Day 1 : Torquay - Point Addis - Bells Beach - Angelsea - Airey's Inlet - Kennett River - Apollo Bay - Cape Otway Lightstation (closed by the time we reach) - Otway Junction Motor Inn (stay) - Melba Gully, Great Otway National Park
We touched down at Tullamarine Airport at 6.20am. We had very good breakfast at McD before collecting our rental car. Prior to that trip, we booked our car through
https://www.alphacarhire.com.au/ with reasonable price of approximately SGD500 (inclusive of additional driver fees, gps and max protection insurance) for 6 days.
We got ourselves a small Hyundai (=
Here's the famous "Great Ocean Road" sign where the road officially begins!
The Great Ocean Road begins a 90-minute drive from Melbourne's city centre.
Right from the beginning of the road your drive will take you along the waters edge. As you enter Anglesea the cliffs overlooking the beach will kickstart your excitement looking at the coastline you’ll be driving along Great Road Ocean.
Point Addis
One of the most popular activities to do when visiting Victoria is to drive the Great Ocean Road. The ~250km drive between Torquay and Warrnambool takes you through surf towns, National Parks, and of course to some of the popular limestone rock formations, like the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge, that has made the drive so famous.
My suggestion is to have a go and organize your self-drive itinerary to the Great Ocean Road. Here is the map of our routes.
We drove approximately ~600km in total (we had consulted a map above - with stopovers to get proper rest as well).
Rushing the experience is a common mistake. While the entire trip could be completed in three days, allow more time for excursions and stopovers en route.
We could see a lot of people rush through the Great Ocean Road – their focus set on seeing the Twelve Apostles – and fail to take time to admire the view.
We advise people to stop regularly. By doing that, you get to switch off and relax which allowing your mental concentration to have a break from driving.
Lunch - Bell Street Fish And Chips @ Bell Streets
32A Bell St | Shop 2, Torquay, Victoria 3228 (11am onwards)
We shared 1 set and it was more than enough for the two of us
Perhaps you are a foodie then Lorne is the place to visit with fresh seafood coming straight from the water and onto your plate at a choice of restaurants – delicious!
Split Point Light House, Airey's Inlet
I'm pretty sure everyone clambers to see the Twelve Apostles to take photos of the natural erosion of the limestone coastline, but there are plenty of other things to see and do.
If you’ve ever heard of the popular 90’s Australian TV show called Around the Twist you’ll want to make a stop at the Split Point Light House located outside of Airey’s Inlet as it is the one featured in every episode of the TV show.
Halfway between Lorne and Apollo Bay, is the Kennett River Holiday Park. We made a stop here as we had heard about its wild koalas. A short walk up the gravel road we spotted our first kangaroo by the roadside and koala high up in the trees having a bite to eat. I think that was one of the first wild koalas we’d ever seen.
Kennett River (Koalas and Kangeroos spotting)
It is also a great place to see the mighty Kookaburra, King Parrots and Rosellas.
I love this Kookaburra posing for picture
Dangerous road to Cape Otway Lighthouse
Cape Otway Lighthouse is mainland Australia's oldest lighthouse and overlooks a magnificent view of the coast! However, we didn't manage to visit it. We were slightly late for the day.
We were famished so we stoppedby at a nearby restaurant near our inn.
Dinner @ Lavers Hill Roadhouse
57 Great Ocean Road, Lavers Hill, Victoria 3238; 8am-11pm
We booked a room
Otway Junction Motor Inn and they have free carpark just outside our room (the floor was freezing cold, luckily it was just 1 night stay). The reason why we stopped at this place called the Laver's Hill is because we wanted to visit the
Melba Gully, Great Otway National Park (Glow Worms). This place is located not far from our inn. No photos because it was pitch-black and we didn't walked too far into the woods in the middle of the night. We managed to see a few on the first bridge which was about 200m away from the entrance of the park.
Tip by seasoned local : go all the way down and head across two wooden bridges and wait for your eyes to adapt to the surroundings and prepare yourselves for an all natural light show! Cautious of very dark and slippery road!
We stopped in almost every town, and at everything that caught our eye. My recommendation is to stay overnight in either Apollo Bay or Port Campbell. Make sure you have plenty of rest to ensure you stay safe when driving the Great Ocean Road.
Day 2 : Otway Fly Treetop Adventures - Gibson Steps - Twelve Apostles - Loch Ard Gorge - Port Campbell (The Grotto) - Bay Of Islands Coastal Park - Raglan Motor Inn - Warrnambool
Breakfast @ Otway Junction Motor Inn
Healthy drinks to start the day
Whilst still quite popular, many visitors will miss the Otway Fly Tree Top Adventure which gives you a chance to go zip-lining or take tree top walks through the Great Otway National Park.
If heights aren’t your forte there are still nature walks giving you a chance to bask in the rainforest and perhaps see some local wildlife up close.
A map of the Great Otway National Park
Tree top walks
View from top of the tree top walks - ferns
Opens every day 9.00 am – 5.00 pm, last entry to tree top walk is 4.00 pm, takes approx less than 1 hr to complete, Walkin AUD 25, Online AUD 23.75.
We didn't manage to stop at Gibson Steps because we drove too fast and we missed the car park entrance and it was jam packed with tourists. So we proceeded to Twelve Apostles instead as it was very near.
Twelve Apostles - there are only seven/eight left due to erosion from the waves
View from the other side of the Twelve Apostles
A picture of us <3 Mission Accomplished
The Razerback
The Razerback is another rock formation that you can view when visiting the Loch Ard Gorge precinct. Loch Ard Gorge, another scenic stop along the Great Ocean Road. The rock formations here are amazing!
The Loch Ard Gorge
The gorge is named after a ship, called the Lock Ard, which ran aground on nearby Muttonbird Island in 1878. Out of the 54 passengers and crew, only two teenagers survived. 15-year-old Tom and 17-year-old Eva. Tom was apparently washed ashore and rescued Eva after hearing her cries. Our hero Tom then climbed out of the gorge to get help.
The Loch Ard Gorge is part of Port Campbell National Park, Victoria, Australia, about three minutes' drive west of The Twelve Apostles.
At the entrance to The Grotto
View of The Grotto itself was amazing but it was low tide that day
Tom and Eva viewpoint, just 200 meters from the carpark
We stopped by to take a picture of the Port Campbell Town from top
Sunset @ Bay Of Islands Coastal Park
Fine dining @ Clovelly Restaurant and Bar (#1 restaurant in Warrnambool)
116 Merri Street, Warrnambool, Victoria 3280, Australia
Fine dining isn't enough to fill my hunger so we went to Coles Supermarket and bought our supper.
He loves this Ginger Beer a lot
Stargazing & Shooting
Logan Beach Whale Watching Platform, Warrnambool
Day 3 - Logan Beach Whale Watching Platform, Warrnambool - Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve - Port Fairy - Lake Bellfield - Reeds Lookout & The Balconies (Sunset) - Kookaburra Motor Lodge - Halls Gap
Breakfast @ Bohemia Cafe and Bar (#1 cafe in Warrnambool)
127 Kepler St, Warrnambool, Victoria 3280, Australia
Logan Beach Whale Watching Platform, Warrnambool
We didn't spot any whales over 45minutes but we truly enjoyed the cool sea breeze and that awesome view.
Logan Beach Whale Watching Platform, Warrnambool
Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve - Inactive volcano erupted 30,000 years ago, it is possible to drive down the inside of the crater.
Stopped by Minjah along Warrnambool-Caramut Road
We decided to have a simple takeaway lunch, we parked our car at 160 Commercial Rd, Koroit VIC 3282 and made a takeaway of the local sandwiches.
Lake Bellfield - pit stop
This is another must do and see if you are visiting the Halls Gap. You have to check out The Reeds Lookout for the awesome sunset and area view.
The pictures that many visitors take sitting or standing on the edge of the rock is off limit. Please don't try.
The Reeds Lookout
The actual balconies are not accessible anymore but the viewing platform provides a great view.
Dinner @ Kookaburra Bar and Bistro
125-127 Grampians Rd, Halls Gap VIC 3381
Wild kangaroos found sleeping at the field outside our room
Stargazing mission failed. It was pretty cloudy that night.
Day 4 - Boroka Lookout - Nobbies Centre Coastal Walk (Feel of Antarctica) - Penguin Parade - Coachman Motel and Holiday Units - Cowes Pier
Boroka Lookout (drizzling and foggy)
We drove on up Mt Difficult Road to one of the best lookouts in the Grampians. Take the very short walk from the carpark to the lookout platform and revel in 180-degree views of Western Victoria, looking out over Halls Gap and Lake Bellfield.
We started our journey at 5am slowly making our way to Boroka Lookout. Mt Difficult Road was indeed very difficult to drive as it was very foggy in the morning and we took our time to maneuver our tiny car on a tiny pathway.
Grampians National Park view
We've got many eyes on our pizza
The next morning we scoffed down a supermarket breakfast, checked out of the hotel, and got back on the road heading towards Melbourne and then detour to Philip Island. I super love Melbourne's room as they provided us with a small microwaves and also chill milk everywhere we go.
Journey to Phillip Island
It marked the end of Great Ocean Road as we begin to enter the city area and then head down South towards Philip Island.
Melbourne City
Lunch @ Ginger Jones Cafe (average lunch, toll road and parking fee needed)
175 Lonsdale St, Dandenong VIC 3175
Nobbies Centre Coastal Walk (Feel of Antarctica)
This is the most southern tip of Australia they say. So the wind was actually blowing from Antartica itself and it was freaking cold.
It was winter so the sun sets pretty early.
Our scheduled Penguin Parade Tour started at 5.15pm sharp. We paid nearly SGD90 for the guided ranger tour and it was top-notch service. We were so worried as the weather was up to no good at 4.30pm but the skies cleared at 5pm and we got to watch those lovely penguins come on shore.
We weren't allow to take pictures of the penguins so here's one before the start of the amazing tour itself.
Look at those exorbitant prices!
We tried the exquisite food like the emu and kangaroo meat for dinner
Dinner @ The Fat Seagull Restaurant Bar Takeaway
10 Thompson Ave, Cowes VIC 3922
As usual we will visit their local supermarket to get a glimpse of what is available for the next day breakfast. This time we went to Woolsworth and it was an eye-opener for foreigners like us. We love to shop at their supermart a lot.
Before I end the blog post, if you are interested you can watch the short clips on the places in GOR taken using GoPro camera, edited using Sony Vegas Pro software. It was my first video compilation so far. Enjoy! Click
here.
