Today we left Melbourne for a two day trip down the Great Ocean Road, a twisty costal route that runs for hundreds of miles to the west of the city. After a dull drive out of Melbourne, past Geelong, we picked up the road at Anglesea and from there to our overnight destination overlooking Apollo Bay were fantastic vistas overlooking the ocean around every corner. It would be all too easy to stop ever few miles and get out onto yet another sandy beach with miles of blue sea in front but there simply wasn’t time to do them all.
We stopped at the very first beach we came to, just south of Anglesea, and wandered down onto the sands. Despite the sun being out we pretty much had the place to ourselves and so it was for the rest of the day. Next stop was Split Point Lighthouse before going on to Lorne Pier for dinner. Here we shared our pasta lunch with an enormous rook of some description which first came and took our butter followed by eating out of the bowl once Helen had finished!
We then drove on through Apollo Bay to Maits Rest. This is a walkway through a temperate rain forest which was a real contrast to all the open beaches we had seen to that point. Finally we drove onto Cape Otway Lighthouse which once again had some dramatic views over the ocean.
We had been told by Grant and Sharon that there were Koalas in the trees by the road to Cape Otway. On the way down we hadn’t spotted any but on the way back the tell tale signs of tourists staring into the trees signalled the possibility. So we stopped and sure enough there they were sleeping in the branches and looking cute and cuddly! It was such a thrill to see them in the wild.
Finally, we drove back to Skenes Creek and our hotel which is situated high on a hill over looking the bay with fantastic views. As I type this I am sat on the balcony looking at the wide expense of the ocean below me.
Today has just been fantastic. The scenery has been absolutely stunning and some of the most beautiful I have seen anywhere in the world. To also see wildlife in it’s natural habitat rather than a zoo is the icing on the cake.
And we have another full day of it tomorrow!
Click here for more pictures from the Great Ocean Road
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