I’ve heard one day: “A road trip on the Great Ocean Road? Seriously? It’s only rocks and heaps of water!”
WHAT?!
Well, it’s not entirely wrong, there’s a lot of water. But it’s so much more than that! Impressive cliffs, refreshing rainforest, beautiful beaches, hundreds of colours… This is definitely a must do trip for working holiday visa holders and backpackers that come to Melbourne!
Some of you won’t have more than a day to dedicate to it, but if you can hire a campervan for a week or so, go for it!
I’ve travelled along the Great Ocean Road (and a bit further through South Australia) between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, and I would clearly do it again if I could!
If this is a trip that you’d love to organise on your working holiday, but have no idea how, this is what you could do.
Great Otway National Park
The first part of the trip will lead you to the Great Otway National Park where you can stop for some legendary sceneries: Anglesea, Apollo Bay, Cape Otway and its famous lighthouse. Don’t forget to go for a walk in the rainforest with the Tree Top Walk, located in Otway Fly Tree Top Adventure. You can walk among the huge mountain ashes at more than 50 metres above the ground!
My tips
Don’t spend too much time in Anglesea and Apollo Bay, the landscape is nice, but you’ll want to enjoy more the rest of your trip! 1 day is enough, and you can spend the night around Apollo Bay. On Day 2, you’ll probably walk a lot in Otway Fly Tree Top Adventure and Cape Otway. Don’t forget a stop in Kennett River where you can spot koalas and have a little fun with all the parrots!
Port Campbell National Park
This is probably the most impressive and dramatic part of your trip. The massive cliffs and wild sea will amaze you. Port Campbell is the starting point of it. You’ll see the famous Gidsons Steps, the legendary 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, London Bridge and the Arch.
My tips
You can see all of this in the afternoon of day 2, during the sunset that will offer you a warm light for even better photos!
The Limestone Coast
Are you ready for huge deserted beaches and incredibly blue waters? Then the third and last part of your trip (days 3 and 4) will blow your mind away! Nelson and Beachport (SA) are two places that you need to see for a complete experience. Even though you’re not on the Great Ocean Road anymore, you’ll love it!
My tips
Stop for a couple of hours in Mount Gambier and walk around the lake. In Beachport, you’ll find the wonderful Bowman Scenic Drive, only 8 km which offers amazing views!
The coastal trip is coming to an end but you still have 2 or 3 days in front of you! You now have two options: you can go back to Melbourne driving inland, through Colac, or you can decide to drive a few more hours to Adelaide and spend some time in the city!
This trip really was a perfect gateway for a summer week, and road trips are a great way to disconnect from your daily routine! When you “live” in a campervan, you live outside, you look at the world that surrounds you, you reconnect with nature and people and rediscover yourself! You learn to be more independant, open-minded and most of all, you learn to live with less things! For a week or for several months, a road trip is always an amazing adventure that you never forget! If you are travelling alone or not to keen on driving there’s great ocean road tours for backpackers that are a great way to meet new people and see the great ocean road.
So, what is the best road trip you’ve done? Share your story with us!
