One of the most recommended things to do in Australia is the Great Ocean Road. It was a project completed by veterans returning from WW2. The road curves right along the coast through a few beautiful national parks. The traditional Great Ocean Road starts just outside of Warrnambool and ends right outside of Melbourne. If you follow the traditional path, you would miss out on our favorite town on the southern coast. For the purpose of this post, we are calling it the extended cut.
With three nights left with our camper van, we had plenty of time to take in the Great Ocean Road. We had gone back and forth on it the whole time we were in Australia. So many people warned us about how incredibly busy it is and we don’t take those warnings lightly. A back up plan was formed to head to the Grampians if the coast was too busy and we made our way to the water.
We wanted to share with you some of our favorites along the famous coastal road.
Our Favorites on the Great Ocean Road
Robe, Australia
This wonderful little town is located right on a point with views all around. Whales frequent the bay. The Main Street has quite a few options for snacks, drinks and shopping.
We stayed at the Seavu Caravan Park and had a front row spot to the ocean. We watched an amazing sunset and sunrise while relaxing in the van. I’m sure the place is packed in the summer, but when we visited in the winter – we had it all to ourselves.
Book your stay here. They have cabins, camping spots and amazing service.
Robe Coastal Walk
After a night of relaxing and exploring the town a little, we decided to do the coastal walk before driving south. The walk is beautiful. I couldn’t get enough of the color of the water in this area.
Bay of Islands
Once you reach the official Great Ocean Road, there are so many places to pull over and take in the beauty of the coastline. Bay of Islands is one of the first as you head south. There are multiple platforms to walk to and get beautiful views.
Peterborough
We spent our second night in this small town. It was a great place to stay to get to 12 Apostles early in the morning. The town doesn’t have much, but they do have a general store that sells great snacks and has this adorable post office inside.
Here is a link to the holiday park we parked at. We needed to plug in to use the heater because the nights were getting pretty cold.
The Grotto, The Arch & London Bridge
These three landmarks are right in a row just south of Peterborough. We arrived there before 9 AM and had the places to ourselves. Each have parking areas and you can quickly see how busy the lots are. It was a little windy, but the sun was shining and it was very comfortable out considering it was the middle of winter.
12 Apostles
This was the spot that we thought we might skip. This park is visited by tour buses all day long and we were worried that the paths may be packed with people. When we arrived around 9:00 AM, there were cars there, but it definitely wasn’t too busy. We were able to take the walk under the road and out to the water.
It is easy to see why this location is a favorite for so many people. The columns in the water are gorgeous. We were so happy we had stopped here because it was not even close to as busy as we thought it would be. If you are going in the summer, try and get there as early in the morning as possible.
Lavers Hill
About 30 minutes south of the 12 Apostles, the road starts to curve up through green rolling hills. The rainforests surround the road and provide quite a few areas to go hiking or just park and enjoy the views.
Great Otway National Park
If you are looking for Koalas, this is the best place to find them. While in the national park, keep your eyes peeled on the trees above you. There is a lighthouse that you can drive to and tour, but we skipped that. Driving along the road, we were able to spot a few Koalas and we just enjoyed staring at them napping right above us. Even though we had seen them in the animal sanctuaries we visited, seeing them in the wild was incredible.
Apollo Bay
Once you get to the other side of the peninsula, the road gets a little windier. The drive is right on the coastal cliffs and every turn brings a better view. There are quite a few towns on this section of the road. We stopped in Apollo Bay at the Great Ocean Road Brewhouse for lunch. The food was great. We ate so much and then picked a waterfront spot to park and relax for a while in the afternoon.
Bells Beach
Our final stop was the famous surf destination of Bells Beach. It is at the start or the end of the Great Ocean Road (depending on which direction you travel). Justin couldn’t resist checking out the location of the scene from Point Break. We watched the surfers for a while before heading into the town itself. There were tons of surf shops to wander through that there was plenty to keep us busy for the rest of the day.
Final Thoughts on the Great Ocean Road
Looking back on our trip, I’m so glad we decided to finish our camper van time on the Great Ocean Road. The scenery is breathtaking and we didn’t see anything like it on the rest of our trip. Koalas were a definite highlight as well as the town of Robe.
This is a very easy drive from Melbourne and can be done with a van or a car. I wouldn’t recommend the bus tours because they try and fit it all in within one day, but if you want to see the highlights and are short on time – it’s an option. I would recommend Phillip Island or the Yarra Valley before the Great Ocean Road, but everyone is different.
Let us know if you’re planning a trip to Australia. Is the Great Ocean Road on your list?
