L & L Australian Adventures: The Great Ocean Road

After an eventful night we were ready to get a new day started. We left the bed and breakfast and went into town for a little brekky before we headed out again. We decided to walk around the shops for a little bit because it was very cloudy and drizzly. We were afraid of the views we were going to have with this weather.

We’ve both been looking for good hats over here. We’ve learned that we really need to wear a hat because the sun is so brutal. Luke’s been wanting me to get a big, floppy hat, but the ones I’ve tried on have not looked right. We finally found one for me and also another hat so I am set for the beach and for any day of the week for wandering around with a protected head. J

As we drove away from Apollo Bay we noticed that the ocean views started to dwindle and we were now driving by land, bush, and farm areas. The sun came out and it became another beautiful but very warm day. Every once in a while the ocean would come back into view but this Great Ocean Road was an interesting one for sure! Luke was a little worried about the time because it was still going to be awhile before we got to the Twelve Apostles and we had to return the rental car by 5:00pm then head to the airport for our flight back to Sydney. Oh, good old patience!!!

We realized that there would have been no sleeping options had we kept driving last night so even though I was traumatized at the bed and breakfast, we were still glad we had stayed. I found it very interesting that along this road we saw the following animals at some point: horses, sheep, llamas, koalas, cows in all colors, birds, big kangaroos, and a large lizard that might have been in the wrong place at the wrong time! The ocean views are hard to beat but I also enjoyed seeing the rural area of the bush with familiar animals and some new wildlife all living together.

When we approached the Twelve Apostles, Luke was really getting stressed out on our crunched time so he decided we should call the airlines and push back our flights. We called and that wasn’t an option unless we wanted to book a whole new ticket. So knowing this we took full advantage of our views of the Twelve Apostles and didn’t waste any time.

The Twelve Apostles are one of Australia’s most famous landscapes. As you’ll see in the pictures below, the large rock pillars sit by the shore. There are now only eight remaining. We discovered that in 2005, one of the Apostles collapsed into the sea. So Luke was actually able to see something different when he saw this same view 10 years ago. Pretty crazy! I would definitely recommend this drive out to see these sights! We spent as much time as we could taking pictures and then we were on our way again.

Luke took the “short cut” back to Melbourne. It was only shorter because it didn’t go back on the same windy roads of the Great Ocean Road so we had a straighter shot back but time was still going to be an issue. You would think we get some kind of crazy thrill out of “living on the edge” sometimes!

We called the car rental place and they said we could just return the car to the airport location. This was perfect! We even got back early enough to take an earlier flight home. What a great way to end a very adventurous trip. This was my first real vacation out of Sydney and I can’t wait to see what adventures the next will bring.