Great Ocean Road

Hylda&Jon · Guru

Great Ocean Road

DeBe · Guru

Hi Hylda&john. Not to be missed Lochard Gorge, & if you can aford it a helicopter flight over 12apostles, Maritime museam at Warnambool. Daryl

Terro · Guru

Hylda and Jon,

you certainly don't have to go anywhere near Melbourne to get to the GOR. Just take the Midland Highway south out of Ballarat and head for Geelong. After that to Torquay and all points on the GOR. Look for signs to Anglesea that's just about where the best views begin. You can of course take a side trip to look at Bells beach of surfing fame. You probably have already done all your research so I won't carry on. Apollo Bay is one of my favourite places. Enjoy your trip.

Terro

Nicholstones · Guru

If you are really into walking Hylda & Jon then you might consider the Great Ocean Walk, starts at Apollo Bay and goes for around 120km, see http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.4AE3F158-9782-45D6-A7FC88F3C040AFAD/

We did it a few years ago with a company called Auswalk (http://www.auswalk.com.au/great-ocean-walk-otways-walking-holiday.html), took just over a week, it was really, well, great. All we carried were day packs with lunch, water, jumper, camera etc, the company organised our luggage to be taken to the next night's accom each day, and pick up and drop off for us at start and end of each day if necessary. So we walked all day, but slept in wonderful B&Bs each night with terrific dinners, cooked breakfasts and packed lunches provided. I think there are probably other companies who organise similar things, and you can do just sections of the walk if you don't feel like the whole thing.

Mind you, we went in late Spring, not Winter!

jandas fun · Guru

Terro wrote:

Hylda and Jon,

you certainly don't have to go anywhere near Melbourne to get to the GOR. Just take the Midland Highway south out of Ballarat and head for Geelong. After that to Torquay and all points on the GOR. Look for signs to Anglesea that's just about where the best views begin. You can of course take a side trip to look at Bells beach of surfing fame. You probably have already done all your research so I won't carry on. Apollo Bay is one of my favourite places. Enjoy your trip.

Terro

Hi Hylda and Jon,

agree with Terro on all points. if you do go to Apollo Bay try and see Maits Rest. a great rainforest walk, thought it was better than the Otway Fly and its free.
The car park was small and not suitable for a caravan being the only drawback at the time but may be better now. All the Great ocean Road is beautiful and our biggest regret was not taking the copter flight as DeBe has suggested.

Johnw

-- Edited by jandas fun on Wednesday 26th of May 2010 05:18:01 PM

pricey43 · Guru

When you get to Geelong don't miss a drive along the waterfront and perhaps the Bollard walk. From there why not do a circuit of the Bellarine Peninsular - Portarlington, Pt. Lonsdale and Queenscliff with all its old building, on to Ocean Grove (my neck of the woods), across to Barwon Heads and then on to Torquay. A very enjoyable drive!!!

If we were going to be home I'd have said call in but we will be out and about also!!!

justcruisin01 · Guru

The GOR, we done it last year from geelong & all the way via the coast to Adelaide.
DONT miss any of it as it is just beautifull, Miats Rest, we parked a 20ft van there ok.
The inland area from Apollo Bay [a days drive] to the forests & water falls, the stand of American red woods .
As De Be suggested, the museam at warnambool, must do the laser light show at night, it was windy & raining & just added to the whole scene. the c/van park just at the foot of the hill below the museam is very good.[can,t think of the name of it]. just a 5mim, walk.
This is a good time of the year to do the GOR, the weather may not be the best but it brings out the best from the ocean.
We are heading back to Vic next week .Safe travells,

jimricho · Guru

DeBe wrote:

Hi Hylda&john. Not to be missed Lochard Gorge, & if you can aford it a helicopter flight over 12apostles, Maritime museam at Warnambool. Daryl

I recently "did" the GOR and I can endorse DeBe's suggestions on all three accounts. Make the chopper flight high priority. It's not cheap but worth every dollar if the weather is ok. Can recommend the "low level" flight for photographs. I think that's the one DB did too as the altimeter in the photo reads 600 feet. Check the photo taken from the chopper at http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=51933&p=3&topicID=35667085 I used a polarising filter to filter out the internal reflections on the windscreen. The museum at Warrnambool is a "must see".

Apollo Bay is good place to make your "headquarters" for a few days as it's close to the Otways National Park and you can do a bit of touring without towing the van. I stayed at Pisces Caravan Park and found it quite ok.

I also stayed at Figtree Holiday Village in Warrnambool. It's a small well run park right in town and very handy, some of the sites are a bit tight but you can check this with them. There are a couple of parks near the beach behind the dunes and driving past these seemed ok. One is a Big4 so if you're into jumping castles and peddle cars this is the one to go to wink wink wink I vaguely recall (all my recollections are vague confuse ) a post on this forum recomending a park at nearby Hopkins River.

good travelling,

Jim

-- Edited by jimricho on Wednesday 26th of May 2010 08:09:13 PM

Smokeydk · Guru

Once you get into SA.....make sure you stay at Black C.o.c.katoo Bush Camp...at $7 per head per night its a great stop over to relax few days...about 12klm north of Naracoorte....which is north of Mt Gambier

http://www.blackc.o.c.katoobushcamp.com.au/
(remove the dots)

Dave

-- Edited by Smokeydk on Friday 28th of May 2010 09:11:31 AM

Hylda&Jon · Guru

Thanks for all your advice peoples, It all sounds great, I'll include them with any other places I hear about & be listing them in order of the trip then referring to them when we reach the appropriate areas.
Just hope it stops raining soon as it already buggered up our free camp plans along the Murray due to the mud we would have encountered.
Cheers
Jon & Hylda