Our Go West Great Ocean Road tour was just named the second most popular tour in Australia.
It’s been a big week 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; when 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. This was based on their Attractions data for 2016.
Our Great Ocean Road Tour takes second place!
To our great delight our Great Ocean Road 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 and we are committed to offering our guests the same level of service as we did back in 2000 when we first started operating. 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
- Sydney-Bondi Hop-on Hop-off Tour, Sydney
- Great Ocean Road Small Group Eco Tour from Melbourne, Melbourne
- Sydney Bridge Climb, Sydney
- Sydney Opera House Guided Walking Tour, Sydney
- Yarra Valley Wine and Winery Tour from Melbourne, Melbourne
- Great Barrier Reef Diving and Snorkelling Cruise from Cairns, Cairns
- Blue Mountains Nature and Wildlife Day Tour from Sydney, Sydney
- 2-Day Combo: Sydney City Tour, Sydney Harbour Lunch Cruise and Blue Mountains Day Trip, Sydney
- Phillip Island: Penguins, Koalas and Kangaroos Day Tour from Melbourne, Melbourne
- Green Island Day Trip from Cairns, Cairns
Attractions on our award-winning Great Ocean Road Tour
Surf Coast
Torquay is renowned for its surf beaches and surf culture. It is at the very beginning of the Great Ocean Road. We make a stop in Torquay to start the day with some cake and coffee – including in the tour – and to check out the waves at the surf beach. Following this, the drive along the Great Ocean Road traverses the Surf Coast where you can see big waves, protected surfing reserves and local surfers in action.
Memorial Arch
The Great Ocean Road was built by returned WW1 soldiers and on completion it was named in memory of the Australians that lost their lives in that war. Therefore the Memorial Arch was built to honour the 3000 service men that worked on and built the road from 1919 to 1932. We make a photo stop at the Memorial Arch viewing area where you can check out the arch and, in addition, the memorial statue of soldiers constructing the road.
Koalas
One of our stops on our great Ocean Road Day 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. It is their poor diet which makes them so sleepy!
Seaside towns
There are many trendy seaside holiday towns along the Great Ocean Road that welcome visitors each year. On tour we stop at Apollo Bay for our lunch break. This is where you can dine on the famous scallop pie at the bakery, fresh fish and chips, or a cold beer at the brewery. You should also make a stop at Dooley’s Icecream to taste their range of award winning flavours.
Otway Rainforest
The Great Otway National Park has many walking trails where you can discover wildlife, rainforest and waterfalls. On our Great Ocean Road day tour from Melbourne we take a walk through the Otways National Park at Maits Rest. From the trail you can view rainforest trees and the tallest species of eucalyptus – the mountain ash. You might even spot some of the black snails, insects and birds which inhabit the area.
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 Disaster, it adds a whole new layer of meaning to your visit. The Loch Ard was a ship that set sail from the UK in 1878. After three months at sea the ship had reached Bass Strait and a now infamous stretch of the coast referred to as the Shipwreck Coast. Visit the gorge with your guide on tour to hear the story of shipwreck and survival.
Twelve Apostles
The 12 Apostles are the most recognisable location on Australia’s Great Ocean Road. These famous limestone stacks are a highlight of any visit to this coastline. They rise up out of the wild Southern Ocean – some up to 45 metres tall. The 12 Apostles were once part of the coastal cliffs, but over time the wind and waves carved the cliffs into caves, leaving these spectacular rock formations.
Written by: Leah Furey – Digital Content Coordinator @gowest.com.au
