Best Time to Visit Great Ocean Road

The best time to drive the Great Ocean Road is March to April, when temperatures still reach 19°C to 21°C (66°F to 70°F), rain sits under 70 mm a month and the summer school holiday crowds have gone. The worst stretch for wind and rain is June to August, when highs drop to 13°C (55°F) and each month brings around 100 mm. This page breaks the year into seasons with prices, crowds and specific dates so you can match the trip to what you want. Start with our weather by month guide for the full climate data, and our Great Ocean Road guide covers the whole route.

Best Time to Visit Great Ocean Road for Weather

For warm days and low rain, target February and March. Apollo Bay averages 23°C (73°F) in February with 45 mm of rain, and 21°C (70°F) in March with 55 mm. January and early February are warmest but also the busiest, with beach towns at capacity. December to February bring 7 to 8 sunshine hours a day, the highest of the year. If you want the calmest seas for the coastal lookouts, autumn is better than summer, because the afternoon southerly changes and swell are less frequent in April and May.

Best Time to Visit Great Ocean Road for Fewer Crowds

The Twelve Apostles car park and lookout fill by 10:00 am every day from late December to the end of January, and the town of Lorne is crowded for the whole school holiday period. Visit in May, September or October and you can have the Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge almost to yourself at 8:00 am, and the main sights in our things to do guide are free to enter. Winter weekdays from June to August are the quietest of all, though some cafes in small towns close early or shut on Tuesdays. Avoid the Easter long weekend and the Melbourne Cup public holiday in early November, when traffic along the Surf Coast backs up for kilometres.

Best Time to Visit Great Ocean Road for Lowest Prices

Accommodation prices track the school calendar. A motel room in Apollo Bay that costs AUD 120 a night in winter can reach AUD 260 a night in January, and Lorne beachfront apartments roughly double. The cheapest months are May, August and September, when midweek rooms in Port Campbell and Warrnambool drop below AUD 100. June and July are also cheap, but you trade price for rain and 5 hours of daylight. Book the Otway and Shipwreck Coast towns rather than Lorne if you want to cut costs, and our town by town guide compares what each stop offers. Our where to stay guide lists hotels by budget tier.

Best Time to Visit Great Ocean Road: Month by Month

• January: warmest month, 22°C to 23°C highs, school holidays to late January, peak prices and crowds.
• February: 23°C highs, warm sea at 19°C, families gone after early February, still busy on weekends.
• March: 21°C, low rain, settled seas, Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach over Easter, one of the best months overall.
• April: 19°C, 67 mm rain, autumn colour in the Otways, quieter roads after Easter.
• May: 16°C, rain climbs to 82 mm, cheap rooms, first real chill in the evenings.
• June to August: 13°C to 14°C highs, 95 to 108 mm rain a month, whale season at Warrnambool, lowest prices.
• September: 16°C, wildflowers out, whales still passing, roads quiet until school holidays end.
• October: 18°C, spring light good for photography, weekends start to fill.
• November: 19°C, 63 mm rain, warm beach days return before the December rush.
• December: 21°C, crowds build from Boxing Day, short days give way to long summer evenings.

Best Time to Visit Great Ocean Road for Events

Time the trip around specific dates if you want a reason to stop. The Rip Curl Pro runs at Bells Beach over Easter, the Apollo Bay Seafood Festival lands on the third weekend of February, and the Lorne Pier to Pub open water swim runs the second Saturday of January. Southern Right Whales calve off Warrnambool from June to September, with the best viewing at Logan’s Beach. The full calendar, with dates and locations, is in our events and festivals guide, and our travel tips guide covers driving and fuel.