Great Ocean Road

06/02/2017 - From Adelaide to the Grampians

Today, we left our hostel in Adelaide at 07:40 and embarked on a 5-hour drive towards the Grampians National Park (mountain range), with plenty of stops at fantastic viewpoints along the way. These viewpoints include the McKenzie Falls and the Reid Lookout.

The waterfalls are very beautiful. The water cascades over rock formations into a lake, before flowing more peacefully as a stream. The waterfalls are located between higher mountains, which you can reach by driving up in serpentine roads by car/bus.

Oh, when I say "we" in the present, I mean my travel group for the next three days (g-adventures tour).

But let's go back to the waterfalls. There is a approximately 1km long footpath leading down to the waterfalls, and afterwards you have a breathtaking view of the surrounding landscape (valleys and mountains) as well as the amazing cascades. This place is definitely worth a visit, and if you're brave enough, you can even quickly jump into the water at the base of the waterfalls, but it's cold and also prohibited. I didn't do it either because I only found out about this possibility too late and unfortunately I didn't have my bathing suit ready.

From there, we continued on to the Reid Lookout, a rock formation that rises up in the middle of the landscape - it looks great as a formation but also offers a fantastic view. Of course, I also took the opportunity to sit right at the front on the edge and let my legs dangle over the abyss.

Afterwards, we headed to our accommodation, the Grampians Eco Youth Hostel. It's actually located in the middle of nowhere, but as accommodation it is very nicely designed, with a cozy TV room, a BBQ area and comfortable rooms. And that brings us directly to our dinner, we had a BBQ with burgers, sausages, chicken, salad and some mashed potatoes. We spent the evening watching a movie and went to bed quite early, as we had to get up early again tomorrow.

07/02/2017 - From the Grampians to Port Campbell

The day started early, with a hike up to the highest point of the Grampians (the Pinnacles) and for that we left the hostel at 06:45 with only a banana in our stomach. The ascent was very strenuous and despite the cool temperatures, it made you sweat a lot. But the subsequent view was worth every effort. A view into endless horizons, all while the sun was still low in the sky. The ascent and descent together took about two hours.

After breakfast, we visited the Brambuk Cultural Centre, where you can get acquainted with the history of the Aborigines. We then continued to Warrnambool, the Bay of Islands, the London Bridge, and finally to Port Campbell. During the drive, we saw wild kangaroos and koalas, but of course we also enjoyed magnificent views of the sea along the Great Ocean Road. Especially the Bay of Islands and the London Bridge are breathtaking rock formations created by wind and weather and standing just off the coast. Oh, we also visited the 'Grotto', another rock formation where the water from the ocean partially stands, creating a beautiful play of colors in the sun.

In the evening, we checked into a really nice accommodation, the Port Campbell Hostel. We walked to the beach for dinner and had schnitzel. Afterward, we went to one of my personal highlights of this tour, watching the sunset over the sea at the Twelve Apostles. Breathtaking colors and of course many people who don't want to miss this spectacle every day, especially when the sky is so clear. Back at the hostel, we played a game of Uno together, which can take a while with a group of 13 people, and then it was off to bed to be fit again early in the morning.

08/02/2027 - From Port Campbell to Melbourne

A final day with this travel group. The travel group was mostly composed of English women, which made communication really challenging at times, especially when they all spoke with their dialect and at such a fast pace. Unfortunately, I was not openly accepted into this group, which may be because the group had been traveling together for more than 10 days and I only joined for the last 3 days. But now onto the last day.

Naturally, we visited the Twelve Apostles again today, during daylight, and there was a little more time to walk around and admire the colors of the water and the rocks. Afterwards, we made stops at the Maits, a rainforest hiking trail, and Apollo Bay on the way to Melbourne, to admire the very different nature along the Great Ocean Road. The last stop before Melbourne was the Memorial Archway, where you can find the entrance sign to the Great Ocean Road. All in all, there wasn't much time to stop on this day, as the group wanted to arrive in Melbourne early, so we reached Melbourne at 15:30 and had our free time available.

In Melbourne, I quickly found my accommodation for the next few days, Europa Melbourne, and relaxed for a bit before heading to the Queen Victoria Night Market. It was incredibly hot in Melbourne, so I grabbed a cool soda at the market. I ate it with a waffle cone. By now it was already 21:30 and I returned to the hostel and went up to the rooftop terrace, where I first met Carsten, who was waiting for friends to arrive at the hostel, and that turned out to be the best encounter in Melbourne, because my next few days were saved. We went on trips together, slept little, and laughed a lot, but more about that in the report about Melbourne.

See you soon, and as always, I'm happy when you read my little blog and leave a comment, no matter how you do it. WhatsApp, email or directly below the text.

Best regards

Julia (fernab)