Road Trip on the Great Ocean Road

After a harrowing journey from Kochi in the south of India that involved 4 separate flights, a suspended airplane ticket in Delhi and a frantic call to my travel agent in Toronto at midnight, a 7 hour flog delay sitting on an airplane with little food or water, a missed connection to Sydney in Hong Kong and a reschedule flight to Melbourne, I made it to Australia! Anyone who knows me at all, knows that I have wanted to go to Australia for a long time now and to be here is amazing and surreal.

My mom met me at the airport, which was an amazing surprise after a two-day marathon plane journey. She had no idea that my flight had changed or what time it was coming in at so it was a miracle that we found each other.

We spend a day in Melbourne and then rented a car and have been driving the Great Ocean Road (GOR) for three days. The GOR runs from Torquay to Warrnambool along the ocean delivering some absolutely spectacular views. Around every corner is another stunning view and amazing beach. There is tropical forests and steep cliffs along side each other.

Finding the Beach for the along the GOR

View of the GOR from Lookout

We rented a car in Melbourne and promptly named her Matilda (I thought it was a fitting name for the small, blue Huyandai).

Matilda

Mom was a bit nervous at first, and rightly so, since in Australia, they drive on the other side of the road but she did a great job and got us onto the M1 heading for the GOR.

Helpful reminder signs...

The first part of the GOR is called the “Surf Coast”. Our first stop on this part of the road was in Torquay, pretty much the world’s surf capital. We went to the Surf World Museum, which showed the history and evolution of the sport in Australia.

We then wondered through Surf Plaza, which is filled with enormous surf shops!

Rip Curl in Surf Plaza

My brother would have been in complete heaven! We then visited Bells Beach, the home of the surfing world championships.

From there we drove onto Aireys Inlet and the Split Point Lighthouse where we got some amazing views of the coastline.

Mom and I in front of Split Point Lighthouse

As we were wandering around the lighthouse, a reporter from the local paper approached us to ask us why we were visiting the lighthouse. We ended up making it through the cutting room floor and into the paper so here is a link to the article…http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2010/01/25/140151_bigsummer.html

We made it through the GOR Memorial Arch just before lunch. The GOR was built by soldiers returning from WWII as a way to reintegrate them into society after the war. The arch was built to commemorate their service and the work they did building the road.

In front of GOR Sign

We stopped for lunch in Lorne and then drove on to our final destination for the day of Apollo Bay where we spent the night.

The next morning we got up early and kept driving. We tried to find some secluded beaches recommended by Lonely Planet but had no luck and so started the day by visiting the Cape Otway Lighthouse. Cape Otway is the beginning of the part of the GOR called “Shipwreck Coast”. The cliffs down to the ocean were steep and jagged. The waves crashed with immense power against the rock providing for epic views.

Cape Otway Lighthouse

On our way from the Cape Otway Lighthouse, we saw some koala bears on the side of the road! They were just sitting in eucalyptus trees next to the road and were so docile that we were able to get really close! It was a quinticential Australian experience.

By mid-day we were at the highlight of the GOR, the Twelve Apostles. One word, breathtaking! I think I took 250 pictures of these alone! We took a helicopter ride over the coast to see them from another vantage point, which was just icing on the cake.

Exploring the 12 Apostles from the Beach

12 Apostles

View from Helicopter

After the Twelve Apostles, there is little to see along the GOR so we drove straight to Port Fairy, a quaint little town on the coast.

Harbor in Port Fairy

Our final stop on our road trip was Grampians National Park. It took about two hours to get there and provided a completely different type of scenery than we saw along the coast.

All I can say is the GOR was incredible. I’m sure it will definitely be a highlight of my time in Australia and to do it with my mom made it even better. We seemed to be a good pair (besides my constant back seat driving) with her driving and me navigating.