The Great Ocean Road

By Tara Brougham, University of Melbourne, Australia

Despite saying bye to my whole family for what I thought would be the entirety of my exchange year, I was lucky enough to have my Aunt visit me in Melbourne as she was in Australia for a wedding.

Coinciding with the start of my second semester, her visit encouraged me to see Melbourne through a tourist lens once again and I made sure to appreciate all the amazing things my exchange location has to offer. I had about ten days to plan, and wanted to make the most of showing my Aunt around my new city but also exploring places I had yet to see in Victoria. Therefore, choosing to spend a weekend road-tripping the Great Ocean Road was the obvious choice.

The Great Ocean Road is famed for its natural beauty and quintessential Australian wildlife, and this blog post sets out the perfect itinerary to see it all in just two nights.

DAY ONE : Melbourne → Lorne

The best way to see the Great Ocean Road is, obviously, from a car, so we set off from the car-hire shop in central Melbourne at around midday after my classes were done for the day. The first part of the drive is slightly boring, as you get out of the city, through the country and past Geelong but is a good chance to sort your driving playlists and get used to driving (especially if it is your first time driving in Australia!). Bells Beach is the first highly recommended viewpoint, offering expansive views of Victoria’s coastline, this is also the site of the Rip Curl annual surfing competition, part of which I was lucky to see. Continuing from Bell’s Beach you will pass the Chocolaterie, so if you need to stock up on road trip snacks this is the place. Next you will pass the iconic Great Ocean Road sign, offering you great photo ops and a chance to learn a bit about the road’s history. The Great Ocean Road is the biggest war memorial in the world, and was built by veterans on their return from war to honour their fallen comrades. Shortly after this, you arrive in Lorne – an upmarket, gorgeous coastal town recommended for your first night’s stay. We stayed in the Lorne Hotel, and splashed out on a delicious dinner in the famous Totti’s restaurant. This Italian feast was the perfect way to end our first day on the Great Ocean Road.

DAY TWO: Lorne → Port Campbell

After a refreshing dip in the cold Southern Ocean, and a brunch at Salonika (10/10 chilli scrambled eggs!!) we were on the road again. The first stop of the day was Kennett River, a nature reserve known for heaps of koalas. We somehow managed to walk past two koalas right at the start, and turned back when we had a slightly scary encounter with a brown snake. On our way back to the car we noticed other tourists looking towards the top of some trees, a sure sign they had seen koalas, and this is where I saw my first koala in the wild! We managed to see about three koalas in the trees here, so definitely worth a stop on your way. The next section of the road takes you through the Great Otway National Park, and we made a slight detour to Cape Otway Lighthouse. Though we did not go in the lighthouse, we enjoyed a relaxing walk through the bush and were even able to spot a wallaby not far away. The coast after this grew even more rugged, and the road remained high above the cliffs making for some dramatic viewpoints. Before long, we arrived at the main attraction of the Great Ocean Road: the Twelve Apostles. Though there are no longer twelve, these were still a sight to see. The viewing platform here juts far out to sea, allowing a comprehensive view of the coast, so you can understand the sheer scale of the Apostles. That night we were staying in Port Campbell, just 15 minutes drive from the Apostles so we headed to our motel to check in and make dinner, before heading back to the Apostles for sunset. This was incredible, and the sun sets over the sea (an uncommon sight in the East and South of Australia), but my only regret is that we did not stay after sunset. Unbeknownst to us, about half an hour after sunset the tiny penguins who call the Twelve Apostles beach home return from their day at sea and you are able to see a tiny penguin parade up to their homes in the dunes. Definitely something to stay for, if you don’t mind the cold!

DAY THREE: Port Campbell → Melbourne

On our third and final day on the Great Ocean Road we decided to do what many miss out on, drive beyond Port Campbell towards the end of the road. We stopped at London Bridge, another dramatic view before my favourite stop of the entire trip: The Grotto. This magically named spot is an intricate mix of rocks and cliffs, with the sparkling sea framed at points throughout. Our final stop was the Bay of Islands – the end of the coastal part of the Great Ocean Road. This panoramic view was a beautiful way to end our road trip, before we headed back to the Twelve Apostles for one last picture, and then onto Melbourne.