Trip on the Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is a special scenic road in the south of Victoria state, not far from Melbourne. It is considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Australia.
In this article, you will find a description of a three-day trip, accompanied by photos, covering all the interesting spots along this route and its surroundings. You can travel in the area during all months of the year, although during the Australian winter, June to August, keep in mind that the weather can be wintry and stormy.
♦ Recommended tours to the Great Ocean Road departing from Melbourne (purchase from Viator site):
First day of the trip:
Trip in the Eastern Part of the Great Ocean Road
The first stop was in the city of Geelong in Melbourne Bay (about an hour's drive from the airport). A special attraction in this city is wooden statues made from human-sized logs scattered in many places, especially near the beaches. The statues are designed in various figures such as police officers, women, and more—very cute and unique.
It is worth walking along the beach, on the pier, and going up to a lookout point over the coastline, from which the following view can be seen:
When leaving the town and continuing south, you reach the first town on the coastal route called Torquay, known as the surfing capital of Australia. A good vantage point over the sea is from the ANZAC Memorial Park, honoring Australia's war dead.
From there we continued towards Bells Beach, which is the most famous surfing beach in Australia. The waves were not particularly high, but there were several passionate surfers despite the cold water.
From here the drive continues along the coast heading west, stopping at lookout points and towns along the way. Along the road there are many lookout points, with organized parking bays, offering an impressive view of the winding road, cliffs, and beaches.
♦ Renting a car from the reliable and convenient Booking website: Booking.com
In Anglesea there are famous golf courses with many kangaroos roaming around them, and indeed there were dozens of very active kangaroos eagerly munching on the grass.
From there you drive along the scenic road southwest to the town of Apollo Bay a little after sunset, where we had dinner at the Apollo Bay Hotel restaurant. You can of course stay overnight here and continue the trip the next day; we booked accommodation for two nights at a B&B on a farm in Nirranda near Port Campbell, so we continued in the dark along the coastal road toward the B&B. On the way, near the turn to Otway Lighthouse, we were surprised to see a koala sitting peacefully in the middle of the road! Luckily we didn't hit it. It looked at us and looked just like a toy teddy bear, so sweet!
We didn't manage to photograph it, but here is another photo to appreciate the sweetness of koalas we saw at a koala park in Brisbane:
This was the first time we saw a koala in the wild. We hope no one else ran over it since it remained sitting on the road. It is well known that many koalas get hit on the roads :-(
We arrived at the farm at 21:30. The landlady welcomed us kindly despite the late hour; she might have thought we wouldn't arrive because she said she called us and we didn't answer, but that was because Vodafone mobile reception is nonexistent along almost the entire coastal road. Telstra has reception.
The room was spacious and nice with a canopy bed and attached private bathroom. There was also an additional room, a living room, with a TV, refrigerator, kettle, and coffee. The hospitality includes breakfast.
Second day of the trip
Trip in Otway Park
In the morning, a rich breakfast was waiting for us, prepared by Karen's partner.
Afterward we headed out toward the forests of Otway Park to Otway Fly Treetop Walk. At this site, there is a walking trail elevated in the treetops. Metal bridges 600 meters long were built there at a height of 25 meters above the ground, and in addition, there is a higher tower in the middle of the track reaching the upper part of the high tree canopy.
This is a privately owned site. The climb to the path is gentle, and on the bridges you feel a slight sway while walking; the path gives the feeling of the heights where birds fly between the trees, and down below you can also see a small stream flowing between the trees.
In the forest there is also a trail following prehistoric animals, especially attractive for children, where among the trees you see several dinosaurs of various sizes and shapes positioned in an environment similar to what they had in the rainforest in the past.
The next stop was Beech Forest, the starting point for a trip to Beauchamp Falls. A walking trail of about an hour round trip leads to the falls, descending quite steeply (and climbing back up, of course) with a moderate level of difficulty. The route passes through a cool-climate rainforest characterized by ferns similar to those found in New Zealand rainforests.
On part of the trail, you walk along a stream winding through the trees. Towards the end of the trail, there are stairs leading to a lookout point overlooking the waterfall from the side. We veered slightly off the trail before the waterfall and went down toward the stream to see the full beauty of the waterfall from the front.
From the waterfall, you continue toward Apollo Bay on a very winding road. On Apollo Bay's main street near the visitor center, several beautiful wooden statues are placed, very different in shape from those in Geelong, decorating the sides of the street.
It is worth having lunch here and visiting the visitor center.
The next destination is the famous Otway Lighthouse. You reach it by detouring a few kilometers from the main road. Entry is paid and includes a self-guided tour of the historic compound, which includes an ancient telegraph station, historic service buildings, and a climb to the top of the lighthouse.
At the lighthouse, there is a guide who gives a brief explanation about the lighthouse's operation. The site closes at 17:00.
The lighthouse is active no longer and was replaced by a new, smaller lighthouse next to it equipped with modern electronic equipment.
From the lighthouse, you head back toward the main road. In this area, it is known that there are koalas in the eucalyptus trees along the roadside. We saw one of them last night on the road, and now we searched for them in the trees while driving, and indeed we saw one and stopped near it. We looked carefully around and found five more sitting in the treetops, some eating eucalyptus leaves and others resting or sleeping.
We continued on our way toward the beach to arrive at the beautiful cliffs of the 12 Apostles before dark. We reached them slightly after sunset when there was still a bit of light. Their sight next to the cliffs of the shore itself was stunningly beautiful.
We walked there along the cliff until it was completely dark, and then we drove back toward the house we rented at the farm. On the way, we stopped to eat dinner in Port Campbell at a restaurant called Waves, recommended by the farm owners. The restaurant (a successful one!) is part of a boutique hotel of the same name.
Third day of the trip
Trip in the Western Part of the Great Ocean Road
This is the most beautiful part of the Great Ocean Road. The first point on the route was Children's Cove located slightly west of Nirranda. It is a bay with cliffs on both sides and a pleasant sandy beach in the center, which is very suitable for swimming in summer.
From this point, we headed back east toward the Bay of Islands. In this bay, there are many islands with vertical walls of various sizes, and the coastline is craggy and indented. The site features lookout points from several angles overlooking the impressive cliffs.
Continuing east on the coastal road, you reach the Bay of Martyrs. At this location in 1908, a large 2,000-ton sailing ship carrying valuable cargo sank on its way from New York to Melbourne after running aground during heavy fog. Its crew members and passengers were safely rescued by boats.
On this beach, there is also a walking trail through the diverse vegetation present. Since September is spring season in Australia (an inverted world...), you see beautiful blooms, and in general, in many places along the coast there are pleasant scents of flowers.
Further east from this bay is a place called The Grotto. Here, forces of nature worked together from two directions to shape the land. On one side, ocean waves carved and eroded the land, while on the other side, rainwater carved through the rock, together creating a cave-like arch with a pool beneath it. You can walk down the stairs right to the cave's opening.
Afterward, you reach another lookout point over an impressive natural arch in the sea, named, of course: The Arch.
The next stop is London Bridge. This is a spit of land that was once connected to the mainland and collapsed, resembling a bridge with two arches—hence its name.
Tourists used to be able to walk across the bridge to the tip of the landform. Less than twenty years ago, the arch closest to the mainland collapsed, and fortunately no one was injured, but two stunned tourists were stranded on the newly formed island. They were rescued from there by helicopter. At all lookout points, there are warnings that the cliffs are unstable and one should not stray from the marked paths. Of course, there is also a danger of falling into the abyss if you deviate from the trails.
From here you continue toward Port Campbell, and before arriving there, there is a lookout point over the town and its pier, from which boat tours to the 12 Apostles cliffs depart:
The next spot marked along the way as a lookout point is called Loch Ard, named after a ship that sank there. In fact, all along these shores, many ships sank after running aground during fog or at night on one of the numerous reefs.
At this beach, it is worth going down the path leading to the bottom of the cliffs to a pleasant sandy shore.
The place is shaped like a narrow, long bay with vertical cliffs on both sides. At this beautiful beach, there is a large cave with stalactites on its ceiling.
Climbing back up to the top of the cliff, walk along the headland to its tip, where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the bay and see the coastal cliffs with natural arches formed by nature.
The final stop on today's route along the coast is the 12 Apostles cliffs, which are actually only 7 now, as nature has already destroyed five of them. The cliffs are impressive and beautiful, in various sizes and shapes, and at this midday hour they look different than they do near sunset. There is a walking trail along the cliff to observe the rock formations and coastline from different viewpoints.
Near the site, there are two places offering helicopter tours over the impressive coastline. Prices ranged from 100 AUD for ten minutes up to 240 AUD for 35 minutes.
From here, return toward Port Campbell; we ate there again at Waves restaurant and continued north to Timboon, where there is a farm that produces and sells cheese made from milk of animals fed on organically grown, chemical-free feed. The farm's name is Mouse Trap. We tasted several types of cheese and chose to buy two that we liked.
From here we continued toward Melbourne, arriving at 18:30 (about a three-hour drive). The road was two lanes but traffic was light, so we weren't delayed until getting closer to Melbourne, where traffic started to slow down.