Day Trips from Geelong: Best Weekend Escapes

Geelong's position at the top of Corio Bay (between the Bellarine Peninsula to the south-east and the Surf Coast to the south-west) gives it extraordinary access to some of Victoria's finest coastal, wine, and wilderness destinations: the Great Ocean Road is 45 minutes south-west (starting at Torquay), the Bellarine Peninsula wineries and beaches are 20-45 minutes south, and the Otway Ranges rainforest is 90 minutes south-west via Apollo Bay. The 70-minute V/Line train to Melbourne extends Geelong's effective day-trip range to include all of Melbourne's extensive metropolitan attractions.

Great Ocean Road and the Surf Coast — the Great Ocean Road (starting from Torquay, 20km south of Geelong) is Geelong's finest day-trip destination and one of the world's great coastal drives: Torquay (Bells Beach, the spiritual home of Australian surfing, and the Rip Curl and Quiksilver surf brand headquarters), Anglesea (the golf course with resident kangaroos, the Anglesea Surf Lifesaving Club, and the Anglesea River kayaking), Lorne (the most popular Surf Coast resort town, with excellent cafes, the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club, and the extraordinary Lorne Artisan Market), and the Twelve Apostles (3 hours west of Geelong, most comfortably a full-day trip) are the major stopping points. For Geelong residents, the Surf Coast from Torquay to Anglesea is easily manageable as a half-day afternoon escape.

Bellarine Peninsula Wineries and Beaches — the Bellarine Peninsula (the peninsula extending south-east from Geelong to Point Lonsdale and Queenscliff, 20-45 minutes from Geelong) provides Geelong's most accessible wine country and beach day-trip experience: the Bellarine wine region (pinot gris, pinot noir, and chardonnay from the elevated, marine-influenced vineyards, with outstanding cellar doors at Scotchmans Hill, Oakdene, Jack Rabbit Vineyard, and Leura Park Estate), the Queenscliff township (the extraordinary Victorian-era seaside resort, with the Queenscliff Fort, the excellent Queenscliff Music Festival in November, and the fascinating Port Phillip Bay Heads geography), and the surf beaches at Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads (attractive, well-patrolled, and much less crowded than the Melbourne-facing beaches) together create an outstanding half-day or full-day Geelong escape.

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