Any trip to Australia, especially if you are in and around the Melbourne area, should include a trip down the Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road runs from Torquay to Warrnambool for approximately 180 kms. The road twists and winds along the coastline of South-Western Victoria, passing through several small towns and the Otway Ranges along the way. The scenery is nothing short of spectacular, with the jagged coastline and sheer cliffs falling into the water. Along the way there are many rock formations in the Southern Ocean that, at one time, were part of the Australian coastline. Today, they all have names and are recommended stopping points along the way. The most famous of these is the Twelve Apostles. I'm not sure there are twelve now, or that there ever were, but they are a magnificent sight to see, even in the rain (which always seems to happen along the road)! The rock formation in the front of this photo has sense collapsed, the ocean just keeps wearing away at them.

On my first trip on the Great Ocean Road we did it backwards, that is we drove straight to Port Fairy, past the end of the road, and proceeded North towards Torquay.

Starting out we headed inland towards Warrnambool, the official end of the Great Ocean Road. On the way there we drove through a park/game preserve called Tower Hill where we were thrilled to see emu's, koala's and geese, but no kangaroo's. The park area was formed over 25,000 years ago from a volcanic explosion and the result was walls made from layers of ash, as the picture of the entrance below shows.

From there we headed into Warrnambool and Logans Beach to see the Southern Right Whales, so called because they were the "right" kind of whales for the whalers. We did see some whales, but they really don't do much. Not like the killer whales that splash out of the water, these just sort of roll and you really don't see much. We didn't waste much time there before heading on.

Along the way we stopped at almost every place that was marked. For the first part of the road, you really can't see the ocean unless you pull over to one of the marked stops and walked. These are the areas with the most amazing of the rock formations. We stopped at The Groto, London Bridge, The Arch, Loch Ard Gorge and finally the Twelve Apostles all of which are part of the Port Campbell National Park. London Bridge used to span all the way to the shore (you can see the missing area). It collapsed in 1989, slowly eroded by the winds and the sea, as are all these great structures. It's amazing to think that some time ago something formed all these masses and now they are slowly eroding back into the sea.

I should also add that it was cold and rainy! There is an unobstructed wind from the Antarctic that blows North this time of year and can make the air quite cold! This is the area known as the "Shipwreck Coast" because of all the clipper ships that wrecked here back in the mid to late 1800's. The rough seas and treacherous coastline were to blame.

From The Twelve Apostles the road heads inland and goes through the Otway National Park (Otway Ranges). Here you see the fabulous trees and ferns of Australia. The Blue Gum (or Stringy Bark), Mountain Ash, Manna Gum and Mountain Grey Gum. The Blue Gum is a favorite of koala's and sheds it's bark in long stips that fall just about everywhere. You will often see it hanging from lower tree limbs, power lines or all over the road. The ferns are just as varied, but my favorite is the tree fern! The tree ferns are slow growing but can reach 15-30 feet in height. They like moist areas and quite often grow in gully areas near streams.

Once you are through the Otways you head back towards the ocean and the town of Apollo Bay. From here, the rock formations are not as spectacular, but the view from the road is. This is the area where the driver really misses out because the road twists and winds so much that they don't have time to look at the scenery as it passes by. Here the road is right along the coast line with mountains or cliffs to the opposite side. Think of driving through the mountains in North Carolina but on one side, instead of the drop down the mountain, there is a drop off into the Southern Ocean! In the areas where the mountains move away from the coast and beaches are formed, this is where the small resort towns pop up. Apollo Bay, Lorne, Anglesea and Torquay are some of the larger ones.

The towns along the Great Ocean Road are small and very quaint. Good food and wine can be found in any of these towns and a stop at each is warranted. On later trips we stayed a weekend at Apollo Bay and Lorne, both were enjoyable and, if time allows, are recommended stay overs.

As you near the Northern end of the road you will arrive at the town of Anglesea.  Anglesea has a unique distinction, it has a golf course that attracts kanagaroos! We just had to visit and I took this photo from the porch of the clubhouse.

Although some could argue that the kangaroos are the worst hazard on the course, I'd have to say that it's the "roo poo," which is absolutely everywhere!  

There is so much to do and see, we didn't have time to do it all in a weekend. There are many places to go for bush walks and more waterfalls to see! If you have the time, stay a while and enjoy all there is to see of the Great Ocean Road!