The Magic of the Great Ocean Road…

Small World Journeys invites you to discover Melbourne and The Great Ocean Road. Visit Phillip Island and its wildlife sanctuary, a veritable playground for seals and penguins. Hike along the most spectacular coasts in the world – the Great Ocean Road — and see the cliffs and famous beaches for which Australia is known.

Stay in an eco-lodge surrounded by parklands, where koalas sleep in the trees, and nature is at its finest. Visit tiny seaside villages, meet the locals who call this place home, and then end your time in Melbourne – a grand city with a thriving arts culture.

Sample detailed itinerary
5 days / 4 nights

This is just a sample of what we can arrange. We can shorten or lengthen the trip, add or subtract activities, or create an entirely new itinerary for you.

Arrival in Melbourne, Phillip Island National Park, Penguin Parade

You are transferred from the Melbourne International Airport to your accommodation in the heart of the city. Your hotel is one of Melbourne's newest boutique apartment hotels and is one of the few environmentally friendly rated hotels in Melbourne's central business district. The hotel is also close to most of the city's major attractions and entertainment area. Here you can enjoy the library, complimentary espresso, and relaxation room with automated massage chairs.

In the afternoon, join a guided excursion to Phillip Island. Every evening at dusk hundreds of little penguins come home to Phillip Island from the sea, making their way across the beach and waddling to their sand dune burrows for the night. Witness this spectacular "Penguin Parade" from a front-row viewing point on the sand in the company of a ranger guide. Before the sun sets, you will also visit The Nobbies – a lookout point from which you can view a massive group of fur seals, which is also the closest seal colony to a major city in Australia. Watch the seal's transformation from ungainly land creatures to swift, sleek marine dwellers twisting and rolling in the clear waters.

You also get up close and personal with the friendly residents of Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park, hand-feed kangaroos and wallabies, and learn about the conservation of these amazing animals from your guide. This sanctuary showcases the famous and endangered faces of Australia's nocturnal wildlife, including the southern bettong, eastern quolls and rare fluffy gliders. You are returned to your Melbourne hotel tonight.

Southern Coast and Great Ocean Road, Night in Ecolodge

The Great Ocean Road southwest of Melbourne is considered one of the world's most scenic drives. Sagas of the sea especially abound also on a 180km-long shore sector called "The Shipwreck Coast". Today in a small group you see the grand architecture where the ocean has carved mighty arches, caverns and coves from limestone and sandstone, as well as gentle bays and estuaries. Explore temperate rainforests and quaint fishing villages as you wind your way along this magnificent stretch of roadway.

This afternoon you are transferred to your eco-lodge, located within the grounds of The Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology, and just off the Great Ocean Road and the Great Ocean Walk. The eco-lodge is built from sustainable materials, operates entirely on solar power and uses only rainwater. Chefs create magnificent feasts from fresh regional produce, much of it grown in the eco-lodge's own kitchen garden. Bedrooms are private and peaceful, compete with a crisp clean linen, timeless antiques, fluffy towels and an assortment of locally made natural soaps and shampoos. (B)

Walk along the Coast and the Cliffs, Koala Observation

Today at your eco-lodge venture out into the bush with researchers to help save endangered species, explore the Great Ocean Walk or simply relax and watch the koalas in the trees. If you're keen, continue along the Great Ocean Road to Point Fairy. Buffeted by wild seas and fierce winds, the coastline around Port Campbell has been sculpted over millions of years to form a series of striking rock stacks that rise out of the Southern Ocean. Known as the Twelve Apostles, they are a spectacular natural attraction and an Australian icon.

You can also visit Bells Beach – one of Australia's most famous beaches — where high cliffs provide a dramatic backdrop to the natural beach amphitheatre and large swells from the Southern Ocean.

Return to your lodge tonight for a family-style dinner and a twilight walk led by dedicated ecologists through the grounds of The Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology to observe koalas and other uniquely Australian wildlife. (B)

Great Ocean last part, Port Cambell, Return to Melbourne

Today, you enjoy the last part of the Great Ocean Road. Visit Port Campbell, a sleepy seaside town famous for its crayfish, sheltered by cliffs and Norfolk Pines. You will go to Port Campbell and enjoy other amazing landscapes. You will have lunch with the group before to go back to Melbourne in the afternoon. The evening is free. (B, L)

Free time in Melbourne city centre, Fight Back or Extension

Today you can explore Melbourne's sights on foot. Within easy access of your hotel is Queen Victoria Market, the Melbourne Museum, bustling Chinatown and the Greek precinct and the lovely Flagstaff Gardens. As an option, take in a performance at the lively Arts Centre (extra cost, ticket prices vary).

You can do some optional activities or extend your trip to another destination (see "Options" tab) or you will be transferred to Alice Springs Airport for your flight home or another destination in Australia. (B)

Contact us for more information

Want to travel on an all-inclusive small group trip instead?

Then check out our Small Group Travel.
With a maximum of 10 guests, our Explorer and Adventurer trips stil give you a fantastic sample of what Cairns has to offer, but with accommodation in 4-star boutique hotels, meals in upscale restaurants and a professional local guide throughout

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Want to make your trip unique ? Discover all the other activities you can add or substitute to custom your own trip…

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...or small group trips (around Cairns)