The Great Ocean Road is possible as a long day trip. It is much better when it is not. Four days lets you follow the coast west, include the Otways, continue beyond Port Campbell and return inland without retracing every bend.
A balanced four-day route
Melbourne to Lorne
Leave the freeway at Torquay, pause at the surf coast and resist the urge to collect every lookout. Lorne makes an easy first base with a walk and dinner on foot.
Lorne to Apollo Bay
This is a short distance with plenty to interrupt it. Choose a waterfall or forest walk and arrive with daylight to spare.
Apollo Bay to Port Campbell
Cross the Otways, then give the limestone coast several separate stops. Conditions change quickly; one viewpoint rarely tells the whole story.
Port Campbell to Melbourne, inland
Continue west briefly if time allows, then turn through dairy and volcanic country for a contrasting return.
Make it three or five days
For three days, combine the first two stages but keep two nights on the road. With five days, add Port Fairy or another western-district base rather than packing more stops into the same coastal section.
Before leaving
Check official road and park alerts, book peak-season accommodation early, and avoid stopping on road shoulders for photographs. Mobile coverage can vary in forested sections.