lighthouse Tea Rooms, Aireys Inlet. We walked to the lookout to wake ourselves up, then had toasties and scones in the tea rooms. It's one of our favourite spots on the whole road, and we took Paul back on our second trip (see it in our video, and with Paul).
• Lorne. It gave us Devon and Cornwall vibes, with houses in the hills and the river beside the beach. We got iced drinks at the Swing Bridge Cafe both times, and the high street has plenty of restaurants, bars and shops (see it in our video). On our second trip we saw flood damage in a park in Lorne (see it in our video).
• Erskine Falls: now top lookout only. On our first trip, we went down the steps to the lower lookout, which took us about 5 minutes. The steps back up are really steep, and it took Luke nearly 4 minutes without stopping. Ashleigh reckons about 10 minutes if you take your time. Lots of people were climbing over the rocks to the "unofficial base", and so did we, but we wouldn't now: since the January 2026 floods, the base and the river track are closed. On our second trip we skipped the Lorne waterfalls because the tracks were closed (see it in our video).

Artillery Rocks, Kennett River and Apollo Bay

• Artillery Rocks. A stop we found on our second trip. The rock formations make it feel like you're on another planet (see it in our video).
• Kennett River for koalas. On our first trip we paid for a night at the Kennett River caravan park, because it's known for koalas, and we spotted our first one about 50 steps from the van. Paying for a site every now and then also meant we could fill our water, charge the battery, shower and do the washing. If you don't want to stay, the Koala Cafe is right outside the park, and that's where Paul saw his first wild koala on our second trip. Look for the people looking up (see it in our video, and with Paul).
• Apollo Bay. Breakfast at Shelter cafe was so good that we went back on our second trip, and one of us ordered exactly the same again. It was busy, even on a random Tuesday (see it in our video, and with Paul). On that second trip we booked Apollo Bay Holiday Park on the day and got the last two spots, so in summer, book ahead if you can.
• Roadside koalas. Leaving Apollo Bay, people had stopped on the side of the road just before the junction for Old Hordern Vale Road, and sure enough, there was a koala in the tree (see it in our video).

The Otways: Maits Rest, the Redwoods and the waterfalls

• Maits Rest. A rainforest boardwalk in Great Otway National Park. The sign said it's a 30-minute circuit with no steps (see it in our video).
• The Californian Redwoods. A forest of huge redwoods in the Otways, where we played hide and seek on both trips. With Paul, it was three grown-ups (see it in our video, and with Paul).
• Hopetoun Falls. Just down the road from the Redwoods. It's a lot of steps down and back up. Paul's verdict on his knees: "better going up than it is down" (see it in our video).
• Beauchamp Falls. The walk to the falls starts from the campground. The sign said 1 to 2 hours there and back, but it took us about half an hour to get down, and the way back up is the harder part. The forest keeps it cool on a hot day. We did it on both trips, because Paul wanted to see it (see it in our video, and with Paul). In our videos we call it national park, but it's actually Otway Forest Park.

The Otway Fly, Gibson Steps and the Twelve Apostles

• The Otway Fly Treetop Walk. It took us about an hour from the car park, around the treetop walk and back. The walk back up to the car park is steep. Ashleigh rushed the high bits because of her fear of heights, so allow longer if you want to take your time (see it in our video).
• Gibson Steps. About 45 minutes' drive from the Otway Fly, just before the Twelve Apostles. The first time we went, it was cloudy and quiet. The second time, it was sunny and the car park was busy. Wear trainers for the steps, but the sand at the bottom was hot without them (see it in our video).
• The Twelve Apostles. The most popular lookout on the road, and the busiest, with lots of tour groups. Unlike most stops, the car park is on the inland side of the road, and the lookouts are about a 1 km walk, which the signs said is 15 to 30 minutes there and back. It was windy. We could count about seven Apostles, and Paul counted nine (see it in our video, and with Paul).

Port Campbell and The Grotto

• Port Campbell. It felt surprisingly quiet after the crowds at the Apostles, just down the road. The bay right behind the town made it feel like we were somewhere in Europe. We liked it so much that we went back to the same little restaurant for the nachos (see it in our video). With Paul, we stopped for a coffee here on the way to Warrnambool.
• London Bridge. We stopped here on our first run along this stretch, between Port Campbell and The Grotto. It isn't in our videos. Parks Victoria's visitor guide says its inner arch collapsed in 1990 (Parks Victoria: Port Campbell National Park and Bay of Islands Coastal Park visitor guide (PDF)).
• The Grotto. The sign said it's a short stroll, about 700 m return. A tour bus had just arrived, and there was a queue to take photos at the bottom, so we just had a look (see it in our video).

Tower Hill and Warrnambool

• Tower Hill. About half an hour from Warrnambool, and one of the best places we found for wildlife. Every time we've been, we've seen koalas right by the car park, and with Paul there were emus too (see it in our video). On our first trip, we did the Peak Climb. The sign said about 1 km and 25 minutes. Parts were really steep, and it was so windy at the top that we were hugging a tree (see it in our video).
• Warrnambool. The road finishes just before Warrnambool. After our first trip, we worked there for about six weeks, then drove north to pick Paul up from Brisbane airport for his first visit to Australia. There's more on finding work in our working holiday guide.

On to Mount Gambier

With Paul, we kept following the coast over the border into South Australia and spent a full day in Mount Gambier. It's on our Great Lap route too. The sinkholes and caves are right in the middle of normal streets, and you'd drive through and never know they were there.

• Umpherston Sinkhole. It's in a park next to a normal road. Down inside, it's cool on a hot day, and there are plaques on its history, including the sawmill next door (see it in our video).
• Engelbrecht Cave. We hadn't done our research, so we had to go back and change into enclosed shoes. The guided tours ran every hour when we went, and you can't film inside. The cave is cool, and our guide really knew their stuff (see it in our video).
• The Blue Lake. Park in the small car park, then take the stairs and the underpass to the lookout. It really is that blue (see it in our video). On a 29°C day, we walked up to the Centenary Tower from there. It's much steeper than it looks, and the door was locked when he got to the top, but the views over the town were worth it.
• Little Blue Lake. On a 31°C day, we went for a swim. It's a popular local spot, there's a pontoon, and the flies were next level. We'd read that the water is 12°C, but it felt warmer (see it in our video).

A day in the Grampians

On our first trip to Victoria, we drove up to Halls Gap and walked to the Pinnacle. We made a lot of mistakes, so learn from ours.

• It took far longer than we expected. We followed the trail on AllTrails from Halls Gap, and someone in the reviews said it took them about 3 hours, for a loop of about 8.5 km. By about 2pm we'd been going 2 hours, the hardest climbing was still ahead, and it was hot (see it in our video).
• Take more water than you think, one big bottle each at least. We drank most of ours in the first quarter of the walk (see it in our video).
• Charge your phone and download the map. Our phone was dying, and the map was on it (see it in our video).
• Silent Street and the Pinnacle. Silent Street, a narrow passage between the rocks, was a highlight. At the top, on a Wednesday, we had the Pinnacle to ourselves. The way down was much easier (see it in our video).
• Wildlife and flies. Halfway up, we saw a wild shingleback (stumpy-tailed) lizard. The flies were so bad they landed on our faces. The trail itself was clearly marked, which saved us when the phone died.

Melbourne and Puffing Billy

Melbourne is where most people start the road, and where Paul flew in for our second trip.

• Public transport. When we visited, we couldn't pay by contactless on the bus and needed a myki card. Ordering one online meant waiting about two weeks for it in the post, so we bought one at the train station instead (see it in our video). Transport Victoria says that's changed since (see the box below).
• Puffing Billy. We parked about a 5-minute walk from Belgrave station and did the Belgrave to Lakeside steam train and back. It was a Monday, and quieter than we expected. You're allocated a carriage, so there's no scramble for seats (see it in our video).

Where we slept, and the 2026 booking change

Ron is self-contained, so we mix free camps with the odd paid night. We found everything on WikiCamps, and we're not going to name our favourite free camps, so go and find your own. Our free camping guide explains how we choose them. The mix included:

• Free camps, including one near Warrnambool with flushing toilets, a camp kitchen and a freshwater swimming hole. Road noise is the trade-off there.
• Beauchamp Falls Campground, a free forest campground in Otway Forest Park, on both trips. On a Thursday afternoon at about 3:30pm, there was plenty of room. You can't book it: Explore Outdoors says there's no booking and no fee, so it's first come, first served, and it's popular, so arrive early.
• Hammonds Campground, a booked national park campground in Great Otway National Park, inland from Aireys Inlet. This is where we booked a tent pitch by mistake. We stayed in January 2025, during a limited period when Parks Victoria's bookable campgrounds were free. That ended on 30 June 2025, and you now pay when you book. The vehicle sites were all booked, but three of them stayed empty all night because people didn't turn up. If you can't use a booking, cancel it so someone else can (see it in our video).
• Paid parks: the Kennett River caravan park on our first trip, and on our second, Anglesea Family Caravan Park the night before we set off, then Apollo Bay Holiday Park, booked on the day.

Driving, wind, wildlife and signal

• It's a driving road. Paul loved the bends and the views on the coastal roads. Take your time, use the pull-ins and let faster traffic past.
• The wind on the coast. On the coastal stretches, Paul found the wind "a little bit hairy" in his small hire van, and said he'd book a pop-top next time (see it in our video). Ashleigh drove his van for a morning and found it felt more fragile when the wind blew, while Ron felt more secure on the road (see it in our video).
• Parking in a smaller van. Paul's van fitted in a normal parking space, and its extra mirrors helped with the angled kerbside parking you get in Australian towns.
• Wildlife. We didn't see as many animals along the road as we expected, apart from the koalas at Kennett River and Tower Hill, and the kangaroos around Anglesea. We avoid driving at night when we can.
• Signal. We were on Optus, and we don't remember losing signal anywhere along the Great Ocean Road itself. It was only when we headed inland into the Otways that it dropped. Coverage varies by network, so check your provider's coverage map before you go. Parks Victoria says there's no mobile reception at the Redwoods, so download your maps and check closures before you head inland.
• Don't just follow Google Maps. Check Street View before an unsealed road, or do your research first. If you're unsure, don't go down it.

Sources

Our own experience comes from our trips in January 2025 and February 2026 and the videos linked above. Official information was checked on 2 November 2026. Things change, especially closures after flooding, so check the official pages before you go.

• Parks Victoria: changes to park management along the Great Ocean Road (15 June 2026)
• Parks Victoria: booking information
• Parks Victoria: bookings release schedule
• Parks Victoria bookings
• Great Ocean Road Parks (GORCAPA caravan parks and campgrounds)
• GORCAPA: drive-in campgrounds in Great Otway National Park
• Parks Victoria news, 20 May 2025: half-price camping is back for the next two years
• Great Ocean Road Parks: Anglesea Family Caravan Park
• Parks Victoria: Hammonds Campground
• Explore Outdoors (Victorian Government): Beauchamp Falls
• Colac Otway Shire: camping in the Colac Otway Shire
• Surf Coast Shire: parking and traffic
• Parks Victoria: Erskine Falls
• GORCAPA: closures in eastern Great Otway National Park (18 February 2026)
• Parks Victoria: changes of conditions
• GORCAPA: Teddy's Lookout
• Parks Victoria: Aire Valley Reserve (Redwoods) day visitor area
• Parks Victoria: Hopetoun Falls Walk
• Cape Otway Lightstation: about the region
• Otway Fly Treetop Adventures
• Parks Victoria: Twelve Apostles
• Parks Victoria: Gibson Steps
• Parks Victoria: Port Campbell National Park and Bay of Islands Coastal Park visitor guide (PDF)
• Parks Victoria: Loch Ard Gorge
• Parks Victoria: Bay of Islands Coastal Park
• Parks Victoria: Tower Hill Peak Walk
• Parks Victoria: Tower Hill Reserve visitor guide 2026 (PDF)
• Visit Limestone Coast: when is Umpherston Sinkhole open?
• Visit Mount Gambier: Engelbrecht Cave
• District Council of Grant: caves, ponds and sinkholes (Little Blue Lake)
• Parks Victoria: the Pinnacle walks
• Parks Victoria: the Pinnacle Walk (including the MacKenzie Falls closure)
• Transport Victoria: contactless payments
• PTV: Free Tram Zone
• Puffing Billy Railway

More guides

• Our Great Lap route: where the Great Ocean Road fits in our lap of Australia.
• Spirit of Tasmania with a campervan: the ferry we came back on before our second trip.
• Tasmania road trip in a campervan: our three weeks on the island.
• Free camping in Australia: how we find spots and the unwritten rules.
• The apps we use: WikiCamps, PetrolSpy and staying connected.
• All our guides.