Day Trips from Geelong: Surf Coast & Great Ocean Road

Geelong's position at the head of the Bellarine Peninsula and at the gateway to the Great Ocean Road makes it one of Victoria's finest day-trip bases, with the surf beaches of the Surf Coast (Torquay, Bells Beach, Jan Juc, Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Lorne) to the south-west, the Bellarine Peninsula wine region and Queenscliff heritage port town to the south-east, the Otway Ranges rainforest to the west, and the You Yangs granite hills to the north providing exceptional day-trip diversity within 30-90 minutes of the Geelong CBD.

Surf Coast and Lorne (30-90 minutes south-west) — the Great Ocean Road from Torquay to Lorne is Geelong's finest and most immediately accessible day-trip corridor, with the Surf World Museum in Torquay, the Rip Curl Pro surfing competition at Bells Beach (Easter annually, the world's longest-running pro surfing event), the Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet, and the Lorne village beach and bush walking circuit providing an excellent full-day coastal program. The Erskine Falls walk (Lorne) is one of the Great Ocean Road's finest short walks.

Bellarine Peninsula wine region (30-60 minutes south) — the Bellarine Peninsula wine region (Scotchmans Hill, Oakdene, Jack Rabbit, Leura Park Estate, by Farr) provides Geelong's finest wine day trip, with the cool-climate pinot noir and chardonnay of the Bellarine comparable to the Mornington Peninsula in quality and significantly less crowded at weekends. The Queenscliff heritage port town (the historic Queenscliff Hotel, the Fort Queenscliff) provides a Victorian-era heritage destination at the tip of the Bellarine.

Otway Ranges rainforest (90 minutes west) — the Otway Ranges national park provides Geelong's finest rainforest day trip, with the Otway Fly Treetop Walk (Apollo Bay), the Hopetoun Falls, the Beauchamp Falls, and the Maits Rest ancient rainforest walk providing exceptional temperate rainforest experiences. The Twelve Apostles (2 hours west) is accessible as a long Geelong day trip along the full Great Ocean Road.

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