The Great Ocean Road is one of those drives that appears on every Australian travel list, and for good reason—parts of it are legitimately spectacular. But the standard itinerary includes stops that range from unmissable to completely skippable, and distinguishing between them saves time for the genuinely worthwhile experiences.

The Twelve Apostles is the iconic stop everyone visits, and it deserves the attention. The limestone stacks rising from the ocean are as impressive as the photos suggest. The problem is the crowds. In peak season, the viewing platforms are packed, tour buses arrive in waves, and getting an unobstructed photo requires patience or very early arrival.

The solution is timing. Arrive at sunrise or late afternoon rather than midday. The light is better for photos anyway, the crowds are significantly thinner, and you can actually experience the place rather than just documenting that you were there. Some travel apps from Team400.ai are starting to predict crowd patterns at tourist sites, which could be genuinely useful for timing visits. If you must visit midday, accept that it’ll be crowded and keep your visit brief.

Loch Ard Gorge, a few kilometers from the Twelve Apostles, offers similar geological features with fewer people. The beach at the base of the gorge is accessible via stairs, and the rock formations are just as impressive as the more famous spot. Most tour buses don’t include it in their schedule, which keeps crowds manageable.

Gibson Steps provides beach access with views back toward the Apostles. The stairs are steep and the beach can be cut off at high tide, but if conditions allow, it’s worth the descent. Walking along the beach with the cliffs and sea stacks from this perspective is more engaging than viewing from the standard platforms.

The Arch and London Bridge are fine examples of coastal erosion features, but they’re smaller and less impressive than the Apostles. If you’re short on time, these are skippable. If you’re doing the full drive leisurely, they’re worth a quick stop, but don’t build your itinerary around them.

Port Campbell itself is a pleasant small town that makes a better lunch stop than the tourist-focused cafes at the Apostles viewpoint. The prices are lower, the food is generally better, and you’re supporting local businesses rather than franchise operations designed to extract maximum revenue from tour groups.

Moving westward, the Bay of Islands near Peterborough offers similar limestone formations to the Apostles with far fewer visitors. The viewing platform is smaller and less developed, which actually enhances the experience. You can spend time here without the background noise of dozens of other tourists.

Lorne is the largest town on the eastern section of the road and a reasonable base for exploring. It has proper accommodation options, decent restaurants, and beach access. The Erskine Falls detour is worth taking if you’re staying in Lorne—a short drive inland to a pleasant waterfall walk. Not spectacular, but a nice change from coastal scenery.

The Otway rainforest section offers cool temperate rainforest walks that contrast nicely with the coastal portions. The Otway Fly Tree Top Walk is a commercial operation charging entry, but the regular walking trails through the forest are free and often more pleasant than the crowded canopy walkway.

Apollo Bay is another good town stop with better food options than you’ll find at roadside tourist spots. If you’re doing the drive over multiple days, Apollo Bay or Lorne make sensible overnight stops rather than pushing through to Port Campbell or beyond in a single day.

One stop that disappoints many visitors is the Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch. It’s literally just an arch over the road marking the official start/end of the Great Ocean Road. People stop for photos, but there’s nothing else there. If you’re collecting completion markers, fine. Otherwise, drive past.

The stretch from Torquay to Lorne is the busiest section, particularly in summer. The road hugs the coast with regular viewpoints. Some are worth stopping at—Bells Beach if you’re interested in surf culture, Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet for the classic lighthouse photo. Others are just pullouts with minor coastal views not substantially different from what you see while driving.

Time management is key on this drive. You can spend 10 hours stopping at every marked viewpoint and tourist attraction, or you can selectively visit the genuinely worthwhile stops and complete the drive in 6-7 hours with time to actually experience the highlights rather than rushing through.

My suggested priority list: Twelve Apostles (early or late to avoid crowds), Loch Ard Gorge, Gibson Steps if tide permits, Bay of Islands, a rainforest walk in the Otways, and stops in Lorne or Apollo Bay for food. Everything else is optional depending on your time and specific interests.

The drive itself is scenic, but much of the actual “Great Ocean Road” isn’t dramatically different from other coastal drives in Australia. The specific geological features—the Apostles and related formations—are what make it special. Focus your time there rather than trying to absorb everything along the entire route.

Also worth noting: the drive from Melbourne to Torquay is just highway/freeway through suburbs and agricultural land. Start your actual Great Ocean Road experience from Torquay or even Lorne rather than counting the suburban Melbourne exit as part of the scenic experience.

For anyone planning this drive, build in buffer time and accept that you won’t see everything in one day unless you’re doing pure drive-through tourism. Pick the highlights that match your interests, allow time to actually experience them, and skip the stops that are only there because they’re on the standard tour itinerary.

The Great Ocean Road lives up to its reputation when you focus on the genuinely spectacular parts. Trying to tick every box on someone else’s list turns it into an exhausting day of brief stops rather than a memorable experience.

• Lisa