Lorne is one of the best short escapes from Melbourne, close enough for a day trip but genuinely worth a weekend, with a beach town centre backed by the Otway rainforest and one of the most scenic stretches of the Great Ocean Road on either side. Whether you drive or take the train-and-bus combination, the journey itself is part of the appeal here.
Melbourne to Lorne: quick comparison
| Mode | Journey time | Approx. cost (one way) | Frequency | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car | ~2 hours | $20 to $30 Fuel only, no tolls | Anytime | Flexibility, continuing further along the coast, beach gear |
| Train + bus | ~2.5 to 3 hours total | Roughly $15 to $20 one way combined | Frequent Geelong trains, connecting coach several times daily | A car-free trip with a genuinely scenic bus leg along the coast road |
Why visit Lorne
Lorne pairs an easy, walkable beach town with genuine outdoor credentials, the main beach and foreshore are made for a relaxed afternoon, while the surrounding Otways rainforest delivers waterfalls, most famously Erskine Falls, a short drive or hike out of town, along with a network of walking tracks through fern gullies and tall eucalypt forest.
The town itself has a genuinely good cafe and restaurant strip for somewhere this size, and Teddy’s Lookout, just out of town, gives one of the best photo stops on the whole Great Ocean Road over the coastline and the Erskine River mouth.
Lorne works as a genuine day trip if you’re tight on time, but it rewards a weekend far more, there’s enough between the beach, the waterfalls and forest walks, and simply sitting in a good cafe watching the town go by, to fill two easy days without feeling rushed.
Route Map
How to go by car
Take the M1 out of Melbourne, exit onto the C134/Anglesea Road just past Waurn Ponds, and join the B100/Great Ocean Road for the final 55-minute leg into Lorne. The total journey runs around 2 hours and 142km, and that last stretch along the coast road is genuinely spectacular, cliffs on one side and ocean views most of the way.
Road safety, hazards and tolls
- Tolls: none on this route. Melbourne’s West Gate Tunnel, opened December 2025, is tolled (around $4.09 for a car) but optional, the original West Gate Bridge and Freeway stay toll-free.
- The coast road itself: narrow and winding on the Anglesea-to-Lorne stretch, with genuine cliff-edge sections and limited overtaking. Don’t trust a GPS time that assumes highway speeds, and expect to share the road with cyclists and tour buses.
- Wildlife: kangaroos and wombats cross this road, especially at dawn, dusk and after dark.
- Police: this stretch is patrolled, particularly around Anglesea.
Best stops and attractions en route
Anglesea is the natural halfway break, with a good beach of its own and a golf course famous for the kangaroos that graze on the fairways. Once in Lorne, Teddy’s Lookout is an essential short detour just above the town, and Erskine Falls (when it reopens) is worth the extra 10 to 15 minutes’ drive inland if you have the time.
EV charging
Geelong and Anglesea both have reasonable charger coverage, but options thin out noticeably once you’re on the coast road itself, so don’t assume a fast charger will be free and working in Lorne on demand. Check the RACV app (Chargefox network, real-time availability and pricing) or PlugShare before you leave, both flag reported outages, and treat Geelong or Anglesea as your safety-margin charging stop.
How to go by train (plus connecting bus)
There’s no train station in Lorne, but the Geelong line is one of V/Line’s busiest, with frequent services from Southern Cross Station, roughly every 20 to 40 minutes at peak times and at least hourly through the day, taking around an hour to reach Geelong.
From Geelong Station, a connecting V/Line coach (operated by McHarry’s Buslines) runs via Waurn Ponds, Torquay and Lorne on through to Apollo Bay, with several services a day. The coach leg to Lorne takes around 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes along the Great Ocean Road, and it’s a genuinely scenic ride in its own right, sit on the ocean side of the bus if you can for the best views.
The train itself is comfortable regional or suburban-style rolling stock, with onboard toilets on the longer V/Line carriages, though not every Geelong line service has one, check before boarding if it matters. There’s no food service on the train or coach, it’s a manageable enough trip without one, but Geelong station has cafes for the changeover.
Fares from June 2026 run at half price through to January 2027, expect roughly $2 to $6 for the coach leg from Geelong to Lorne depending on concession status, plus the myki fare for the Melbourne-Geelong train leg, all up somewhere in the $15 to $20 range one way. Cash only on the coach, EFTPOS isn’t available, and book at least two hours ahead through the V/Line website if you can. The coach drops close to the Lorne town centre, an easy walk to the beach and main street.
Local public transport at Lorne
Lorne’s town centre and main beach are walkable from most accommodation. If you’ve arrived without a car, renting a bike in town is a genuinely easy and enjoyable way to cover the final stretch to accommodation further out, or to reach Teddy’s Lookout and the edge of town, and several outlets in the main street hire them by the hour or day. For Erskine Falls or venturing further along the coast, you’ll want a car, a tour, or at minimum a taxi.
Travelling with kids
Lorne’s main beach is patrolled in season and calm enough for younger swimmers, and the foreshore has enough playground and grassy space to let kids run around between beach sessions. Erskine Falls has a proper lookout platform reachable without a serious hike, though the track down to the base involves steps and isn’t pram-friendly. The short walk up to Teddy’s Lookout is manageable for most kids and makes a good reward-stop with a view at the end of it.
Should you take the car, train or bus?
Drive if you’re bringing beach or hiking gear, travelling with young kids, or planning to continue on to Apollo Bay or the Twelve Apostles afterward, having the car at Lorne makes Erskine Falls and the rest of the Otways far easier to reach.
If Lorne is your only stop and you’re happy to rent a bike once you arrive, the train-plus-coach option is a genuinely pleasant way to do it car-free, the coach leg along the coast road is scenic enough to be worth the trip on its own, and it removes any concern about parking in town on a busy weekend.