The guide was the driver of a 12(?) passenger van. He was very courteous and accommodating. Since…read morewe sat in the very front seat by the driver, we were able to have numerous questions answered. The tour came with tickets for the Wildlife Park, and we also purchased tickets to have pictures taken with a koala when we arrived the park. It gave us the opportunity to pet the soft fur of the koala. You might also want to purchase food for the kangaroos. The kangaroos gravitated toward tourists with food. An opportunity to pet and take pictures with numerous kangaroos. For the Penguin Parade, you'll want a warm jacket. I was glad I brought a warm jacket, but I am from southern California. Someone from Chicago might not consider it as being cold. I was glad that we chose this company with a passenger van than to tour around with a bus load of people.

American John was an awesome tour guide, he is very knowledgeable on a wide range of topics…read moreAustralian history, food, bars, graffiti art and can't forget trams! He was passionate and encouraged us to ask any questions along the way. We stopped at a cute Columbian coffee shop and at the end of the tour he took us to Captain Melville for lunch and he gave us maps and circled restaurants and attractions for us to explore on our own. It was a 2.5 hour tour filled with lots of information. At the end of the tour he asked for donations/tips as much as you valued the tour. It was a great deal, informative and fun! Thank you John

Had an extremely amusing free walking Melbourne tour with a beautiful very funny girl Kellie last…read moreWednesday. Would recommend to everyone. She made me fall in love with Melbourne again

Fantastic sunset tour of Great Ocean Road with the multi-talented Sherif as our guide/driver…read more Long drive, but worth every minute. Sherif had much information to share about the history, geography, and wildlife of this beautiful area. Views of the ocean, cliffs, Twelve Apostlesand sunset were stunning. It was fun to see and photograph kangaroos, cockatoos, and even sleeping koalas. Sherif (a professional musician) even performed a very memorable demonstration of the didgeridoo for us. This tour also helped avoid the crowds. Thanks Sherif for a great tour!

We went on the one day Great Ocean Road tour where we started off at Bells beach, had lunch at the…read moreCape Otway lighthouse (and we climbed up the lighthouse). And I would give this tour a five star except the lunch was merely a light snack that included two small sausages, potatoes, and a salad and since it's a ~13hr tour, everyone was quite hungry by the end. Anyway, we got to see the koalas and were lucky enough to see one awake, walking and climbing a tree! We didn't get to see the kangaroos due to the season but that's out of the tour guide's control. The major highlights of our tour were the 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge! The pictures don't do justice, you'll have to go there and see them for yourself! Our tour guide was AJ, he was nice and informative.

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

It was our third trip back in Melbourne in the past four years and finally my husband and I visited…read morethe 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!

GREAT OCEAN ROAD/ 12 APOSTLE TOUR. "THE PRIVATE TOUR…read moreGUIDE.COM" RATHER than subject ourselves to a 30 to 50 passenger tour bus , we chose an individual tour, just for the two of us. Our thoughts were we could stop as long as we wanted, take photos when we wanted, eat when we wanted, use the rest room when we wanted and, in general, do our own thing, not dependent on anyone else. It was a great choice! Our tour guide, Simon, was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and other parts of the world we had visited. Our tour was 12 hours and throughout this entire time we never got bored, lacked for conversation or tired of the incredible scenery. Included in the tour were an early stop for coffee and pastries, a stop for lunch and a stop for ice cream. We requested an additional stop at a golf course, whose greens were covered with kangaroos I might add, so we could buy logo merchandise with the course's kangaroo logo. Yes, I know I didn't play the course so it's kind of cheating but it's thousands of miles away. We were promised and Koalas and, although not near as plentiful as the yellow highway signs would have you believe, we did find a few. The Parrots were hungry as you can see from the photos. Koalas are invisible to I-phones. We returned to Melbourne at the appointed time, just after rush hour, tired but incredibly pleased with our day, our guide and the way we toured the Great Ocean Road. HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended!

While we used this company around 2 years ago we had the best experience possible…read more When compared to other companies it was reasonably priced for the quality of service you are receiving. We spent three days with the company, doing a wine/brewery tour, touring the city of Melbourne and seeing the penguins, plus touring the great ocean road. The tour was everything we could have hoped for and more.

Booked a tour with them through Viator. Never received a confirmation email and they charged me…read moreanyway. Said it "wasn't their problem". Viator said it wasn't their problem either.

Wasn't nuts about my experience. I did the one day Great Ocean Road tour. I purchased through…read moreSightseeing Tours Australia which advertised a large coach tour and then a tour that was not labeled large coach. I opted to not be in a large coach because I don't like huge bus tours and that's exactly what I got. First off I was one of the last pickups so I got a crummy seat in the back and not at a window. I asked the girl next to me if she'd be willing to switch at some point during the tour since the whole tour is about a scenic drive and she literally said no and that it wasn't her fault I got picked up last. I think the tour guide should tell people to move seats at each stop because your seat on the bus makes a HUGE difference. I was at least on the left side of the bus, on the coast side - if you're on the right don't even bother trying to see anything because you won't. On top of that most of our stops were pretty whatever with the exception of the last two stops at Loch Ard Gorge and 12 Apostles. Our stops included: a gas station if we wanted coffee or tea, the arch that says great ocean road (really kind of whatever), an area where you can see parrots and if you're lucky a wild koala, a town for lunch, and a quick rainforest walk to see a fairly unimpressive waterfall. My interest was the Great Ocean Road, and we made NO stops by the cliffs or for scenic views of that until the end at 12 Apostles. Basically you are on the bus ALL day, and only 1/4 of you are going to have a full view, and you won't stop at scenic areas. The tour finishes with a stop at McDonald's for dinner. Or KFC. Your pick. All in all I REALLY wish I had just rented a car and done it myself. I don't think the Great Ocean Road is a good destination for a large coach tour. But this one made it even worse.

RED WAS THE BEST! Totally recommend going on a tour with Go West, we had an absolute blast on the…read moreExpress Penguin Tour! Red was HILARIOUS and super knowledgeable, he made the tour infinitely cooler (and yes, penguins are SUPER cool). We saw tons of penguins (heads up, no photos after sunset) and had a great stop for dinner. Pro tip is to dress SUPER warm, I'm talking puffer jackets/padding/blankets and definitely long pants cause it's freezing, even in the Summer. Hope y'all enjoy, 10/10 experience and I understand why they have five stars!

Went on the Great Ocean Road Eco-tour from Melbourne. My guide and driver was Camille, who has an…read moreamicable personality. The coach arrived at Pan Pacific punctually at 8am. I was the only Asian in the tourist group, so before I boarded the coach, she confirmed with me that I'm from Singapore and could understand English well. Throughout the journey, she introduced various landmarks and history behind them to us. She also took the initiative to take photos for us. Enough time was given for us to explore various scenic spots. Before arriving at the next destination, she also explained in detail the kind of terrain and environment to expect, so that we could self-assess, based on our individual physical fitness level, if it's suitable to participate in a certain activity. On the way, she played a wide selection of music to make the lengthy ride more enjoyable. It must be physically demanding to take care of so many tourists and driving at the same time. I'll give her five stars out of five for her exceptional professionalism.

I agree with the other reviewer on this tour. really a well-designed tour from beginning to end. We…read morealso had Walter as our tour guide and he is a delightful guide. Great thing is that you see a lot of things others don't see and also stay away from the crowds. The overnight stay is fine. I would consider waiting to the last minute before booking because there are many hotels in the area also Airbnbs. I stayed at the Seaview motel which was just fine. Also, I would really recommend the wildlife wonders tour in the evening. If you can participate in the dusk tour, only given on certain days. It's worth it. We saw many koalas and kangaroos and other wildlife.

Stop, drop and read BEFORE booking ANY other Great Ocean Road Tour!…read more Walter (owner/operator) was our guide for this 2 day tour over the Great Ocean Road and I will start by saying you will not find another tour that will take you to so many stops and give you plenty of time to explore each - including mini hikes in the bush, Gibson's steps so you can see the 12 apostles from sea level as well as from above, swimming, seeing koalas in the wild, feeding parrots and a helicopter ride should you choose(add. cost). It is an intense two days. However, I also must add that we had a couple (wife was 65 and husband was 89) on our tour and Walter took excellent care of them allowing them to stay on the van as well as anyone else who wanted to. I was just getting over the crud, & didn't want a relapse so I opted to sit out on the more strenuous ones. Walter truly does make this an incredibly versatile tour to suit all abilities. He also provides morning tea/coffee at a morning stop and then has fresh fruit, cookies, and bottled water throughout each day. As for the accommodations they are youth hostels/backpackers so even if you pay the additional $88 for a private room, you will still be sharing bathrooms & must furnish your own towel. We opted to book at a separate hotel (additional cost) but felt it was well worth it as did most on our tour and Walter was happy to drop us off and pick us up at our respective hotels around Apollo Bay. Seeing as this is a 'small group' tour sometimes (just a few in a car up to 11 people in a touring van) you will not get a better bang for your buck anywhere. It does fill up fast, so make your bookings now Yelpers! If it's closer to time, call and see if they have had any cancellations - you might get lucky. They also have additional tours so check out their website because if they are anywhere as near as good as this one, you will have picked the best. Thanks Walter!