Our lovely journey started from Melbourne to Torquay, the first town in the Great Ocean Road, about 100 km away on Day 1. There, we had our first glimpse of the Great Ocean Road coast. After lunch, we walked on a small hill to enjoy the enchanting view of the majestic cliff with pounding waves of the Great Ocean Road coastline. We then made our way to Lorne, a small town famous for surfing. Walking along the bridge in the town with blowing winds can be chilling yet calming.
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Torquay coast
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Tranquil picnic spot
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Lorne
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Our journey continued along a scenic winding cliff road towards Kennett River. There, high up on the tree, a wild shy koala could be spotted sleeping. The attention stealer was the colorful parrots in green, orange and red that flew around and perched on top of the tourists' heads and shoulders.
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| Frothy coast |
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Wild Koala at Kennett River
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Colorful parrot at Kennett River
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We headed to our destination of the day for our night rest in Apollo Bay. It is a small town with wild unperturbed beaches. The host of the hostel I booked was friendly and he offered to provide us a free accommodation as he overlooked our booking and was away. Luckily, there was a friend of him that helped to take care of the premise whom opened the doorway to lead us in. It was a late autumn in May, hence, considered the low season for tourists as the weather was starting to chill especially at night.
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Apollo Bay
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On Day 2, we headed to Cape Otway Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in Victoria. I love the quaint scenery of the white tower perched at the end of a white lined walkway with the blue ocean at the backdrop. The drive along the journey was flanked by green plain fields and serene forest, providing a countryside sentiment.
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Cape Otway Lighthouse
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Finally, we reached the pinnacle of Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell, where the key attractions are located. The first stop was the iconic Twelve Apostles, with towering limestone stacks surrounded by swirling white ocean waves. There are only eight apostles left apparently due to weather and sea erosion. It was raining with strong winds but that did not deter the excitement of savoring the wonderful nature created by God.
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12 Apostles
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Next, Gibson Steps, where walking down the 86 steps carved on the cliff to the beach provides a stunning view of the limestone coast. On the beach, one can have a closer view of the 2 Apostles, named Gog and Magog rising up from the ocean.
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Gibson Step beach
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Can you see the Gibson steps?
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Loch Ard Gorge truly mesmerized me with magnificent limestone rock formations such as Razorback, offshore stacks and a sandy orange beach facing the 2 long stacks with arch and blowholes. The frothing sea around the rock formations enhanced the picturesque scenery.
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Razorback formation at Loch Ard Gorge
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| Shipwreck Coast |
London Bridge is a unique sight, as part of the bridge collapsed in 1990, causing a gap of sea in between the main coast and the remain of the rock formation. The bright orange sunset ray fell upon the bridge, illuminating the brown rock.
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London Bridge
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Our final destination was The Grotto, a naturally carved out cave and an archway at the bottom of the cliff, where the rock pool formations and sea horizon view made it a perfect spot for photo.
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The Grotto
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We ended our Great Ocean Road journey in Warrnambool for a night, before we continued to The Grampians. It was indeed a dream came true, as I had a plan to visit my dream place just a few years before...
