Journey Along The Great Ocean Road

Meeting Dave on the Great Ocean Road
see all photos »

We headed south on the highway from Adelaide bound for Robe on the South East of South Australia. The winds were really picking up and it soon became apparent that we would need to find a place to stay and quit driving for the day. We stopped at a small holiday centre just after Policemans Point and it turned out that we were the only ones staying...... bit scary when it became dark but we survived.

Next morning with better weather we continued South and visited Robe, a small seaside town which was so quaint. After some lunch here we continued on the road into Victoria, passing Mount Gambier before crossing the border.

see all photos »

We passed Nelson which sits just a couple of km into Victoria and headed via Portland to the small historic town of Port Fairy. This was a good place for us to stop to rest before starting the Great Ocean Road drive the next day. Port Fairy is a small town basically one main street of shops surrounded by quite old houses.

The next day we headed onwards through Warrnambool bound for the ocean road. Not long after we left , we spied a slow moving 4WD in front of us with a guy skateboarding in front of the car – you don't see that everyday. After overtaking the vehicle we felt that we just had to find out what the story was, so we doubled back and stopped at a second support vehicle further up the road. Turns out that the entire group where Poms (English) – why are we not surprised. They have been on the road since August, raising money for 3 childrens charities by skateboarding across Australia from Perth to Brisbaine! The skateboarder Dave was telling us that he only took up skateboarding last year and skateboarded from Lands End to John O'Groats as a warm up! Really fantastic group and we wish them lots of success on this trip – you can read about his travels on www.boardfree.co.uk.

London Bridge
see all photos »

After spending some time with the guys, we headed onto Port Campbell (well we had to didn't we – thats my maiden name!). This is kind of a gateway town for the Great Ocean Road and is a great place to pick up some information. After leaving Port Campbell we hit the ocean – not literally. First place we saw was 'The Grotto' and 'The Arch' which were amazing rock formations. Further up the road we visited Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge - well now London arch after part of it fell into the Ocean in 1990. When it collapsed, it stranded 2 tourists who had to be rescued by helicopter. The last formation of the day was the world famous '12 apostles'. You can only see 7 of these pillars from the viewing point – the eighth pillar collapsed last year and you can still see the pile of rocks where it once stood. It really makes you appreciate how violent the sea can be.

Campbells Creek
see all photos »

Stayed the night at Apollo Bay, a small beach town. This is the only place we have visited where we struggled to find accommodation. The first campsite we tried was full and we had to book on a council run recreation ground.

Next day, we set off for our last day on the Great Ocean Road. Headed along the windy roads that hug the rocky coastline. The last town on the trail is a place called Torquay which is famous for its surfing – saw hundreds of surfers along this stretch of coastline – they must be crazy – the waves were huge.

The Twelve Apostles
see all photos »

The Great Ocean Road was first conceived just after World War I as a way of obtaining work for the many returning soldiers. It took a long time to build and was officially open to traffic in the 1930's. The Road is a memorial to their hard work and the many lives that were lost building it.