From Grampians to Great Ocean Road

From Kangaroo Island, we headed a bit inland towards Grampians National Park, passing through the Adelaide Hills, a wine region, along the way.

In Grampians National Park, we viewed ancient Aboriginal drawings and in the afternoon, we visited the Mackenzie Falls. An emu was already waiting for us at the parking lot.

The Mackenzie Falls is the only waterfall in the park that flows year-round. So, we went down the 260 steps to see the waterfall. Once we arrived at the bottom, there were various angles from which we could view the waterfall and the different water pools.

Afterwards, we went in search of a place to sleep. Unfortunately, our desired campsite was fully booked online, but we still tried our luck and managed to find a free spot at the campground. In the evening, we could see the stars very clearly from there and the next morning, we were even greeted by three emus that were wandering around the campground in search of food and chasing each other around.

On our way out of Grampians NP, we drove through an area that had recently burned. Alongside the charred trees, the forest floor was almost completely cleared, unlike the usual jungle.

In some spots, however, some green was already sprouting again, we found the tree stumps with green tufts particularly interesting, reminiscent of a pineapple. Then we treated ourselves to a small breakfast picnic in Halls Gap (coffee & cake - very delicious apple and caramel cake from the local bakery) before continuing on to Allansford.

Allansford is the beginning (or the end) of the Great Ocean Road. Along the Great Ocean Road, we picked out some viewpoints that we wanted to see. We visited The Grotto, 12 Apostles, Bay of Islands, and Murnane's Bay.

Baby M was definitely once again the 'best baby protected from the sun'.. Whether we are just very cautious compared to other parents or the others are not cautious enough, we don’t know. 😀 But since babies shouldn't have sunscreen in their first year, Baby M continues to be hidden under a large cloth - if there’s nothing to see, you sleep better.

Additionally, we stopped in Apollo Bay and treated ourselves to a delicious brownie (even gluten-free). It was so good that we even got a second one 😀

Apollo Bay is a really cute place, a bit touristy, with many Asian restaurants (probably for the many Chinese tourists..) but compared to many other spots along the Great Ocean Road (place = 5 houses and a cow pasture), there is really a lot going on in Apollo Bay. We also spent some time at the beach, so Baby M could again enjoy some time on the picnic blanket.

Part of the Great Ocean Road also goes through Otway National Park, a rainforest. It is home to many koalas. On our campground alone, we found 6 or 7 during our koala search walk. You can recognize koalas by thinking there’s a large beehive hanging in the tree. Most of the time, that's actually the back of a koala 😉

In the evening, we relaxed in the camp kitchen and met two other German couples with a baby - so we are not the only crazy ones undertaking such a long trip during parental leave. And as we made ourselves comfortable outside to eat, two kookaburras came over and eyed our steak. I was able to fend off the first attempt to steal a piece of my steak with a little arm waving, but the second time it wasn't bothered and just snatched it straight off my plate..!

The next morning we went on the Maits Rest Rainforest Walk and could admire the beautiful rainforest up close instead of just passing by in the car. It was really beautiful! The photos cannot capture it at all.

The last part of the Great Ocean Road took us through Lorne - with a detour and our first little hike to the Phantom Falls (3.5km after all) - until 20km before Melbourne, always along the steep cliffs with a beautiful view of the sea.

Since the chosen campground was once again fully booked, we simply parked at the beach parking lot 50m away from the campground and spent the night there.

Next Stop: Melbourne.