Turn the ‘out of office’ on and leave the high heels at home. Join the simple life with sand between your toes, sunshine on your back and fresh food in your belly. Time moves slower in Apollo Bay.
Marriners Lookout is located on top of the hill sitting just north of Apollo Bay. An easy 10 minute walk from the carpark is rewarded with spectacular ocean, beach, hinterland and town view. If you’re feeling more energetic, walk about 1.5 kilometres north from Apollo Bay along the beach or Great Ocean Road, then climb a steep hill along a surfaced road for another 1.5 kilometres to the lookout track (take heed of passing traffic).
Marriners Lookout is a popular take-off point for hang gliders. With the right conditions you may see someone take off.
Distance: 1km return | Time: 20 minutes | Difficulty: Easy – Moderate
On the shores of a 3km long eastern facing beach, Apollo Bay provides safe, patrolled (during peak periods) waters for swimming, surfing, fishing, boating, sand castle building and beach cricket. Starting at the South end of the beach, Point Bunbury and the harbour wall create a protected bay best suited for families and leisurely bathers. This is the area patrolled by the Apollo Bay Life Saving Club during the summer months and popular weekends. Moving north away from the breakwater of Point Bunbury, the swell starts to build, providing space for the coastal staples of surfing and fishing. Surf along this stretch of coast provides fun and relatively safe conditions, although caution is recommended as rips along with wave size build the further north you travel.
For more information about conditions and patrol activities, visit the Beach Safe website.
With calm waters and pristine beaches, families visiting Apollo Bay need no more than a beach towel, bat and ball to enjoy an incredible coastal holiday. But if it is family exploration you are looking for, Apollo Bay has that too. Adventure around Apollo Bay includes plenty of picturesque bays and rock pools full of shells, sea creatures and memories of a coast littered with shipwrecks. There are easy walking and cycling tracks in and around the township and just 6 kilometers south of Apollo Bay, descend the stairs of Shelly Beach to arrive at a 300m stretch of opening coast. Visit Shelly Beach at low tide to explore the rock pools and gullies. In town there are a number of family friendly restaurants and cafes to choose from.
And then of course, no beach holiday is complete without a treat for the kids. In Apollo Bay, try award winning Dooley’s Ice Cream located in the centre of town or the Lolly shop will satisfy your sweet tooth.
Visitors to Apollo Bay have many options when it comes to enjoying the Apollo Bay Harbour. The harbour is home to a local fishing industry and commercial fleet, including trawlers, crayfish and charter boats.The port is enclosed by two large breakwaters. The harbour contains a main wharf with marina berths and public boat ramp. Fishing is popular off the wharf or breakwater. You can fish within designated areas of the wharf and breakwaters as long as you have a Victorian recreational fishing license.
The harbour is often abuzz with activity, particularly over the summer months. You can see fishing trawlers returning with their catch, charter tours and people fishing, swimming or simply enjoying a walk on the wharf. The view looking back over Apollo Bay with its surrounding hills in the background is amazing. A small beach lies within the harbour, protected within the breakwater walls to make it an ideal spot for families with small children to swim. You can buy crayfish straight out of Apollo Bay’s waters at the fishermen’s co-op, along with a fresh selection of fish, lobster, crayfish, squid, prawns and scallops available. The co-op also does great fish and chips overlooking the harbour.
Just past Apollo Bay, off the world famous Great Ocean Road, Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary protects 12ha of ocean waters.
About 150m offshore, this sanctuary protects a reef system known as Little Henty Reef. Two sections of the reef, the inner and outer reef, are usually exposed and separated by a narrow channel known as ‘The Gap’. Composed of sandstone they support wonderful inter-tidal and sub-tidal reefs which are packed with sea life.
Visitors exploring the intertidal reef may come across many invertebrates including sea snails, tubeworms and abalone. In slightly deeper waters there are beautiful seaweed gardens including towering Bull Kelp forests and beds of delicate green and red species.
Between the two small islands, calmer waters support colourful soft corals, sponge gardens and sea urchins. The diverse range of habitats provides resources for a huge range of species including Australian Fur Seals, schools of Zebra Fish and many species of wrasse. Apollo Bay Surf & Kayak and Apollo Bay Fishing and Adventure Tours provide guided scenic tours to the reef.
Visitors can access Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary by a short swim from shore (making sure to check sea conditions and being mindful of rips) or via boat (launching point in Apollo Bay). Please note that access to the reef is permitted only on Little Henty reef (closest to the shore). Access to the outer reef is restricted and is for management purposes only due to the Australian Fur Seals that inhabit the reef.
Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary is an excellent site for both scuba diving and snorkelling. Closer to shore is a great site for beginner snorkellers if conditions are good, whereas further out can be more challenging due to ocean swell. Click here for Park Notes on Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary
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Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Great Ocean Road region the Wadawurrung, Eastern Maar & Gunditjmara. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We recognise and respect their unique cultural heritage and the connection to their traditional lands. We commit to building genuine and lasting partnerships that recognise, embrace and support the spirit of reconciliation, working towards self-determination, equity of outcomes and an equal voice for Australia’s first people.
