The GREAT Ocean Rd

Monday morning I rose out of bed far to early. It was 6am. This was the earliest I had dared to wake up since embarking on my adventure to Oz, but it was for a good reason. We were headed north through the city to Warrnambool where we would go whale watching before heading back to Melbourne along the Great Ocean Road.

Mesha under the famous arch to the Great Ocean Road

The Great ocean Road is a 151 mile stretch of road that wides along the south western coast in Victoria. The road offers a multitude of pull-outs and lookouts for viewing the magnificent coastline terrain and prominent landmarks. (Sometimes along the way I thought there may just be TOO MANY places to stop.) When we arrived in Warrnabool (which is not far from Portland, Victoria's first permanent European settlement, not Portland, OR.) The wind was blowing hard. We walked out to the breakwater but quickly realized that it was cold and that we were not going to see any whales amongst the violently crashing waves.

Along the The Great Ocean Road...Possibly the Bay of Islands?

A view from one of our many lookouts... I believe this is London Bridge.

Another view of the beautiful Australia coastline...

What a great view at the Grotto this is!

So with Warrnabool behind us we headed back to the car down the coast. We stopped along the way to Port Campbell at a couple famous landmarks including the Bay of Islands, The Grotto, London Bridge, and the Arch. Each stop offered a different view even when in essence, you were each time, just looking out to the ocean at rock formations. However the sun was out and as it shined on the water and rocks, it made each site sparkle with something new to see.

Just east of Port Campbell we visited Loch Ard gorge and the famed Twelve Apostles. The funny thing is sometimes the thing you want to see most ends up a disappointment and it is the things you discover on your way to them that really make your trip. This was the case of the Twelve Apostles. I had seen pictures of it, read about it and really was excited about seeing it, but when we got out there, despite the fancy visitors' center and large crowd of people headed to see it too, I was not that impressed. perhaps it was the lighting, the abundance of other tourist there or the fact that the unknown had already blown me away. I can imagine at sunset or sunrise it is amazing and perhaps just the right time of day and they too shine, however today was not the day. We overheard a kid talking to their parent, and I think what they said sums it up..."they're just rocks to me"... To some they are. I think the beauty of them are how they were formed and the fact that they withstand the harsh ocean day in and day out.

The Twelve Apostles are limestone outcrops that tower out of the ocean. Once a part of the cliff side, the towers over time through wind and the ocean waves were formed. You can not see all twelve of the towers at once as some hide behind another and it is thought that one or two of them have eroded away.

The Twelve Apostles photographed by a better photographer, in better light.

After seeing the Twelve Apostles we headed down the coast a little faster, stopping less frequently. While in the Otways National Park we attempted to tour a famous lighthouse. Unfortunately after driving the 10km up the dirt road to the lighthouse's entrance we discovered that it was closed for the day. The drive wasn't a total lost however, as the road happen to be home to many sleeping koalas! The ones I saw at Phillip Island so they weren't in the wild, but these were. We didn't pull over like the many other tourists on the road, but enjoyed them as we passed through. Kellie informed me that people do not often see them in the wild like that, so I felt very lucky.

We arrived in Apollo Bay around 5:30PM. We stopped by the bay front to look at the boats and brilliant blue water and then went to find a campground before it was dark.

The bay front at Apollo Bay

We found a campground not far from the city center that offered a rugged feel with the tent sites located along a river. We set up camp (there were plenty of open sites) and then went into town for dinner.

Our campsite. We survived the windy and rainy night!

We ate dinner at a local pizza shop that was quite good, and then we picked up some chocolate for dessert and headed back to the campground. (With it being cold and breezy out, we decided that wine was no longer favorable.) We sat in the car a bit before braving the elements. With my long socks, wool coat, and hat on I was set. I crawled into my sleeping bag and wrapped my face in my scarf and within minutes was asleep. Turns out I was as cozy as ever and slept the best I have in a while, even with the blowing wind and pouring rain that night. Shows you what a little time in the great outdoors can.

The sunset on the coast as we drove into town for some dinner...

In the morning we got up, not exactly with the sun, but early enough and broke camp to go find breakfast. On our way out of town we did a short hike to a lookout above the city that offered great views of the bay.

A short hike lead us to this lookout of Apollo Bay.

Then it was down the coast, passing through Lorne, Anglesa, and Torquay before heading back to Melbourne. A lot of these towns were just that, little beach towns. Each seemed to have it's own shopping area complete with restaurants and tourist places, such as surf board rental shops. Along the way we stopped at Split Lighthouse and to watch the surfers at Bells Beach. They were ALL wearing black and spread out along the beach. I saw a few catch a wave, but for the most part just saw them swimming out or walking with their boards to the beach. Not sure I want to try surfing...

Split Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet

The spectacular view from one of the lookouts at the split Lighthouse.

A lonely surfer walks with his board down the beach before braving the waves.

The GREAT Ocean Road was indeed great. I saw plenty of the ocean as Kellie drove us along the coastline. We also saw Koalas, a waterfall, a lighthouse, surfers, and much more. I am lucky to have Kellie as a great friend and tour guide. My trip down the Great Ocean Road beat doing it on a tour bus any day! -Mesha