Australia's Great Ocean Road

chillibreeze writer — Amara Vinod Kumar

Need an editable PowerPoint map of Australia

The Great Ocean Road (GOR) is said to be one of the world's most scenic drives spread along the south eastern coast of Australia. The Great Depression compelled man to build a path through one of nature’s best creations and gave a chance for today’s generation to preserve the multi-faceted coastline. A long stretch of pristine beaches, rugged cliffs and mountains along the 243 km long coast can take your breath away.

It was in the month of September that I drove the GOR, which wasn’t the best of time considering the weather conditions. I had to make a choice between taking a plane from Melbourne to Adelaide or drive long the GOR all the way to Adelaide. I obviously chose the latter, which till today is one of my most memorable drives and for not one moment do I regret this decision.

It was going to be a drive through an area where you could potentially get little or no help when needed, as you would be cut off from the city life and most areas would be pretty deserted. I had to plan my trip thoroughly and ensure that I went through the route map multiple times to reach Adelaide on time and in one piece. I interacted with people who have driven this route and it was quite helpful. It led me to do something as simple as hiring an SUV against a standard sedan. The rationale behind this was high ground clearance and a better view of the coastline. Who would have thought that the car you chose would make your experience a whole lot different? I seriously wonder!

I headed out early morning and was out of the city in no time. Weather conditions could have turned out to be one of the biggest spoilers of the drive, but luck was on my side. The forecast predicted a few showers on the route but most of the way was to have chilly winds with sunny patches.

I was out of the city onto Princes Highway and after about three hours of driving I got to Geelong, a small town en-route the GOR, which guaranteed I was on the right road. In no time I reached Torquay, the town that brings you to the start of the GOR. This place had a nice little information booth with helpful people and literature. Picking up brochures was handy and people were kind enough to explain in detail all I needed to know about the drive. A stop here gave me a good perspective about the GOR and what you can do as you pass by each little town.

Another hour of driving and I was at Bells Beach. This route is known to have the best surf beaches and a stopover at Bells Beach is a bonus for people who like to surf. I would have loved to stop but unfortunately I didn’t know surfing and I thought it was best to continue driving.

By this time I was done with over four hours of driving and suddenly a beautiful coastline loomed on me. To my left was the ocean and on my right lush green hills. This was it! I was on the GOR and I could not help but stop every few meters to gaze at the coastline. Truly awesome!

After a number of stops at every view point, I reached Lorne for lunch, and was amazed when I realized that there was a beach opposite almost every restaurant in this town. There are a number of things you could do at Lorne and I did take a chance to go out of my route map to visit Erskine Falls. I pulled over and walked through the rain forest for about 30 minutes and was greeted with a sight of a crystal clear waterfall. The spray of ice cold water from the fall was truly refreshing and much needed. I climbed back to parked car exhausted but the excitement of the views to come kept me going.

The drive back to Lorne caught me by surprise. The road I drove while going seemed hilly but the way back gave a mind-blowing view of the town and the coastline. It was like being on top of a big ride at a theme park ready to plunge. The only difference here seemed like the plunge was straight down into the sea. I halted for a second and then accelerated and felt the adrenaline rush through me. Definitely worth the detour!

Through the drive from Bells Beach you see a lighthouse at a distance. The odd location made me assume that I would not go past it, but when it suddenly emerged through the trees on my left it took me a while to realize that it was the same lighthouse. The 150 year old lighthouse was built to warn ships in the Bass Straight dreaded by sailors for the number of cliffs along the entire coastline. Time flies and you look back to see the distance you have covered and marvel if you really drove through those lush green hills.

The views kept me busy and by this time the camera had gone past 500 pictures. I then reached Apollo Bay, another town known for its short trek paths. I decided to go for the Melba Gully walk again through the rain forest; a deep breath of fresh air and the tranquil silence around made time stand still for a while and nothing else mattered. I did ponder if I should stay over at Apollo Bay and go for a few more treks but then decided against it and continued, although it might have been worthwhile in retrospect.
I hit the road after the trek and drove past the Otway National Park known for Koalas, Emus and Kangaroos. I could not stop here due to lack of time.

By now I was nearing Port Campbell where the breathtaking Twelve Apostles makes one stand in awe of nature’s wrath. Once a stretch of limestone cliffs, the Twelve Apostles are now twelve standalone rocks carved by the rough seas determining its own path over the last hundreds of years. You could spend a full day here with the various lookouts around the Twelve Apostles like Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge, Black Hole, Bay Islands and a whole lot more. Each of the lookouts have a theme, for example the London Bridge actually looks like a bridge carved out of limestone with the waves smashing through the gap that it has created. The easiest way to see all the Twelve Apostles at one is go is with a helicopter ride which is all worth the money you spend for 15 minutes in the air.

Time whizzed by and it was time for the sun to go down. The entire landscape changes to bright orange and yellow and slowly turns dark and I wished for more time with the sun right above to take in more of this spectacle.

It was time to get back into the car and start driving before it got too late to reach the hotel. I drove straight up to the Shipwreck Coast near Warrnambool, which has seen over 700 shipwrecks with only 200 of them discovered. That’s what the light house was built for - warn ships! I’d imagine the number of wrecks if there wasn’t a light house? Strong winds, huge waves and human error would have cost several more lives around this coastline

I had a choice to stay either at PeterBrough or Warrnambool but I chose to drive further up to Port Fairy which gets you off the GOR. The next morning I checked with the motel folks on what you can see around and I was pointed to Tower Hill, in the direction I had earlier travelled. It is an extinct volcano with a lot of kangaroos in the wild. The views are starkly different and contrasting from all the other landscapes I had come across.

After Port Fairy it is mostly highways and I cruised up to Nelson where you have the Princess Margaret Limestone caves, discovered by a family while their children were playing in the garden. These are not as big as the one you will see in other parts of Australia like the Jenolan Caves but I was curious to see if it had something different to offer. Just regular caves I must say!

The next stop was Mt. Gambier which is known for a lake in middle of hills. The lake is so blue that it looked like someone dropped a whole lot of blue paint into it. While the views are not comparable to the GOR, each stop had something different to offer.

From Mt. Gambier I drove up to Penola & Coonawarra, famous for their wineries. This gave me the opportunity for some good wine tasting, something that I hadn’t done before. I stopped by as many wineries as possible, not to get drunk but to collect bottle corks. It’s something I do; collect fridge magnets, masks and shot glasses from wherever I travel. I thought I’d add corks to the list.

It was time for me to get back into complete highway driving after Coonawarra. I drove straight into Keith and Murray Bridge to reach Adelaide by midnight. Suddenly I realized the fascinating journey had come to an end. This was it! I had driven on one of the world’s most scenic drives and would definitely recommend people to do this. I did do this route alone and I am sure to have enjoyed it much more with my companion. It does need time and patience, but you are assured of panoramic landscapes.

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—About our writer:

Amara says, "I currently work with Wipro as a Senior Business Development Manager and have 10 years of sales & marketing experience. I enjoy traveling, watching movies and am passionate about photography. I am
currently based out of Bangalore."

Australia's Great Ocean Road

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