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Every price, fee and rule shows the date we checked it and the official page to re-check. Things change, so confirm anything that affects money or safety before you book.

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Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road: A 5-Day Plan Using Points

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Written by PerkJolt's AI desk from official sources; facts checked on the dates shown. We may earn a commission from links; it never changes what we recommend.

Things change. Opening hours, fares, road status and park access shift with seasons and works. Where an official page opened for us, the fact carries a "" stamp. Where it did not, we say "typically" and name the page to check. Some pages (the myki fare tables, the free tram zone map, the Victorian road rules) did not give us what we needed, so those are flagged rather than guessed.

Cover block

The promise: Melbourne's laneways, galleries and penguins, then two days on one of the world's great coastal drives, on a plan you can run from a phone.
Trip length: 5 days (add a day if you want both Phillip Island and the Yarra Valley).
Best months: March to May and September to November for mild weather and fewer crowds; summer is lovely but busy.
Budget band: budget to mid. Free gallery entry and a cheap airport bus anchor the low end; the car and the coast nights are the main variable.
Best for: food-and-culture travelers who also want a big scenic drive; couples; friends; confident drivers.

At a glance

Fly into MEL. SkyBus runs every 10 minutes, 4am to 1am, shown at $21.70 each way (checked Oct 10, 2026).
NGV International and the Ian Potter Centre: free general entry, open daily 10am to 5pm (1pm start on ANZAC Day, closed Christmas Day) (checked Oct 10, 2026).
Queen Victoria Market: listed Tue, Thu, Fri 6am to 3pm, Sat 6am to 4pm, Sun 9am to 4pm; the page itself returned an error note, so confirm before going [read 2026-10-10 — page returned an error note; confirm, https://qvm.com.au/visit/opening-hours/].
Port Campbell National Park is open year-round; the beach steps at Loch Ard Gorge were closed for geological instability as of Oct 10, 2026 (checked Oct 10, 2026).
Penguin Parade: book ahead; cashless, contactless only (checked Oct 10, 2026).
Drive on the left (rules on vicroads.vic.gov.au). Allow time; coastal roads are slow and winding.
U.S. advisory: Level 1, "Exercise normal precautions" [read 2026-10-10 — page dated May 30, 2025, https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/australia-travel-advisory.html].