Unpack your bags and stay a while. Life is an adventure in Apollo Bay with protected bays to swim, endless Great Otway National Park trails to blaze and a hearty meal of local food and wine waiting for you upon return. Explore nature’s big backyard.
The call of nature beckons as the warming morning light starts to filter into your beach side room. Another day in Apollo Bay begins with the possibility of adventure, discovery and the quest of knowledge from those who stepped before us.
Witness the contrast between east and west, grace and power, as you explore the coastline of Cape Otway. Starting at your doorstep, the protected eastern side of the Cape offers safer bays for swimming, surfing and diving. Head west and the Southern Ocean takes hold, sculpting high cliffs and monuments like the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge with ferocity and relentless force. Head inland and be dwarfed by forests dripping with waterfalls, towering ferns, walking tracks and mountain bike trails. Be welcomed to the native country of the Gadubanud people at the Mia Mia ‘talking hut’ next to the Cape Otway Lightstation and share in a story of a culture that lived harmoniously with land and sea. Then head north to learn about the flora or fauna of the hinterlands whilst strolling around the 2km Triplet Falls Walk.
After a day working the mind, body and soles, the creature comforts await back in Apollo Bay. Rest those weary limbs over a hearty feast of local produce, prepared to your liking at any number of beach side restaurants. Don’t forget a matching glass of wine harvested from same earth, water and sun that filled your day with wonder.
The Apollo Bay events calendar is a busy one with locals assembling to orchestrate celebrations of sport, food, music and arts.
Home to the Great Ocean Road Marathon, Apollo Bay becomes a fitness metropolis mid May with athletes and supporters descending on town to endure long distances along the iconic coastline. For mountain bike enthusiasts, your month is February, with the Giant Odyssey marathon visiting the neighbouring town of Forrest.
Foodies are well catered for in Apollo Bay with fertile land and sea harvesting mouth watering produce year round. Meet the local farmers and purchase a piece of their labour from the Farmers Market hosted on the third Sunday of each month. February is the month for real seafood lovers with cooking demonstrations, tastings and live music presented by the annual Apollo Bay Seafood & Produce Festival.
Feel humbled amongst the ancient giants of the Otways Ranges. The striking cool temperate rainforest of the Great Otway National Park boasts one of the highest rainfalls in the state with waterfalls flowing year-round. Walkers of almost any ability can trek around the Otways, discovering the Great Ocean Walk, waterfalls, lush forests, cliff top walks, heritage and coastal trails. Whether you go inland or hug the rugged coast, the Otways is a place for adventure, romance and discovery.
Many of Australia’s unique animals can be easily spotted around Apollo Bay. And then again, some can not.
If you know where to look, there are kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, glow worms and birdlife on show. There are also platypus, echidnas, snakes, and emus, but for those you might need some keen eyes, or luck. Start exploring and see what you find.
Visit Wildlife Wonders in Apollo Bay to learn about native wildlife from a conservationist guide.
Delicious wine and fresh berries served with a slab of locally made cheese and some bread from the local bakery, these are what holidays are made of and no you don’t have to be in Tuscany or Provence to indulge your palate. These delicious treats can be found all around the Otways. Using the Otway Harvest Trail to guide your taste buds around the country roads, gather your loot for an indulgent holiday feast. Collect a bottle of berry gin and local cider from Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm & Cidery or pick your own berries in the season (October to Feb).
Thirsty? Try the Forrest Brewing Company for a brew or two to keep the grownups happy. You certainly will not find it difficult to stock the picnic basket as you tour the farm gates, provedores and cellar doors. Exhausted from tasting and shopping? Let local chefs prepare a meal for you at one of the excellent dining options from celebrated Brae restaurant to the family friendly. You are spoilt for choice in the Otways, and you don’t have to do the dishes!
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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.
