Luxury holidays in Great Ocean Road

When to go

Spring and autumn are great times to venture here. Winters are very chilly and you’ll need to rug up against the wind when you visit spots like coastal rock stacks the Twelve Apostles. The summer holidays, particularly around Christmas, turn these sleepy towns into heaving hot spots.

Getting there

• Planes

  Jetstar (www.jetstar.com) flies to the closest local airport, Melbourne Avalon, 22 kilometres from Geelong just north-east of the Great Ocean Road, although most people would start from the Melbourne metropolis.

• Trains

  V/Line trains (www.vline.com.au) run from Melbourne's Southern Cross Station in the CBD to the town of Geelong, about 50 minutes away, where you can pick u a V/Line bus heading west along the Great Ocean Road stopping at towns such as Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay and Warrnambool. Bus services are infrequent though, especially at weekends.

• Automobiles

  To see the best of the Great Ocean Road, a car is an absolute must. Do it in style by hiring an Aston Martin, Ferrari or something similarly stylish from Melbourne Sports Car Rentals (+61 (0)3 9826 6990; www.melbournesportscarrentals.com.au).

• Taxis

  You can hire a taxi in most of the major towns along the road, such as Lorne (+61 (0)409 892 304) and Apollo Bay (+61 (0)417 109 686), but it’ll cost you a fortune if you use them to travel between towns.