Great Ocean Road (Australia)

...road in the world. The Great Ocean Road.

Alright, well now that I have your attention, let's begin shall we? The Great Ocean Road is indeed it's official name - it is a couple of hundred miles of coast-hugging, rainforest-roaming scenic candy, laid across one of the most daunting patches of seaboard you will find just about anywhere. This road was started essentially as a project for returning servicemen - out of work, probably scarred ...
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From here the Great Ocean Road ducks inland for a while, as it twists and turns through the luxuriant temperate rainforest of Otway National Park. If you want, you can duck off down to Cape Otway Lighthouse, the biggest and brightest and most important lighthouse along the coast. Alas, it costs about $10 to get into the lighthouse reserve, but it might well be worth it to look around and climb the lighthouse. Keep an eye out for Koalas hiding ... more

Allow me to introduce to you the most spectacular coastal road in the world. The Great Ocean Road.

Alright, well now that I have your attention, let's begin shall we? The Great Ocean Road is indeed it's official name - it is a couple of hundred miles of coast-hugging, rainforest-roaming scenic candy, laid across one of the most daunting patches of seaboard you will find just about anywhere. This road was started essentially as a project for returning servicemen - out of work, probably scarred from their experiences, and looking for something to occupy themselves. So a mad plan was hatched to build a road along the southern coast of Victoria, notorious for it's fickle weather, shipwrecks galore, and famed for its magnificent vistas.

It took some 14 years or so for the road to be completed, from its beginnings not far from the surfing town of Torquay and it's world-famous Bell's Beach, to its conclusion in the far-flung town of Portland it's magnificent natural harbour - home in the 19th century to a large whaling operation. After all the years of back-breaking labour, terrible weather conditions and sheer cliffs to cut through, the road was finally completed. Today, you can complete the ride in relative serenity along a generally even, bitumen-coated road. Back in the day, of course, it was a treacherous, dirty and rutted nightmare which claimed many an unsuspecting motorist.

Having done this particular stretch of highway several times in my life, due to its proximity to the city of Melbourne, I think I can speak with some authority on the grandeur of this magnificent road. Several times I was the passenger, others the driver - and each time the views and sights seem to be new and fresh. It's a truly invigorating experience - especially as you navigate the seemingly endless, tortuous curves and hairpins while you look wild-eyed at the crashing surf dozens, even hundreds of feet below.

The first town you'll pass through along the road will be Anglesea, with it's famous golf course - famous not for its championship-quality links or big-name members, but because of the large congregation of Eastern Grey Kangaroos who are very happy indeed with the grass cover on the fairways. Just so long as you don't clout one in the noggin with a wayward driver, you should be right to admire them from a distance. It's a rather unique experience, though.

Not much further down the road is Airey's Inlet and it's iconic lighthouse, seated on a bluff above the small holiday town, and an interesting place to visit in its own right. The rocky shores and rough seas of the Bass Strait required a series of lighthouses along the promontories and high cliffs of this coastline, and this is one of the most scenic and dramatic, as it poses far above the water. Just try not to get there when it's pouring rain when I did last time, though - it's not a pleasant experience.

Keep your eye on the road for the next little trip, because you're entering perhaps the most rugged and difficult section of the road, and one the most spectacular. The road hugs right up to sheer cliffs which tower high above, and the only thing stopping you and your vehicle from plummeting to a rocky death is your attentiveness as a driver, and the obligatory protective railings. In the past, there wasn't even that much to keep you on the road. It's a dramatic and marvelous stretch - I'd advise being the passenger if you can manage it. You'll also pass along the best stretch of beach along the road, at Fairhaven. Expensive holiday homes abound along this long strip of sand, and it's a mecca for surfers and bathers - and sharks! Before too long you'll have made it relatively unscathed to the pretty and popular town of Lorne.

Relatively quiet in the winter and cooler parts of spring and autumn, this place explodes into action once the heat kicks in. Hordes of beachgoers line the streets with traffic, every lodging is full and raking in the money, and the beachfront shops are full of people shopping for almost every sort of tacky souvenir and knickknacks. It's pretty crazy in the summertime - don't come if you want to get away from it all, but for the hip and happening you couldn't find a better location. All around the town is the gorgeous Angahook-Lorne State Park, a wonderland of rushing creeks and waterfalls, rainforest greenery and noisy birds. Once you've made up the incredibly steep hills surrounding the town and into the state park, there are scenic walks abounding - more than you could walk in a reasonable stretch of time. The location couldn't be more perfect.

Once you've pulled yourself out of your amazed torpor, it's time to hit the road again and head for the equally as popular beach town of Apollo Bay. It's about a 40km trip along much of the same, extreme-driving style road. You'll pass by many scenic pull-offs and various car parks offering scenic delights - the stroll to She-Oak falls being one of the nicest, and easiest. Spectacular Carisbrook falls is about halfway in between Lorne and Apollo Bay, and it's an easy 300-yard walk to an overlook. You'll get many chances to stop and take a breather along the road, and just to check out the Bass Strait throwing itself at the rugged basaltic bluffs. It's best to take this trip slowly, and to look at as much as you can - it's not called a scenic tour for nothing.

Apollo Bay is a generally peaceful and charming town, set on a small, sheltered bay. There are lots of nice places to get a bite, and several small tours from the town to various places - to Marriner's Lookout, or the drive up the Barham River road to gorgeous Marriner's Falls. Relax and unwind in the sleepy atmosphere - unless, of course, it's the madness of summertime - in which case, hit the beaches and soak up the sun and the atmosphere.

From here the Great Ocean Road ducks inland for a while, as it twists and turns through the luxuriant temperate rainforest of Otway National Park. If you want, you can duck off down to Cape Otway Lighthouse, the biggest and brightest and most important lighthouse along the coast. Alas, it costs about $10 to get into the lighthouse reserve, but it might well be worth it to look around and climb the lighthouse. Keep an eye out for Koalas hiding in the eucalyptus along the way - there's a good chance of spotting one.

You can also stop at Melba Gully for a beautiful and informative stroll through true rainforest, with its massive Myrtle Beech and other ancient, stern eucalypts. It might feel a little claustrophobic for some, but it's a wondrous introduction to what little that remains of the state's magnificent rainforests.

After you've passed through the quiet logging town of Laver's Hill - and, unfortunately, much of the forest in this area has been logged continuously for quite a long time, and there are some seriously ugly sections of biologically dead pine forest set amongst pockets of sublime rainforest - and descended down through the forest down to the coast, you'll be passing along the most famous and renowned section of the road - where such landmarks as the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and the London Bridge are all located quite close together.

The geology of this region is markedly different from the section on the other side of Cape Otway - you're now looking at the Southern Ocean and not Bass Straight, and Limestone forms the sheer cliff walls abutting the sea, rather than the rugged and rocky black volcanic bluffs you've previously been driving through. Limestone is much easier to break down and weather than the basalt, hence you're no longer straddling cliffs as craggy as Walter Matthau's face - but looking at steep, sheer drops from top to bottom. And this is what causes formations like the Twelve Apostles to appear. Not too long ago in the history of the earth, these enormous stacks would have been just another chink along the cliff - now they stand solitary, testament to the percussive and repetitive force of the ocean.

The singular nature of these cliffs, and the formations they spawn, draws hordes of visitors all year. Crowds stagger along the edge of these massive precipices, with the wind whipping their hair this way and that, in numbers much greater than you'll find strolling among the eucalypts in the rainforest. The drawing power of these impressive monuments is the main reason that the Great Ocean Road still retains its reputation as one of the most spectacular and thrilling coastal drives in the world - if not the premier seaside tour. The final stop in this procession of tourist stops is the Bay of Martyrs - an indented section of the coast in which lie many fractured pieces of former coastline, abandoned by the forces of the waves and storms which roll in from the frigid waters of Antarctica. It's an impressive finale.

From here, the road is more pastoral than powerful, winding through the well-known gourmet regions in the west of the state, including famous cheese-making towns at Allandale and Timboon. The greenery here is represented by endless pastures rather than ferny forests, but there is still much of interest to be found, especially in the cluster of towns along the road here. Warrnambool, the largest city along the road and the regional center for thriving rural industries, is home to Logan Beach - an internationally known whale-watching spot, best visited in the spring when Southern Right Whales comes to warmer waters to calve. This population was decimated by whaling, and is only now really making a slow comeback. Being able to one of these mammoth creatures from the beach is a fascinating experience - and they're certainly a regular visitor along these shores.

Before finishing in the harbour town of Portland, you'll pass through the charming village of Port Fairy, home during the year to a couple of important interesting festivals, primarily folk music. It's a lovely, quiet town and well worth a look through. Perhaps you'll pick up some clues through here about the enduring 'Mahogany' mystery - the fascinating story about a Portuguese caravel, carrying valuable goods, which may or may not have wrecked along here between Port Fairy and Warrnambool - or indeed anywhere along the stretch of forbidding coastline. It's yet to be found - but not for lack of trying!

Finally, you've made it to Portland - not the most interesting of towns itself, but the final stop along one of the most beautiful, fascinating and simply impressive highways in the world. Here's hoping you enjoy my tour so much you'll simply have to experience it yourself - it's something I can't describe in words to actually drive it yourself. So, if you're planning a visit down under - put the Great Ocean Road on your itinerary.
 

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