The Great Ocean Road with kids

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

For children, the Great Ocean Road is mostly about animals and stories. Koalas sit in the gum trees at Kennett River, little penguins come ashore at dusk below the Twelve Apostles, and Loch Ard Gorge is named after a ship whose two teenage survivors reached the beach inside it. The challenge for families is distance. From Melbourne to the Apostles and back is roughly 500 km, which is a lot for anyone under ten in a single day.

Car seats and tour age limits

Victoria has firm rules for children in vehicles. Babies up to six months travel in a rear-facing restraint with an inbuilt harness, children under four in a child restraint, and children from four to under seven in a child restraint or booster seat. Hire cars follow the same rules as private cars, so reserve seats with the car. Taxis do not have to provide them. On buses with more than 12 seats no restraint is required, but in any vehicle with 12 seats or fewer, every child under seven needs one.

That rule explains the age limits on minibus tours. The boutique reverse tour runs a minibus for 12 and starts at age seven. The medium-size group day with a lighthouse stop takes children from three, collects from selected Melbourne hotels and lasts about 11 hours, a little shorter than most.

Animals along the coast

At Kennett River, between Lorne and Apollo Bay, the park authority describes koalas feeding in the gum trees of the Great Otway National Park. Several day tours include a koala stop, and the classic group day adds parrot spotting. Do not feed the wildlife, and do not touch sick or dead animals; the park asks visitors to report them to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

Near Apollo Bay, the Wildlife Wonders sanctuary runs a 75-minute walk with a conservationist guide on a gentle 1.4 km path, which the operator describes as suitable for all ages and abilities. Headsets and binoculars are provided, and tours run in almost all weather. Its dusk tour starts with a light meal and spends about 90 minutes looking for nocturnal animals. Near Princetown, a short drive from the Apostles, the Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park sells self-guided entry and explains its dingo conservation work.

At the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge

The park authority marks both as family-friendly. The new visitor centre at the Apostles has toilets, accessible facilities, shelters and a café with 230 seats, so it works as a proper break on a long day. Book your arrival before you set off. At dusk, little penguins return to the beach below the stacks, and from October to April short-tailed shearwaters fly in to Mutton Bird Island at Loch Ard Gorge.

Loch Ard Gorge comes with a story children follow easily. The sailing ship Loch Ard was wrecked on Mutton Bird Island in 1878; of the 54 people on board only two survived, the teenagers Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, who made it to the beach inside the gorge. Keep children on the platforms and paths everywhere in Port Campbell National Park. At London Bridge, the viewing area for The Arch is closed because the cliffs are unstable.

Beaches and surf lessons

Torquay has sheltered beaches that the park authority recommends for families, and its main beaches are patrolled in the warmer months: Torquay Back Beach, Jan Juc, Cosy Corner and Fishermans Beach, with volunteers on weekends and public holidays from November to April and paid lifeguards on weekdays from December to February. Swim between the red and yellow flags; lifesavers are only on duty while the flags are up. The surf at Kennett River is for experienced surfers only.

Group surf lessons at Torquay and Anglesea last two hours in waist-deep water, with a Level 1 coach, wetsuit, soft board, sunscreen and hot showers afterwards. Children can join from eight, and under-nines need a parent in the water with them.

Short walks and the forest

The Otways have walks short enough for small legs, but check what is open first. Erskine Falls near Lorne, with a 300 m lookout path that takes about 15 minutes return, is temporarily closed, as are several other walks in the Great Otway National Park. Inland, Otway Fly has a 600 m treetop walkway 25 to 30 m high and a 47 m spiral tower. In Port Campbell, the Discovery Walk to Two Mile Bay and the blowhole platform with accessible paths are easy outings.

Making the long day work

Most day tours from Melbourne last 11 to 13.5 hours, and the inland drive alone takes more than three hours each way. With younger children, two days with a night in Apollo Bay or Port Campbell split the driving and leave time for breaks. Avoid the busiest weeks if you can: Victorian summer school holidays run from 21 December 2026 to 27 January 2027. In May 2027, the Great Ocean Road Running Festival has a 1.5 km Kids' Gallop. The itineraries page shows how to split the coast, and the weather page what to pack.