Apollo Bay is a coastal town on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road, where the Southern Ocean meets the forested slopes of the Otway Ranges. The town sits beside a broad, crescent-shaped beach and a working fishing harbour, with the hills rising quickly behind the settlement. Its location places beaches, coastal waters, and the forests of Great Otway National Park within easy reach. Apollo Bay is also an important stop along the Great Ocean Road, combining a long-established fishing industry with access to walking trails, waterfalls, marine environments, and the wider landscapes of Cape Otway.

Apollo Bay lies on the traditional lands of the Eastern Maar people, while the wider Cape Otway area is associated with the Gadubanud people. The region's European maritime history is reflected in the Cape Otway Lightstation, established to guide ships through waters known for dangerous reefs and shipwrecks. The lightstation precinct includes the lighthouse, former keeper’s buildings, and telegraph station displays. Fishing has also remained central to the town’s identity, with the local harbour and Fishermen’s Co-op connecting contemporary Apollo Bay with its working coastal traditions and the daily arrival of fishing boats.

The Great Otway National Park extends inland from Apollo Bay into tall eucalyptus forests, fern-filled gullies, waterfalls, and coastal heathland. Triplet Falls and Hopetoun Falls are notable places within the park, while the Great Ocean Walk follows the coast from Apollo Bay toward the Twelve Apostles. Marengo Marine Sanctuary, just west of town, protects coastal waters and provides habitat for Australian fur seals and marine species. Cape Otway offers further walking routes and access to the historic lightstation. Marriners Lookout provides elevated views across Apollo Bay, the beach, harbour, and surrounding hills.

Seafood is a defining part of Apollo Bay’s food culture, with the local fishing fleet supplying rock lobster, snapper, scallops, squid, salmon, flathead, and trevally. The Apollo Bay Fishermen’s Co-op sells locally caught seafood and provides a direct connection between the harbour and the town’s restaurants and food businesses. The surrounding Otways also support farms and producers supplying fruit, vegetables, dairy products, wine, and other regional produce. A distinctive feature of Apollo Bay is the close proximity of two very different environments: the open ocean lies directly beside the town, while cool forests and fern gullies begin only a short distance inland.