The Great Ocean Road - Torquay to Apollo Bay

Tues 10/9/13

Warning. You may want to grab a cup of tea or coffee before you sit down with this blog as I have so much to share with you. Settle in & get comfy because I have a real treat in store ( I hope you feel that way).
A reminder to you all, if you click on a photo, you will get the option to view all the photos in that particular blog in full screen size.
Today, Glenn & I set out to tick an item off the bucket list - the Great Ocean Road. Who hasn't dreamt of touring along Victoria's magnificent coastal road, taking in towns such as Torquay, Bells Beach, Anglesea, Cape Otway & Warnambool & sites like the Twelve Apostles & Loch Ard Gorge. It would have to be one of the world's most spectacular tourist drives. Glenn & I plan to travel from Melbourne to Warnambool & back to Melbourne over the next two days. Along the 360kms stretch of winding, twisting single lane road there are numerous attractions including national parks & marine parks, walking trails, waterfalls & rainforests, lighthouses & maritime museums & quaint villages. And of course, there is the rugged coastline, carved out through the action of water. Random formations that give testament to the might & power of the wild ocean. Absolutely breathtaking.
Let me share some history of the Great Ocean Road with you. The Great Ocean Road was built by returned servicemen between 1919 & 1932 as a dedication to colleagues killed during WWI & as such is considered the world's largest war memorial. All construction was by hand using the basic equipment of that time, such as explosives, picks & shovels, wheelbarrows & some small machinery. The soldiers were paid 10 shillings & sixpence for 8 hour days with a half day of work on Saturdays. Their accommodation was tents, regardless of the season. This probably enabled the camp to move on easily as each section of road was completed.
The Great Ocean Road traverses a distance of approx. 235km, between Torquay & Allansford. It is only single laned in both directions & the speed limit varies between 40 to 80km/ hr. The section between Torquay & Cape Otway is known as The Surf Coast while the section west of Cape Otway to Allansford is referred to as The Shipwreck Coast.
So, on with the tour.

Torquay
Torquay is world renowned for it's beaches, the most famous of which is Bells Beach, the home of the Rip Curl Pro surfing competition which is held annually over the Easter period.

 

The following photo gives evidence to the constant on shore breeze experienced at Point Danger. The trees are almost horizontal.

 

 

Anglesea

Anglesea is a popular holiday haven. Driving in we could see an amazingly beautiful little bay. We stopped in at Anglesea Lookout & took in the spectacular view. Here we found a plaque outlining the running aground of the Inverlochy in 1902, approx. 1km east of the mouth of the Anglesea River. No lives were lost. While some cargo was retrieved, in early 1903, strong south east winds broke up the ship.

 

 

Point Addis marine sanctuary, which extends from Torquay through to Anglesea including Roadknight Beach, is one of seven marine parks & sanctuaries that can be found along The Great Ocean Road. They have been established to safeguard important marine habitats, species & significant natural features.



 

 

 

At this point, we came across light rain. It's like they say, in Melbourne you can experience the four seasons in a single day.

 

Great Otway National Park is a forest & coastal park stretching from Anglesea to Cape Otway & came about in 2004 when a number of parks were combined. It covers 103 square kilometres & contains a wealth of natural features, including ancient rainforests, sandy beaches, rock platforms & windswept heathland.

 

Airey's Inlet

This small coastal village is home to Split Point lighthouse. Again, beautiful & rugged coastline stretches as far as the eye can see.



 

 

The ABC children's TV series "Round the Twist" was filmed at the 34m tall lighthouse. Tours of the lighthouse are available, but we decided against this as it was raining & visibility was severely reduced. On a clear day, it would be totally amazing.

Fairhaven
Travelling along the Great Ocean Road towards Lorne, you pass under the Memorial Arch, which commemorates the WWI diggers who built the road. The original Memorial Arch was erected in 1939 & replaced in 1973 when the road was widened. This arch was destroyed in the Ash Wednesday fires of 1983 &
was again rebuilt.

Lorne
Lorne appeared rather cosmopolitan & up market for a small coastal village, though many shops were closed when we arrived around 3.30pm. Maybe it is more a weekend destination. Lorne is a mecca of environs - river, beach, bush & rainforest.

 

This area of the Great Otway National Park is covered with majestic rainforests & waterfalls, so we took the opportunity to journey up into the hinterland. Erskine Falls was our destination, approx. 9km out of Lorne, though there are numerous waterfalls within the same vicinity, of differing walking distances & grades of difficulty in terms of access. The falls stand at 38m high & are 300m above sea level. At this point, it was again raining, but I'm glad that didn't deter us from going, as, I feel like I've said it numerous times, it truly was breathtakingly beautiful. Just feast your eyes on these pictures.

 

 

There really is something about the sound of running water. That combined with the lush greenness of the rainforest, the play of light on the rainforest floor, experiencing it is such an uplifting, almost spiritual feeling. It lightens the soul & the spirit & leaves you in awe of the majesty of nature. It does make you believe in a higher power, as no human could envision or create such majestic beauty. We simply see landscape artists copy what nature has perfected.

 

From Lorne on, the road got rather windy & no longer hugged the coastline as tightly. It also rose above sea level & appeared more rugged. Development, in terms of housing, became very sparse, whereas, between Torquay & Lorne every spare inch of ground, no matter how steep the land, was occupied by a dwelling, the majority of which were very fancy & beachy with large windows looking out over the ocean.

And so we arrived in Apollo Bay for the night. We have only travelled 184km & are still 88km from the Twelve Apostles, but we have had numerous stops. There are numerous safe places to pull over & check out the coastline. As I am writing this, the clock shows 11.25pm, & it is pouring. Fingers crossed for a fine day tomorrow!