We picked up Mali, the name we gave our rented motorhome, in Sydney and started making our way down the coast towards Melbourne, stopping overnight in Narooma and Bairnsdale. After a day looking around Melbourne we embarked onto the Great Ocean Road itself. The Memorial Arch marks the start of this road, heading west along the coast from Melbourne towards Adelaide.
The arch was built in honour of the 3,000 returned soldiers who worked on the road and its creation during World War I. They started construction of the Great Ocean Road in 1919 and completed the 243 kilometres stretch of road in 1932. The arch itself has had several reincarnations, the current one being erected in 1983 following a bush fire burning its predecessor. However, the sign hanging in its centre is the original sign from the first arch.
Due to it being Easter week we had to book the various campsites along the journey in advance to be sure of somewhere to stay each night. As luck would have it we ended booking two nights at a site in Port Campbell, ideally situated for probably the best section of the Great Ocean Road.
The Twelve Apostles
Our first visit to The Twelve Apostles came towards the end of the afternoon when unfortunately there were hundreds of tourists already there and the sun was shining right at us from the west, making the views silhouette rather than showing off the lovely colours of the cliffs. However, we were staying only about five minutes away, so first thing the following morning we got to a near-empty scenic viewpoint and were able to capture some better pictures of the magnificent coast line.
Loch Ard Gorge, Bay of Martyrs, London Bridge and The Grotto
Around the Port Campbell area these four scenic points show more of the rugged cliffs and we had the luxury of time to explore these areas, still beautiful even though it wasn’t full sunshine.
Uluru changes colours as the sun rises and sets and so is well worthwhile visiting at different times throughout the day
Photo Gallery
Here is a selection of my photographs from along The Great Ocean Road.
Location
The Great Ocean Road runs between Melbourne and Adelaide along the Victoria coastline.
