The weather was a bit soul destroying, but our guide James kept us in high spirits. I can only imagine how beautiful this place would be in the summer time. At least with the 2 day tour, we had the luxury of waiting for gaps in the weather rather than getting soaked to the bone at each location. It was torrential. Bring a rain coat is my only advice.

My wife and I did this small group tour in Jan 23. The trip exceeded our expectations in every respect. Our guide, Pierre, was first class and went out of his way to ensure everybody had the best time. The accommodation was excellent, meals were great and the scenery was magnificent. It was very relaxing to sit back and enjoy the beautiful scenery which seemed to get better and better. Finishing the tour with the Grampians was also wonderful and very relaxing. Pierre was an absolute gentleman and his knowledge of the area and its history was exceptional. Highly recommend this tour. It won’t disappoint.

We had an amazing time. The driver James was super lovely, well informed and made our tour a better experience all round. All the sights that we stopped at were amazing and had plenty of time to really enjoy each place, without feeling rushed. It also helped that we arrived at most stops and had them to ourselves.

My family and I loved this tour. Easy to book. Seamless pre-tour with the guide getting in direct contact a few days prior with helpful suggestions on what to pack etc. and we had his contact incase we needed to text him. So even before our trip, we were all ready and set. The tour was just what we had hoped for. We got to spend as much time as we wanted tat each location. As soon as we said we were bored with one location…..whooooosh we were whisked off to another. Breathtaking scenery. Brilliant tour. Private is definitely the way to go.

We had such a blast along the coast with James as our guide. He was always checking up on us, letting us know when the next good coffee place was coming up or the next (clean) restroom was (ps there’s some not so nice public rest rooms on the road so be warned). Plus a very safe driver. Before I go on, (and I do sometimes go on trust me!) I would just say anyone reading this who are thinking of doing the tour, they should really think about booking directly. We got a great offer and the direct communication we had upon booking was second to none - with recommendations of where to stay, what to wear, suggestions, tips, etc. This was really helpful for us in terms of preparing for the trip. He really knew the area and the traffic flow which made for a really comfortable tour. He also took us out to a quiet secluded area so we could try and spot some wild kangaroos. Low and behold we found a big male kangaroo (apparently called a buck) coming down the river for a drink (or perhaps something to eat) **SEE PHOTO!** The 1st day we stopped by Bells Beach. I have no interest in surfing, but it was great to watch the locals…..well……do what locals do I suppose. Great visit to a local chocolate shop. It had its own squat toilets - and standard ones to. And I’m sorry I’m trying not to turn this into a guide to the toilet stops on the great ocean road lol. Later in the afternoon we visited erskine falls (i think that is how you spell it anyway). Despite the heavy rain we encountered, this was still fun. Overnight stop was in Apollo Bay, which was really charming in a seaside kind of way. Accommodation you do have to book yourself, but we did follow advice from James about which hotel to book (he gave us some great options). The brew house was a great option for dinner. We tried their ‘Parma’. Apparently it what the locals normally eat if given the chance. Second day was just as good as the first, but completely differently scenery. Rainforest, farming country and rock formations were very much the order of the day. We stopped for lunch at the cutest little cafe before making our slow (but long) was back to Melbourne, thinking could we have had a better tour? Probably not, hence my title. Thanks for reading. Your are now excused ;)

I'm not one to write reviews but thought i would just share my positive experience of this tour company. Excellent from start to finish. Our guide James was very friendly and a very safe driver. Thanks from Jen & the boys x

We had really wanted to visit the Grampians but were struggling to find someone who get us out there, as we had a long lost relative we wanted to connect with. We took a tour which incorporated the great ocean road. It was a lot of driving, and perhaps I probably would have chosen to do it over 4 days, but sadly we didn’t quite have that extra time. The trip was very varied.

We were very happy with the services of great Ocean Road Explorer. I knew they would be good on the great Ocean Road, given that would seem to be their main market, but they still gave us an excellent tour to Phillip island as well. They were also quite flexible when we contacted them, as we wanted a ‘day off’ to explore Melbourne, so we did the tour to phillip island on the Monday, explored Melbourne by ourselves on Tuesday, and then went on the 2 day portion of the tour to the great Ocean Road on Wednesday and Thursday, which all worked out well. We also saved quite a bit of money by booking directly (via a combination of phone and email) which is always a nice little bonus.

My husband and I travelled on vacation to Australia with our parents and spent amazing two days along the Great Ocean Road. James was impeccable! Professional, friendly, polite and knows the region in details. From Melbourne to Apollo Bay, he drove us and provided to us incredible experience out off the common touristic tours. We visited all the sites, beaches that the others tours do, but with a unique experience. James customized our tour so everyone could experience it despite my parents (elders) age restrictions. The younger ones and the older ones, all of us had an amazing time. James referred an excellent restaurant for our dinner night at Apollo Bay! I would definitely use James services again and strongly recommend him to any one visiting the region.

We choose to do a 3 day private tour. I think the average person would be happy with 2 days, but we had extra activities that we wanted to do that we had read about (I.e. zip lining and horse riding) which Jamie fitted into our schedule seamlessly, with use of the extra 3rd day. Very good indeed.

Discovering a totally new place with someone who really know it, and plans everything around what you really like and want to see, is priceless. Jamie was a great ambassador for the road and its rich history - which we were completely and naively unaware of prior to the tour. We saw new things, tried new foods (that we don’t see so much in Asia) and Jamie helped create some unforgettable memories for myself and my family.

We travelled as 2 couples. We took the 2 day option. On balance, we feel we made the right choice. 1 day would perhaps be a bit rushed whilst we just didn’t have the time for 3 days. Too much to see in Australia! We were kept busy on both days with a really good mix of sightseeing and wildlife. Jamie was our guide. He looked after us well. Gave us honest opinions of where to stay, where to eat, and took us to some of his favourite areas. I took some great photos. I wanted to include some with my review but I am a technophobe so sadly I’m not able to download them. The car was very comfortable. All in all, an excellent experience.

We took private tour with Great Ocean Road Explorer company for 2 days. My friend also did this trip last year with the same company. That time she had Jamie as the driver and had a great time. This time, Jamie was already booked, so I was a bit sad to hear that. Instead we had different driver called Phil - we called him ‘Big Phil’. He was very kind and sweet and made our holiday on great Ocean Road very special. We enjoy our time. Thank you. Li & Bo

We were a bit apprehensive as to which company to choose to take us down the Great Ocean Road as there seemed to be quite a few options available. Our minds were put to rest the moment we were picked up by our guide. Our tour was jam packed with so many different components, I had to look back through my photos to remind myself of all the different places we stopped at over our 2 day tour. And of course, the big sights like the 12 apostles were impressive, but I was just in awe of the road in general. And the smaller, lesser known stops were equally as impressive. The area is just an incredible place. It deserves, in my opinion, to be put as the number 1 must see in Australia, just behind the Great Barrier Reef and the blue mountains. I would also perhaps suggest spending a day or two in Melbourne, which we much preferred to Sydney. Overall, I would certainly recommend any of my friends and family heading out to Australia in the future to use Great Ocean Road Explorer as their go-to-company. We felt safe throughout the tour, the car we travelled in was comfy and we were given the flexibility to pick and choose where we wanted to stop as we travelled along the road.

I took this tour with 3 friends. We were due to self drive, but didn’t realise it was Grand Prix weekend, so all the cars had been hired. Luckily, our concierge managed to put us in contact with these guys. We were given a great tour, despite the short notice. We had a couple of places on our wish list, and Phil our guide was able to tailor the tour to our liking. Our overnight stay was in Apollo Bay - which we had to pay for separately). A beautiful little town. Really special watching the sunrise here in the morning (if you can drag yourself out of bed that early). I will also mention the bakery we visited for lunch. Phil recommended we try a scallop pie. I don’t mind scallops, but found the idea of them being in a pie a bit weird. But I went with his recommendation. So yummy. Then I followed his recommendation for their deserts....chocolate cheesecake. Wow. Thanks Phil. I am now struggling to fit into my holiday clothes lol. However you get here, just get here if you can. It is truly a special part of the planet.