At Hit The Road Tours, Earth Day is more than just a date on the calendar—it's a daily commitment to travel with purpose. As a proud eco-friendly tour operator and official partner of Greenfleet, we’re taking real steps to reduce our impact on the planet while still delivering unforgettable adventures in Australia.

Since partnering with Greenfleet, we’ve offset the carbon emissions of every tour by contributing to reforestation projects that restore native Australian forests and protect biodiversity. In 2024 alone, Greenfleet restored over 460 hectares of koala habitat—something we’re incredibly proud to support.

From exploring the Great Ocean Road to spotting wildlife on North Stradbroke Island, our tours are designed to immerse you in nature while helping preserve it for future generations.

Why our guests choose us:
✅ Carbon-offset certified
✅ Small-group, low-impact tours
✅ Passionate about sustainability
✅ Proudly Australian-owned

This Earth Day, we invite you to travel better—with purpose, with passion, and with the planet in mind.

Join us on a journey that leaves a mark on your memory—not the environment.

If you’re arriving in Melbourne by cruise and wondering how to make the most of your limited time, our private Melbourne shore excursion service is here to offer you a seamless and unforgettable experience. With our convenient pick-up and drop-off at the port, you can relax and let us guide you through Victoria’s most iconic sights and hidden treasures.

We specialize in Melbourne cruise tours and provide flexible itineraries designed to suit your interests. Whether you're part of a cruise group or looking for a personalized tour, we've got options that will make your time in Melbourne unforgettable, including:

• Melbourne CBD or Surroundings: Discover the heartbeat of the city with a tour of bustling laneways, historic arcades, and vibrant cultural spots.
• Brighton Beach Bathing Boxes: Snap photos of the iconic, colorful bathing boxes along the coast.
• Bayside: Enjoy scenic coastal views and charming seaside locales.
• Coastal Walks: Experience stunning ocean views on carefully selected walking routes.
• Ballarat: Step back in time and explore the rich history and heritage of this historic gold rush town.
• Geelong: Discover a blend of urban sophistication and seaside charm in Victoria’s second-largest city.
• Dandenong Ranges: Wander through lush forests and quaint villages in this serene escape.
• Puffing Billy: Relive history with a ride on this vintage steam train through scenic landscapes.
• Brewery Circuit: Savor local flavors as you tour some of the best craft breweries in the region.
• Yarra Valley: Indulge in exquisite wine tasting and gourmet experiences amid picturesque vineyards.
• Mornington Peninsula: Unwind with stunning coastal views, charming seaside towns, and relaxing hot springs.
• Phillip Island: Get up close with native wildlife and enjoy the scenic beauty of this must-visit destination.
• 12 Apostles: Experience the grandeur of the famous 12 Apostles, a must-see landmark along the Great Ocean Road tour.

Each of our Melbourne shore tours is crafted with your comfort and interests in mind. Whether you're looking for urban exploration, coastal beauty, or a taste of regional charm, our 5-star service ensures you experience the very best Victoria has to offer.
Book your Melbourne shore excursion today, and let our expert guides take you on a personalized journey through Melbourne and beyond!

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Based in the vibrant city of Melbourne, Hit The Road Tours began its journey in 2018 when two passionate adventurers—Orlando and Sandra—set out on a mission to redefine the way people experience travel. What started as a small boutique tour service with just one bus has blossomed into a thriving tour operation, now boasting 11 buses and a dedicated team of 23 professionals. This month, as we celebrate 7 incredible years, we invite you to join us on a journey through our past, present, and future.

Our Humble Beginnings
Back in 2018, Orlando—who not only managed operations but also served as our driver—dreamed of creating a tour experience that went beyond simply visiting a destination. He envisioned an intimate, family-style adventure where guests could connect, relax, and truly feel at home while exploring new places. This vision laid the foundation for what would become Hit The Road Tours—a company built on personalized service and a genuine love for travel.
One of our first and most beloved innovations was the Reverse Itinerary on our signature Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary tour. This unique concept allowed our guests to be among the first to hit the road, ensuring they experienced the breathtaking views and vibrant energy of the Great Ocean Road before the crowds arrived. It was a small twist that made a huge difference, setting us apart from the very start.

Growth, Recognition, and Expansion: A Journey with Straddie
From our very first tour with a single bus, we’ve grown steadily over the years. Today, our Melbourne-based office is buzzing with energy as our dedicated team works tirelessly to deliver unforgettable travel experiences. We’ve expanded our fleet to 11 buses, enabling us to offer a wide variety of tours across Victoria and Queensland.
In Victoria, our private tours have taken travelers to enchanting wineries, the scenic splendor of Phillip Island, and the nostalgic charm of Puffing Billy. In 2021, we proudly expanded our operations to Queensland with the launch of a very unique tour to North Stradbroke Island—a fantastic and exotic island just 45 minutes from Brisbane.
It had been Sandra & Orlando’s dream to reveal the serene beauty of Straddie to the world. This hidden treasure remains unknown to many, even to some residents of Brisbane, making it a unique find for those who discover it. Our boutique-style tour offers an exclusive experience, making every visit as unique as the island itself. This addition has allowed us to bring our signature personalized service to even more destinations, offering both public and private tours that cater to every type of traveler.
 
Awards & Recognition
We are proud to have received our first Travellers' Choice Award in 2020—a recognition we have continued to earn every year since. And in 2022, our Great Ocean Road Reverse tour was honored with the prestigious Best of the Best award from TripAdvisor. This accolade, which means "reviews from millions of Tripadvisor travellers place this winner in the top 1% worldwide," is a testament to our commitment to providing exceptional tour experiences.

Greenfleet: A Commitment to Sustainability
At Hit The Road Tours, we believe that exploring the beauty of Australia comes with the responsibility of protecting it. We are proud to announce our partnership with Greenfleet, an organization dedicated to environmental restoration and sustainability. Through this collaboration, we’ve taken meaningful action to reduce our environmental impact by:

• Restoring 460 hectares of protected koala habitat, ensuring a safe haven for these beloved creatures and contributing to Australia's natural beauty.
• Achieving carbon-neutral operations through reforestation efforts.
• Supporting the restoration of vital habitats for endangered species like koalas.
• Contributing to the planting of nearly 11 million native trees across Australia.

This partnership reinforces our commitment to being an eco-friendly tour operator, ensuring that our adventures today leave a positive legacy for tomorrow.
 
What Makes Us Unique

Private Tours: Crafted for Joyful Moments
Our tailored tours create joyful moments and unforgettable memories for people from all around the world, turning every journey into a cherished story.
At Hit The Road Tours, it’s all about the details that turn a regular trip into an extraordinary experience. We believe that the true magic of travel lies in the personal connections we make along the way. That’s why we pride ourselves on keeping our tours intimate and exclusive. We transport only 11 guests per bus, ensuring a relaxed, family-style atmosphere where you can truly connect with your fellow travelers and our dedicated team.
Our commitment to small groups allows us to provide thoughtful touches throughout your journey—from the warm welcome you receive to the carefully curated experiences on every tour. The Reverse Itinerary is just one example of how we strive to give our guests an exclusive and relaxed experience, letting you savor every moment of your adventure without the hustle and bustle of large crowds.

Looking Forward

As we celebrate our 7-year milestone, we’re filled with gratitude for the incredible journeys we’ve shared with you—our loyal guests and friends—and excited anticipation for what the future holds. We’re continuously exploring new destinations and innovative ideas to enhance your travel experiences. From expanding our tour offerings to discovering unique ways to celebrate our milestones, our adventure is far from over.

Join the Celebration!

Thank you for being a part of our journey. Whether you’ve been with us since the early days or are considering your first adventure with Hit The Road Tours, we’re thrilled to have you on board. To mark this special anniversary, be sure to check out our website and Social Media platforms for exclusive promotions and discounts available for a limited time. It’s our way of saying thank you for your trust and support over these amazing 7 years.
Here’s to many more years of adventure, connection, and unforgettable moments on the road!
​
Happy travels,
The Hit The Road Tours Team

Hit the Road Tours, a leading day tours provider from Melbourne and Brisbane, and highly awarded for its popular Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary tour from Melbourne and the North Stradbroke Island Sunset Tour from Brisbane and Gold Coast, is delighted to announce a new partnership with Momondo!

Momondo is a global travel search site that helps users find deals on flights, hotels and car rentals for their next holiday.

This is a further step the company is taking aligned with its plan to develop strategic partnerships for the international tourism reopening.

1. At what time the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour departs from Melbourne? And what time do we get back to the city?
- The Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour is all about leaving the city early, and arriving at the Twelve Apostles before the large crowds. Therefore, the minibuses depart no later than 7 am, and we are normally back to Melbourne between 6:30 - 7 pm.

2. Are there lunch stops at the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour?
- Yes! There's a morning tea stop on the way to the Twelve Apostles around 9 am, and then a stop for lunch at Port Campbell, before heading back to Melbourne. 
On both stops there are places to, eat and/or buy drinks and food take away. These are own expenses, as meals are not included at the price of this day tour from Melbourne.

3. How can I make sure that I travel with my friend at the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour?
- There are multiples buses departing on this day tour from Melbourne. Therefore, in case you are travelling with a friend in different bookings, please send us an email with minimum 24 hours notice, so we can arrange for you to travel together through the Great Ocean Road.

4. Is it possible to be picked up from my hotel in Melbourne on this Great Ocean Road Tour?
- The Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Boutique tour does not include hotel pickup/drop off. There is only one departing point from the State Theatre (Arts Centre) on St Kilda Road, which is 3 minutes walking from Flinders St station and Federation Square.
In case you prefer hotel pickup/drop off there is another option: The Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Premium Tour, which is exactly the same itinerary.

5. In case of bad weather forecast, is it possible to reschedule my booking to the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour?
- Yes, as long as you send us an email requesting rescheduling with a minimum of 48 hours notice. The reschedule will be subject to availability.

6. Which is the maximum number of people per group in the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Boutique Tour?
- We only operate in minibuses for a maximum of 12 people per group.

7. And the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Premium Tour? Is for a maximum of how many people?
- The Great Ocean Road Premium Tour is for a maximum of 10 people per group.​

8. Which places do we visit at the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour?
- We visit the Twelve Apostles, the Razorback, Loch Ard Gorge, Gibson Steps, Rainforest Walk at Great Otway National Park, Apollo Bay, Koalas at the Otways (koalas), and Lorne. It's a fantastic day tour from Melbourne.

9. Is it true that we see koalas at the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour?
- Yes, but it's an adventure as we will try to find them on the wild. On this day tour from Melbourne we don't stop at any park or zoo.

10. Can we go for a swimming at the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour?
- Yes, there are two stops where eventually you could go for a swimming: the Lock Ard Gorge and Port Campbell. However it depends on tides and waves conditions, and the water is normally freezing cold!

Hit the Road Tours is (again) a Travellers’ Choice Award Winner

The Travellers’ Choice Award celebrates attractions that consistently deliver fantastic experiences to travellers around the globe. Hit the Road Tours earned positive reviews and ratings over the past year.

In this particularly challenging year, Hit the Road Tours stood out by providing great service and experiences to the guests. Congratulations again Hit the Road Tours, on this well-deserved win.

​The Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour and The Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Premium Tour are the most popular and highly awarded tours in Melbourne and Victoria.
To keep its exponential growth momentum, despite tough times, Hit the Road Tours expanded to Southeast Queensland and the North Stradbroke Island Tour is becoming popular and joining the Great Ocean Road Tour and the Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Premium Tour on this portfolio of highly awarded tours in Australia.
​Well done Hit the Road Tours!

When times are tough, we should never lose track of our major accomplishments, and for Hit the Road Tours there's nothing more rewarding than customers' recognition.
The company's main goal is to create unforgettable moments and memories to our travelers providing amazing experiences on day tours from Melbourne and Brisbane.
2020 wasn't an easy year and 2021 has been a kind of a rollercoaster so far. But regardless all the challenges faced by the travel and tourism industry, Hit the Road Tours has been proved resilient and focused and the outcome is this: recognition.
So, let's see some few examples (there are hundreds) of lovely travelers saying great things about our highly awarded Great Ocean Road Tour - the Reverse Itinerary that takes the customers straight to the 12 Apostles in the morning to avoid the crowds:

Very satisfied, worth the money
Tripadvisor review: Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary PREMIUM Tour
The reverse trip is a smart idea to avoid the crowd and cover the distant point first while you have the morning energy. You won’t feel tired this way and still be able to cover all the points. Jack our guide is fantastic and very kind. He has a great sense of humour and is very hospitable, entertaining. He made regular stops and at made sure we stopped at the best eateries and coffee places with special tour discount. This is one tour you must choose to make the best out of your great ocean day.
 
 
Best day tour from Melbourne!
Tripadvisor review: Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour
Wrapping up our 3 day trip in Melbourne with a day tour in Great Ocean Road! Our amazing guide, Matthew gave me and my friend a memorable time with a well planned itinerary with stops to the best highlight locations along the way. We were able to relax and just enjoy the lookouts in the given allocated time without feeling rushed like other tours on a pack itinerary and even got to meet a wild Koala 🐨 Thank you Matthew for your passion in giving the best, safe and comfortable experience through out the journey ❤️ Truly grateful for the memories I have in Australia 🌏
 
Mesmerising Coaster Drive
Tripadvisor review: Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary PREMIUM Tour
One of the best tours I’ve had. I will definitely do it again, with hit the road tour, and with the same tour
guide Gui - very pleasant man, highly recommend. All the places we’ve visited were all beautiful and I
really, really loved them. I will book the same tour in August :)
 
Exceptional
Tripadvisor review: Great Ocean Road Reverse Itinerary Tour
Everything about this tour was fantastic. Orlando was a relaxed, happy and informative tour guide. The
stops were of adequate length to really enjoy the experience and the scenery was spectacular. Words
cannot describe it. The reverse itinerary worked well. Great value for money.

Book Now for the spring season, as we will soon hit the road again!

Find below full article about Hit the Road Tours award for the second consecutive year.

It would be the understatement of the year to say that 2020 has been tough, and you’re probably reading/hearing this more than enough, so let’s skip this part.
 
But it’s true, our lives have turned upside down to say the least: Lockdowns, restrictions, Stage 1,2,3,4, Step 4,3,2,1, curfew, quarantine, face masks, community transmission, vaccine, virus, new cases, rolling average, and so on and so on… my God! Can’t we talk about something else? Can’t we, at least for a day (or few hours), experience something different and come out of this nightmare?
 
Undoubtedly, the lack of human interaction, and of the usual camaraderie in the work environment has impacted our humour, our mental health, our souls.
 
BUT HERE COME THE GOOD NEWS,
 
Although it’s not over, we are beating this! Yes Victorians, we are beating this! It’s time to celebrate, and before Christmas we will be living a sort of normal. A new normal, a COVID-normal.
 
So,
 
Let me introduce Hit the Road Tours and what we are offering.
 
The company was founded in June/2018 and in the last couple of years has experienced a massive growth. Thanks to an aggressive approach, we’ve disrupted the industry offering well planned small groups tours on a friendly and safe atmosphere. As result, the company has been awarded the Best Small Groups Tour Operator in Melbourne by the Business Excellence Award Magazine for two consecutive years (full article here), passing the 1,000 five-star reviews at TripAdvisor and receiving the TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice 2020.
 
In 2019 the company has run more than 1,100 tours and approximate 12,000 pax have travelled with us – an indication of our bandwidth.
 
We are a Quality Tourism Accredited Business and a Covid-Clean Practicing Business, both certifications received from Quality Tourism Framework Australia.
 
The business has been badly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis for obvious reasons, and as we are planning to reopen in November, it came to my mind good memories of the company’s last year Christmas Barbecue and I was wondering what to do to re-engage with the team (we are a group of 15 certified tour guides not allowed to work since March), and what would be the best options for a safe, funny, informal and relaxing get together to celebrate the restart of the business. As I’ve opened the conversation in our WhatsApp group, so many great ideas came to mind, a diversity of options of things we could do together to celebrate the reencounter, that we were blown away with the list. And we still didn’t take the final decision as the options are too good 😊.
 
So, looking at this list I thought: how many business in Victoria are now feeling exactly the same thing we are? How many managers, leaders, business owners, are not thinking exactly the same thing?
 
To help them, we’ve just created a fresh from the cooker portfolio of experiences: Let’s Celebrate the Reencounter!
 
It’s an endless list of options to combine the Christmas/End of Year Celebrations with the return to the work on an “almost” normal environment.
 
But also, we are conscious that money is short, the country is in recession, ok, we get that. The itineraries and experiences were priced in a way to make it affordable to any business size.
 
Few examples of the Let’s Celebrate the Reencounter possible experiences:
 

• Wine Tasting at Mornington Peninsula, followed by two hours of Bathing Experience at Peninsula Hot Springs and a gourmet lunch and a beer on a British Style Tavern 
• Home Made Charcuterie and Wine Tasting at an Yarra Valley family owned winery, followed by another wine tasting and gourmet lunch on a local winery and a visit to the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie – Why not to include a Karting Ride Experience to start the day? 
• A hike in Wilsons Promontory, a visit to Squeaky Beach and lunch at a local restaurant 
• A Coastal Walk at the Surf Coast in Torquay, a visit to Bell’s Beach and lunch at a wood fire pizza local restaurant 
• Bushwalk in Lorne, a visit to a local waterfall and lunch at a Beachfront pub 
• A Tree-Top walking experience at the Great Otway National Park in the Great Ocean Road, followed by a sea food lunch in Apollo Bay – Should we also include some Surfing Lessons? 
• Organic Farm Tour experience at Mornington Peninsula, followed by wine tasting and gourmet lunch 
• And the list goes on: bushwalk in the countryside, bubble soccer, cruise at the Yarra River, etc. etc. etc.

 
And the best part: Hit the Road Tours deliver the service and expertise across this diverse range of experience options. Just let us know what your team/group is more inclined to do and we will take care of the rest.
 
Our team of certified tour guides are very keen to hit the road again, provide great services and create unforgettable experiences to our customers. This is what we’ve been doing in the last years and have been highly awarded for.
 
Well, the options are open and the sky is the limit (literally). We are taking full refundable bookings and in terms of timeframe, expecting to be allowed to operate these experiences in the second half of November.
 
The window for bookings will be very short and these venues are most likely to sold out soon as they will be running at reduced capacity. The sooner we plan and make the reservations, the better.
 
In case you are interested just drop an email to: [email protected] to request a quote. 
 
Cheers!