Great Ocean Road
Australia
Apollo
Bay, a typical seaside town on the GOR.
Apollo Bay is one of the Great Ocean Road's most pleasant seaside towns, calm and rural in feel, it is has a good selection of no-star accommodation and is parked between rolling green hills and clear blue waters, with sufficient sand to keep the kids happy, just enough surf for the young dudes, and sailing or walks for older layabouts.
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Guide
The
Otway Fly Tree Top Walk.
Near
Beech Forest, Lavers Hill, a few kilometres off the GOR, the
Fly takes walkers 25m above the ground and through the Otway
Ranges rainforest. It's 2.5 hours from Melbourne via the inland
route or 3.5 hours via the GOR.
A
few of Australia's remaining Twelve Apostles.
Australia's
spectacular sea stacks off the south east coast are the result of centuries of wave erosion
on soft limestone, first cutting tunnels through jutting cliffs,
gradually increasing to archways and finally collapsing the
land link completely; in one case in 1990 stranding two tourists
on the isolated stack.
Much touted as the sight on The Great Ocean Road, access
is controlled and mainly from above by walkways that are likely
to be crowded by other gawping camera-wallies desperate for
premium pictures. For those with time and a desire for exercise
it is possible to hit the beach a few kilometres down the road
and walk along to the first of the Apostles.
English visitors may remark upon similiarities with Old Harry
Rocks and Durdle Door in Dorset or the recently collapsed Needles
on the Isle of Wight.
The breezy and charming village of Port Campbell [280km from Melbourne via the GOR] is the nearest accommodation centre to the Twelve Apostles, as well as to the not-dissimilar Loch Ard Gorge and its three marked walking trails. Port Campbell embraces a fine little beach as well as a couple of pleasant restaurants and small hotels.
The
long and tediously not-very-winding road to Adelaide from the Great Ocean Road.
A quick look at the map might give road warriors the impression
that a run from Melbourne to Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road
is a good plan. This would fit in nicely in with a circular
tour starting from Sydney, through Melbourne and Adelaide, train
or plane to Alice Springs and Uluru in Australia's Red Centre,
plane to Cairns, then a drive down the east coast back to Sydney.
But...Australia is a lot bigger than one imagines. Do not underestimate
distances nor overestimate the interesting sights en route.
For example, from the official end of the Great Ocean Road at
Warrnambool to Adelaide is 655kms [400mls], at least 8 hours
pedal to metal, and most of the scenery is as pictured above.
i.e. not wildly stimulating.
Click
for Adelaide Pictures
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