Great Ocean Road West: Melbourne to Adelaide (Self-Launched)
5 days · Great Ocean Road & Grampians, Australia
G Adventures charges £599
No-markup version: ~£545 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A DIY version of G Adventures' 5-day Melbourne-to-Adelaide run along the Great Ocean Road and Grampians. Instead of a private minibus and group CEO, you'll use Victoria's V/Line coaches and trains, hostel dorms and a small-group day tour or two — hitting the Twelve Apostles, Otway rainforest, Tower Hill, and the Grampians' Balconies and Mackenzie Falls on a backpacker budget. Note Australia is expensive by backpacker standards; these are realistic 2025 budget-traveller estimates, not ultra-cheap Asia numbers.
Day-by-day
Arrive Melbourne — hostel rooftop & karaoke night
Melbourne
Fly or train into Melbourne and check into a CBD hostel (Space Hostel in the original — equivalent: The Nunnery, United Backpackers, or Space Hostel dorms, ~£30-35/night for a 4-6 bed dorm). Get a Myki card (~£5 AUD deposit + top-up) for trams, trains and buses. Evening: free tram around the CBD, dinner in Chinatown or a laneway (cheap eats £6-9), then a karaoke bar like the one attached to Space Hostel if you want the group-night vibe — Melbourne's backpacker bars on Flinders Lane are the easy way to meet people.
🚌SkyBus from Tullamarine airport to Southern Cross ~£10 (AUD 19), or airport bus/train combo; Myki top-up £10
🛏CBD hostel dorm (4-6 share), ~£32
- →Myki card for trams
- →Laneway food crawl
- →Karaoke bar night
Great Ocean Road day tour — surf coast, Otway rainforest, Twelve Apostles
Melbourne → Port Campbell (or Apollo Bay)
The original's private van day is best replicated by a small-group Great Ocean Road day tour, which runs one-way Melbourne to Port Campbell/Apollo Bay or as a return loop. Book via GetYourGuide, Klook or a local operator (e.g. Bunyip Tours, Go West) — an all-inclusive one-way day tour with Otway rainforest walk and Twelve Apostles stopover runs ~£65-90. Sights: Torquay, Bells Beach, Lorne, Apollo Bay, Maits Rest or Otway Fly rainforest walk, then the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge at sunset. If you'd rather self-drive, hire a car in Melbourne (~£35-50/day plus fuel, split between travellers). Optional Twelve Apostles helicopter flight ~£70-75. Sleep in Port Campbell or Apollo Bay — Port Campbell is closer to the Apostles; Apollo Bay hostels are cheaper.
🚌Small-group day tour Melbourne→Port Campbell/Apollo Bay ~£70 (GetYourGuide/Klook) — or split car hire & fuel
🛏Port Campbell or Apollo Bay hostel dorm, ~£30
- →Bells Beach & Lorne surf coast stops
- →Great Otway NP rainforest walk
- →Twelve Apostles & Loch Ard Gorge
- →Optional helicopter flight (~£72)
Tower Hill crater & on to the Grampians
Port Campbell → Warrnambool → Halls Gap
Morning V/Line coach from Port Campbell to Warrnambool (~£4-5, ~35 min), then a short local bus/taxi or 3km walk out to Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve — a volcanic crater full of emus, kangaroos, koalas and boardwalk trails, free entry. Do the self-guided crater rim and forest walks (1.5-2 hrs). Then take the V/Line coach Warrnambool → Ararat (~£8), connecting coach or train to Stawell, and the local bus or a £8-10 taxi into Halls Gap (~£10 total for the leg). The Warrnambool-Ararat leg can be long — check V/Line timetables (vline.com.au) in advance and book seats on the longer legs. Evening in Halls Gap: kangaroos graze on the oval at dusk, and the Halls Gap Hotel does cheap pub meals.
🚌V/Line coaches Port Campbell→Warrnambool→Ararat, then bus/taxi to Halls Gap, ~£25 total
🛏Hall's Gap YHA or Grampians backpackers dorm, ~£28
- →Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve walks
- →Hall's Gap dusk kangaroo spotting
Grampians National Park — The Balconies, Mackenzie Falls & rock art
Halls Gap → Adelaide
No car? Book the Grampians shuttle or a half-day small-group tour from Halls Gap (~£35-45) that covers the Wonderland Range, The Balconies, Reeds Lookout and Mackenzie Falls. If the free Halls Gap–Wonderland shuttle is running, hike The Pinnacle (3 hrs return, ~£0) and get a lift or taxi to Mackenzie Falls. Don't miss the Aboriginal rock art at Bunjil Shelter, a short walk off Mount Zero Road. Late afternoon: V/Line coach Stawell → Adelaide via Horsham and Bordertown (~£25-30, 6-7 hrs, book ahead on vline.com.au — this is the long haul of the trip). Arrive Adelaide in the evening; North Terrace and Rundle Street for nightlife.
🚌Local Grampians shuttle/tour ~£40 + V/Line coach Stawell→Adelaide ~£28
🛏Adelaide CBD hostel dorm (e.g. Adelaide Central YHA), ~£35
- →The Balconies & Reeds Lookout
- →Mackenzie Falls
- →Bunjil Shelter rock art
- →The Pinnacle hike (free option)
Adelaide — Central Market & farewell
Adelaide
Free morning: wander the Adelaide Central Market (free entry, great cheap breakfast), the Botanic Garden and North Terrace museums. Optional extras from the original: dolphin swim cruise at Port Adelaide (~£65, book direct or via GetYourGuide) or a Kangaroo Island day trip (~£150 — a big splurge, book 2-3 days ahead). Then fly or take the bus/train home. If you're continuing, Adelaide is the gateway to the Flinders Ranges and the Outback.
🚌Public transport to airport ~£3 (Adelaide Metro day ticket) or SkyLink; flights out extra
🛏Departure day (no overnight, or extra night ~£35)
- →Adelaide Central Market
- →Botanic Garden & North Terrace
- →Optional dolphin cruise (~£65)
- →Optional Kangaroo Island day trip (~£150)
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£545 | £599 |
| Duration | 5 days | 5 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £54 per person (9%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£545
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Great Ocean Road West: Melbourne to Adelaide (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £545 per person for 5 days in Great Ocean Road & Grampians, Australia. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £599 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £545 — a saving of roughly £54 (9%) per person.
How long is the Great Ocean Road & Grampians, Australia trip?+
This itinerary runs 5 days, covering 5 day-by-day stops through Great Ocean Road & Grampians, Australia.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a adventure, road-trip, backpacker trip through Great Ocean Road & Grampians, Australia, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.