5 of the best - Great Ocean Road
Last month we took a day trip along the Great Ocean Road. This coastal drive stretches from Torquay just outside Melbourne to Portland. We took a tour from Melbourne but the drive can be spread over a few days in a rental car.
Here are 5 of the highlights of the day:
1. 12 Apostles
The 12 Apostles are magnificent eroded limestone rock stacks which change colour in the sun. Located in the Port Campbell National Park about a four-hour drive along the Great Ocean Road, there are only 8 of the original 9 'apostles' left after one collapsed in 2005.
2. Loch Ard Gorge
A few minutes drive west of the 12 Apostles is the Loch Ard Gorge. The gorge is rich in history being the site where a large ship called the Loch Ard beached on nearby Muttonbird Island after a tumultuous journey from England. Only two of the fifty-four passengers survived, one of whom was a fifteen-year-old boy called Tom Pearce, and the other a seventeen-year-old Irish girl called Eva Carmichael.
3. Ice cream at Dooley's in Apollo Bay
Vegemite ice cream? Not for the faint hearted!! You can sample this and other unusual flavours like Liquorice and Pavlova, or be like me and stick to the award-winning delicious passionfruit flavoured ice cream!
4. Kennett River
For me this was the most exciting stop of the day - I got to see a real-life koala!! Unfortunately I didn't realise that the little fellas sleep up to 22 hours a day. I was amazed - how do they cling onto the trees while asleep and not fall off? Hats off to these little beauties!
5. Ngatanwarr Maits Rest Rainforest Walk
Home to some of the tallest Eucalyptus in the world, this short walk showcases ancient beech and eucalyptus trees, and tree ferns and moss. The lush rainforest is also home to 43 different species of birds.
The Great Ocean Road is a beautiful coastal drive with so much to do and see. I'd highly recommend it to anyone visiting Melbourne.
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| Great Ocean Road |
1. 12 Apostles
The 12 Apostles are magnificent eroded limestone rock stacks which change colour in the sun. Located in the Port Campbell National Park about a four-hour drive along the Great Ocean Road, there are only 8 of the original 9 'apostles' left after one collapsed in 2005.
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| 12 Apostles |
2. Loch Ard Gorge
A few minutes drive west of the 12 Apostles is the Loch Ard Gorge. The gorge is rich in history being the site where a large ship called the Loch Ard beached on nearby Muttonbird Island after a tumultuous journey from England. Only two of the fifty-four passengers survived, one of whom was a fifteen-year-old boy called Tom Pearce, and the other a seventeen-year-old Irish girl called Eva Carmichael.
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| Loch Ard |
3. Ice cream at Dooley's in Apollo Bay
Vegemite ice cream? Not for the faint hearted!! You can sample this and other unusual flavours like Liquorice and Pavlova, or be like me and stick to the award-winning delicious passionfruit flavoured ice cream!
4. Kennett River
For me this was the most exciting stop of the day - I got to see a real-life koala!! Unfortunately I didn't realise that the little fellas sleep up to 22 hours a day. I was amazed - how do they cling onto the trees while asleep and not fall off? Hats off to these little beauties!
 |
| Sleepy koala |
Home to some of the tallest Eucalyptus in the world, this short walk showcases ancient beech and eucalyptus trees, and tree ferns and moss. The lush rainforest is also home to 43 different species of birds.
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| Mum and I in the rainforest |
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