The Great Ocean Road is long, so it works best with kids in short stops. In Torquay, the Surfing Museum is a good start. Lorne has a patrolled beach with lawns and barbecues right behind it, and Erskine Falls is just inland. At Kennett River, walk up the road and look into the trees, where wild koalas are often asleep in the branches.

Past Apollo Bay, Maits Rest is a short loop through rainforest that little legs can manage. Then come the Twelve Apostles, with lookouts a short walk from the car park. Go early or near sunset to avoid the crowds. Nearby, Loch Ard Gorge has a shipwreck story that older kids remember.

At the western end, Flagstaff Hill in Warrnambool is an old seaport village with a kids' trail and a sound and light show after dark. Emus and koalas live inside an old volcano at Tower Hill, and in Port Fairy, a causeway walk leads past wallabies to the lighthouse on Griffiths Island.