While hitting the road for a bit of family travel anywhere in Australia will deliver amazing scenery and wonderful destinations to explore, there are some road trips which offer an iconic drive that is extra special. For us, one of the greatest road trips in Australia is Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.
You’ll meander along 245 kilometres of turquoise beaches, mouth-watering food to tempt the palate, luscious forest areas, national parks to explore, historic port towns to savour, spectacular natural wonders and an absolute abundance of native wildlife it offers a spectacular drive with many great places to explore along the way. Starting in Torquay, and following a coastal route through to Warrnambool, the Great Ocean Road offers something for everyone.
Bells Beach
The must-see first stop of the trip is right at the beginning, stopping in to the world-famous Bells Beach, which hosts the Rip Curl Pro each year around Easter. Towering rock faces offer a spectacular border to the surf beach, and a swim is a must. If you’re after a bit of history, there’s also a surfing museum in Torquay that gives an interesting insight into both the local region and some of Australia’s biggest surf heroes.
Split Point Lighthouse
If you grew up in the nineties then you might be familiar with the kids program “Round the Twist”. If you’re nodding your head at memories of watching Paul Jennings’ stories brought to life on the TV screen, then I highly recommend a stop into Split Point Lighthouse, the very lighthouse that featured in the series. Even if it wasn’t in your viewing history it’s well worth a visit, and there are tours and a gorgeous tea house available for refreshments. You’ll find it located outside Airey’s Inlet.
Otway National Park
The Otway National Park sits waiting for adventurers to uncover its luscious and rugged beauty. One of the highlights of the Otways is the Otway Fly Treetop Adventure that takes you zip-lining through the forest, or takes you walking through the tree tops. For something a bit less height inspired, there’s plenty of walking tracks to get you up close and personal with the wildlife at ground level.
Twelve Apostles
Possibly the greatest icon of The Great Ocean Road drive is The Twelve Apostles, just east of Port Campbell. Upon approach of these grand, rock structures I felt in awe, similarly to how I felt approaching Uluru from the distance. These limestone structures reach out of the ocean tucked along the shoreline in a row of grandeur. They sit within the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park running along 17km of shoreline, also providing visitors with the amazingness that is the Loch Ard Gorge and a range of other canyons, arches and spectacular ocean cliffs to view.
Don’t forget to take your time to enjoy the small coastal towns dotted along the way, Lorne, Port Fairy, Apollo Bay, Portland, Warrnambool, Torquay, Anglesea, Airey’s Inlet, they all offer their own taste of Victorian life, delicious food, and history to be uncovered. All are slightly different, and offer delights for the traveller that won’t be uncovered in a rushed one day drive. Allow yourself a couple of days, or more if you can to take in the real treasures of this iconic Australian road trip.
Planning your drive
If you’re looking to plan your drive, or share your experience with family and friends, then we recommend using the Shell LoVe Drives website, you can check out photos and tips from our own road trip along the Great Ocean Road, or you can start your own. This awesome site allows you to plot your trip in advance, see other people’s trips, notes and travels, then add your own photos and videos along with trip notes once you’ve done the drive. Then you can easily share it with anyone who might want to see, as well as other visitors to the LoVe Drives website. Give it a try, and get out there and explore Australia!
*Disclaimer – This post was sponsored by Nuffnang & Shell but all opinions and information contained within are our own experiences and opinions.
