It’s been a big couple of days at Go West Tours. We received our 6th TripAdvisor of excellence, based on the consistently great reviews left by guests. It was hard to believe this acknowledgment could be surpassed, but it was. Our Great Ocean Road day tour was named the second most-popular tour in Australia on TripAdvisor 2016-17!

TripAdvisor is the world’s largest online provider of tours, activities and attractions. It offers more than 56,000 bookable tours across 165 countries. TripAdvisor crunched the numbers on the most popular tours booked with them between January 2016 and now based on their Attractions data for 2016.

Australia’s second most popular tour!

To our great delight our Great Ocean Road Day tour was named Australia’s second most popular tour, behind the Sydney-Bondi Hop-on, Hop-off tour.

As an organisation, we are thrilled to receive such a terrific acknowledgment from the world’s largest travel review website. It is a reward for all the hard work our team put in to provide great experiences for our guests. Whenever a guest takes the time to acknowledge our team’s hard work & effort it is really appreciated.

Since 2008 Go West Tours has received glowing praise on TripAdvisor. To date we have over 1,700 reviews and we’re extremely proud to be able to maintain such a positive rating after all this time. Our Great Ocean Road Day Tour is our longest-running tour. Today we are committed to offering our guests the same level of service as we did back in 2000 when we first started operating with just a single vehicle. Today Go West Tours employees over 40 people and operates a fleet of 10 vehicles.

Top 10 most-booked tours in Australia on TripAdvisor 2016-17

  1. Sydney-Bondi Hop-on Hop-off Tour, Sydney
  2. Great Ocean Road Small Group Eco Tour from Melbourne, Melbourne
  3. Sydney Bridge Climb, Sydney
  4. Sydney Opera House Guided Walking Tour, Sydney
  5. Yarra Valley Wine and Winery Tour from Melbourne, Melbourne
  6. Great Barrier Reef Diving and Snorkelling Cruise from Cairns, Cairns
  7. Blue Mountains Nature and Wildlife Day Tour from Sydney, Sydney
  8. 2-Day Combo: Sydney City Tour, Sydney Harbour Lunch Cruise and Blue Mountains Day Trip, Sydney
  9. Phillip Island: Penguins, Koalas and Kangaroos Day Tour from Melbourne, Melbourne
  10. Green Island Day Trip from Cairns, Cairns

Why Take our Great Ocean Road Tour?

Melbourne’s most popular day trip – the Great Ocean Road is a day spent touring an incredible coastline. For a relatively short stretch of Australia’s coast – there are a lot of attractions packed in. you can view koalas in the wild. 

You can explore the big waves and surf culture of the Surf Coast. You can learn about the road’s history which is tied in to the First World War. 

And of course, you should take the time to marvel at the world-famous Twelve Apostles. These impressive limestone stacks and the surrounding coastline will leave a lasting impression. 

Here’s what you can expect to see on a visit to the Great Ocean Road with Go West Tours:

The Twelve Apostles

The 12 Apostles are famous limestone stacks along Australia’s southern coastline. A highlight of any visit to the famous Great Ocean Road, these rock formations need to be seen to be believed. They rise up out of the Southern Ocean with the highest 45 metres tall. 

Loch Ard Gorge

Stepping foot into Loch Ard Gorge, it’s hard not to be in awe of the surrounding cliffs and secluded beach. But when you hear the tale of the Loch Ard Shipwreck that occurred there, it will add a whole new layer of meaning to your visit.

Australia’s Surf Coast

The first part of the drive along the Great Ocean Road takes you along the Surf Coast were you can see big waves, protected surfing reserves and more than likely a few local surfers in action. Torquay is renowned for its surf beaches and surf culture, and is the home of famous surf brand Rip Curl. 

View koalas in the wild 

One of the stops on both our Day Tour and Sunset Tour is to see koalas in their natural habitat in the eucalyptus forests of the Kennett River township. These iconic Australian animals are found (usually sleeping) in the eucalyptus trees. Their diet consists of solely eucalyptus leaves and as such they can be found close to their food source.

Otway Rainforest

The Great Otway National Park stretches alongside the Great Ocean Road coastline from Torquay through to Princetown. It has walking trails where you can discover wildlife, trees, rainforest and waterfalls. On our Great Ocean Road day tour from Melbourne you can take a walk through the Otways National Park at Maits Rest. 

Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch

The Memorial Arch is a popular location to visit on the Great Ocean Road. It was built to honour the 3000 service men that worked on and built the road from 1919 to 1932 and those that lost their lives in the first world war. It was a huge undertaking to carve a road into the rocky coastline, and it provided many jobs for returned servicemen after the First World War.

Seaside towns

There are many great seaside towns along the famous scenic drive. Apollo Bay is the lunch break stop on our Great Ocean Road tour. There are many food and drink options, including the famous scallop pie at the bakery, fresh fish and chips, or a cold beer at the brewery. Plus you can visit Dooley’s Icecream to taste their range of award winning flavours. 

Who are the Go West Team?

With 22 years in business, Go West Tours is still a family-owned and operated tour business.  We are as committed to providing guests with an unforgettable experience as we were back in 2000. As the most highly-awarded tour operator in Melbourne, we also guarantee to provide you with an experience that is memorable for all the right reasons. 

On a Go West Tour you have the opportunity to learn more about Melbourne and Victoria. Our day tours explore all of the best destinations in Victoria – including the Great Ocean Road, Phillip Island Penguin Parade, Yarra Valley and more. We pride ourselves on exceeding industry standards for excellence and customer service. 

 

Written by: Leah Furey – Digital Content Coordinator @gowest.com.au