Many Things Everyone Needs To Do When Visiting The Great Ocean Road

1. Lorne

Lorne is a stunning town located right on the Great Ocean Road and was our preferred town to remain in along the journey.

It has a particular beauty with terrific cafes, amazing Lorne accommodation, special stores boutiques, galleries and Otway National Park is on your doorstep. Lorne is just 140 kilometres south of Melbourne and this restaurant swells with individuals over the Christmas vacations.

Delight in a walk on the beach, a bike trip along the foreshore out to the pier, have a coffee at Lorne Beach Pavilion and attempt a hamburger from The Bottle of Milk-- scrumptious!

We remained at the Mantra Apartments which were outstanding and right on the beach.

2. Teddy's Lookout

A short drive up the hill behind Lorne is Teddys Lookout. Drive up to the picnic location at the end of George Street and stroll a brief distance to take pleasure in the amazing views of the Great Ocean Road from the lookout.

There's also a 45-minute walk you can do here.

3. The Lorne-- > Apollo Bay Drive

Our favourite stretch of roadway was from Lorne to Apollo Bay. Be prepared to pick up photos a lot. This stretch of roadway has some of the most stunning scenery in the region. The Great Ocean Road hugs the cliff-face as it winds through the Great Otway National Park and rolling farmland.

4. Apollo Bay Eco Hostel

Apollo Bay is completely placed about half-way along the Great Ocean Road and surrounded by Otway National Park State Forest and rolling acres of green farmland.

Searching for a budget-friendly and family friendly location to stay? The Apollo Bay accommodation of the YHA Eco Hostel was a lovely restaurant to base ourselves for a few days.

Really homely vibe with fantastic kitchen area facilities, lounge rooms and a rooftop deck to take pleasure in a sunup. This is not a party hostel, no YHA homes are, and we met a great deal of good households and solo visitors here.

The Best DestinationsTowns Everyone Must Visit In Australia

Wilsons Promontory, VIC

Way down in Victoria away from your cozy Lorne accommodation is a knob of land referred to as Wilsons Promontory. Surrounded on 3 sides by the crashing Southern Ocean with granite headlands, natural beaches and lots of wildlife, this is a location enjoyed by the residents. Have a look at Squeaky Beach, so called since the sand 'squeaks', the historic 1859 lighthouse and the fabulous views from Mount Oberon. There is plenty of lodging in the location from standard right as much as luxury.

Kalbarri National Park, WA

Head north from Perth and you will discover the amazing Kalbarri National Park with deep canyons carved out by the Murchison River, stunning views and various strolling trails.

There are several breath-taking lookouts along the strolling tracks, the most well-known being Nature's Window, which frames a best view upstream. So, if you want to return to nature for a few days, then the Kalbarri National Park is the ideal salve for your soul.

Kosciuszko National Park, NSW

Going to NSW? Well, you can't visit our southern neighbour without a journey to Kosciuszko National Park. The home of the famous Snowy River, in addition to Mt Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mountain, the scenery is simply stunning. Acknowledged as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, this park has a fantastic range of native flora and fauna, consisting of the corroboree frog and the mountain pygmy possum.

Birdsville, QLD

Found in the middle of no place, about 720 km south of Mount Isa, Birdsville is a rather quirky must-see location. Originally, Birdsville was constructed to collect tolls from livestocks being driven in between Queensland and New South Wales, today it is mainly popular for the Birdsville races, held each year in September. While you are in Birdsville always remember to go to "Big Red"-- the 40m high dune, Burke and Wills' old camp area and naturally, the Birdsville Hotel.

Flinders Ranges National Park, SA

Before heading to the booked Apollo Bay accommodation,With incredible gorges, remarkable range of mountains, Aboriginal Rock Art and protected creeks, Flinders Ranges has some of the most amazing surroundings in South Australia.

Check out the Wangarra lookout and the historic Hills Homestead, Old Wilpena Station, Stokes Hill Lookout and Brachina Gorge. You might likewise take the 28km Moralana scenic drive, visit the Sacred Canyon or record a photo of the Cazneaux Tree, made well-known by Harold Cazneaux in his 1937 painting, entitled "The Spirit of Endurance".

Discovering The Great Ocean Road's Undiscovered Secrets

Torquay itself is a touristy internet user town, as you'd picture, so if you're into that sort of thing, then hang around for a day or so, but if you've seen the beach and the museum, and poked your nose around town, then move along and stay at some great ocean road accommodation. There's plenty to see just down the road.

The Great Ocean Road seemingly begins at Torquay but there are indications, etc spread right along it, therefore it's sort of hard to state 'right, it begins here, or there'. Anyhow, from Torquay the road heads inland-ish and winds through some spectacular hills and valleys before lobbing into Anglesea. If you've begun fairly early you'll most likely be after some lunch by this phase. We were. Just as you head into town there's a little strip of shops with loads of coffee shops to suit all tastes and budgets, and if you wish to remain a little longer then the Big 4 Anglesea Holiday Park or the Anglesea Beachfront Family Holiday Park are good locations to start.

Get back on the Great Ocean Road and head to Lorne which is a gorgeous little town set right on the sea. Along the way the roadway runs right along the ocean offering passengers some definitely awesome views; words do not do this place any justice at all. Eastern View has to do with midway in between Anglesea and Lorne and is the area where a statue celebrating the building of the Great Ocean Road has been erected. It's a bronze statue of 2 Diggers, and for a photo opportunity, there's an enormous archway over the roadway with Great Ocean Road written on it. And for a minor visual diversion, check out the house on a stilt jutting out of the hillside not far from the statue. It's as bizarre-looking as it is cool.

 

Continue to Lorne, and this part of the drive is probably my preferred, it's simply what I expected the Great Ocean Road would be; the roadway generally runs along the shore. Lorne is among the larger towns along the roadway and, as such, we just slip on through. If you had more time it 'd certainly deserve dropping in town for a couple of days as there are loads to do; you can either remain and play by the beach or head up into the hinterland and go horse riding or bush walking and so on.

We pushed on to Apollo Bay, nevertheless, and the roadway advances clinging to the rocks as it twists and turns its method down along the coast. It's just incredible, and if you had a sports car, well, it 'd be one of those one-in-a-million driving experiences.

Apollo Bay is an excellent area, especially when looking for some great Apollo Bay accommodation. With a lot of cool coffee shops, clubs and a handful of caravan parks it's a place well worth outdoor camping at for a few days. At Apollo Bay, you might kid yourself you're a million miles from anywhere. It's a peaceful place unless you're there during a performance like we were and after that, as you 'd expect, finding a website will be difficult; the environment was fantastic, though. We discovered a spot of ground, thanks to the Rookie's diminutive dimensions, at the Apollo Bay Holiday Park. It's just a small park and is filled generally with cabins but we scored a good, non-powered grassy area to park the Rookie amongst a bunch of camping tents beside the pool.

Many Tips That Make Sure You Have The Best Great Ocean Road Experience

1. Drop in the towns along the way

Along the Great Ocean Road are lots of towns which offer great ocean road accommodation and various experiences for individuals to check out. If you like surfing head to Torquay's Bell's Beach where the yearly Ripcurl Pro is held throughout the Easter weekend. If trekking is more your forte Anglesea provides a variety of beach and cliff hikes which all end with stunning views down the coast. Perhaps you are a food lover then Lorne is the location to go to with fresh seafood coming directly from the water and onto your plate at a choice of dining establishments - scrumptious!

There's more to the towns through; whether it be the chilled, hippy vibes of Anglesea or fishing with the locals inApollo Bay, by slowing your trip down not just do you get to take your time to actually experience the towns and shoreline you're driving, however by stopping frequently you get to turn off and unwind which allowing your mental concentration to have a break from driving which makes results in more secure driving when back on the road.

2. Take corny photos

You drove all this way so why not take photos of you 'holding' among the rock stacks at the Twelve Apostles? Or surfing on among the wood beams neglecting the beach! Trust me even if you feel foolish at the time you will look back and have an excellent laugh, and individuals standing beside you will most likely do the very same thing!

3. Don't try and do it all in one day

Despite waking up in Torquay early and already making the drive to Warrnambool in one day we didn't think about the time we had actually wish to spend exploring. We had not spoken with a map-- so we didn't find out about things like the Airey's Inlet Lighthouse up until Joc pointed it out mid-trip remembering information her Dad passed on from a journey when she was more youthful, and by the time we had actually hit the Great Otway National Park the bad weather condition had actually begun to come in leaving us in a predicament without seeing the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge.

We stopped in every town, and at everything that caught our eye. If you take a trip like this then my suggestion is to find Port Campbell  or Apollo Bay accommodation. This allows you a lot of time to check out the towns and activities in the location, along with enabling a lot of rest to ensure you remain safe when driving the Great Ocean Road.

Several Roads In OZ That Are People Free

Roadway tripping is enjoyable. However sitting in traffic is not. Here are the 3 finest crowd-free roads to take a trip.

Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

It's a relatively long run from your lovely Lorne accommodation to the Eyre Peninsula-- throughout the Nullarbor to the west, and a long day's drive east of Adelaide, however, it indicates that when you're there the only other people (apart from a handful of long-range road trippers like yourself) on the road are locals. Trace the eastern shoreline south from Whyalla to Port Lincoln and after that back up the western side to Ceduna for marvelous seaside landscapes, wildlife, and outstanding seafood-- road tripping does not get better than this. How far? 745km.

Fantastic Inland Way, Queensland

Heading north to tropical Queensland? Give up Highway 1 and take the back way, otherwise known as Great Inland Way, through western NSW and Queensland-- Sydney to Townsville via Dubbo, Lightning Ridge, Roma, Emerald, Carnarvon Gorge and Charters Towers. It's sealed all the way and is a journey through essential small-town Australia-- an Aussie variation of America's Route 66. How far? 2070km.

Beyond the Great Ocean Road, Victoria

Any visiting route as well-known as the Great Ocean Road is constantly going to draw in more than its fair share of slow-moving drivers who usually tend to find apollo bay accommodation-- you can't blame them, it's an amazing piece of the road-- that can turn it into a crawling conga-line of vehicles and caravans. But if you keep going, beyond the 12 Apostles, past the Bay of Islands, west of Warrnambool, you'll leave the day-trippers and trip buses behind. Decrease when you get to Portland, where you can walk to the edge of the highest sea cliffs in Victoria to peer down at a large colony of about 650 fur seals then follow the curve of Discovery Bay to Nelson on the South Australian border and explore the back roads of the Limestone Coast. It's just a half day's drive from the holiday crowds, but will feel a million miles away. How far? 167km (Warrnambool to Nelson).