The Great Ocean Road

While some of the beaches along this stretch of coast can be a bit wild for younger kids, but if your seeking sand, sun and a little vitamin sea, you’ll find protected swimming spots at Torquay, Anglesea, Aireys Inlet, Lorne and Apollo Bay that are popular with families.  There are also safe swimming spots at Port Campbell, Warrnambool and Port Fairy that are ideal for tots.

When they’ve had their fill of buckets and spades on the beach, let the kids fill up a bucket of a different kind at Gentle Annie Berry Gardens in the Pennyroyal Valley, around 20-mintutes drive from Lorne. Here they can pick luscious berries, fruits and vegetables straight from the garden, before stopping for a snack at the on-site café. 

Visit Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground in Warrnambool, an enormous eight-hectare adventure playground that comes complete with sandpits, giant slides, a maze and even paddleboats.

Head to the Port Campbell Visitor Information Centre for the Craters to Coast Discovery Program. This free program allows kids to hunt the wind, navigate for hidden treasure, track local fauna and learn to read history in the rocks using telescopes, GPS units, digital cameras and compasses to complete themed activities. 

And a visit to Tiger Moth World is sure to be a hit. Here you can explore the Mothball Musuem, see restored cockpit biplanes, play mini golf, soccer and volleyball or let loose in the Giant Tiger Moth Play Park.

Lovers of all things feathered and furry will enjoy the Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park which offers the opportunity to experience Australian native wildlife in an interactive but natural way. Get up close with dingoes, hand-feed kangaroos, wallabies, emu and deer, or just roam amongst the animals in the free-range sanctuary.

Enjoy thrills and spills at Adventure Park Geelong with its thrill rides, water play zones and water slides, including the Tornado, Victoria’s biggest and longest waterslide. Or take to the treetops at Otway Fly for an exhilarating fully-guided Zipline Eco-Tour through the treetops.

Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village is a must visit. Home to a fascinating collection of maritime and shipwreck relics, it is a great place to learn more about the history of the wild Southern coastline. Stay until after dark for the epic outdoor sound and laser show, Shipwrecked.

Tower Hill Wildlife Sanctuary is a great spot for close encounters with koalas, emus, kangaroos as well as many species of waterbirds in their natural habitat. The sanctuary is located inside an extinct volcano that formed some 30,000 years ago and in springtime is carpeted with wildflowers. Be sure to take the kids on a Worn Gundidj guided tour of the Tower Hill Wildlife Sanctuary to explore its Aboriginal history and cultural heritage.

Adventurous teens will find so much to get the adrenalin pumping along the Great Ocean Road.  Give yachting, water-skiing and windsurfing a try at Lake Colac. Paddle out to sea to ride the waves by kayak and paddle out to visit a seal colony. Or maybe you’d rather ride the waves on a stand-up paddle board. If it’s more cruisy paddling you seek, hire a canoe to explore rivers that wind through bushland and ancient gorges. 

Experienced surfers can take on the famous breaks at Bells Beach, while wannabe groms can sign up for lessons with the experienced pro surf schools along the coast.

Hire a mountain bike, or BYO, to ride along sheer limestone cliffs through beach resort towns, inland through lush fern gullies rainforest or hit the well-maintained local rail trails.

See the Great Ocean Road from the sky in an historic WWII open cockpit biplane on a Tiger Moth World adventure flight or, for the ultimate thrill, try a tandem skydive over beautiful Bells Beach.