Great Ocean Road

The Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Vic.  Photo credit: Paoli Smith Pty Ltd/Tourism Victoria

Great Ocean Road

From Torquay to Warrnambool, take the 243km journey along the magnificent, treacherous, historic and beautiful coast of Victoria.

 

Great Ocean Road attractions

The Great Ocean Walk
From Apollo Bay the track before you stretches for 104km of spectacular, rugged coastline that takes you all the way to Glenample Homestead.

You’ll pass sights motorists miss, and encounter koalas, wallabies, echidnas and more on the way.
Considerately, the walk starts at a beginner level but later sections are tougher. Sometimes, due to high tide, it can become dangerous and even impassable.

The walk takes around 8 days. You must register with Parks Victoria and book your campsites on the route before you begin.

If you’d prefer something other than campsite accommodation you’ll find places to sleep and eat and good Victoria backpackers’ accommodation at the numerous towns en route.

Visit The Great Ocean Walk’s website

 

The Historic Shipwreck Trail
Not for nothing is this stretch known as the Shipwreck Coast. A 130km stretch between Moonlight Head and Cape Otway has seen the demise of 638 ships. Thick fogs, rough seas and no lighthouses all played a part. Take the Historic Shipwreck Trail and you’ll discover the sights and history of the 240 discovered wrecks.

The Twelve Apostles, 275km (approx 4 hours), west of Melbourne
The first thing you’ll notice about these limestone stacks is that there aren’t twelve of them. Actually there never were. Still, minor counting details aside, the eight remaining stacks (one collapsed in 2005) make an imposing, almost unearthly sight, especially when you take the Gibson Steps and head down to the beach.

From there, the cliffs and two of the stacks (named Gog and Magog) tower 70m above you.

Loch Ard Gorge
Named after a clipper shipwrecked on nearby Mutton Island, Loch Ard Gorge is full of names that reflect the power of the sea. There’s Thunder Cave and Blowhole, although thanks to the relentless battering, Island Archway is no longer an archway.

The sea squeezes into the gorge between the cliffs. You can access the beach via a stairway – and it’s a journey well worth taking. About 10 minutes’ drive west of the Twelve Apostles.

London Arch
When the section connecting the arch to the mainland collapsed in 1990, it took its former name of London Bridge with it. Two tourists were left stranded by the collapse and needed a helicopter rescue.

Find the arch further west along the coast from the Twelve Apostles.

Bay of Islands Coastal Park
It may not have quite the dramatic impact of some other Great Ocean Road natural attractions (eg the Twelve Apostles), but there’s still much to admire on this picturesque part of the coast.

The 32km stretch between Peterborough and Warrnambool is a constant wonder of steep cliffs and rock stacks, with accessible beaches dotted along the route. Stop at Bay of Islands itself, the Bay of Martyrs, Three Mile Beach, Childers Cove and Sandy Cove for the most photogenic moments.

Cape Bridgewater
Technically, once you pass Warrnambool on the coast road you’re no longer on the Great Ocean Road, but that’s not sufficient reason to miss Cape Bridgewater. The bay is actually part of the caldera of a submerged volcano and harbours a colony of about 650 Australian fur seals.

The cliffs here are some of the highest along the coast and the Blowholes lookout, on the west side of Cape Bridgewater, is a prime spot to view them and the white dunes of Discovery Bay. Just 10 minutes from the lookout is the alien landscape of a petrified forest, formed when ancient Moonah trees were covered and cocooned by a large sand dune.

 

Explore Victoria’s other tourist attractions
Find backpackers’ accommodation in Victoria on the Great Ocean Road
Hire a car in Australia

 

The great ocean memorial

 

The road was built by some 3000 soldiers of WWI between 1918 and 1932. It was dedicated to those who died in the war, making it the world’s largest war memorial.

The Memorial Arch stands at Eastern View (about 34km from Torquay). It is the fourth arch to be constructed and the third to stand on this spot, although the original sign still hangs beneath it.

You’ll also find a commemorative plaque and bronze figures of the workers nearby.

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