What it is
Great Ocean Road Gin is a small, female-led family business making gin, vodka and liqueurs on the coast. Its distillery is at 1/8 Sawmills Way in Torquay, in the light industrial streets on the north side of town. It has the still, a shop and a small cellar door bar, and a botanical garden they're growing to bring more local plants into the gins.
It's not a drop-in bar like the breweries. The cellar door opens by arrangement and in some seasons, so it's a ring-ahead sort of place. For non-beer drinkers in a group heading to the taprooms, it's the local alternative.
The story
The founder, Ann Houlihan, has been coming to this coast for more than 50 years. Her parents built a holiday house at Moggs Creek in 1970, not far from the Great Ocean Road sign. It burnt down in the Ash Wednesday fires and was rebuilt.
In November 2017 Ann and her partner Kris McKie moved the family to Anglesea for a sea change, and Ann started making small-batch gin with botanicals from the region. They worked with a local Indigenous nursery to find the right plants. The first gin, Guvvos, came out in 2018. The distillery in Sawmills Way opened in December 2022, built around a 300-litre Australian copper pot still from Tasmania. They call it Joanie.
The gins
There are seven gins now, and several are named after places down the coast.
Guvvos
The flagship contemporary dry gin, pronounced "Gov-ohs". It's named after the surf beach outside Point Roadknight, near Anglesea, where they forage the kelp. It has 24 botanicals, nine of them from the region, including kelp, saltbush, eucalyptus, hop wattle and local honey. It's won a number of awards.
Split Point Navy Strength
Bottled at 57%, and named after the lighthouse at Aireys Inlet. Go easy.
The fruit gins
A raspberry gin liqueur made with whole raspberries, a blackberry and rose gin, and a grapefruit gin. Good in a spritz.
Vodka and cocktails
Coastal vodkas, liqueurs, and bottled cocktails like the Blood Orange Spritz and a yuzu and lemon spritz. Add ice and soda.
Other gins in the range use more coastal plants, such as coastal tea tree, lilly pilly riberries, river mint and wild fennel.
Visiting and tastings
When we checked in October 2026, the distillery website said the cellar door bar was closed for now while the team were out at events and markets around the region. Private tastings could still be arranged by phone, and you could buy bottles at the distillery shop. When the bar is open, it does gin and tonics, tasting trays and cocktails, and they say it's dog friendly and kid friendly.
So ring first. The distillery's number for tastings is 0407 687 666, and the latest is on the Great Ocean Road Gin website. The space can also be hired for private functions.
If the bar's closed, you'll still find the gin. The team takes it to markets and events around the region, and it's sold online.
Getting there and what's nearby
Sawmills Way is on the northern edge of Torquay, about six minutes' drive from Holyhead Drive. Ring ahead, and if you're lucky the still will be running when you call in.
To see where Guvvos gets its name, head to Point Roadknight, just past Anglesea, about 20 minutes down the Great Ocean Road. It's an environmentally sensitive area, so leave the dog at home. Our Anglesea guide has the rest of the town. The Split Point Lighthouse, which the navy-strength gin is named after, is ten minutes or so further on at Aireys Inlet.
Great Ocean Road Distillery FAQ
Where is the distillery?
1/8 Sawmills Way, Torquay, on the north side of town.
Can I just turn up for a gin?
Not usually. The cellar door bar opens seasonally or by arrangement, so call 0407 687 666 first.
What's Guvvos?
The flagship dry gin, named after the beach outside Point Roadknight, with kelp and saltbush among its 24 botanicals.
When did it open?
The first gin came out in 2018, and the Torquay distillery opened in December 2022.
Can kids and dogs come?
The distillery says it's dog and kid friendly when the bar is open.
For beer, see our Torquay breweries guide. For wine, try Bellbrae Estate, the closest cellar door, or the rest of our wineries guide. Local produce to go with it is in the markets guide. Staying in north Torquay? Check dates at Holyday House.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 19 October 2026. Opening hours, patrols, rules and closures change — check with the source before you go.
- Our story — Great Ocean Road Gin (official)
- Distillery cellar door and bar — Great Ocean Road Gin (official)
- Great Ocean Road Gin — Great Ocean Road Gin (official)
- Visit Torquay — Great Ocean Road Gin (official)
- Great Ocean Road Distillery — Visit Great Ocean Road