So let's get this Great Ocean Road trip started! With swells barrelling up all the way from Antarctica it’s little surprise that surfing is a big deal along Victoria’s coast, much of which is centred around the surfing Mecca of Torquay. World renowned Bell’s Beach is where surf pros test their mettle, for lesser mortals there are plenty of surf schools nearby that will have you standing up in no time.

For more traditional outdoor pursuits there’s fantastic golfing right along the Great Ocean Road, but for a course with a difference shoot a round at Anglesea Golf Club, whose hazards include resident kangaroos that spend their days as unofficial greenkeepers lounging on the fairways!

Apollo Bay is where to get your nature fix. Offshore, swim in the clear waters, kayak with local seals or indulge in some deep sea fishing. Back on terra firma Great Otway National Park is a captivating mix of towering rainforests, fern filled gullies and cascading waterfalls. Check out the Otway Fly Tree Top Walk for a unique view of this stunning environment.

The area is a natural haven for Australia’s indigenous wildlife with frequent sightings of koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, cockatoos and platypus. Not even nightfall brings the experiences to an end with Melba Gully’s large glow worm colony providing a magical finale.

Aptly named the Shipwreck Coast, this stretch of the Great Ocean Road is home to its undoubted star attraction, the Twelve Apostles; imposing limestone stacks up to 65m high that tower above the Southern Ocean. The best way to appreciate the dramatic coastline is to ditch the car and follow the numerous trails that run high up along the lofty sea cliffs, and down to sandy beaches where you can spy the rusting anchors of the Shipwreck Coast’s unfortunate victims.

At the end of this stretch, Port Fairy is as quaint as they come, packed full of 19th century whalers’ cottages, Georgian style merchants’ homes, boutiques and art shops. As one of Victoria’s busiest fishing ports, the fruits of the sea are in abundance, with plenty of great local restaurants to enjoy them in. Try the Merrijig Inn for a special occasion.

Leave the Shipwreck Coast behind and take in the windswept beauty of Cape Bridgewater, with its resident fur seal colony, before joining the Limestone Coast. The distinct characteristics of limestone have given rise to an array of spectacular geological features from the crater lakes of Mount Gambier to the World Heritage listed Naracoorte Caves. The limestone bedrock also provides ideal drainage underneath the ‘Terra Rossa’ soil of the Coonawara wine region, which produces some of the Australia’s finest reds – the Cabernet Sauvignon will knock your socks off!

Stop for the night in Robe, a charming historic port town and one of South Australia’s first settlements.

Take the Princes Highway north making sure to pull in at Kingston, which is famed for its lobsters. Don’t worry if you forget, there is a massive Big Lobster on the highway to remind you!

Further along the coast is Coorong National Park, a spectacular saline lagoon which is a haven for birdlife. From here you can either make a beeline for South Australia’s charming capital Adelaide, or take a diversion through the famed winelands of the Barossa Valley.