Great Ocean Road - Day 1

Day 1: Melbourne to Apollo Bay

We are spending this week driving along the Great Ocean Road, an Australian National Heritage stretch of road beginning outside of Melbourne.  We rented a car Monday morning and started our journey.  

Our first stop was Bells Beach in Torquay, a world famous beach known for its big swells and surfing competitions.  Alex and I spent some time admiring the view and watching the surfers do their thing.  

We then made our way to Aireys Inlet, home to the historic Split Point Lighthouse.  The lighthouse was built in 1891 and is the backdrop for both Fairhaven and Moggs Creek beaches.

Further down the road is Lorne, one of the Great Ocean Road's original resort towns.  We stopped here for lunch at Bottle of Milk for burgers and fries.   A short drive up the hill behind Lorne is Teddy's Lookout.  From this viewpoint we had birds-eye views of the Great Ocean Road and surrounding water and cliffs.  

15 minutes inland from Lorne is Erskine Falls.  There is a short and easy walk to the viewing platform and also down to the base of the falls.  

The area along the Great Ocean Road is home to hundreds of koala colonies living in both forests and urban areas due to an abundance of Eucalyptus plants.  We stopped along the Kennet River and were able to see a few koalas high in the trees.  While neither of us were good at spotting them on our own, there were other people driving along the pathway, so whenever we saw a group of cars and people we would stop to watch the koala's.  They were so freaking cute, I just wanted to take one home with me!  We could also smell the Eucalyptus in the forest and it smelled so good - just like a spa!

Our last stop for the day was Mariners Lookout in Apollo Bay.  From this vantage point we could see the town center, harbor and surrounding beaches.  By this time in the late afternoon, the sun had come out and the water looked so blue.  We sat on the hilltop for awhile and enjoyed the beauty of the area. 

We stayed overnight in Apollo Bay and grabbed drinks at the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse.  It was a relaxing way to end our first day driving the Great Ocean Road.