The 7 best spas on the Great Ocean Road and Bellarine Peninsula

Relax, recharge and retreat from the daily grind at one of these boutique Great Ocean Road and Bellarine Peninsula spas.

From facials on bucolic country farms in the Otways to mineral-fed hot springs on the Shipwreck Coast, these are seven of the region’s best offerings.

1. Warilda Spa by Denise Pinot, Birregurra

The set-up at this Birregurra spa is a little bit special; picture a quaint whitewashed cottage in the heart of the Otways, surrounded by pine trees, farmland and fields, and you have Warilda Spa . Inside the cottage you’ll find exposed timber beams paired with sleek matte black fixtures and a minimalist design, with furnishings in muted neutral tones and a riot of textures. And no wonder: Denise may have started her career as a massage therapist in 2008, but she later added a qualification in interior design to her résumé.

House Exterior, Warilda Spa, Birregurra, Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia — Picture a quaint whitewashed cottage surrounded by pine trees, farmland and fields. (Image: Great Ocean Road Tourism)

If you’re looking to hide away and seek out relaxation, this is the place. After all, there’s only space for two at this little countryside retreat, where you can indulge in a bathing ritual, a Shiatsu massage or a foot spa. You can even up the ante and book a night in an on-site cottage on the water, replete with freestanding outdoor tub and Denise’s keen eye for aesthetics inside.

Woman Bathing at Warilda Spa, Birregurra, Victoria, Australia — Indulge in a bathing ritual. (Image: Great Ocean Road Tourism)

2. Deep Blue Hotel & Hot Springs, Warrnambool

A wellness-focussed hotel that comprises not just a spa but hot springs to boot, you’ll find sanctuary at Deep Blue Hotel & Hot Springs on the state’s Shipwreck Coast. Wallow in the resort’s mineral-rich geothermal waters to soothe weary muscles and overactive minds.

Mantra Deep Blue Resort, Warrnambool, VIC Australia — A wellness-focused hotel that comprises not just a spa but hot springs to boot. (Image: Visit Victoria)

You’ll find a vast complex of open-air and cave bathing areas, waterfalls to bask under and deep freshwater plunge pools to jump into, as well as rockpools, hydrotherapy pools complete with 20 jets, sensorial caves with starlit ceilings and ambient piped music, and even a purpose-built salt room. Although the springs are the main attraction, there’s plenty more to entertain spa-goers: think an infrared sauna, indoor swimming pool, indoor bathhouse and a day spa.

Pool Area, Mantra Deep Blue Resort - Warrnambool, Geelong & The Bellarine Peninsula VIC Australia — The indoor swimming pool is also quite relaxing. (Image: Visit Victoria)

3. Saltair Day Spa, Torquay

The carefully curated spa menu at Saltair Day Spa isn’t the only thing that keeps loyal customers coming back for more: the dreamy setting, amid manicured gardens and water features, and overlooking a lush blanket of greenery, make it a destination to remember. Moreover, there’s a healthy number of reasonably priced packages on offer – from couples to prenatal pampering sessions – so you can make a day of it.

Saltair Day Spa, Torquay, VIC Australia — The carefully curated spa menu at Saltair Day Spa make it a destination to remember. (Image: Visit Victoria)

4. One Spa at RACV Torquay Resort

Flotation tanks, make-up services, scalp therapy, waxing, mani-pedis, body wraps; you name it, this Torquay spa probably offers it. Encyclopaedic treatment menu aside, One Spa at RACV Torquay Resort commands a bit of a niche in so-called ‘wet rooms’. Guests can laze away the day in a steam room, a thermal stone room (similar to a hammam) with heated stone walls, flooring and seats, or even a Lusar room, which includes steam, aroma infusion, mist sprays and showers, and a sensorial lighting and sound system. Once you’ve idled around to pruney perfection, soak up the restorative warmth of the sun’s rays on a leather lounger in the timber-lined Relaxation Lounge, cup of steaming herbal tea in hand.

Aerial shot, One Spa at RACV Torquay Resort, Great Ocean Road, VIC, Australia — One Spa at RACV Torquay Resort commands a bit of a niche in so-called ‘wet rooms’. (Image: Great Ocean Road Tourism)

5. Port Fairy Day Spa, Port Fairy

This boutique day spa hits the perfect pitch for Port Fairy, a historic, artsy and affluent village on Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast. The therapists are known for their professionalism, friendliness and warm hospitality, so you’ll feel at ease from the minute you walk in the door. While Port Fairy Day Spa might be best known for the healing hands of its masseuses, there’s an array of different therapies on offer.

Room interior, Port Fairy Day Spa, VIC, Australia — This boutique day spa hits the perfect pitch for Port Fairy. (Image: Port Fairy Day Spa)

Those new to the enticing world of spas might want to dip their toes into the waters of treatments with the entry-level Indulge package, which includes a 15-minute scalp massage, 15-minute face massage, 15-minute foot massage, and either a sauna session, private spa bath session or cheese platter.

Reflection room with wine and platter, Port Fairy Day Spa, VIC, Australia — Indulge in some wine and cheese in their reflection room. (Image: Port Fairy Day Spa)

6. Lon Spa, Point Lonsdale

Tucked away behind windswept dunes on the very fringes of town, Lon Retreat exudes tranquillity right from the start. Set amid more than 80 hectares of rural and conservation land, this adults-only boutique hotel is the picture of serenity, with a spa to match.

Alto Interiors, Lon Spa, Geelong & The Bellarine, VIC, Australia — Lon Retreat exudes tranquillity right from the start. (Image: Visit Geelong & The Bellarine)

Lon Spa’s distinctive calling card is its warm mineral springs, which run beneath the farm from limestone caves and feed directly into its baths and heated indoor swimming pool. Each of the spa’s three treatment rooms feature mineral water-fed tubs, Vichy steam showers and calming coastal views through floor-to-ceiling windows. Further exploration reveals private gardens, sundecks and a sunroom.

Mineral Indoor Pool, Lon Spa, VIC, Australia — Lon Spa has warm mineral springs, which run beneath the farm from limestone caves and feed directly into its baths and heated indoor swimming pool.

Lon’s therapists anoint spa-goers exclusively with Subtle Energies, a homegrown skincare label based on principles of aromatherapy and Ayurveda, and there’s a select number of treatments to choose from, including scrubs, facials, massages and body masks. Draw out the indulgence with one of the spa’s packages and you can also add on a grazing platter and a bottle of local sparkling. Act with haste if you have a particular date in mind: this in-demand spa often books out up to a month in advance.

Private Beach, Lon Spa, Victoria, Australia — This in-demand spa often books out up to a month in advance.

7. Lux Spa & Wellness, Anglesea

This Great Ocean Road spa takes a holistic view of wellness, boasting a team of spa therapists and wellbeing consultants from a variety of disciplines who are ready to usher you into peak health. Beyond the spa’s more mainstream offerings, such as massages and mud wraps, guests at this Anglesea spa can dabble in treatments such as LED facials, cosmetic tattooing and infrared sauna sessions, as well taking a nutritional consult or trying out alternative therapies, such as reiki.

Facial Treatment, Lux Spa and Wellness Anglesea, Great Ocean Road, VIC, Australia — Guests can dabble in treatments and facials. (Image: Great Ocean Road Tourism)

Part of the Great Ocean Road Resort, Lux Spa & Wellness also runs multi-night all-inclusive retreats for those who are in need of a thorough recharge. There’s a multitude of options on offer, including postnatal, gut health, men’s health, couples getaways and plenty more.

Luxe Spa, Anglesea, Great Ocean Road, VIC, Australia — Lux Spa & Wellness also runs multi-night all-inclusive retreats for those who are in need of a thorough recharge. (Image: Great Ocean Road Tourism)

Beyond the winding bitumen and coastal views lies another side to Victoria’s most famous route.

There’s something hypnotic about this stretch of Victoria’s coast. Maybe it’s the way the road hugs the ocean so tightly, or how the cliffs catch the sun in colours you can’t name. Or, for local Victorians who drove this route as kids, maybe it’s the memories of winding through the impossibly tall trees as they seemingly guide you on your journey like wooden guardian angels. Most travellers know it for the 12 Apostles, but there are plenty of alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road equally as worthy of your time.

So, next time you’re in that neck of the woods, park that car, stretch those legs and try these experiences.

1. Discover living culture at Budj Bim

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism — Walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Breakaway Creek’s Budj Bim Cultural Landscape is a masterclass in educational storytelling. Join a guided tour with Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism to walk across the world’s oldest known aquaculture system, where the Gunditjmara people built sophisticated eel traps and stone channels more than 6,000 years ago.

Budj Bim’s aquaculture system predates Egypt’s pyramids by roughly 2,000 years, making it one of the oldest examples of human engineering on Earth. If that’s not enough to get your history-loving family members involved in this road trip, we’re out of ideas.

2. Unwind in the hot springs at Warnambool

woman relaxing at Deep Blue Hot Springs — Let mineral-rich water heal you.

If your legs need a break after a long drive, Deep Blue Hot Springs is your remedy. The geothermal pools sit just metres from the coastline, filled with mineral-rich water that bubbles up from deep underground. Move between open-air baths, waterfall pools and quiet zones made for meditation.

The water in Deep Blue’s geothermal pools comes from an ancient aquifer nearly 850 metres below the Earth’s surface, which, in non-scientific terms, means it’s far more likely to have healing properties than the mineral water you’d find at the supermarket.

3. Take to the air at Princetown

12 Apostles Helicopters flight alternate experiences on the Great Ocean Road — See an icon from a different view.

You may have seen the Twelve Apostles from the trusty viewing platform, but a helicopter flight with 12 Apostles Helicopters shows you just how sprawling and rugged this coastline really is.

The trip covers everything from Port Campbell to London Bridge (not to be confused with the UK’s own), giving you a rare chance to watch waves carving the limestone cliffs from above. It’s worth noting that the limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles are said to erode by roughly two centimetres each year, so the longer you leave it, the less of the Apostles you’ll see.

4. Step into the past at Flagstaff Hill

Continue the tour through Warnambool at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and Museum , a recreated 19th-century port town. Hear stories from the days when shipwrecks were as common as seagulls, with an astounding 180 ships believed to have sunk along the Shipwreck Coast in less than five years.

The night show, complete with lights, sound, and sea spray, brings the coastline’s most dramatic stories to life.

If you’re staying the night, Simon’s Waterfront offers relaxed dining with fresh local seafood and oceanfront views. Order the catch of the day and toast to the sailors who never made it ashore.

5. Learn to surf in Torquay, Lorne, or Anglesea

kid having a lesson with Go Ride A Wave — Learn how to hang 10. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Whether you’ve surfed before or can barely stand on a board, Go Ride A Wave will have you upright in no time. Torquay’s calm beaches are ideal for first-timers, while Lorne and Anglesea bring a bit more energy for those unafraid to get dunked.

Bells Beach, just down the road from Torquay, has even hosted the world’s longest-running professional surfing competition since 1962. So, for those eager to have a gander at pros using surfboards like they’re an additional appendage, the competition usually runs sometime in autumn.

6. Tackle the trails in Forrest

Barwon Flow Trails Otways Flow MTB — Hire a bike and explore MTB trails through the Otways.

Forrest is a haven for mountain bikers thanks to an expansive network of trails through stunning natural scenery. The Forrest trail network has almost 100 kilometres of singletrack across 36 trails, so there’s something for every level of rider. That’s including more than 60 kilometres of purpose-built mountain bike trails winding through the Otways’ dense forest. Cycle through ancient myrtle beech trees and towering tree ferns, with smaller ferns and soft mosses forming a carpet at your feet.

Hire a bike from Forrest MTB Hire and take your pick from easy, scenic rides to more challenging singletracks, such as Red Carpet or Rollercoaster.

7. See wildlife up close in Apollo Bay

bush rat on Wildlife Wonders tour — Get help spotting the locals. (Image: Doug Gimsey)

If spotting koalas and kangaroos in the wild feels like winning the lottery, Wildlife Wonders gives you guaranteed sightings without cages or crowds. Every visit to the sanctuary helps fund the Conservation Ecology Centre which supports endangered species across the Otways, so your business is appreciated by humans and animals alike.

The guided walk takes you through protected Otways habitat where you might spot potoroos (or joey lookalikes for those unfamiliar with a potoroo), wallabies, and sleepy koalas lounging in the trees.

8. Visit the Cape Otway Lightstation

Towering over the sea on a cliff above the Southern Ocean, Cape Otway Lightstation has been guiding ships since 1848. Before the lighthouse was built, Cape Otway was one of the most treacherous points on the Victorian coast, with dozens of shipwrecks occurring in its surrounding waters. Pick the right day, and you may bump into a local willing to tell you about the wreck of Eric the Red .

While at the Cape Otway Lightstation, explore the keeper’s quarters, walk the coastal trails, and take in views that only stop short at the horizon.

And no, contrary to popular belief, the Round the Twist lighthouse is actually located in Split Point, just shy of two hours in the direction of Melbourne. Nothing’s stopping you from embarking on a lighthouse crawl, though.

Plan your next no-stone-unturned journey along this iconic Aussie road at visitgreatoceanroad.org.au.