The Great Ocean Road + Grampians - Britz

Six nights and 718 kilometres in a loop from Melbourne in a campervan, along the Great Ocean Road and inland to the Grampians.

Cumberland River comes first, a campsite in a gorge off the coast road near Lorne where the river runs between cliffs, then Forrest in the Otways, which has a mountain bike network through the forest and a brewery at the end of it.

Port Campbell and the Twelve Apostles follow, limestone stacks left standing as the cliffs behind them retreated, with Loch Ard Gorge nearby, then the route turns inland to Halls Gap in the Grampians, where sandstone ridges rise straight out of farmland, kangaroos graze on the recreation reserve in the evenings and the rock art shelters are among the most significant in southeastern Australia.

Britz supply the camper and the day-by-day plan, and the hire is priced live per vehicle rather than per person; campsites, fuel, ferries, park fees and activities are all extra, with a nil-excess insurance pack available at booking. Seven days for 718 kilometres is generous, which is rather the point: the Great Ocean Road is slow in a long vehicle and the Grampians walks take time. Pairing the coast with the Grampians is the better version of this trip, since the two landscapes could hardly be less alike and sit about three hours apart. Autumn and spring both avoid the summer traffic. Halls Gap campsites fill at Easter and in the Victorian school holidays, and the Grampians walks are best early, before the heat and the day visitors arrive.