The Great Ocean Road in a Supercar: A Realistic One-Day Plan
The Great Ocean Road is the drive everyone wants to do in a supercar, and the one most people plan badly. The honest answer to "can we do it in a day?" is yes — if you choose the right section, start early, and are realistic about the distances.
The distances nobody mentions
- Melbourne to Torquay (the start) — around 1.5 hours
- To Lorne — around 2.5 hours
- To Apollo Bay — around 3 hours
- To the Twelve Apostles — around 4 hours along the coast
The Twelve Apostles and back along the coast is a very long day. Most people who attempt it spend more time in the car than enjoying it.
The stretch actually worth driving
Lorne to Apollo Bay. This is the section that appears in the photographs: the road carved into the cliff, the ocean directly beside you, corner after corner. If you only drive one part of the Great Ocean Road, make it this one.
The realistic one-day plan
- 6:30–7:00am — collect and leave Melbourne early
- 8:30am — coffee in Torquay
- 9:30am — Anglesea and Aireys Inlet, the lighthouse
- 10:30am — Lorne
- 12:00pm — the cliff road to Apollo Bay; lunch
- 2:00pm — turn back, or take the inland route home via Colac, which is faster
That gives you the best section, a long lunch, and a return before dark.
Make it two days if you can
A two-day hire transforms the trip. Overnight in Apollo Bay or Port Campbell, see the Twelve Apostles at sunrise when the car parks are empty, and drive home without watching the clock. Multi-day rates drop per day, so the second day costs less than the first. This is the single drive that most justifies a longer booking.
Practical notes
Slow traffic. Caravans and tour buses are constant. Be patient; overtaking opportunities are limited and policed.
Lookout car parks. Many are gravel with a lip at the entrance. Use the nose lift and go slowly — this is where low cars get scraped.
Fuel. Stations thin out past Lorne. Fill up properly in Torquay with premium unleaded.
Weather. The coast can be wild even in summer. Check the forecast; in heavy rain the cliff road is no fun in a rear-drive car.
For more options closer to the city, see our seven summer drives.
