The Great Ocean Road

Day 120 – 12 Apostles National Park, Australia

I started on the Great Ocean Road today. 

I made a first stop at the whale observation platform in Warrnambool, but no luck. According to the lady at the reception in my hostel (and I slept so well!), this year hasn’t been good for whale-watching.

(The shower lights were on a timer, so last night I had an interesting moment or two while showering.)

I made my way along the coast, facing the Southern Ocean, going Southeast, and stopping at every lookout and marked point of interest.

The coast here is made of cliffs being worn away by the ocean’s swells. Seepage weaken the cliffs, the sea dig the base… and bits and parts fall away, creating arches, grottos, bridges, narrow bays, and leaving massive blocks standing alone in the sea.

When my pictures will be uploaded, I will be able to show you better (I’m on my phone tonight). But there was the Bay of Islands, the Bay of Martyrs (picture above, where I got not-so-intentionally my shoes wet), the Worm Bay, Halladale Point, the Grotto, London Bridge, the Arch, Thunder Cave, the 12 Apostles, and Gibson Lookout. 

Each place has a parking, platforms and sometimes stairs to look safely at the landmark (since the cliffs are high, often steep, and unstable…), and cliff walks that can go quite far, especially when they link several places of interest.

It is of course windy over the cliffs. I am so grateful to the heating in the car! Being by the sea, the weather alternated between cloudy, rainy, and sunny. But always windy.

The Apostles being such a popular landmark (is it a seamark if it is in the sea?), they have their own visitor center (the hot drinks were closed unfortunately), a huge parking lot, and we are in Winter! Actually, Spring, I think. I also found out it is the Spring holidays for schoolchildren, which explains why I saw so many in the Grampians and here.

I’m now snug as a bug in my campground (kangaroos included), under my warm doona, and I’m ready to get some sleep. 

(Unrelated questions: why do Australians say “No worries” all the time?)