Great Ocean Road

One of the must do's when visiting  Melbourne, Australia is to take a trip to the Great Ocean Road. It is an adventure and experience in one. This coastal drive spans 243 kilometres in the South- Eastern Coast of Victoria, starting from Torquay to Abbotsford. As per wikipedia, the road was built by returned soldiers from 1919-1932 and dedicated to the soldiers killed during World War 1. 

Armed with eagerness for adventure, me and Joel set out to do the journey last March 26, 2018. We chose to drive down there so we can enjoy and hold our own time although there are a lot of online travel companies that offer the tour as well. Tours range from 96-105 AUD, depending on the inclusions and length. 

Our first stop was at Bell's Beach in Torquay. We came a week before the annual Rip Curl Surfing Competition so there were people busy putting up platforms and busy surfing. I also saw the famous shops of Quiksilver and Rip Curl here, very tempting to shop but we had an itinerary to follow :)

A few kilometers later, we saw this iconic spot. Everybody who comes to Great Ocean Road should have a picture or two here!

An interesting read about the road we are traversing.

Our next stop was at the lovely town of Lorne. While we parked our car, a bird rested on our side mirror. It is seemingly saying welcome to Lorne, visitors! But I was eating in the car so it must have seen my food. Lol

Lorne is a popular holiday destination in Melbourne. No question on this because of its beautiful one kilometer long beach and a sprawling park near the shore. During the time of our visit, the Lorne Sculpture Biennial 2018 was happening and was an interesting sight. Quaint shops were just a few steps away from where we parked so we got coffee and sat down for a while before heading off for the next stop. 

Kennett River is the next stop on our list. I've read that this is where seeing a koala in the wild is. Although I just saw one koala high up in the branches, Joel had fun trying to entice these colourful birds to rest in his arm. 

Driving out of Kennett River, we saw a pretty sight- a rainbow.

It was then almost dark so we headed out to our booked accommodation for the night in Apollo Bay. The following day, we headed early to continue our trip. We passed through Great Otway National Park and saw this beautiful view at Glenaire. 

A few kilometres ahead was Port Campbell National Park. We stopped to see for ourselves what Gibson Steps is about. It was an 86 step staircase down the cliff.

There had been rain a couple of hours before, so it was muddy and a bit slippery. There were a lot of people coming up and down the stairs at the same time so we had to give way so everybody can be safe. The natural scene of the beach was amazing but swimming here is not advised as waves are choppy and there are plenty of rip holes. 

Just a few minutes away was the Twelve Apostles, another iconic spot in the Great Ocean Road. We had to leave our car in the designated parking spaces near the Visitor Centre and take a bit of hike towards the opposite side. 

Right now, there are only 7 remaining. These spires were part of the mainland before wind and water eroded the connecting rocks. 

There was a throng of people everywhere enjoying the sight and the sound of the waves crashing from below. I was honestly not too amazed when I saw it myself but still I am happy to have gotten the chance to see the stones still standing amidst the pressure of the wind, water and rain. We concluded our journey at the town centre of Port Campbell to get some hot fish and chips and then drove 2 hours back to Melbourne.

That was another memorable adventure :) Thanks for reading and 'til next blog!