Great Ocean Road
WHO
Our family of four traveled the Great Ocean Road near the end of our two week road trip in Australia. Averhy was 15 and Eden was 12 when we took this trip.
WHAT
Here is our packing list for our entire 12-day trip to Australia. The clothing items are all per person. Our trip included both summer and fall temperatures, and we decided to bring our own snorkels for the Great Barrier Reef. I used the Ziploc bag method to pack for this trip, as well as the clothing folder. We used one carry-on suitcase and four backpacks (Sky’s magic backpack, the Helena Camelbak, my CaseLogic camera backpack, and Eden’s UnderArmour school backpack.) If we did this entire trip again, I would not bring the snorkels, and would have packed half the number of tshirts because we were able to do laundry twice during the 12 days. Because we were only in the Great Ocean Road for two days, two Ziploc bags contained all of our shirts/socks/undies and our jeans/sweatshirts were in the clothing folder.
passport
camera/lens/cards
chargers (phone, car, camera)
SJCam/memory cards
power adapter
headphones
Trtl pillows
2 long sleeve shirts
2 nicer shirts
1 dress
10 underwear
3 bras
10 socks
1 swimsuit
Kindle
1 puffy coat
2 sweatshirts
1 tennis shoes
1 flip flops
1 nicer shoes
1 water shoes
1 baseball cap
WHEN
We were in Australia the first two weeks of August 2019. We decided to go at that time because it worked well with our summer vacation schedule. August is technically winter in Australia, and the temperatures on the Great Ocean Road felt like late fall in Illinois (about 45*F) and we were comfortable in jeans, sweatshirts and puffy coats. August was a great time to visit Australia because it was not the busy tourist season. Along the Great Ocean Road, we were able to hike the trails we wanted without too many crowds, though there were definitely groups of tourists.
WHERE
We stayed at Bimbi Park campground, which was near the middle of our Great Ocean Road drive from Melbourne to Port Campbell.
The camping house (similar to a mobile home?) was not fancy by any means, but it was clean, inexpensive, and the check-in process was easy.
During our time driving the Great Ocean Road, we visited locations marked by yellow stars on the map.
WHY
We initially decided to go to Australia because NextVacay.com alerted us to a cheap round-trip flight to Sydney. After booking the initial flights, I explored different must-see areas on the east and south sides of Australia, and the Great Ocean Road kept popping up! We really enjoyed this drive and all of the many different beaches along the coastline.
HOW
Day 1: Torquay, Point Roadknight Beach, Cumberland River, Apollo Bay, Great Otway National Park
After we arrived in Melbourne late on Sunday night, we spent the night at a hotel near the airport and began our two-day road trip the next morning. We began the Great Ocean Road drive in Torquay, a surfing town.
Next up was Point Roadknight Beach in Anglesea. This rocky beach was really unique, with the ocean on one side of the rocky outcropping seeming to be higher than the other.
This beach is also a protected area for birds, so dogs are not allowed.
Split Point Lighthouse was a quick stop (we did not climb up) before having a picnic lunch in Lorne with about 30 cockatoos!
Continuing the drive, our next stop was where the Cumberland River empties into the ocean. The rocky riverbed was fun to explore.
We chased a rainbow into Apollo Bay, where we stopped for a dinner of fish & chips. Then we drove on to Bimbi Park Campground, located in the Great Otway National Park.
A group of kangaroos welcomed us to the park, and this big guy even said hello the next morning!
Day 2: Wreck Beach, Twelve Apostles, Loch Arde Gorge, Razorback, Thunder Cave
After driving to the tip of Cape Otway, we got back on the Great Ocean Road. Our stop was Wreck Beach, at the end of a rough narrow road. It was worth it - we had the whole beach to ourselves and spent an hour exploring. This was one of our favorite stops of the entire Great Ocean Road drive.
At the Twelve Apostles visitor center, we finally encountered other tourists. It was clear that this scenic drive can get crowded during the summer, and once again we were glad to be here in the off-season.
There are several scenic viewpoints in this section of the Great Ocean Road, and they all have well-maintained sidewalks or walking paths.
Although it was chilly and the sun kept ducking behind rain clouds, we enjoyed each of the different scenic viewpoints.
Most people do this drive from east to west, as we did. We saw a few tour buses, but I would highly recommend driving this route in your own vehicle.
Our last stop was Loch Ard Gorge, and then we drove inland to head back to Melbourne (about a 3 hour drive).
Overall, this was a beautiful drive, and the rolling hills inland were just as gorgeous as the stark cliffs along the coast!
Final Tips
Driving on the left side of the road takes a little bit of getting used to… we liked to say “sliiiide to the left” anytime we were starting to feel nervous about the traffic on the right side of the car!
If you’re traveling from the USA to Australia, be prepared for a LONG flight… but depending on when you leave, you might be traveling in darkness the entire flight, so it’s easier to sleep. We used Trtl travel pillows, and they were okay. Not quite as comfortable as the ads make them look, but they did the job. Do you have a travel pillow you love? Let me know in the comments below!
