Great Ocean Road

Victoria’s Great Ocean Road between Melbourne and Adelaide is home to the world class surf at Bells Beach and the rocky limestone spires of the Twelve Apostles. Besides that, the region also provides fishing villages, migrating whales, golden beaches, rainforests and national parks.

Victoria’s south-west coastline covers an incredible range of scenery. You can observe huge waves at the surf spot of Bells Beach or relax on the golden sands of Lorne. Furthermore, families have the opportunity for family friendly swimming at Anglesea. And if you want to get wild and windswept, Shipwreck Coast is the place to be. Of course, the most beautiful thing that you can’t miss is the Twelve Apostles. These limestone stacks rising from the Southern Ocean seem to float in the ocean at the Bay of Islands and are sure to leave you speechless.

From rainforests and rivers to volcanoes and coastlines, the Great Ocean Road presents nature at it most diverse. In Great Otway National Park, you’ll see waterfalls and sparkling gorges and walk through the tops of enormous mossy trees. Another option is to cruise through gorges and past spectacular caves at Cape Bridgewater. Aside from that, you can see isolated sandy beaches, forests and some of Australia's highest sea-cliffs on the 91km Great Ocean Walk.

Concerning wildlife, the Great Ocean Road is one long spectator stand for native animals. You can watch southern right whales during their annual migration in Warrnambool and see koalas, kangaroos, emus and waterbirds roam freely at Tower Hill State Game Reserve. You can also observe koalas in the wild at Kennett River and in the Great Otway National Park. At Melba Gully in the Great Otway National Park you can watch glow worms put on a spectacular light show. Other exciting experiences are swimming with dolphins at Queenscliff on the Bellarine Peninsula or canoeing alongside platypus on Lake Elizabeth at dawn.

The Great Ocean Road regions also offer lots of different and delicious food styles. For seafood, step down to the wharf in any seaside town and be sure to visit the fishing co-ops in Lorne and Apollo Bay. Taste delightful berries from farms in Colac, Heywood, Gellibrand and Deans Marsh or the gourmet cheeses from delicatessens in Allansford, Timboon and Cooriemungle.

Find out more about the Great Ocean Road.

Pictures by Rupert Ganzer https://www.flickr.com/photos/loop_oh/ and danwalker90 https://www.flickr.com/photos/danwalker90/