The Great Ocean Road, like Route 66, cannot be rushed. American travelers often forget that Australia is almost as large as the continental United States, and the distances by road take longer than you might think. Stories abound of jet-lagged travelers trying to do the 225-mile drive from Melbourne to Warrnambool, which includes the Great Ocean Road, in a day and turning back in defeat. The circuitous route offers unlimited majestic viewpoints, and the hikes along the way lead to marsupial-filled wilderness. Allocate at least a week for the adventure.

Although advance planning isn't always necessary, it's a good idea during the peak summer holiday season (Christmas–Jan.). Rent a car in downtown Melbourne—the elegant city that plays Boston to Sydney's New York—and head over the West Gate Bridge via the Princes Freeway (B100) to Geelong. The Great Ocean Road—which officially starts 60 miles from Melbourne, at the surfing town of Torquay—is a sampler of classic Aussie landscapes. First up, Cape Otway, at the southernmost tip of mainland Australia, is lush and mountainous. Visit the Maits Rest Rainforest, explore the forest canopy on the Otway Fly, and hike part of the 56-mile Great Ocean Walk along the coast. Backpackers do the entire walk in six days, but an ideal day-hike is between Blanket Bay and Parker Hill. If going solo seems a bit daunting, sign up with local history buff Mark Brack for a half-day guided hike (5237-9272; msbrack@bigpond.com; $33).

After Cape Otway lies the most spectacular part of the drive—200-foot sea cliffs, wave-sculpted islands, blowholes, and cathedral-like arches. The scenic highlight is a string of monstrous offshore pillars called the Twelve Apostles, which are becoming almost as famous as Ayers Rock. Be sure to descend Gibson Steps, signposted just a mile or so to the east, to see beached monoliths—and keep an eye out for seals and fairy penguins.

The coast levels off again around the windswept port of Warrnambool, where you should check out the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, have lunch at its excellent café and sign up for Australia's most bizarre sound-and-light show (5559-4600; flagstaffhill .com). Finally, before you hit Port Fairy, the end of the line, stop in the Tower Hill Nature Reserve. An Aboriginal-run nature preserve inside an extinct volcano, it's packed with koalas, echidnas, and emus (5561-5315; worngundidj.org.au).

The telephone code for Victoria, Australia, is 61-3. Prices quoted are for January 2009.

Until recently, accommodations on the Great Ocean Road were decidedly "daggy" (Australian for uncool), with little more than cheap family-style campgrounds and self-catering holiday villas. But things are changing rapidly. Only the most devoted history buff would want to stay in the rustic Head Lightkeeper's House. Instead, check in to the genuinely stylish Great Ocean Eco-Lodge, a revamped farmhouse with original artwork and native flowers in every vase (5237-9297; doubles, $208$243). The best base for visiting the Twelve Apostles is Port Campbell, which has one of the area's few protected swimming beaches. Sea Foam Villas have spacious, modern units, some with seaview balconies (5598-6413; doubles, $83). The final stop, Port Fairy, is known for its historic B&Bs, making it the ideal place in which to recover from the rigors of the road. The Douglas has renovated colonial rooms and a Victorian garden overlooking the River Moyne (5568-1016; portfairyabed.com; doubles, $93$140).

At the end of the trip, you have the choice of driving back to Melbourne via the inland route through rolling sheep country, or heading to Adelaide via the Coonawarra wine region. Either way, you should take the easy 50-mile drive north of Warrnambool into the foothills of the Southern Grampians Ranges. Dunkeld's Royal Mail Hotel, a former stagecoach stop and pub, has been renovated into a chic Aussie version of a French country inn. The owners grow their own produce, and the unexpectedly excellent restaurant lures foodies. Request a room in one of the new Mount Sturgeon Cottages. Watching the sheep and roos graze at dusk, you'll feel like you've wandered into an Impressionist painting (5577-2241; doubles, $90$138).

While the Great Ocean Road was once a culinary wasteland of cheap burgers and oily fish-and-chips, even the smallest seaside town now has decent restaurants serving New Australian cuisine (lots of fresh ingredients mixing Asian and Mediterranean styles) and top-notch wines from the nearby Yarra Valley. My favorite meals were the Szechuan prawns at Saltra in Port Fairy (20 Bank St.; 5568-3058; entrées, $17$22); the over-the-top ten-course tasting menu at the Royal Mail in Dunkeld (5577-2241; prix fixe, $104); and the fun dinner-and-show package at Pippies by the Bay in Warrnambool's Maritime Village, where you can choose from an award-winning wine list before seeing a show about the wreck of the Loch Ard (5561-2188; entrées, $15$20). But perhaps the most memorable gourmet treat on Australia's southern coast is in the Port Campbell Mobil gas station. Local fishermen deposit their giant rock lobster in a water tank out back, and they let you pick your own crustacean, which the attached fish shop then prepares. You won't find a fresher, more succulent lobster dinner anywhere on the planet (32 Lord St.; 5598-6411; dinner, $22).

The best source of up-to-date information is greatoceanrd.org.au and the small visitors centers you'll pass along the route. The widest selection of history books on local shipwrecks is in the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. For a more general treatment, pick up the new Shipwreck Archaeology in Australia (UWA Press, $34). The saga of the Mahogany Ship inspired the fine novel Wrack, by Aussie author James Bradley (Holt, $13). Read it in conjunction with Kenneth McIntyre's more academic The Secret History of Australia: Portuguese Ventures 200 Years Before Captain Cook (out of print).