Please help me plan Melbourne/Great Ocean Road

[FizzyPink]

A friend and I will be visiting Australia in October for a wedding and our general itinerary is this -

Sydney - Brisbane - Sunshine Coast - Rainbow Beach - Fraser Island - Byron Bay - Melbourne

We then have Tuesday afternoon to Saturday evening when we fly home to explore Melbourne and also do some of the Great Ocean Road. My friend is also keen to visit some wineries but is somewhat of a wine snob and so would only be interested in the independent ones and not big organised tours. I'd be so grateful of any advice/route suggestions to make the most of our time and also if anyone has any tips on how to do wine tours without then doing long drives back to hotels while intoxicated!

If you've got time I'd really recommend doing a day coach trip tour of the Great Ocean Road. It's spectacular coastline and really worth seeing. It was one of the highlights of my trip and something I will remember always. Some of the features like the 12 apostles are breath taking.

There are lots of little features that you wouldn't necessarily find yourself if you weren't being guided. I normally wouldn't be caught dead on a group coach tour but for this it was worth it. It's very easy and you get thing pointed out you'd miss otherwise.

These people (linked below) were great- and I don't know if it's a standard plan but lots of these tours stop at the first attraction first, second attraction second and then drive straight back, our driver drove for quite a long while first so when we did stop we were out of synch with the crowds and stopped at the first attraction (which is the memorial arch at the start of the route) on the way back.. It was great as we avoided most of the crowds. Having had this experience, I'd ask for a driver that does this if it isn't a standard company plan which I don't know.

Definitely put on sun block/sun cream though - even though you think you are mostly on a coach, you aren't and the sun is very strong. I saw more than one person very burned red by the end of the day.

www.aatkings.com/tours/melbourne/great-ocean-road/

I would fly into Brisbane and work south unless wedding/booked holiday dates are now immovable. Otherwise it's time not most efficiently used.

So, you fly out on Saturday evening- you’d need to be at the airport by late afternoon? Depending on where you are in Melbourne, it could be a couple of hours drive to the airport.

The better wineries are on the Mornington Peninsula, a lovely area in itself. You could easily spend a few days exploring, especially if you went right down past this towards Phillip Island to visit Wilson’s Prom, Venus Bay and the penguins.

Alternatively, if you went down the Mornington Peninsula to Sorrento you could see if the ferry across to Geelong is an option. That would cut out a lot of travel back into central Melbourne to get onto the Great Ocean Road.

On the GOR, Lorne is a nice place. Reasonable amenities and a good stopping point.