The 8 best things to do in Geelong and The Bellarine for families

From fairground rides for little ones to indoor rock climbing for bigger kids, and wildlife encounters fit for all ages, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula has plenty to offer even the pickiest of family members.

1. Barrabool Maze Estate, Geelong

Get the kids off their devices and into the fresh country air at this Greater Geelong destination. Occupying 1.6 hectares, Barrabool Maze Estate’s principal attraction is, of course, its maze, but there are also gardens full of cacti and succulents to tour, as well as a cafe to relax in with a flat white and a wodge of cake.

Barrabool Maze, Geelong, VIC, Australia — Try to get out of the Barrabool Maze. (Image: Tourism Geelong)

2. Museum of Play and Art (MoPA), Geelong

A museum built solely to encourage play and creativity among the already inquisitive minds of kids aged one to seven, Geelong’s MoPA is unlike much else on offer in Victoria. Featuring immersive exhibits and interactive art experiences, the museum’s aim is to help engage and educate little ones through play-based learning: think glitter-doused millennial pink water play exhibits, soft play ‘mosh pits’ and more.

Museum of Play and Art, Geelong, VIC, Australia — A museum built solely to encourage play and creativity among the already inquisitive minds of kids. (Image: Melissa Lau)

3. Adventure Park Geelong

If you’re looking for a family-friendly outing that can easily chew up the better part of a day while exhausting energetic little ones, make a beeline for Victoria’s biggest water theme park. The crowd-pleasing Adventure Park Geelong gives equal billing to water rides, fairground rides and activities, and the entrance fee provides access to all three.

Tsunami and Tornado slides, Adventure Park, Geelong, Victoria, Austrealia — During summer, kids can enjoy corkscrew waterslides more than seven storeys high.

Come summer, the kids can enjoy corkscrew waterslides more than seven storeys high, a meandering lazy river, a waterpark replete with dozens of jets, a Ferris wheel, tea cup ride, small-scale spinning roller coaster and two mini golf courses. If you’re making a day of it, consider renting one of the cabanas or sunbed pods, which offer a little retreat from the mayhem.

Family Cabana, Adventure Park, Geelong, VIC, Australia — Rent one of the cabanas, which offer a little retreat from the mayhem.

In winter the venue offers something a little different. With the water park rides shut for the season, visitors can instead explore a winter wonderland with a vast Christmas lights display, activities including UV face painting, fire twirling and ice sculpting shows, and a snow play zone. Even the food and drink offering is winter themed: think roasted marshmallows and hot chocolate for the kids, and spiced cider or mulled wine for the grown-ups.

4. The Carousel, Geelong

Enjoy a dose of good old-fashioned childhood nostalgia at The Carousel . Housed within a glass pavilion on the city’s waterfront, this sensitively restored hand-carved wooden carousel dates all the way back to the 1890s, and is one of only 200 in operation globally. The fairground ride features two chariots and 36 horses, 24 of which are original. There’s also a mobility lift, enabling wheelchair users to enjoy the vintage fairground ride too.

The Carousel, Geelong Waterfront, VIC, Australia — Housed within a glass pavilion on the city’s waterfront, this sensitively restored hand-carved wooden carousel dates all the way back to the 1890s. (Image: Visit Victoria)

While the carousel now runs on electric power, the original twin-cylinder steam engine that used to power it stands proudly on display and is operated on a regular basis. An attraction in itself, it’s believed to be the only one of its kind in Australia, and possibly one of only five in the world.

5. Fairy Park, Anakie

Little ones with a penchant for fairy tales will enjoy this self-described ‘medieval wonderland’, home to fairies, elves, hippogriffs and dragons. Set amid the rolling green landscapes of Anakie, a 30-minute drive north-west of Geelong, Fairy Park affords visitors 360-degree views of the local countryside, all the way out to the Corio Bay, from its summit. There are 22 animated fairy tales to explore, as well as an adventure playground, model train set and train museum. Set aside at least 90 minutes to see it all.

Castle, Fairy Park, Geelong, VIC, Australia — Little ones with a penchant for fairy tales will enjoy this ‘medieval wonderland’.

6. The Rock Adventure Centre, Geelong

The perfect training ground for rambunctious or sporty kids aged five and up, The Rock Adventure Centre in Geelong is a vertical playground that will wear out minds as well as bodies. Here you’ll find more than 100 climbs across 25 walls, some up to 12 metres high, ensuring that novices, experts and everyone in between will feel appropriately challenged. Watch on as the kids tackle one of the two auto belays or bond while belaying them yourself. It also houses a huge bouldering cave (with a fully padded floor) that features more than 500m² of problems to solve and physical limits to test.

Wall Climbing, The Rock Adventure Centre, Geelong, VIC, Australia — Take your sporty kids at the vertical playground of The Rock Adventure Centre.

7. The Range at Curlewis, Geelong

Carve out some time for a pitstop at this Geelong driving range where you can thwack a few balls with the family while chewing the fat – no golfing experience necessary. Even teens and tweens who would rather have their noses in phones can be lured into teeing off here, with the bays boasting Toptracer Range screens that allow for a real-time deep dive into your shots.

The Range at Curlewis, Geelong, VIC, Australia — No golfing experience necessary when you visit The Range at Curlewis.

8. Sea All Dolphin Swims, Queenscliff

Frolic with wild Burrunan dolphins and Australian fur seals to create some core family memories on a half-day tour with Sea All Dolphin Swims .

Sea All Dolphin Swims, Queenscliff, Geelong, VIC, Australia — Create some core family memories on a half-day tour with Sea All Dolphin Swims. (Image: Visit Victoria)

On the Dolphin & Seal Swim, you’ll spend close to four hours on the sheltered aquamarine waters of Port Phillip Bay; keep an eye peeled for bird and marine life and plunge in to get a closer look. There’s no minimum age, and thanks to the buoyancy of the operator’s thick wetsuits you don’t even need to be able to swim to have a crack. Best of all, you’re in the safe hands of a friendly, patient and experienced crew.

Dolphin & Seal Swim, Port Philip Bay, Geelong, Victoria, Australia — Plunge in to get a closer look at the seals. (Image: Visit Victoria)

If your little ones get nervous at the prospect of diving into open water, try the shorter 90-minute Wildlife Sightseeing Tour instead. You’ll eye all kinds of creatures without even getting your feet wet.

The Great Ocean Road has captured the hearts of Australians with its astounding scenery since 1932, but going off-course can enrich your experience with untouched nature, foodie delights and charming towns.

It’s a chilly 16 degrees. My husband pulls on a steamer and jogs – as all seasoned surfers do – into the water. We’re at Bells Beach , the legendary break on Victoria’s Surf Coast that’s home to the Rip Curl Pro, the world’s longest-running event in competitive surfing. Each year, over the Easter long weekend, up to 40,000 people descend on the region for the event. Today, though, we have the beach almost to ourselves, and the less-than-favourable temperature doesn’t deter my husband from surfing this famous break.

Torquay to Anglesea and Aireys Inlet

The red dome of Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet. (Image: Tourism Australia)

The nearby surf town of Torquay marks the starting point for the Great Ocean Road . Unfolding our map, which we have marked out with a highlighted route for our children to follow, we set off for lesser-known Anglesea, a chilled-out town 20 minutes south of here. Its wide, sandy beach is a gentler swimming option for our young family. Groms can learn to surf here with Go Ride a Wave, which also runs stand-up paddle boarding on the Anglesea River.

Split point lookout — The lighthouse overlooks the Shipwreck Coast. (Image: Tourism Australia)

After a couple of nights in Anglesea, we hit the road again, first stopping at Aireys Inlet. Here we stretch our legs at Split Point Lighthouse, which was made famous by the 1990s television series Round the Twist, before driving under the Memorial Arch that welcomes us, officially, to the Great Ocean Road.

This 243-kilometre coastal road was built by returned First World War servicemen and serves as a permanent memorial to those who fought and died during the war. Carved into rock using hand tools and horse-drawn carts, it was a huge engineering feat and provided much-needed access to isolated coastal communities.

Lorne to Birregurra

Lorne is a delightful beachside stop for lunch and browsing boutique stores. It’s also the gateway to Great Otway National Park , which comprises a varied landscape of old-growth forests, cool-temperate rainforests, heathy woodlands and rugged coast. With the highest rainfall in Victoria, the region is home to many waterfalls – 10 of which are within 10 kilometres of Lorne.

Turning slightly off the main drag, we wind along a gum-shaded road to Erskine Falls. Here, our son leads the way through the hyper-green rainforest and down 200-plus stairs to the cascade that drops 30 metres into a lush fern gully. We hop over large boulders to get closer to the falls, enjoying the entire place to ourselves; it’s worth the return climb.

From Sheoak Falls Picnic Area, there are walking trails to Henderson Falls, Phantom Falls, Won Wondah Falls and Kalimna Falls, some of which follow an old timber tramway from forest-logging days, which only came to an end in 2008.

You can follow your appetite north to the town of Birregurra, which is part of the Otway Harvest Trail that connects farm gates, markets, wineries, breweries and distilleries. It’s home to three-hatted modern Australian restaurant Brae , helmed by celebrated chef Dan Hunter, set among native gardens and an organic farm, and Otways Distillery, which produces small-batch spirits using local produce and botanicals.

Brae restaurant — Brae is a three-hatted restaurant in Birregurra. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Apollo Bay to The Otways

Back on track, the cliff-hugging stretch between Lorne and Apollo Bay is breathtaking. At Teddys Lookout, we overlook the winding road ahead and St George River spilling into the ocean. We spend languid days in Apollo Bay, a buzzy seaside town that boasts a three-kilometre-long, crescent-shaped beach with a backdrop of rolling green hills. One evening, as the sun sets, we take the steep 10-minute walk to Marriners Lookout, which affords panoramic views of the ocean, hinterland and town.

A 15-minute drive along the road, Maits Rest is a lush rainforest gully that has been protected since the early 20th century. Wandering along the 800-metre boardwalk, we inspect the delicate moss-covered forest floor and the gnarled roots of 300-year-old myrtle beech trees, then crane our necks to see their canopies, some 50 metres above us. It’s therapy in nature.

Cape Otway to the Twelve Apostles

The southernmost tip of Cape Otway is a delightful detour, home to the 1848-built Cape Otway Lightstation, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. We climb the narrow winding staircase to the gallery deck, explore the keepers’ quarters and telegraph station, and enjoy a coffee and some ‘famous’ scones at the charming onsite cafe.

It’s a pinch-me moment to finally see the Twelve Apostles in person. This unmistakable cluster of limestone stacks rising abruptly from the sea were never 12, however. When coined this in the 1890s as a marketing ploy, there were only nine; today, only seven remain after two collapsed in 2005 and 2009. We admire these Aussie icons from the viewing platform, in awe of Mother Nature’s ever-evolving artwork.

The Grotto is another natural attraction within Port Campbell National Park. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Edging the wild Southern Ocean, this part of the coast – dubbed Shipwreck Coast – is made up of many sea-carved natural wonders including London Bridge, The Grotto and Gibson Steps. After exploring the lookout trails of Loch Ard Gorge/Poombeeyt Kontapool – its English name taken from the site of the 1878 shipwreck – we nestle into the sandy beach encircled by towering sandstone cliffs, as our children splash about on the water’s edge, and soak it all in.

Port Campbell to Timboon

Timboon Fine Ice Cream is part of a regional foodie trail. (Image: C McConville)

Just north of Port Campbell National Park, the region of Timboon is part of the 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail, filled with purveyors of delicious foodstuffs such as Timboon Fine Ice Cream , Timboon Railway Shed Distillery and Apostle Whey Cheese. As an antidote to the indulgence, the 20-kilometre Poorpa Yanyeen Meerreeng Trail is a self-guided ride or walk between Port Campbell and Timboon through tall forests, over historic bridges and past sparkling lakes and farmland with grazing cattle.

Warrnambool to Port Fairy

Warrnambool building — A 19th-century building in Warrnambool. (Image: Peter Foster)

In Warrnambool, a town rich in maritime history, we take the four-kilometre Thunder Point Walk that traces the coast. The kids squeal when an echidna shuffles out from beneath the wooden boardwalk, and we stop to admire a seal lazing on a rock at the port.

Further along, the streets of quaint fishing village Port Fairy are lined with 19th-century cottages, old stone churches and Norfolk pines. Follow the historic walking trail to see some of the 60-plus National Trust buildings. Port Fairy is also home to Port Fairy Folk Festival (6-9 March), one of the country’s longest-running music and cultural festivals. You could time your road trip with the event for a fittingly celebratory end to any journey.

The Great Ocean Road can easily be done in three days, but we’ve spent a week on the road. The highlighted line on our now creased and well-worn map doesn’t follow the famous route precisely. It has sprouted branches in many directions, leading us to untouched rainforest and charming rural towns filled with culinary delights, and where we experienced some of our most memorable moments on the Great Ocean Road.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

The Monty is a highly anticipated, newly refurbished motel with a chic Palm Springs-inspired aesthetic set across the road from the Anglesea River. Basalt Winery in Port Fairy grows cool-climate wines such as pinot noir and Riesling in rich volcanic soil. Stay among the vines in its tiny home, complete with a kitchen, lounge area and outdoor firepit.

The Oak & Anchor Hotel has been a Port Fairy institution since 1857. Cosy up by the bar in winter or bask in the sunshine of the Lawn Bar in summer. The rooms are beautifully boutique with considered details, such as luxe baths for sinking into post-road trip.

Eating there

The Coast in Anglesea is a modern Australian restaurant focused on local ingredients. Grand Pacific Hotel has been a local landmark in Lorne since 1879 and recently underwent a restoration. It serves a mix of traditional pub and Italian fare alongside ocean views.

Graze is a cosy 40-seat dining room in Apollo Bay with a modern Australian menu complemented by regional wines. Apollo Bay Distillery offers tasting flights, a gin blending masterclass and serves woodfired pizzas.