Melbourne's Most Scenic Drive: The Great Ocean Road

While my friend Dori was also in Melbourne and we tried to meet up a few times, we didn't. But she did give me the idea of checking out The Great Ocean Road.

It was Australia Day and after talking to the locals at work, I learned that most spend the holiday BBQ-ing with friends. I looked at a few Websites of local activities which ranged from looking at some classic cars and to wood cutting competition and nothing really interested me. So, although it was rather touristy, I signed up for a Great Ocean Road bus tour.

The Great Ocean Road is a 243 km stretch of road along the south-eastern coast just outside of Melbourne. The road was constructed to provide work for soldiers returning from WW1. The road's also been dedicated as a memorial to war veterans.

The bus tour I took made about 12 scenic stops along the way.

1. Bell's Beach is where the famous Bells Beach Surf Classic is held each year. And a point of information for my cousin Mieko who loves Keanu Reeves - the final scene of the film Point Break is set at Bells Beach, but oddly the scene was not filmed here.



2. Here's the memorial archway marking the start of the Great Ocean Road and right before it was one of the world's most photographed home that's built on a stilt and provides an uninterrupted 360 degree view of the ocean. The tour guide said that the place can be rented, but it's pricey - wouldn't that be cool!





3. For lunch we stopped at Apollo Bay which is a lovely resort town and I enjoyed Spanish tapas at La Bimba Wine and Bistro. Didn't have wine, but did enjoy a mimosa :)



4. The most popular sight along the Great Ocean Road is the Twelve Apostles which are giant rock stacks that rise majestically from the ocean. The Twelve Apostles have been created by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs that have since broken off from the mainland starting 10–20 million years ago.

Originally the rocks were called the Sow and Piglets which is not very appealing so to make it more of a tourist destination and to give it a more austere name they changed its name to the 12 Apostles but even this new name was a misnomer because never (even in the beginning) were there 12 rock stacks. And on the day I visited, I could at most count 9 "apostles" or rock stacks.

I took the 10 minute helicopter ride (the last time I took a helicopter ride was when Shell, Ana and I took a chopper over the Grand Canyon which was majestic in its own right) and really enjoyed seeing it from high above ground and a nice panoramic view along the horizon. In the Flip Video you can also see one of the other rock formations north of the Apostles that looks like a seahorse (and is also called the sea horse).







5. Loch Ard Gorge is part of the Port Campbell National Park and not far from the Twelve Apostles. It received its name because of the Loch Ard ship wreck that killed all its passengers except Tom Pearce a ship's apprentice and Eva Carmichael an Irishwoman who was immigrating with her family. Tom rescued Eva from the water and they spent one night together before Tom climbed out of the gorge and found help. I climbed down into the gorge and it's amazing to think how Tom was able to climb out on his own without the benefit of the stairs that have since been installed for tourists like me. Interesting to note, on the bus ride home we watched the first part of a two part movie called "All the Rivers Run" that was loosely tied to this true story.



6. Just before heading to London Bridge (now called London Arch) we stopped at Port Campbell. London Bridge is another example of the erosion over time as the "bridge" which attached the rock formation to the mainland crumbled and on the day it did in 1990 predictably all the newspapers had "London Bridge Falls Down".





7. After we returned back to Melbourne I headed to dinner at Number 8 which is an Australian cuisine restaurant along the promenade where the Crowne Casino is located. I had a great view of the Yarra river and the Melbourne skyline. As you'll see in the Flip Video, all along the promenade are these gas lamps that "a la gas light show" every hour "light up" and boy could I feel the heat! It was quite startling, especially the hiss and echo that bounces off all the tall buildings in the area.