2022
Nestled along the southern Victorian coastline is The Great Ocean Road. This road run is part of a network that runs from Victoria's second biggest city Geelong through to Portland 400km away in the state's west. The "official" part of the road where its actually called The Great Ocean Rd runs from Apollo Bay through to Warnambool one of Victoria's biggest regional cities. When I get sick of the world the GOR is one of the places I head. I usually make my base in the centre of the road in one of the quiet towns mostly free of tourists in their flocks of buses and make my way from favourite place to favourite place along the road each day, sometimes driving, sometimes hiking. I'm always on the lookout for new places. Along the GOR you'll see pristine rain forest, estuaries, wetlands, swamps, beaches, towering cliff tops and some of the most amazing scenery the world has to offer. There are many secret places along the road that you probably won't read about on the tourist sites. To find them you need to head off along the dirt roads that branch off from the GOR in all directions. You'll find things like abandoned railway stations such as the one in Forest, hiking trails that descent the cliff down to the beach like Gibson's Steps, or the iconic Wreck Beach that so many photographers know about but no-one else does. Only do that one at low tide with at least two hours until the turn or you'll get very wet on the way back. Everywhere along the road there are the tourist sites, you can tell them from kilometres away because there will be hundreds of cars and buses with giant asphalt car parks and fenced concrete paths to their destinations. The other sites, the less known are accessed from the tiny roads. You'll probably be the only person there, or you mind find one or two like minded others to spend a few quiet moments of shared reflection with. Be careful though, often the dirt roads end at the cliff because some of it has fallen into the sea. While camping isn't allowed along the road itself there are plenty of places a few minutes inland where it is allowed. Here are a few of my favourite places represented with images taken on my various visits over the years.
The Apostles https://goo.gl/maps/o1moo6v3AyP2
The Razorback https://goo.gl/maps/pLE3nk7HCA72
The Old Ocean Road https://goo.gl/maps/6DT4ymYfCq52
Bay of Islands https://goo.gl/maps/yMoAGy7jw122
Cape Nelson Lighthouse (you can stay here) https://goo.gl/maps/S5N1LrRXVJ32
Wreck Beach https://goo.gl/maps/E8dKQ413sN32
Hopetoun Falls https://goo.gl/maps/oAbZsRFEeuK2
For more information visit https://www.visitvictoria.com/regions/great-ocean-road
