An Epic Road Trip Down The Great Ocean Road | Victoria, Australia

Long weekend June of 2014, we ticked off another item on our travel bucketlist: driving down (part of) The Great Ocean Road, an Australian National Heritage listed road-touring route.

We didn’t really have any plans apart from booking an AirBNB apartment overlooking Docklands. But at the last minute, decided to hire a car and do a mini road trip to The Twelve Apostles.

We left Melbourne at 4am to avoid the flock of tourists on and off the road. And what a fabulous decision indeed! We enjoyed uninterrupted views and fantastic photo opportunities.

The Great Ocean Road is a great addition to your Australian road trip for these 9 reasons:

1. It’s an Australian National Heritage listed stretch of road
2. See the  iconic limestone cliffs and crumbling pillars of the Twelve Apostles. Take a stroll along the timber viewing platforms and pathways that stretch as far and wide as the eye can see
3. It’s only a few hours drive from Melbourne so it’s very accessible (4 hours to the Twelve Apostles)
4. A chance to drive (or at least part of) the 243 kilometres stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia
5. Experience Australian roads and watch the changing landscapes – from city, to country, to coastal views – all within a mere few hours
6. Visit some of the isolated beaches and lighthouses in between the towns
7. Take a rest stop in the small towns in-between – meet the locals, have a coffee, watch the sunset/sunrise and just breathe the fresh air
8. Complete the Treetop Walk in the Otway rainforest (we skipped the zipline due to the tourist crowds)
9. Did I mention there’s 243kms of road? We definitely need to go back to complete the entire route

 

Other useful links:

Parks Victoria

Lonely Planet – The Great Ocean Road

12 Apostles Naming & Location

How far did you get on your Great Ocean Road trip? Share your story below.