So although I'd already done the great ocean road trip before, I was more than happy to do it again, also because the first time we only got half way along it so it was exciting to think we were doing the whole thing.
So me and my friend Annett who I met in Milford Sound woke up early the next day to be able to set off at a decent time to make the most of our 3 days on the road before I had to fly to Perth. Unfortunately the car battery was flat! We scuttled off to a couple of petrol stations and the police station to see if they could help us but in the end we discovered Annett's german car cover would look after us. We we called the RAC man and he came and gave us a jump start.
So an hour and a half later than initially planned, we set off to Torquay. This is the very first stop on the GOR and we popped into the tourist information place to see what there was to do there. We got lots of maps and brochures and headed off to the seafront to have a look at a mosaic sundial and some of the beaches.
Next we headed off toBells beach which is a very famous beach for surfers as there's a world championship held there each year. From there we headed out to see the lighthouse again and had a walk down to the beach. One wave caught me by surprise and I vaulted the fence very quickly... only to realise the fence was just a wire fence so the waves could still just as easily come underneath it! But I was still surprised at my agility!
From there headed on down the road, stopping at lots of scenic viewpoints along the way and went to Kennet River again to see the koalas. We also saw a Wallabe :)
We stayed the first night in Apollo bay. The youth hostel was very posh, and we had a dorm room to ourselves which is always a bonus! We bought a box of goon (cheap box wine) and cooked potatoes with a cheesy garlicy dip type thing and german sausages. It was delicious! Later that evening we were sat in the lounge and got chatting to a Canadian girl who was working there. She told us about a walk up to a lookout point that she does early in the mornings so that you get up to the top of the hill in time for the sunrise. We agreed to do that the next morning, providing it wasn't raining...
So we were up at 6.30 the next day in time to meet the Canadian girl to go for our hike. Its always so lovely being out and about at that time of day. I always enjoy it when I do, its just getting the motivation that's the problem!
The walk took about 45 minutes and the clouds were beautiful as the sun was rising. It was a bit cloudy so we didn't get to see the sun appear but the colours were still amazing. And when it got light, the view of the sea rolling in along the coast was gorgeous.
So after breakfast and making sandwiches. we headed off and the road took us inland through the Cape Otway National Park. We saw so many koalas on the way down to the lighthouse! We both got some really good pictures.
From there we headed onto Lavers Hill where we stopped for coffee and cake. The bloke serving us was very helpful and gave us a few other pointers of what to see. We had planned to go to Wreck beach to see the anchors, but the wind and sea were pretty rough. We climbed down to the beach, but the tide was high and the waves were huge so no chance of going for a walk along it.
From there it was a few more viewpoint stops before we got to the twelve apostles (stacks of rock in the sea - there used to be 12 but now there are only about 7 left standing). The Twelve Apostles is nice, but pretty touristy, but the waves were looking good and big. But the best part of the GOR I thought was just after the Twelve Apostles in places like Loch Ard Gorge. The whole coastline along the road is known as the Shipwreck Coast and you only have to look at the size of the waves and how they crash into the wrocks to imagine it. Lock Ard was a ship that sank in the early 1900s with only 2 survivors.
There's a little area of coast with several walks down to beaches, viewpoints and a cemetary of people associated with the shipwreck. We walked down onto the little beach that the two survivors were washed up upon. You wonder how they got up the cliffs - the rocks are so sheer! (Very easy these days as someone has put in some steps.. but I don't think they were there at the time!).
Anyway, me and Annett walked to the far side of the area and sat and watched the most amazing waves crashing over the rocks. We could have stayed there for hours, just watching and listening - it was amazing. But time was running out for remaining daylight so a quick drive to see the razorback rock at the other end of the area before heading onto Port Fairy to our hostel.
The next day we went for a walk first thing out to the lighthouse at Port Fairy. There's a circular walk around the headland. It had chucked it down with rain all through the night and the sky was still looking pretty threatening. Just before we got to the lighthouse, it started hailing, but fortunately not for too long! On the way back to the car we saw lots of wallabes in the grass which was great. When we got within about 300m of the car, the heavens opened and we got drenched!
We still had a bit of the GOR to see on our last day, but we also stopped off at a wildlife sanctuary in an old extinct volcano called Tower Hill that's home to kangaroos, wallabes, emus and koalas.
After that it was back towards Port Campbell and to the bay of islands, bay of Martyrs, the grotto and London bridge (which has fallen down). The sea was still rough but not as spectacular as yesterday and the wind was much stronger and colder and we were dodging rain clouds so each stop was pretty brief.
That evening, back in Melbourne, we treated ourselves to tea at the hostel and got through a couple of bottles of bargainous $2.50 wine! I was sad I couldn't carry on travelling longer with Annett, but hopefully I'll meet up with her again sometime in WA :)
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