Considering the Great Ocean Road is considered a top attraction in Australia, it definitely deserves its own section. First off, a word of caution. I usually commend myself on my crazy level of organization, but we completely underestimated the time we would need for this journey! Every map seemed to tell me a different time frame! I suppose it is hard to know exact time frames, because everyone will spend different amounts of time at different spots along the road. Coming from Adelaide, a straight shot through the interior of the state will get you to Melbourne within 8 hours or so. Taking the Ocean drive will take about 13-14 hours give or take!!! Unfortunately, we left Adelaide too late (8am!) and were unable to see the whole drive in daylight hours. Luckily, we saw the 12 Apostles coastline and other amazing geological features during the daytime. The coastal drive encompasses a variety of things. It officially starts from Warnambool, South Australia, but there are cool things to see prior to that too, namely in Mount Gambier. In Mt. Gambier, there are plenty of limestone caves to check out and the stunning “Blue Lake” which derives its name from- you guessed it- its BLUE color! Actually, scientists aren’t exactly sure why the lake is sooooo blue. It may sound weird, but you have to see it to appreciate just how richly blue it is! We saw it mid-February but apparently the most brilliant it gets is earlier in the year, when it takes on a turquoise blue tint. Regardless, it was really worth seeing. You can’t stop taking pictures, even though you know it won’t turn out as blue as you see it. Maybe the camera can at least try to do it justice..
I read a bit about the drive before we headed off, and there are plenty of ‘top-ten’ lists as to what to do, but we just didn’t find the time for it. To be fair, the Great Ocean Road could easily be a week vacation instead of a quick drive. There are plenty of side trails off the Great Ocean Road--- from Harvest & Winery tours, to Cheese tasting, to Jungle walks to Volcano walks, to a foodie adventure that would entice anyone! I had no idea it was such a happening place! Read up on it and see for yourself!
As for our compact, sped up version of it:
The geological features in the beginning, including the 12 Apostles site, were incredible. Technically, it’s the most important part of the trip that you need to do in daylight hours. At night, you wouldn’t even know the unique beauty of the coastline right next to you! Spectacular limestone cut away by wind and sea into intricate, incredible designs! Like nothing I have ever seen! I’ve seen gorgeous limestone formations jutting out of the sea in Thailand, but none carved so uniquely and so beautifully! The pictures speak for themselves but they still could never do it justice!
After that part of the drive, the landscape gets greener and more tropical. Tall gum trees and eucalyptus trees, I felt like we had instantaneously been transported to the Italian or Spanish countryside! A completely mediteranean feel! The sudden change of landscape was unexpected! Do they have gumtrees in the mediteranean?! :P
Beautiful to drive through, we knew that at this point we only had a few hours of sunlight left. One of my must see moments on the Ocean Drive was to see koalas in the wild. With our bad timing, I was convinced it wouldn’t happen. However, Tom was quite determined to find some for me. Close to sunset, the road dips south towards Otway National Park and the town of Otway as well as the Lighthouse (fun fact: oldest lighthouse in mainland Australia). On that road there is supposed to be a local koala population that just hangs out in the forest by the road. We found them just in time! The sun was setting and we stopped in a small clearing where we saw a few other cars. There, right above us, were trees filled with koalas!! All just hanging out minding their own business. They were incredibly cute! Their scrunchy noses and big dark eyes. Some were climbing up trees and playing around, others had planted themselves on a branch admiring the view of the forest. One of the koalas was constantly pooping so you really had to watch your head! LOL I was so happy to see them! It was my first time and it was in the wild! Fantastic moment.
We didn’t get all the way down to the Otway Lighthouse because it was quickly getting dark and we wanted to be back on the main road because we still had a long drive ahead of us. We got back to the main road and drove through more forest which eventually opened up into grassland and drier vegetation. As you drive further east from that point you start to reach the surfing towns of the southern Victoria area. You drive from town to town with spectacular views of the coastline. Along the way, there are many attractions including more koala watching, kangaroos, vineyards, good dining, surfing, and beaches! However, you have to go slightly off the main road and do it in daylight in order to appreciate these attractions. In our case it was getting too dark, and it didn’t help that it was a Sunday evening when everything closed early. So we drove through the picturesque surf towns without stopping, twisting around winding roads with jagged cliffs. Stunning ocean views I am sure, but in the darkness we couldn’t make it out well enough. We were disappointed for missing this stretch of road in daylight but we made the most of it, and still enjoyed the twinkling lights of each town and the atmosphere that we drove through along the way. However, it was a LONG ride. We somehow did the drive in one day, leaving Adelaide at 8am and making it into Melbourne at 11pm! It was not a great idea to pack such a ridiculous drive into a day. I would highly recommend spreading the drive out to 2 days to be able to see everything before dusk. Ah well, you learn from your mistakes!
And now we are in Melbourne!
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