- great tour - knowledgeable staff - great recs on sites and activities in Melbourne - we saw a lot - you really see everything - great lunch - plenty of bathroom and water breaks read more

It was our third trip back in Melbourne in the past four years and finally my husband and I visited the Great Ocean Road. We had a fantastic day out with Paul and though it was a long day, it certainly did not feel like it. It is evident that Paul has put his whole heart into making Escape Discovery Adventures a success and what made us love the tour most was that it was personal. My husband and I do not like going on huge commercialized bus tours and the small group led by Paul was perfect for us. We went on this tour wanting to learn about Australia and its history, and what it means to be Australian and our day out with Paul helped us achieve that. We also appreciate the tiny details that Paul thought of e.g. informative collection of articles about Victoria that we read while riding in the van. Clearly, alot of effort has gone into making his tours a success and we hope it continues. We saw and learned so much: Great Ocean Road, 12 Apostles, rainforest, "ufo" mystery, aborogines situation,etc. Loved the vegemite with crackers, ANZAC biscuits, and lamingtons. We will always have this to anchor our memories of Victoria! Thanks Paul! read more

Escape Discovery Adventures - 12 Apostles - Tours Near Me - Airport West, VIC

I booked two tours- Penguin Tour and the Great Ocean Road Tour on 2 different days. Paul replied promptly to my email inquiry and I was able to book and go on the tours before I had even paid him. Phillip Island Penguins Experience: The first part of the tour was Phillip Island Nature Park. We were the only ones at the Nature Park and we were able to see koalas (sleeping of course) close up and were able to see and feed many wallabies and kangaroos including many with babies. The animals were really sweet and just lined up politely waiting for food. Paul explained a lot about the animals too us too. For the Penguin Tour he first drove us around the back to show us where we would be sitting and also helped us spot many little penguins. For the Penguin Tour, we upgraded to the Ranger Guided Tour. I had no idea that these little penguins would be so adorable! We were able to see them waddle out from the water, get spooked and waddle back, then waddle back out. Then we followed them up the path. It's no wonder they used to get eaten so easily because they make so much noise you can hear them coming a mile away! Paul prepared us cushion mats to sit on and we really appreciated it as we had to sit for quite some time waiting for it to get dark. Great Ocean Road Reverse Tour: We did this tour the next day. If your schedule is flexible, I recommend reversing and doing this tour first as we got home quite late from the penguin tour and this one started early. Due to our schedule, the reverse wasn't an option. Once again, we were lucky enough to have Paul as our driver and guide. He's a fountain of trivia and jokes and we had a great time. All the stops were fantastic and as we had a punctual group, we were able to go to all of the sites. It was a really fantastic day and I'm so happy we found Paul (Thanks, Tripadvisor). Paul's Mercedes van is incredibly comfortable and he stocks it with motion sickness candies and hand sanitizer for us. It's very apparent that besides being good at his job, Paul really loves it. It clearly matters to him that we tourists have a good experience and he really goes above and beyond, from bringing out a whole picnic basket at a viewing stop, to wiping bird poop out of my friend's hair. read more

The Great Ocean Road (Reverse Direction) was the best tour we've ever done! The day trip was impeccably put together, with incredible photo opportunities, well timed stops, and hilarious and insightful commentary. Between the guide (the fantastic Paul), the vehicle (a late model Mercedes), the group size (a max 11 people), and the food stops (always excellent choices) this was money well spent for a perfect day trip! If you're considering it, definitely go ahead and book! read more

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First of all, check out TripAdvisor for this company. There are 1000+ reviews there that all show the 2 1 star reviews here (the same people who wrote 2 of the handful of 1 star reviews you'll find on TripAdvisor) are complete garbage. Paul who quit being an accountant and then business executive 8 years ago to buy a van and do what he's passionate about (talking to/with people and getting to know them, history/culture, driving) cares deeply about his business and takes every effort to keep his passengers safe and ensure they have an amazing trip (offers sun screen, hand sanitizer, blankets and cushions for watching penguins in the evening). On top of that, he's spent tens of thousands on a top of line, customized Mercedes 12-seater van and regularly maintains it to the highest standards. Outside of that, you'll get an informed and interactive tour of Australian culture, Melbourne-specific culture and of if you do the Philip Island tour as I did, you'll get to hand feed kangaroos and wallabies and see the penguins come in at night and see as they meet their families after being out fishing in the ocean for the day. I could say more, but I already have in my review on TripAdvisor. Definitely go with this tour company. It's as good as it gets. read more

Booked a private tour with Paul Anderson owner on Sept. 3 and on Dec. 3 he opened up to get more people after i had confirmed bill for private tour, January 5th he cancelled tour completly as I wrote back on 12/3 saying no didn't want others it was private, he just read my 5 emails complaining, a month later. I leave in 6 days for my cruise, and the idiot cancels after 4 1/2 months. Don't deal with them, sings a good song, but throws you out at will . he did answer me today when I said I was going to spread the word within 5 minutes, where was he in Dec. he said "attempt to discredit a long standing business built on our commitment to customer service - and as testified to overwhelmingly on forums such as Tripadvisor, then so be it." Well, darn treat us all fairly. The reason I booked with you was all the great reviews, and you do this. Beware two weeks out and he pulls the plug. Kwar read more

Number 1 with a Bullet!!!! I went on several day tours on my trip to Australia. This was the best by leaps and bounds. Paul made each person feel taken care of. His knowledge of the area was detailed and welcomed. One of the things that made this trip better than others is the attention to detail. Example, morning tea/coffee on the Beach, Organic lunch, and Dinner. All included in your costs. These meals were VERY GOOD. The Ocean Road is a lot to pack in one day, but Paul made the trip enjoyable and SO WORTH IT! read more

I enjoyed my trip with Escape Discovery Adventures. I saw the kola and the kangaroos so for me it was definitely worth it. Loved the tour guide I had, as he made what is a rather long driving experience seem rather memorable and fun. I found if you ask there are some flexibility on return locations, so that was an added plus. read more

Let's see: access to Kangaroo Island? Check! Great spots to check out the 12 Apostles and more of Great Ocean Road? Double Check! This was a winning and economical formula for seeing a good deal more of the South of the continent than I thought would be possible, given my time constraints. Thanks to Escape for a memorable experience---worth every penny! read more

From the early morning pickup in front of our hotel the tour went off beautifully. Loved the morning coffee/tea break on the beach of Urquharts Bluffs. There were plenty of stops along the way for photos at the entrance to the Great Ocean Road, Lorne, Cape Patton Lookout, and many more. A tasty lunch in Apollo Bay was included, plus Paul worked in a request to get ice cream at Dooley's. Observing koalas and kangaroos in the wild was incredible. Our walk through the lush rainforest at Maits Rest Car Stop took us to another world. Of course taking in the Twelve Apostles at the Southern Ocean at sunset was an experience of a lifetime. On our ride back to Melbourne we stopped to stargaze, quite a sight. The other folks on the tour were all lovely to boot. Paul, the owner/operator, planned a seamless experience. Accessible through the booking process, we felt well cared for from the start. Paul expertly and safely guided us along the Great Ocean Road, taking care to narrate points of geographic and cultural interest with good humor, plus made a point to connect with each guest on the tour. The custom Mercedes-Benz bus was very comfortable for the long journey, plus Paul packed other creature comforts (lozenges, hand sanitizer, warm coats) to make the tour enjoyable. We didn't want it to end! An incredible experience, you simply must go. read more

Rating should be 0 star if that is an available option. My husband and I were supposed to go on the Great Ocean Drive Tour with this company on November 23, 2013, but due to an unfortunate family emergency, we have to end our trip early. A request was then sent to the company on November 16, 2013 to cancel our upcoming tour, which was well within the allowed time frame to cancel the reservation as stated in their cancellation policy. We even obtained a cancellation confirmation from their website that clearly stated that they have cancelled our tour as requested and the payment was also cancelled. So, you can imagine how surprised we were when we saw the full charge for the tour on our credit card on November 17, 2013, a day after we have gotten confirmation of the cancellation. The fact that they put through a charge that was no longer authorized by us was unacceptable. One can technically argue that this was a fraudulent charge especially given the fact that subsequently, when we dispute the charge with them, they provided our credit card company with false evidence to support their claim, which consisted of a "doctored" payment confirmation showing the tour and payment was "in progress" while the same payment confirmation page that we obtained from their website stated that the payment was "cancelled". They also dishonestly claimed that the seats that were meant for us were not resold while the tour on November 23rd was shown as fully booked on their booking website. Accordingly to their cancellation policy, if they can resell the seats and the customer cancel within 36 hours, they will provide full refund minus $25 of service charge, which clearly was not the case here. We tried to give this company the benefit of doubt after seeing the charge for the full amount on our credit card but they failed to respond to our repeated attempts to resolve this issue and only cited "being busy" as the reason for not reversing this unauthorized charge. So fellow travelers, please think twice before doing business with this tour company. There are lots of great tour companies in Melbourne and these thieves do not deserve your hard earned cash. read more