Weekend Getaways from Geelong: Great Ocean Road, Bellarine Peninsula and the Surf Coast

Geelong's coastal and hinterland position makes it one of Victoria's best-located regional cities for day trips and weekend escapes, sitting at the intersection of the Great Ocean Road, the Bellarine Peninsula wine trail and the Surf Coast's world-class breaks. The Great Ocean Road starts at Torquay, 30 minutes south of Geelong, and the drive to the Twelve Apostles at Port Campbell (90 minutes along the coast) is one of the world's great scenic coastal drives, passing Lorne, Apollo Bay and the rainforest of the Otway Ranges. The Bellarine Peninsula, immediately south of Geelong, has a growing wine region centred on Portarlington and the Ocean Grove area, with the Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale heritage towns at the tip offering a ferry crossing to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. Torquay and Bells Beach (15 minutes south) are globally significant surf destinations, hosting the Rip Curl Pro at Easter. The Otway Fly Treetop Walk near Beech Forest in the Otways gives a canopy-level view of the temperate rainforest. Daylesford and Hepburn Springs, 90 minutes northeast, provide the mineral springs and day-spa weekend that is Victoria's most popular regional break. The You Yangs Regional Park, 30 minutes north, offers walking and mountain biking in the volcanic granite range.