THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD
With every twist and turn of this iconic southern road, stunning panoramas unfold. Breathe the sea air, snap a photo and relax as we follow isolated beaches and pounding surf through seaside villages, coastal heath and dense rainforest to stop in awe at the Twelve Apostles.
Overview
Carved into the cliffs of the south west coast, the Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s great road trips and a ‘must do’ for any visitor to Victoria. With every bend in the road, ocean and mountain vistas appear. But it is not all pleasure and beauty. This coastline is also known as the Shipwreck Coast. Hundreds of ships have come to grief along this stretch of water. We will share these stories with you.
Coastal towns
The road winds through several coastal villages, each distinctive and unique. Our first is Torquay, home to world famous surf championships held at Bells Beach. Keep a look out— you’ll likely see kangaroos. We’ll lunch in Apollo Bay where you can sample locally caught seafood.
Otway Rainforest
A highlight of the tour is travelling through the Great Otway National Park, a dense temperate rainforest of fern gullies and plunging waterfalls presided over by the world’s tallest flowering plant, the Mountain Ash. We will go koala spotting—they are common throughout the Otways. One of our short walks will be to Triple Falls, a series of tumbling waterfalls set within the dramatic Otway rainforest.
Loch Ard Gorge
Here you will learn the story of the Loch Ard shipwreck in 1878 and the amazing survival of passenger, Eva and apprentice sailor Tom, both 18 years of age.
The Twelve Apostles
A major attraction on the western side of Cape Otway are these mighty limestone monoliths, that have been standing and weathering for abut 10–20 million years. Little by little the ocean is reclaiming the Twelve Apostles (one crumbled in 2005). We will also take you to a secret location for amazing kangaroo spotting!