Why this ride
From Apollo Bay it runs 177 km to Apollo Bay; allow about 2 h 49 of riding. It goes by way of Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell and back through Twelve Apostles.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Great Ocean Road · Apollo Bay Run · part 2
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 177 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 49
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Great Ocean Road
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 12 km this is Great Ocean Road, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 12 km
- High point
- 60 m
- Named road
- Great Ocean Road
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Cape Otway
The lighthouse at Cape Otway has been guiding ships through Bass Strait since 1848, and it is the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Australian mainland. The cape is the point where the Otway Ranges meet the sea, and it is where the Southern Ocean and Bass Strait collide, which makes the water among the roughest in the world. Hundreds of ships were wrecked along this stretch, and the lighthouse was built because too many had gone down with their cargo and crew.
Read the complete Cape Otway write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Cape Otway is where the day begins. Next is Twelve Apostles.
2. Twelve Apostles
Everyone calls them the Twelve Apostles, which is generous. There were never twelve, and the original name was the Sow and Piglets, a rather less holy image that tourism officials decided to retire. Today about eight limestone stacks stand in the surf off Port Campbell National Park, and one collapsed in 2005 in front of a crowd of onlookers. The cliffs are made of soft limestone, and the Southern Ocean is working on them constantly, so the view is never the same twice.
Read the complete Twelve Apostles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Twelve Apostles comes up about 77 km into the recorded legs. Next is Port Campbell.
3. Port Campbell
Port Campbell is a small coastal town of Victoria's southwest, set into a narrow gap in the limestone cliffs and facing the wild Southern Ocean. It is the base for the most famous part of the Great Ocean Road, and its little harbour and beach are protected by a headland, so the town feels sheltered while the coastline on both sides is raw. The nearest bigger places, Timboon and Cobden, are inland and a long way off in the paddocks, so the town has to serve everyone who comes along the coast with fuel, food and a bed.
Read the complete Port Campbell write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 89 km into the recorded legs you reach Port Campbell. Next is back through Twelve Apostles.
4. back through Twelve Apostles
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Twelve Apostles write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Twelve Apostles, late in the day at 60 m. Next is back through Cape Otway.
5. back through Cape Otway
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Cape Otway write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at back through Cape Otway. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Cape Otway to Twelve Apostles
Cape Otway → Twelve Apostles is 77 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Twelve Apostles to Port Campbell
Twelve Apostles → Port Campbell is 12 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Port Campbell to back through Twelve Apostles
Port Campbell → back through Twelve Apostles is 12 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Twelve Apostles to back through Cape Otway
back through Twelve Apostles → back through Cape Otway is 77 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
More motorcycle rides nearby
- Great Ocean Road (452 km) · 276 km
- Great Ocean Road: Cape Otway to Warrnambool · 151 km
- Great Ocean Road · Apollo Bay Run · 426 km