The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s epic road trips and has a lot to offer from chasing waterfalls, to wildlife watching to - of course - its iconic beaches.
You could spend months visiting them all, but given that most people have just a few days, we’ve highlighted the best to help you plan a trip along this world famous coastline.
To make things easy for you to plan, we’ve written them in order of where they appear along the Great Ocean Road, not in order of our favourites.
Great Ocean Road beaches
1 - Torquay Beach
Location: Start of the Great Ocean Road
Torquay beach is pretty, and it’s a good spot to start your Great Ocean Road adventure if you like to do as the locals do.
When we visited, the majority of people at Torquay were all locals, as opposed to some of the beaches further along, which have a lot more tourists. It’s a good beach for surfing and the headland makes for a lovely setting.
However, we would say if you’re short on time that Torquay Beach was our least favourite of all the ones on this list - although that definitely doesn’t mean it’s not good!
The walk to the beach from the decent size car park takes just a minute and there are no stairs involved.
Read next: The best Melbourne itinerary for an epic city break
2. Bells Beach
Location: 10 minute drive from Torquay
Bells Beach was one of the beaches I was most looking forward to seeing and it is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately I’d been excited to see it because it’s known for it’s gigantic waves, which draw surfers from all over the world (the Ripcurl Pro surf comp is held here), but we just so happened to visit on a really calm day!
I’d love to go back one day to check out those huge waves that I’ve seen in photos for myself!
Regardless of waves, the beach is gorgeous and accessed by a very short paved walk, followed by a short staircase. The scenery is dramatic and it’s a good place for a windswept stroll.
Read next: The best hikes in the Grampians
3. Aireys Inlet Beach
Location: 27.5km along the Great Ocean Road (between Torquay and Lorne)
Aireys Inlet Beach has an absolutely spectacular setting and yet had just two people on it when we visited - only in Australia!
It’s hard to imagine how a beach that looks this good is not full of people, but then there are so many to choose from along the Great Ocean Road.
If you like rugged secluded beaches that few people visit, this one is for you. The beach is fairly small but then you’re unlikely to have to share!
After you’ve enjoyed the beach you can head over to check out the views from the picturesque Aireys lighthouse.
The beach has a small car park and is accessed from Eagle Rock Parade via a staircase.
Read next: The 10 best things to do in the Otways
4. Lorne Beach
Location: 47km into the Great Ocean Road
Lorne Beach was such a surprise to us. We knew it would be nice (its Australia after all) but we had no idea it would be as beautiful as it is.
The main beach is absolutely ginormous, with golden sand and sparkling blue water. It has some waves, but not nearly as many as some others in the area, so there were a few people enjoying a dip.
The sheer size of the beach meant that even when we visited in the busy Christmas holidays, it didn’t feel crowded at all. Head to the left of the beachfront area (where all the restaurants and cafes are) to find the quietest part. It’s also where you’ll find the cute as a button Swing Bridge cafe.
There is no walk required to access the beach.
If you’re looking for more to do in the Lorne area check out our detailed guide.
Read next: The 10 best things to do in the Grampians
5. Apollo Bay
Location: 92 km into the Great Ocean Road (between Lorne and The Otways)
I doubt we could have picked a better day to visit Apollo Bay.
When I first stepped out the car and took in the sparkling turquoise and indigo water complete with dozens of little white sailing boats, I felt like I had just arrived at the Caribbean!
Granted, the sand is more yellow than white, but it is still an absolute beauty, and looked tropical under the midday sun. It’s worth noting that year round the water along this coast line is pretty cold, so whilst it might look tropical, it certainly doesn’t feel it!
Apollo Bay is another huge sweep of sand which offers plenty of room to spread out in. Our pictures are probably the most busy you will ever see this beach, as they are taken during the Christmas holidays when every single accommodation option within a one hour radius was full!
There is no walk required to access the beach.
6. Gibson Steps
Location: 150km into the Great Ocean Road (just before Port Campbell)
This was easily our favourite beach along the Great Ocean Road and an absolute must for your GOR itinerary.
I don’t think any photo can ever do this one justice, it’s absolutely magnificent, sitting at the base of a dramatic cliff. It’s another huge beach, with some of those iconic sea stacks for which the Great Ocean Road is so famous.
The first part of the beach that you come to from the staircase can be quite busy, but we found - as soon as we walked to the right - it completely emptied out, and we had it to ourselves for most of the time.
Just watch out as you move between the rock formation that separates the two sections of beach, the edges of the rock are really sharp and it’s easy to cut yourself.
We visited for sunset and it was an absolutely spectacular spot for it - one of our favourites on our whole Victoria road trip.
The car park to access the beach is absolutely tiny, and there were no spaces when we arrived. If this happens to you: park at the Twelve Apostles instead and take the easy paved 1km walking track to the beach which meets up with the official Gibson’s Steps car park.
You then descend a fairly steep staircase to the beach itself.
7. Loch Ard Gorge
Location: 154 km into the Great Ocean Road (just before Port Campbell)
Loch Ard Gorge is our second favourite beach on this list. It is a little bit different to any of the others, in that it feels like you’ve entered a little secluded cove, hemmed in by stunning cliff walls on either side.
The reason why it probably didn’t reach our top spot was that it was heaving every time we visited.
If you’re a photographer or just love getting a beautiful beach to yourself, we’d recommend coming at sunrise or on a weekday outside of peak season. It’s definitely one of the most photographed spots around Victoria.
Having said that, the crowds couldn’t diminish the grandeur of the spot, it really is like something from a novel! It’s a decent size and the cliff walls which jut out into the sea offer some protection for swimming. The waves along this coast can be brutal though, so we’d really only swim very close to shore.
To access the beach you go down a short but steep staircase. The car park is a reasonable size but in peak season it’s still hard to park due to its sheer popularity.
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Which beach would you stop at first? Let us know in the comments below!
