The best campervan stops Great Ocean Road self-drivers actually need

The Great Ocean Road is not remote by Outback standards, but it is awkward in a van if you treat every beach car park like a campsite. Fuel is easy at Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne, Apollo Bay, Port Campbell and Warrnambool, yet the slow coastal section between Lorne and Apollo Bay can chew time like a road train chewing flies. Plan on 40–60 km/h average once you start stopping.

Most hire campervans are 2WD and perfectly fine on the sealed Great Ocean Road. The trouble begins when you follow a shortcut into the Otways after rain, ignore a “dry weather only” sign, or park nose-first in a tiny lookout with a queue behind you. If your van is over 7 m, be fussy. If it is over 3 m high, watch tree limbs and holiday park boom gates.

• Do: fill fuel before leaving Torquay or Apollo Bay if your gauge is below half.
• Do: book national park and holiday park sites online in summer, Easter and long weekends.
• Don’t: sleep at the Twelve Apostles, Gibson Steps, beach car parks or signed day-use areas.
• Don’t: rely on mobile reception through every Otway valley; download maps before Lorne.

Your first proper campervan stops are friendly ones: Torquay foreshore, Bells Beach, Point Addis and Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet. This is the part of the drive where you can practise using the mirrors without a cliff face breathing on your left shoulder. Bells Beach has larger parking areas, but don’t assume every bay is level enough for lunch without plates sliding into the sink.

Point Addis is a gem for self-drivers because it feels wild without being a logistical circus. The access road is sealed, the car park suits standard campervans if you arrive outside peak beach hours, and the clifftop walk gives you that “yes, we have actually started” moment. Overnight stays are not permitted in the lookout or beach car parks.

• Van fit: best before 10 am or after 3 pm in summer school holidays.
• Fuel: Torquay and Anglesea are the sensible top-up points.
• Sleep nearby: use Torquay or Anglesea holiday parks if this is your first night in the van.

The 45 km from Lorne to Apollo Bay is the classic postcard section, which is lovely until someone in a rental car brakes for every seagull. In a campervan, pull over when safe, let the locals and tradies go, and enjoy the show at your pace. Teddy’s Lookout above Lorne is worth it, though longer motorhomes should take care on the steeper approach and avoid peak congestion.

Kennett River is the famous koala stop, but treat it like a wildlife area rather than a petting zoo with parking. The roadside can clog quickly, and large vans should avoid blocking driveways or turning into side tracks unless signed and suitable. Apollo Bay is the reset button: groceries, servo, dump point options nearby, laundry, hot showers if you book a park, and a proper meal that is not cooked in a frypan balanced on a slope.

• Do: use signed pull-outs and keep wheels off soft shoulders.
• Don’t: feed parrots or koalas; it makes a mess of the animals and sometimes your awning.
• Best rhythm: Lorne for coffee, Kennett River for a short wildlife stop, Apollo Bay for the night.

The Great Otway National Park is where the coast suddenly turns into cool temperate rainforest, and it is a brilliant campervan detour if you respect the road signs. Maits Rest is the easy win: sealed access off the main road, a short boardwalk loop, huge trees and enough damp ferny mood to make the van smell like wet socks by dinner. Cape Otway Lighthouse Road is sealed too, with koalas often visible in the manna gums.

For overnighting, Johanna Beach and Aire River are the practical self-drive choices, booked through Parks Victoria. Expect basic facilities rather than resort comforts: toilets, no powered sites, and no guarantee of drinking water. In windy weather, Johanna can rattle the van like a biscuit tin. In heavy rain, be cautious on gravel approaches and avoid unsigned forest tracks, especially in a 2WD hire vehicle.

• Van fit: standard campervans are generally fine on signed access roads; larger motorhomes should check site length before booking.
• Water: carry at least 10–15 L per person per day if staying unpowered.
• Rule: fires may be banned on Total Fire Ban days; gas cooking can also be restricted in severe conditions.

Gibson Steps, the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, The Arch, London Bridge and The Grotto are close together, which tricks people into rushing. Don’t. The main Twelve Apostles visitor area has large parking suited to campervans, but it gets busy from mid-morning to sunset, especially in January. Dawn is quieter, cooler and kinder to anyone who has not yet mastered reversing a motorhome under audience conditions.

The important bit: these are day-use stops, not campsites. Free camping Great Ocean Road dreams often die here because the best views are heavily managed, patrolled and signed. Port Campbell is the sensible overnight base, with holiday park options, meals, fuel and a short drive back to sunrise views if you are feeling heroic.

• Do: allow half a day between Gibson Steps and The Grotto.
• Don’t: open the side door into traffic or stand on unfenced cliff edges for a selfie.
• Sleep nearby: Port Campbell for convenience, or booked Parks Victoria sites inland/coastal if you prefer basic camping.

The phrase “free camping Great Ocean Road” needs a reality check. The coastal strip is busy, fragile and heavily signed. You cannot just pull into a beach car park, draw the curtains and call it van life. Local councils and Parks Victoria can issue fines, and the amount can be several hundred dollars depending on the offence and location.

Your better bet is to mix paid holiday parks with designated bush camps inland or within the Otways, then use dump points, potable water taps and servos as your support network. If your hire vehicle has a toilet, use dump points only — never drains, bushes or the “it’ll be right” method. The Big Lap gods are watching, and they are unimpressed.

• Powered site: useful every second or third night for charging, laundry and civilised showers.
• Unpowered site: fine if your battery, fridge and water use are under control.
• Free/bush camp: use only signed, legal locations and check current rules before you go.
• LPG: refill or swap bottles in larger towns; don’t wait until a cold, windy Otways night.