Lap of Oz: Day 126 Great Ocean Road

Day 126

We spent 4 nights on the Great Ocean Road. The first two nights we stayed at Princetown Recreation Reserve as at $30 per night with power and water, it was cheaper than the caravan parks. The water was bore water, so we didn’t end up using it. The toilets and showers were clean and tidy and the playground was great for the kids. The camp kitchen was also very well kept. The only problem we had was the unloved ground. With a big rig like ours, and only a few powered sites, we had a little trouble trying to level our van, but we made do.

We used this place as a base for the first two days of the Great Ocean Road. One day we headed back the way we had come and the next day, we headed forward to where we were headed next.

The first town we drove through was a cute little town called Port Fairy. We had morning tea by the ocean here. Though it was sunny, it was still quite cool.

There were so many old houses in this town.

Then we drove past the Tower Hill Conservation Reserve. Apparently this is a really neat place to explore wildlife and the flora of the area. We didn’t go in as we still had the van on and often these places don’t have spaces for long vehicles.

The road into it didn’t look the easiest with a van on either.

Next we drove through Warrnambool. Finally starting the Great Ocean Road!

 

This was quite a big town and had every shop you could think of there. After stopping for some fuel, we headed off to the Bay of Islands.

.

Then it was off to another bay; The Bay of Martyrs.

As you can see by the photos, one minute the sun was out shining, the next it looked like it was going to pour down with heavy rain.

After completing the walks here, we stopped in at the Loch Ard Gorge. The boys were fascinated by the stories they read here about the area. They gave you a real insight into how rough the oceans here really are.

Next it was the London Bridge. We walked to all the three lookouts to take in the view. The first part of the bridge has collapsed which stopped the walking on top of the bridge, and apparently, they reckon, that the remaining bridge is not going to last much longer either.

Next it was onto The Arch. This was amazing, watching the waves crash through the natural arch.

After watching the crashing waves, we headed for the 12 Apostles. Due to erosion, only 8 of the 12 Apostles are still standing.

And the last stop for the day was the Gibsons Steps. Due to recent weather, the 86 steps down to the beach was closed. We were able to stand at the lookout at the top and see an awesome view.

After an very busy and long day, we headed back to Princetown to our van for tea and a good night sleep.

On arriving back, we found the place was over taken by kangaroos!

The guy next to us gave up counting when he reached 80. He thought there would have been over 200 the first night we were there.

 

Funny story: I went out to go to the toilet in the dark. I opened the van door and came face to face with a large kangaroo. It stood fully up and was taller than me, so I went back inside the van. Hubby turned on all the outside lights, scared the kangaroo away and then walked me to the toilet.

Our first day on the Great Ocean Road was amazing! With many spectacular views and awesome walks, we were really looking forward to the next couple of days.