Great Ocean Road
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The Great Ocean Road starts inland just
east of Allansford along the Princess Highway, taking you
to Geelong from where you join the M1 to Melbourne.
From Allansford the track leads towards the coast past the
beautiful landscape of the national parks, pretty coves
and beaches along the coastline, as well as spectacular
rock formations such as the Twelve
Apostles and some great surfing spots. |
It really is worth while travelling along this route as the scenery
is spectacular and there are plenty of great places to stop along
the way.
Heading east along the Great Ocean Road the first place you will come across is the Port Campbell National Park. There are some fabulous rock formations within the park. The first formation you will see is London Arch, a natural arch formed through erosion. London Arch was previously called London Bridge, due to the close resemblance of it's double arches to the actual bridge. The name changed to London Arch in 1990 after the first arch collapsed, leaving two tourists stranded. The tourists were rescued by helicopter and fortunately nobody was injured.
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This area is also a great place to see the plentiful fairy penguins that reside along Victoria's coastline.
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Heading past Port Campbell you will pass
Mutton Bird Island as well as The Blowhole, which is great
to see. You will also come across Loch Ard Gorge where the
Loch Ard clipper crashed in 1878, killing all but two people
aboard. One of the most spectacular sights is the Twelve
Apostles. The formation is really beautiful and is certainly
worth seeing at sunrise or sunset. You can also head down
to the Gibson Steps or the Gibson Beach.
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If you do go onto any of the beaches along the coastline be careful,
as many are too dangerous to swim and can leave you stranded if
the tide comes in.
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Heading further east you pass the Melba
Gully State Park, before reaching Cape Otway and the Otway
National Park. The pacific Highway heads inland through
the beautiful rainforest of the national park at this point,
although there are several tracks which take you to coastal
spots along the way.
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You can stop at Blanket Bay which offers bush
camping and walking trails, Elliott River picnic area, Maits Rest
Rainforest boardwalk offer ra
inforest treks, Otway Lighthouse
and Bimbi Park which is a horse ranch alongside some pretty beaches,
as well as Shelly Beach.
Once you hit the coast again, you will shortly
reach Apollo Bay, which is
a pretty fishing town, with some popular beaches. Heading further
east is another popular coastal resort of Lorne.
East from Lorne you will pass through the Angahook-Lorne State
Park before hitting the small town of Aireys Inlet. There are
several places to stay at Aireys Inlet and some good beaches.
Further east again are two slightly larger towns, of Anglesea
and Torquay. Anglesea offers
some great beaches as well as good surf. Hang-gliding is also
popular as is playing golf and kangaroo spotting at the Anglesea
Golf Club.
Popular Victoria Travel Destinations
PLEASE NOTE: The Victoria travel destinations outlined above are only a small selection from the tens of thousands of Australian travel information pages available on Australian Explorer. A comprehensive list of destinations for Victoria Holidays can be found on the main Victoria Holidays location guide.
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