Great Ocean Road
The must see road if you travel from Melbourne to Adelaide. Visit Koalas, Lighthouses, the Twelve Apostles, London Arch, lots of beaches and national parks - here is a short list of things to see and do.
The official Great Ocean Road (B100, sometimes also called Surfcost Highway) is about 240 km long and stretches from Geelong to Warrnambool. Its most Famous for the "The Twelve Apostles" near Princetown, but also has a few National Parks and Great Beaches along its path. To make your road trip awesome you should plan at least 3 Days and bring your Surf board, your outdoor and camping gear. Check out the carpool offers in Melbourne or Adelaide if you want company or share driving and petrol costs - its pretty easy to find other backpackers who would join you on your road trip or give you a lift. There are not many Backpacker hostels on the way, however you have the option to camp in the National Parks for free or stay in one of the Hotels, Motels and B&B's along the way if you don't mind paying ~$50/night.
Here is a list of things to see and do along the Great Ocean Road and beyond:
- Geelong
Home of the Ford Motor Company of Australia and Birthplace of the Ute and the australian version of the Ford Falcon, Geelong is home of the Ford Discovery Centre. If you don't like cars you can explore the city and the beach or fill up your food supplies if you plan to spent the night in the national parks along the coast.
- Torquay
Visit the Surfworld Museum, the largest surfing beach culture museum in the world, including The Australian Surfing Hall of Fame.
- Bells Beach
Great beach for surfing, only a few kilometers from Torquay and also host of the Rip Curl Pro each year. Rip Curl Pro is the worlds longest running professional surfing event, parking and entry is usually free, however you want to for a swim or surfing you should choose some other dates. Some scenes from the movie Point Break where shot at Bells Beach.
- The Twelve Apostles
One of the great Australian landmarks and a must see on this route. The Twelve Apostles are giant rock stacks up to 45 metres tall in the southern ocean and started to form up to 20 million years ago when erosion gradually attacked the limestone cliffs of port campbell. I took this pictures before july 2005, when one of them collapsed - it looks slightly different today and only eight of the landmarks are left.
- London Arch
Prior to the collapse in 1990, the arch was known as London Bridge and formed a complete double-span natural bridge.
- The Grotto
The Grotto is on of the sinkholes occuring in that area. There is a walking track to the sinkhole and back.
- National Parks
because the Great Ocean Road is a well travelled tourist route, prices for accommodation and meals are quite high. Backpacker accommodation is sometimes well hidden along the way, so it is a much better option to spend the nights in one of the national parks within the comfort of your own tent, car or van and don't pay anything for it. If you're lucky you might even encounter some koala bears in that area. Keep in mind that camp sides near the sea can be very windy, so do not try to hang out any clothes or towels at night as they might be blown away in the morning.
- Shipwreck discovery trails
At least 800 ships are known to have foundered in Victorian waters, the earliest in 1835. The Shipwreck coast offers opportunities for divers which are hard to beat. If you are into diving check out the shipwreck dive trail.
- Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park
Get up and close with koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, deer or teach cockatoo Joe new swear words.
Best time to visit the Great Ocean Road would be during summer between october and may. If you're not in hurry and sick of all the surfing and beaches then you should visit the Grampains National Park, about 2 hours north of Warrnambool before you continue your trip. Great place if you like mountains and hiking.