Wild Wombat Escapes Tours
Wild Wombat Escapes Tours
4.9
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Join Wild Wombat Escape for a fun filled and adventurous day that you will never forget! 'Travel in company not a crowd' Wild Wombat Escapes Great Ocean Road Tours depart Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
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4.9
499 reviews
Excellent
453
Very good
39
Average
4
Poor
1
Terrible
2
Donnette O
California42 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
Our day trip to the Great Ocean Road started with Chris picking us up promptly in front of our lodging in Melbourne CBD. Chris is very informative and funny in describing the countryside. We got to see kangaroos, very friendly parrots and cockatoos, and a koala! The ocean road is spectacular, but also the drive through the farm region is beautiful. We were always ahead of the big tour groups and that made it really enjoyable. So glad we chose Wild Wombats Escapes!
Written 27 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wen
Singapore, Singapore47 contributions
Sept 2015 • Friends
There are many tour operators out there organising day trips to Great Ocean Tour but what makes Wild Wombat Escapes Tours special is that the man behind the show Chris is a really kind and good-hearted guide. He goes out of his way to make this trip a good one for all his passengers including - (1) driving the group out of the city as early as possible so that we can beat the crowd to the scenic location, (2) preparing coffee, tea and biscuits for breakfast - nobody else does this, (3) preparing a specially laid out meal at a nice cooling rainforest where no tour operators venture, (4) highlighting the most worthwhile attraction to you so that you make the most of the great ocean tour, (5) driving me to the bathroom although it was out of the way for him - no tours ever did that and i have been on MANY, (6) doing an AMAZING job of a deejay on his own little van, he was so good my friend downloaded every song he played, (7) being willing to let us join in the trip in the 11th hour just cos he has space, and asking payment from us throughout the trip, (8) helping us understand how cut throat the tourism industry can be in Melbourne, (9) shares really personal stories about himself including the baby wombat he rescued years back, (10) making jokes to help relieve our boredom during the 12h ride. I would sincerely recommend this trip to anyone in a heartbeat. If you are booking a trip for Great Ocean drive, Chris is the best man you could go to. Don't do those large coaches for around the same price, go for this personal and kind guide!
Written 27 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fcj_nz
Wellington, New Zealand11 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
It is a bit of an obscured tour operator because Chris mainly relies on promotion through word-of-mouth. It doesn’t even come up in Tripadvisor’s search results for “Great Ocean Road tour”, but I am so glad to have found it.
Chris has in-depth knowledge of the local tour industry and their ‘pattern of behavior’. So, he planned the order and timing of the stops in such a way that we were able to see the different sights at peace - without being swarmed by tour-bus-loads of other tourists. Even when we bumped into a couple of bus loads of other tourists at one place, Chris still had more tricks up his sleeve to help us see icons in a different order to the greyhound bus-ers. So, we were always able to enjoy the locations and take photos without crowds blocking the view.
Lunch was great. It was make-your-own wraps. The wraps were so soft; the vegetables were fresh, with celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, ... I love the different spreads and dips. It would suit vegetarians too, because Chris separates the meat out on its own.
Chris seemed quite jaded by how he had been treated by the bigger operators in the industry, so he talked about it a bit. But other than that, he is quite a fun person. He has a great sense of humour, an eclectic taste in music and a collection of interesting stories, and the way he talks and jokes on that microphone to us, I reckon he would make a good radio host.
Chris has in-depth knowledge of the local tour industry and their ‘pattern of behavior’. So, he planned the order and timing of the stops in such a way that we were able to see the different sights at peace - without being swarmed by tour-bus-loads of other tourists. Even when we bumped into a couple of bus loads of other tourists at one place, Chris still had more tricks up his sleeve to help us see icons in a different order to the greyhound bus-ers. So, we were always able to enjoy the locations and take photos without crowds blocking the view.
Lunch was great. It was make-your-own wraps. The wraps were so soft; the vegetables were fresh, with celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, ... I love the different spreads and dips. It would suit vegetarians too, because Chris separates the meat out on its own.
Chris seemed quite jaded by how he had been treated by the bigger operators in the industry, so he talked about it a bit. But other than that, he is quite a fun person. He has a great sense of humour, an eclectic taste in music and a collection of interesting stories, and the way he talks and jokes on that microphone to us, I reckon he would make a good radio host.
Written 12 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marypeterson0123
Reno, NV6 contributions
Apr 2015 • Solo
Chris has such a large personality that he made the tour feel very specialized to the 11 of us on the tour. He made sure we each saw wgat we wanted and spent time doing what we wanted to do. He's funny and has a lot of energy. He also has s lot of local knowledge and history. We also arrived at the various locations before the large crowds in tour buses showed up. He sent us on a 20 minute walk in the rain forrest - beautiful! When we got back. He prepared a spread for lunch that everyone enjoyed. Thanks, Chris for the great memories! We'll be sending our friends to you when they visit Melbourne.
Written 6 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
stellina72003
118 contributions
Apr 2013
We did the great ocean road day and the only thing which was amazing was: the spectacular view. The GOR it's wonderful, but don't go with Chris. In the minibus we were three people, so of course, there was plenty of space for everybody. The food was poor and terrifying (sliced tomato, sliced cheese, vegemite, hummus dip, onion and bread wrap), no napkin, no plastic cutlery, in the middle of the rain forest, it was raining.. bad choiche Chris! However you don't go to eat but to see the GOR, so doesn't matter too much. The problem was that Chris (the guide) spent all the day to asking us to write a good review on TA and talking behind the other tours back. Why don't you care to make this tour good for us instead?! He didn't came with us in the rain forest and neither on the 12 apostles..He should tell us about what we are going to see not just drop us there and rest in the bus to have nap (!!!!) you supposed to be at work! I wouldn't suggest it
Written 28 August 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
GourmetGirlfriends
158 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
Don’t take this tour. You are better off renting a car or staying in Melbourne.
First the good: Chris takes you to all the important sites, which are beautiful. And, to his credit, he beats all the tourists buses there, which is excellent. He also found unique Australian animals (like kangaroo) in non-touristy areas. But spending the day in his van is absolutely not worth it.
The bad: First, he sings and whistles far more than he guides. We learned nothing. He spent 5 minutes talking to the van, out of a total 10hr ride. During those cumulative 5min, sometimes he would wear a headset and sometimes he didn’t. If the van is full, which ours was, it’s very stuffy, and whenever he stops (which is often), he turns off the van so there’s no airflow- even when the group is still inside (like at a traffic light). No water was provided throughout the 10h day, and no biscuits were offered (as promised).
Lunch is nice enough. It’s in the parking lot by a rainforest. Pretty spot but no seats. Lunch is healthy - pita bread and lots of veggie options to fill it. No drinks though, or chairs.
We learned that he accepts spillovers from the bigger tour groups, which meant some of our group had signed up for a boutique day tour (how wild wombat is billed), while others had signed up for a less personal experience. This combines two different crowds, and makes for a fuller bus, and a less boutique experience.
Worst of all, however, was the drive. The views are gorgeous but we missed half of them keeping our eyes closed so we wouldn’t be sick. Don’t think you can fall asleep though, the whiplash around every curve will snap you back awake. A passenger in our group puked half way through the morning (outside the van, luckily). but that wasn’t enough to slow Chris down.
The price is very reasonable so we did feel like we got our money’s worth, but it wasn't worth it.
First the good: Chris takes you to all the important sites, which are beautiful. And, to his credit, he beats all the tourists buses there, which is excellent. He also found unique Australian animals (like kangaroo) in non-touristy areas. But spending the day in his van is absolutely not worth it.
The bad: First, he sings and whistles far more than he guides. We learned nothing. He spent 5 minutes talking to the van, out of a total 10hr ride. During those cumulative 5min, sometimes he would wear a headset and sometimes he didn’t. If the van is full, which ours was, it’s very stuffy, and whenever he stops (which is often), he turns off the van so there’s no airflow- even when the group is still inside (like at a traffic light). No water was provided throughout the 10h day, and no biscuits were offered (as promised).
Lunch is nice enough. It’s in the parking lot by a rainforest. Pretty spot but no seats. Lunch is healthy - pita bread and lots of veggie options to fill it. No drinks though, or chairs.
We learned that he accepts spillovers from the bigger tour groups, which meant some of our group had signed up for a boutique day tour (how wild wombat is billed), while others had signed up for a less personal experience. This combines two different crowds, and makes for a fuller bus, and a less boutique experience.
Worst of all, however, was the drive. The views are gorgeous but we missed half of them keeping our eyes closed so we wouldn’t be sick. Don’t think you can fall asleep though, the whiplash around every curve will snap you back awake. A passenger in our group puked half way through the morning (outside the van, luckily). but that wasn’t enough to slow Chris down.
The price is very reasonable so we did feel like we got our money’s worth, but it wasn't worth it.
Written 15 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi GourmetGirlfriends it’s good that you took the time to write a review.
I think some of your points here are ‘a bit of a miss’ and doesn’t warrant a ‘terrible’ one star. And a bit unfair too.
Small (boutique) can be 22/24 seat mini buses my smaller bus has only 13 seats so boutique, not that I use that word in any of my advertising.
When my small bus is full that’s still only 13 passengers no matter where they sign up for the tour. A private tour may suit you but that would be at a much higher cost.
If you’re feeling stuffy let me know. I often ask my passengers how the environment is in the bus and often change the airflow air/con or heating levels to suit.
Any problem let me know.
When I have a passenger that is experiencing motion sickness I ask them to do proven things that can greatly reduce or fix this, including sitting up front and not staying in the bus at sights, get out go for the walks.
Do not keep your eyes closed (that is one of the worst)
Looking out at the scenery works.
If they listen, trust / believe me the problem solves.
The Great Ocean Road is one of the world’s great road trips and has many bends, almost like a mountain road trip with the bends.
To lessen the motion a good driver will square off corners using the apex, straighten slighter bends and slow wright down on half round and hairpin corners. So no whiplash around every corner like you wrote here, not even close.
Not a tour goes by without me giving commentary about so many things.
Ancient and recent history of the area and the world, indigenous, environment and more.
I just can’t do that in just 5 minutes. And I don’t have a headset ‘by the way.’
May be you meant I talk sometimes on the microphone and sometimes without.
That’s ok isn’t it?
Sometimes I will forget something like chili or the onion for the lunch but water and biscuits on the same tour, I can’t remember that. But I’m sure I would have given you the chance to get water. I usually always have water with the bus that passengers can fill their personal bottles with.
Thank you for saying is nice enough GourmetGirlfriends. Though I usually get better comments on the lunch.
There are seats; I setup lunch by the bus 13 of them.
This lunchtime is a better opportunity than in the bus or at sights to get to know one other. No knife & fork or chopsticks. Its a make a pitta wrap or top rice crackers buffet you can eat with one hand and talk with the other. Mostly people don’t use the seats; it’s a lunch party.
Don’t try to fall asleep on one of the most scenic drivers in the world.
Fall asleep when we are on the highway or in your bed at night.
I do thank you for saying some nice things about my tour.
Your one star sticks far out from all my 5 star review ratings.
Can you be fair and let me just say here. “My tour is absolutely worth it.”
Written 24 March 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nicola Mc
2 contributions
Nov 2018 • Couples
Great tour! Was amazing to see the kangaroos and koalas in the wild. Chris was a really good guide and kept us entertained
Written 18 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cantse
Hong Kong, China7 contributions
Feb 2018 • Solo
I really enjoyed the Great Ocean Road tour with Chris who is funny, energetic and passionate! We travelled in small group and avoided where the big coaches stop. Chris knows well about wildlife on the road and pointed out to us. Healthy lunch in the forest. I really enjoyed Chris's jokes too!
Written 22 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JenC
Hong Kong, China24 contributions
Jan 2018 • Couples
Very enjoyable tour even the travelling time is a bit long which is expected. So surprise to see the wild King Parrot and Koala.
Chris run the small tour by himself, for us we are eight people that day. He knew the scenes so well to avoid crashing the visit with the big bus tour. The lunch is simple but taste really good with the nature environment. By the way, he is also a pretty good DJ those songs that he plays during the trip are really nice. Highly recommend for those people who want to see the Great Ocean Road in a more nature way.
Chris run the small tour by himself, for us we are eight people that day. He knew the scenes so well to avoid crashing the visit with the big bus tour. The lunch is simple but taste really good with the nature environment. By the way, he is also a pretty good DJ those songs that he plays during the trip are really nice. Highly recommend for those people who want to see the Great Ocean Road in a more nature way.
Written 2 February 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Judith113
Sydney, Australia36 contributions
Sept 2015 • Solo
Driving the Great Ocean Road and seeing the Twelve Apostles rock formations is a 'must-do' for any visitors to Victoria. Melbourne is a fascinating city but set a day aside to view the beautiful victorian countryside where you will see kangaroos and koalas in the wild, spectacular parrots and, of course, the unique rocks called the Twelve Apostles.
The day trip which Chris designs is a small group tour and, unlike the larger bus tours, can be tailored to your needs at a significantly reasonable price ($95.00 - morning tea and lunch included).
Chris is a friendly, entertaining and generous owner-driver who will pick you up at a convenient spot, take photos if you wish, and drive you safely all day, ensuring you see the best of the coastal towns and allowing you an unhurried experience of the fabulous Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London bridge.
This is a long day tour - around ten hours - but, armed with unparalleled local knowledge, Chris avoids the crowds at popular destinations so his guests have ample time for photography, and is flexible in his approach.
If you need a bathroom stop or wish to photograph animals along the route, he will oblige. We saw wild kangaroos, a koala moving about a tree and parrots which sat on your hand.
Some tours stop for lunch at cafes along the way, and this seems an attractive option on paper, but the main goal of the day is to have time at the Twelve Apostles, so Chris will provide tea and biscuits early in the morning, then set up a lunch of delicious wraps in the rainforest, catering to halal and vegetarian diets, and take care that your trip is timed for you to spend at least forty minutes at the important sites.
The return trip does not go over the same ground. He chooses to travel inland through beautiful countryside, affording views of farm life - a true Australian experience.
Chris is not one for self-promotion, and is not a greedy tourist operator. He has a Facebook page but you will not find his brochures in the usual tourist outlets - don't let this put you off booking his tour, as he is a kind and genuine host who will make your day worthwhile.
This is a tour which can be enjoyed by all age groups. Chris is wonderful with children and, if you if you have mobility issues you will not be disadvantaged in seeing all this spectacular corner of Victoria has to offer.
The day trip which Chris designs is a small group tour and, unlike the larger bus tours, can be tailored to your needs at a significantly reasonable price ($95.00 - morning tea and lunch included).
Chris is a friendly, entertaining and generous owner-driver who will pick you up at a convenient spot, take photos if you wish, and drive you safely all day, ensuring you see the best of the coastal towns and allowing you an unhurried experience of the fabulous Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London bridge.
This is a long day tour - around ten hours - but, armed with unparalleled local knowledge, Chris avoids the crowds at popular destinations so his guests have ample time for photography, and is flexible in his approach.
If you need a bathroom stop or wish to photograph animals along the route, he will oblige. We saw wild kangaroos, a koala moving about a tree and parrots which sat on your hand.
Some tours stop for lunch at cafes along the way, and this seems an attractive option on paper, but the main goal of the day is to have time at the Twelve Apostles, so Chris will provide tea and biscuits early in the morning, then set up a lunch of delicious wraps in the rainforest, catering to halal and vegetarian diets, and take care that your trip is timed for you to spend at least forty minutes at the important sites.
The return trip does not go over the same ground. He chooses to travel inland through beautiful countryside, affording views of farm life - a true Australian experience.
Chris is not one for self-promotion, and is not a greedy tourist operator. He has a Facebook page but you will not find his brochures in the usual tourist outlets - don't let this put you off booking his tour, as he is a kind and genuine host who will make your day worthwhile.
This is a tour which can be enjoyed by all age groups. Chris is wonderful with children and, if you if you have mobility issues you will not be disadvantaged in seeing all this spectacular corner of Victoria has to offer.
Written 28 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We just took a trip during winter and it was fantastic. Yes, it can be a little cold and windy but the Victorian climate is changeable at any time of year. The scenery is magnificent and I highly recommend this tour.
Written 28 July 2018
I will be staying in downtown Melbourne. Do they provide pick up at a hotel or do I need to get Uber? How long does the tour last?
Written 18 November 2017
Chris picked us up at 6:55 am from our hotel and we were home around 7 pm.
Written 19 November 2017
Travelling to Melbourne at Christmas and have done the GOR before but still looking to book Chris for a trip.....Are there other trips, other than the GOR/12 Apostles, as would like to try something different?
Written 21 June 2017
Penguin Parade at Philip Island and the Grampians are nice.
Written 22 June 2017
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