The Melbourne Marathon finishes at the MCG on a Sunday in October, and the Great Ocean Road is the itinerary most runners picture when they think about extending a Melbourne trip. It is genuinely reachable without a car, and it is worth saying plainly upfront: it takes longer this way than most visitors expect, and a self-drive or organised coach tour is the faster option if two nights feels tight against a long transfer both ways. October on the Surf Coast means the water is still cold enough that swimming is a cold-water-only pursuit, wind off the Southern Ocean is a near-daily feature rather than an occasional one, and the region is quieter than the summer surf season that runs December through February.
The route: a V/Line train from Southern Cross Station to Geelong, a little over an hour, connects at Geelong with a V/Line coach service that runs daily along the coast, stopping at Torquay, then continuing on to Lorne and further towns towards Apollo Bay. There is no need to book the train in advance at these fares, but the coach connection is worth checking on the day, since services do not run with metropolitan-style frequency and missing one means a wait of an hour or more.
Night One: Torquay
Torquay is Australia's best-known surf town, home to Bells Beach a short drive south and to the Australian National Surfing Museum in town. The primary recovery asset is the Torquay foreshore path, a flat, paved walkway along Fisherman's Beach and around to the surf-club end of town, entirely level and well supplied with benches. A full stroll of the town's walkable foreshore takes 30 to 40 minutes at an easy pace.
The Australian National Surfing Museum, a short, flat walk from the town centre, is a genuinely low-effort indoor attraction: entry runs approximately AU$12-15 (£6-8), and there is nowhere in the building that demands more than gentle walking.
Where to stay: a range of motels and serviced apartments line the Torquay foreshore area directly; check current availability, as October falls outside peak surf season and options are broader than in summer.
Where to eat: the town's main strip along Gilbert Street has a solid run of cafes and casual seafood restaurants suited to an early dinner after a travel day.
Night Two: Lorne
Lorne, roughly 45 minutes further along the coast by the same connecting coach, sits directly on the Great Ocean Road proper, with the road running along the base of the Otway foothills straight into the sea. The primary recovery asset is Mountjoy Parade, Lorne's flat, sealed main strip running directly along the foreshore, with the beach on one side and cafes and shops on the other; a full walk of it takes well under an hour and involves no gradient at all.
For anyone able to manage a little more walking, Erskine Falls, a short drive or taxi into the Otway hinterland, involves a set of steps down to the falls viewing platform; this is the one genuinely strenuous option on this itinerary and is worth skipping entirely on legs still recovering from a marathon, in favour of the flat foreshore instead.
Where to stay: several motels and apartment-style properties sit directly on or just off Mountjoy Parade, putting the foreshore within a two-minute walk.
Where to eat: the Lorne Hotel, on the corner of Mountjoy Parade and the Great Ocean Road, does a straightforward pub dinner with sea views from its beer garden, a reasonable option for a group without needing an advance booking.
Getting to Melbourne Airport (MEL)
From Lorne, the return route reverses the outbound journey: the V/Line coach back to Geelong, connecting with the V/Line train to Southern Cross Station, then the SkyBus Melbourne City Express onward to the airport. Allow 3.5 to 4 hours door to door from Lorne, and build in real buffer time around the coach connection at Geelong, since a missed service on this leg has a longer knock-on delay than anywhere else on this itinerary. Anyone with a tight flight time should strongly consider a private transfer or hire car for the return leg instead.