14 Of The Best Places To Eat Along The Great Ocean Road

Don’t set out on Victoria’s most iconic road trip without planning where you’ll stop along the way – better yet, plan your Great Ocean Road trip around these cafes, restaurants and eateries.

A trip along the Great Ocean Road is a feast for the senses. There’s the smell of the eucalyptus trees, the sound of the roaring ocean and some incredible food to tantalise your taste buds. From coffee and pastries in Wye River, to a degustation dinner at one of the country’s finest restaurants (Brae in Birregurra ), there’s something here to suit every palette. These are our top picks.

1. The Wye General, Wye River

Set in the beautiful hamlet of Wye River, The General is a beautiful dining spot, right by the sea. They do an all-day brunch menu that features excellent coffee and fresh pastries, bloody marys, burgers, bang-up full breakfasts, and fresh salads. This is a great spot if you’re travelling through in the cooler months, as they have a combustion heater to keep things toasty. There’s also a great play area for little ones.

Address: 35 Great Ocean Road, Wye River

2. Fish by Moonlite, Anglesea

Anglesea surfers would do well to follow the lead of Chef Matt Germanchis, one-half of the mastermind behind the now-closed Captain Moonlite – and its offshoot, Fish by Moonlite , a fish-and-chip and seafood retail shop along the Great Ocean Road run by Germanchis and his partner Gemma Gange.

Germanchis was inspired by his time cooking in Skiathos, Greece, where the evening menu would come from what fishermen bring to port that day, now Fish by Moonlite patrons not only gain access to the freshest seafood delivered daily but also get advice from seasoned chefs about how to cook your produce. A visit won’t be complete without the help of their top-notch fish and chips.

Fresh seafood, Fish by Moonlite — Get access to the freshest seafood delivered daily at Fish by Moonlite.

Address: 87-89 Great Ocean Road, Anglesea, Victoria

3. Chris’s Beacon Point Restaurant, Apollo Bay

Set high in the Otways above the Great Ocean Road, Chris’s Beacon Point Restaurant has been an iconic eatery since opening in 1979. Chris’s passion for the food of southern Europe combined with the freshest and purest produce available means people come back time and time again for lunch or dinner with a spectacular view. Fresh seafood is a speciality.

Address: 280 Skenes Creek Rd, Apollo Bay, Victoria

4. Conlan’s Wine Store, Port Fairy

Located in the historic coastal town of Port Fairy is Conlan’s Wine Store , a restaurant that offers relaxed dining options perfect for a night of unwinding. Try their four-course sharing style menu, or order from their wide selection of a la carte dishes, both of which can be paired with the region’s finest wine. You can also bring home a bottle along with some homely goods from their retail store.

Conlan's Wine Store, Lunch Menu with wine pairings — Try their four-course sharing-style menu.

Address: 34 Bank Street, Port Fairy

5. Brae, Birregurra

To be fair this isn’t technically on the Great Ocean Road. You have to head inland to hit Birregurra to indulge in lunch or dinner at Brae . But it’s consistently been named one of the best restaurants in the country by the Good Food Guide, and when you’re this close to perfection it would be a shame not to take the slight detour. Chef Dan Hunter’s ever-changing menu incorporates produce from Brae’s organic farm, the surrounding land and local, ethical, sustainable producers. It will be one of the best meals you ever have.

Brae Great Ocean Road — Brae is consistently been named one of the best restaurants in the country.

Address: 4285 Cape Otway Rd, Birregurra

6. Ipsos Restaurant & Bar, Lorne

For a fun night out with friends, it’s hard to go past Ipsos . Here you’ll find a modern spin on Greek cooking, with lots of salads, dips and grilled meats to keep you satisfied. There’s also a superb cocktail list.

Address: 48 Mountjoy Parade, Lorne, Victoria

7. Apollo Bay Bakery, Apollo Bay

Locals along the Great Ocean Road swear by the Apollo Bay Bakery . They have a great range of fresh sandwiches, rolls and cakes and all their pies, pasties and sausage rolls are hand-made on-site (they have become well-known as the home of the scallop pie). Gluten-free pies and vegan pasties are also available. It’s open seven days a week from 6am to 3pm.

Address: 125 Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay

8. Merrijig Inn, Port Fairy

This is, apparently, Victoria’s oldest inn and it’s certainly dripping with old-world charm. Open for dinner Thursday to Monday, the daily kitchen menu at the Merrijig Inn highlights local producers and farmers. Depending on what’s good and fresh that day you might find Milawa free-range duck, Western District lamb, and ox-tail ragout with globe artichokes or a pan-fried fillet of Portland blue-eye.

Address: 1 Campbell Street, Port Fairy

Merrijig is, apparently, Victoria’s oldest inn.

9. Bellbrae Estate, Bellbrae

This cool climate winery and cellar door is just a five-minute drive from Bells Beach. Family owned and run, it’s no novelty venture built solely to lure in tourists; after all, the hallowed Halliday Wine Companion has named Bellbra e Estat e an “excellent" winery capable of producing elegant wines. Duck in for a tasting or linger for longer at the weekend with a woodfired pizza and tasting flight.

Wine and oysters platter, Bellbrae Estate, Great Ocean Road, VIC, Australia — Duck in for a tasting. (Image: Great Ocean Road Tourism; Lauren Doolan)

Address: 520 Great Ocean Rd, Bellbrae

10. Great Ocean Road Gin Tasting Room, Aireys Inlet

Hidden in plain sight in the quaint hamlet of Aireys Inlet, this nook of a gin garden is a delightful spot to pass some time. Nurse a small-batch navy-strength gin negroni laced with housemade bitter orange syrup while sitting on the sun-dappled deck amid furniture doused in a Palm Springs colour palette. When hunger strikes you don’t have to venture far; simply slink next door to the adjoining Gin Kitchen, which offers a five-course banquet menu inspired by Southeast Asian cuisine.

Great Ocean Road Gin Tasting Room, Aireys Inlet, Great Ocean Road, VIC, Autralia — Help yourself to some negroni. (Image: Great Ocean Road Tourism; Lauren Doolan)

Want more? Visit the Apollo Bay Distillery , which runs gin blending masterclasses.

Address: 32 Great Ocean Rd, Aireys Inlet

11. Noodledoof Brewing and Distilling Co., Koroit

Open from your morning cold drip coffee, brewed over 12 hours, through to your evening gin – distilled with botanicals plucked from the crater of a dormant local volcano, no less – Noodledoof is no one-trick pony. Beyond beverages, this brewery and distillery also serves up an indulgent menu of burgers, loaded fries and chicken wings come lunch and dinner, while breakfast is a slightly more salubrious affair, running the gamut from almond and chia pudding to fruit toast and granola with coconut yoghurt.

Beer and food at Noodledoof Brewing and Distilling Co, Koroit, Great Ocean Road, VIC, Australia — Beyond beverages, this brewery and distillery also serves up an indulgent menu. (Image: Great Ocean Road Tourism; Lauren Doolan)

Address: 128 Commercial Rd, Koroit

12. Apollo Bay Fishermen’s Co-op, Apollo Bay

A coastal restaurant with plenty of rustic charm, Apollo Bay Fishermen’s Co-op is a mecca for seafood lovers. Situated just a couple of metres from the salty surf, it dishes up a bounty of impossibly fresh fish and crustaceans. So fabled is the southern rock lobster that’s hauled from the depths of this bay that the seaside town and its catch took centre stage on a season 13 episode of MasterChef. Pull up a pew at one of the co-op’s picnic tables, devour a fisherman’s basket and watch on as sailboats bob around in the water before you.

Seafood at Apollo Bay Fisherman's Coop, Great Ocean Road, VIC, Australia — Enjoy Apollo Bay’s bounty of impossibly fresh fish and crustaceans. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Address: 2 Breakwater Rd, Apollo Bay

13. Wickens at the Royal Mail Hotel, Dunkeld

Among the region’s most show-stopping offerings, Wickens at the Royal Mail Hotel is a non-negotiable for fervent foodies. This hatted restaurant has an extensive kitchen garden, said to be among the biggest in Australia, which furnishes the kitchen’s fridge and pantry with all manner of fruits, veggies and herbs. Moreover, the hotel even raises its own beef and lamb. But food is not the sole focal point here: the restaurant’s award-winning cellar is home to an encyclopaedic collection of wine (some 25,000 bottles, to be precise).

For those who fancy a more casual a la carte meal, try the hotel offshoot Parker Street Project .

Wickens Great Ocean Road — Wickens at the Royal Mail Hotel is a non-negotiable for fervent foodies. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Address: 98 Parker St, Dunkeld

14. Timboon Fine Ice Cream, Timboon Railway Shed Distillery and Schulz Organic Creamery & Cafe, Timboon

In the thick of the Otways hinterland, among the verdant pastoral landscapes, lies a little pocket awash with artisanal food and drink producers. From a natural ice creamery founded by a third-generation dairy farmer, to a single malt whisky distillery run by a cattle farmer in a railway shed that dates back to the 1800s, and a ‘grass to glass’ single-site organic dairy and cheesery, the tiny town of Timboon (pop. 1,202) punches well above its weight.

Timbon Shed Distillery, Great Ocean Road, VIC, Australia — Visit this little pocket awash with artisanal food and drink producers. (Image: Great Ocean Road Tourism; Lauren Doolan)

Stop in at Schul z Organic Creamery & Cafe for a spot of morning tea: we’re talking chocolate babka, a smattering of bagels, and scones with local jam and homemade cream. Then pop into Timboon Fine Ice Cream for a scoop of apple pie ice cream or maybe even one of their Sundae School classes. Finally, drop by Timboon Railway Shed Distillery for a dram of whisky alongside farmer and head distiller Josh’s slow-cooked grass-fed black Angus beef.

Bottles of whisky, Timboon Railway Shed Distillery, Great Ocean Road, VIC, Australia — Drop by Timboon Railway Shed Distillery for a dram of whisky. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Addresses in order: 1A Barrett St, Timboon; 1 Bailey St, Timboon, Victoria; 3 Ford and Fells Rd, Timboon

Updates written by Chloe Cann

Read our ultimate travel guide to the Great Ocean Road for more on what to do and where to stay.

The charm of Mildura is hidden in plain sight along the Sturt Highway. The capital of Tropical North Victoria is in a league of its own.

From the moment you arrive in Mildura , the warm air and palm trees invite you to slow down. While most Australians might drive right past it, Mildura is full of surprises. Here you’ll spend one day witnessing over 50,000 years of First Nations history in a UNESCO-listed National Park, and the next dining in a hatted restaurant after wandering through 12,500 fireflies as the outback sunset bursts to life above. From roadside fruit stalls and family-run wineries to houseboats and galleries, it’s time to explore Mildura.

Feast Street, at the heart of Langtree Avenue in Mildura. — Taste, wander and be surprised in Mildura.

Taste Mildura’s produce

It makes sense to start your trip by addressing the most important question: where to eat. In the beating heart of Australia’s food bowl, sample the local produce directly from the source. And then, of course, experience it through the menu of a hatted chef. Or sandwiched between pillowy slices of Nonna’s ciabatta.

Rows of orchards and olive groves invite you to spend the day traipsing from farm to farm. Taste olives propagated from Calabrian trees brought over in the 40s, oranges picked right from the tree and squeezed into juice and spoons full of honey . Bring the holiday back to your kitchen by stocking your pantry at roadside produce stalls, or calling into the ‘silver shed ’ (Sunraysia’s gourmand Mecca).

Thanks to the warm, balmy air and fertile soils, the wineries dotted along these hills produce award-winning local wines. Like Chalmers , a family-run, innovative winery dedicated to making their wines as sustainable as possible. And picturesque Trentham Estate offers views of the snaking Murray River as you sample their vintages.

Venture beyond the gnarled shadows of olive groves and fragrant rows of blossoming fruit trees and you’ll find an otherworldly side to Mildura. With Discover Mildura as your guide, visit Murray River Salt’s Mars-like stacks. The naturally pink salt is formed from an ancient inland sea and evaporated entirely by the sun to create one of the region’s most iconic exports.

Start your day with just-squeezed sunshine.

Hatted dining & Italian history

Mildura is home to a proud community of Calabrians and Sicilians. This, paired with the exceptional local produce, means that you can find paninos on par with those in Italy. The Italian is a Paninoteca serving up made-to-order, hefty, authentic Sicilian paninos. Nonna Rosa’s pork meatballs, slowly cooked in tomato ragu and served in a crusty, fluffy roll topped with gratings of Grana Padano cheese and salsa verde, will call you back to Mildura for the rest of your days.

To find hatted dining in Mildura, simply follow the staircase down into the basement of the historic Mildura Grand Hotel to find Stefano’s . Following the muscle memory and instinct of his Italian roots, he delivers on the principle of ‘cucina povera’. That is, the Italian cooking ideology that turns simple, local ingredients into magic.

Things to do in Mildura include dining at the acclaimed Stefano’s, where simple local ingredients are transformed into Italian culinary magic beneath the historic Grand Hotel. — Bite into Mildura’s Italian heritage.

Discover a thriving culture scene

The city is alive with culture. Whether it’s painted on the town’s walls, told in ancient yarns, or waiting for you in a gallery.

The Mildura Arts Centre was Australia’s first regional art gallery. Behind the walls of Rio Vista Historic House, you’ll find a lineup of ever-changing exhibitions. The gallery’s wall space pays tribute to the art and songlines of local First Nations People, the region’s awe-inspiring landscapes and more. Outside, on the gallery’s lawn, find 12 contemporary sculptures in the Sculpture Park.

Mildura’s streetscapes are a punch of colour. Swirling strokes of paint blend the winding artery of the Murray River, red dirt and local characters into a story you can see with your own eyes, thanks to the Mildura City Heart’s Mural Art Project . Pick up a copy of the Murals of Mildura guide from the Visitor Information Centre.

Follow the border of NSW and Victoria on a map and you’ll see it hugs the curves of a tiny island on the Murray. That’s Lock Island, where, as the sun and moon trade places, the island comes alive as darkness falls. The island is dotted with 12,500 firefly lights that lead you on a meandering path through the outback sunset. The installation is known as Trail of Lights and was created by the same visionary who dreamt up Field of Light at Uluṟu, Bruce Munro.

Things to do in Mildura include exploring its rich cultural scene. From vibrant street art and ancient stories to exhibitions at the Mildura Arts Centre, Australia’s first regional gallery. — Find culture around every corner.

Wonder at ancient landscapes

The landscapes of Mildura feel almost transcendental. The skyline bursts to life with reds, pinks, and deep, sparkly night skies.

The nature will leave you in awe. See hues of pink water changing with the weather at Pink Lakes inside Victoria’s largest national park, Murray Sunset National Oark. Cast a line into Ouyen Lake. Watch the sunset against 70-metre tall red cliffs that reflect the setting sun. Or get the heart racing and sandboard down the Perry Sandhills dunes, formed 40,000 years ago at the end of an ice age.

Just don’t leave without following the twists and turns of the Murray. Stroll or ride along the Shared River Front Path, or jump onboard a boat for a scenic ride.

Your itinerary will be incomplete without a visit to UNESCO World Heritage-listed Mungo National Park . Head out with an Indigenous ranger to witness ancient campsites and footprints, before standing in awe of ancient civilisation near the discovery site of Mungo Man—Australia’s oldest human skeleton at 42,000 years old.

Mungo National Park at night is a vast, silent landscape where ancient dunes glow under moonlight and stars blanket the sky in breathtaking clarity. — Walk in the footsteps of ancient civilisation.

Meet your home away from home

On equal par with planning your meals and adventures, is finding the perfect place to relax at the end of each day.

Sleep inside a Palm Springs postcard at Kar-Rama . A sleek boutique hotel complete with a butterfly shaped, sun-soaked pool. Here you’re staying right in the heart of Mildura but you’ll feel worlds away. Or if you really wish to connect with nature, a night glamping under the stars at Outback Almonds will have you spellbound.

When in Mildura it’s only right to stay on one of the Murray River’s iconic houseboats . Wake up each day to the calm waters of the Murray lapping outside your window. Enjoy days full of river swims, fishing and exploring. All boats are solar-powered and can be self-skippered or moored along the river.

A solar-powered houseboat on the Murray River in Mildura. — Stay and play on the Murray in a solar houseboat.

Start planning the perfect getaway at mildura.com .

14 of the best places to eat along the Great Ocean Road