When people talk about the Great Ocean Road you instantly think of one of the most travelled, iconic roads in Australia and obviously the ocean and the beach. The Twelve Apostles, London Arch, Apollo Bay and Otway Fly, these are a few of the usual names thrown around and by all means do not miss these but there is far more to it, way off the beaten track.
Whether you plan to visit The Great Ocean Road for three days or three weeks there is plenty to see. Here are some of those things that you don’t expect to see whilst there but will be very glad you did.
1. Food trails
There are many tempting spots along the way on gourmet trails serving you with an array of freshly made cheeses at Apostle Whey and Cheeseworld, gourmet G.O.R.G.E Chocolate, Timboon ice-cream and whisky distillery. These can all be found on the 12 Apostles Gourmet Trail and The Otway Harvest Trail on a 70km loop in land from Port Campbell.
Of course there is also wine tastings and breweries, all of the above can cause mass distraction from the traditional tourist route on The Great Ocean Road and are well worth indulging in.
2. Waterfalls
Beauchamp, Hopetoun, Stevensons, Sheoak, Triplet and Little Aire; these are all names of some of the stunning waterfalls in the Otway area and beyond. Take some time out, a couple of days to experience what nature has to offer here other than beach and coastline. Some can be accessed easily and quickly in less than half an hour, others will take you up to three hours, walking along tree lined pathways through rainforest with only the sound of birds singing above and the odd spider’s web in front.
3. Bush Camps
On the Great Ocean Road itself there’s no chance of sleeping for free, the key here is to be prepared to drive in land at least 30km and there you will find the most beautiful bush camping spots.
Mostly situated within Otway National Park, after a long day walking through rainforests what better way to rest than surrounding yourself by nature. As soon as the sun goes down, the only lights you will see here are those little twinkly ones in the sky.
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4. The Redwoods
You will certainly feel small standing beneath the giant Redwood trees, at Beech Forest, an area of very tall California Redwood trees planted in 1938. At around 60 metres high these titans dominate the landscape here and you end up feeling completely dwarfed by them. Most of the sunlight is blocked out by the trees so the colour is wonderful and you can experience a mystical twilight within these giants.
Take a moment to listen to only the sound of the trees swaying back and forth and the trickling stream of the Aire River.
5. Peace and Quiet
Most of all the thing that you would expect the least whilst driving The Great Ocean Road would be peace and quiet. Admittedly if you do go in peak tourist time then maybe this will be slightly harder to find but it certainly is there.
The serenity that lies within The Otways is like no other and the contrast between the busy road and the calm, tranquil rainforests is amazing.
So take from this what you will but now you know that The Great Ocean Road can be more than just a drive on a beautiful coastline, don’t get me wrong the coastline is beautiful and so are the beaches but there is always more than meets the eye in this land they call Australia.
