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Great Ocean Road - 12 Apostles

As for the Great Ocean Road I could talk about for hours but this time I’ll show you my photos instead. The coast is beautiful, you’ll find yourself wanting to stop at every one of the lookouts. Seriously you just can’t get enough of it. And you think it can’t get better… and guess what… it does get better.

If you stay in Melbourne you’ll have to plan at least 2 days for the trip and be prepared for a heap of driving. Anyone who gets car sick is better to take some pills.

The Great Ocean Road starts at Torquay and winds its way 247 km to Warrnambool. The furthest point where I’ve been is Port Campbell (3.5 hours drive from Melbourne) but if you have more time feel free to explore the whole area.

Where you definitely should stop is (listed in order going towards Port Campbell):

1. The Split Point lighthouse

Yeah it’s a nice lighthouse. Looks like all the others though.

2. Moonlight head

It’s a nice walk down to the beach. You’ll see a huge 19th-century shipwreck anchor stranded in the sand… and NO you can’t move it… I tried. It’s a bit hard to find the proper route and if it was raining in the past few days, skip this destination as your car’s gonna get ’some’ dirt on.

3. Gibson’s Steps

This is the first sightseeing stop off in Port Campbell National Park and is 5 minutes drive from the 12 Apostles. The name refers to a staircase that leads to the beach. For me this place was more interesting than the 12 Apostles itself.

4. Loch Ard Gorge

It is named after a ship Loch Ard that sank near Muttonbird Island in 1878. Only 2 survivors: a 19 year old guy Tom and a girl Eva. Tom was washed ashore, rescued Eva who was screaming for help in the water. They found shelter in the cave. You’d think awwww how romantic, well they didn’t end up being together.

At Loch Ard Gorge there are other walking tracks as well to the Blowhole, Thunder Cave and Muttonbird Island.

5. 12 Apostles

Because of erosion unfortunately the 12 Apostles is not 12 anymore. Only 8 left standing. One collapsed recently in 2005. So you’d better go there as soon as you can because no one knows when it’s going to happen again. Try to get there by sunset as the orange sunlight makes the place even more beautiful.

If you have time to come back here the next day I’d recommend to take a helicopter tour which is quite expensive but it is something you don’t do every day and the experience is clearly unforgettable. I think I paid $200 that included a 15 min flight with a DVD that was shot during the trip. Amazing.

6. London Arch

Leaving Port Campbell you’ll get to London Arch. It’s a natural arch that used to be called London Bridge. The arch closest to the shoreline collapsed in 1990 leaving 2 tourists blocked on the other end - nobody was injured.

7. The Grotto

The Grotto would be your last stop for the day. It’s a beautiful sink hole that can be found right after London Arch.

8. Port Campbell

After a long day the best is to stop at Port Campbell. The locals are really nice, there are a heap of accommodation that you can chose from. As far as I know the restaurants close around 9pm so if you want to spend more time at the 12 Apostles you’d better to pack up some food.

Having a stop everywhere takes so long so when you go back to Melbourne you’d better take the highway. The way back is 3 hours easy drive.

(Prices mentioned in this blog might change)

Pictures in this article are all copyrighted by the author Melinda Balazs.