Great Ocean Road

Melbourne Marriott Hotel-  Today we did the second of our two day trips while in Melbourne.  The first was seeing the penguins on Phillips Island…we thought that was a full day until this trip.  We got picked up at our hotel at 7:15 am and were really not sure of what the day had in store.  We only knew that the Great Ocean Road was a highway along the ocean with beautiful views…sign us on for a bit of a trip right?

Had to wear our sweatshirts as it was "only" in the 60s

We found out soon enough that this day trip was going to be over 300 miles of driving and 15 hours of travel…but that it would be worth it.  I was a bit skeptical…April was already sleeping.  Our first stop along the road came an hour into the trip at Bells Beach which is apparently one of the best beaches for surfing in the whole world.  We were only there long enough to snap a few photos and for us to turn down more tea and coffee…although we did try the biscuits which tasted pretty much like animal crackers. 

We then continued down the road for many, many miles.  It really is a beautiful drive but the weather was cloudy so we couldn’t see as far down the coastline.  Our tour guide AJ looked like the Packers punter Tim Masthay though so that did help.  We passed through several small towns that are all apparently great for surfing.  The best town was Lorne that holds a swimming race called the Pier to Pub where the participants jump in the ocean at the end of a pier and then race to a pub on the shore and the winner is the first to finish a pint of beer…now that is my kind of race!

Our next stop was at the Otway Rainforest where we were able to walk on a path through the huge trees.  Neither of us had ever been in a rainforest before so it was very interesting and fun to walk through.  The Otway is a cool temperate rainforest which basically means it has cooler temps and far fewer animals than what we normally think of when someone says rainforest. 

The highlight of the trip was the last stop to see the 12 Apostles.  The views really made the whole day of driving worth it.  We were also able to walk down on the beach and put our feet in the Indian Ocean (or Southern Ocean depending on where you read) which was extremely cold.  2.5 hours later we were back in Melbourne, exhausted from the driving but very happy with the way the day turned out.  I guess Tim Masthay was right at the beginning when he said the drive would be worth it!