The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia's must see sights. A long scenic road along the South East Coast of Australia. We know Australia seems like it is going to be shut off until 2022 for foreign travellers, following their Trans-Tasman neighbours New Zealand, so they can get rid of the disease that should not be named. But, here at The Travel Story Society we believe this is the perfect time to prepare your trip to Australia ready for the boarders opening. Australia isn't the cheapest trip so you can save the money and there is a lot to see you need to have a solid plan. So we thought you might need a quick and simple guide to one of the must see sights, The Great Ocean Road! So we called up Natalie. Natalie has travelled the Great Ocean Road and after writing Fiji on a Budget and What they don't Tell You About Coming Home, we had to get a blog from her about this for you guys. So enjoy this quick and easy guide and enjoying planning your trip to Australia. A little bit of escapism doesn't hurt anyone.
What is the Great Ocean Road?
The Great Ocean Road is a 243 km long scenic road along the south-eastern coast of Australia just north-west of Melbourne. It is a very popular tourist attraction due to its amazing landmarks and its diversity along the road. The road traverses beaches and cliffs as well as cities and even rainforests and waterfalls.
How can I travel the Great Ocean Road?
There’s lots of tour providers that take you along the road for a day and stop at the most famous stops, however I recommend you to rent a car and camp at campsites or rent a campervan for a more authentic and personal impression of the Great Ocean Road.
The advantage of renting a car or a camper is that you can travel as fast or slow as you want, you can stop wherever you want AND that you can try to avoid the big masses of tourists.
How fast or slow should I travel the Great Ocean Road?
Obviously, that is up to you, but I personally recommend 3 to 5 days. The Great Ocean Road has stunning walks and lookouts to offer, as well as nice camping grounds where you will meet other travellers. We used the app maps.me to find the locations of the grounds. If you really want to see and enjoy everything, take it slow and easy. Also, the drive along the road is quite fun because of the diversity of the road. You will drive along the coastline but also through cities, rainforests and through literal nowhere.
What are the Must-See’s and Must-Do’s?
•Watch the surfers in Torquay
•Hike to the Erskine Falls
•Watch the sunset at Apollo Bay
•Complete the Maits Rest Rainforest Walk
•Visit the Cape Otway Lighthouse
•Walk along the Great Ocean Walk for a bit close to the Castle Cove Lookout
•Take a selfie at the famous Twelve Apostles
•Learn about the history of Loch Ard Gorge
•Visit the Grotto
•.. find your own secret special spot along the road (mine was a random wall where we could sit down and perfectly watch the sunset)
Natalie Lautenschläger
As said above Natalie has written for us before, and we hope she will continue to write for us. Go show her some love on her Instagram @nataliexlau where she blogs about her life and aims to give people travel inspiration once the borders open. Thank you so much for sharing with us again Natalie.
If you are planning on a trip to Australia then we have a few blogs that can help you. There's An Australian Getaway, Exploring Queensland, Melbourne Dreamin' and The 'Real' Australia. So check them out!
