As the summer weather in Melbourne is quite pleasant, I decided to visit the city in December 2017. It was my first time in Melbourne so the most popular day trip, Great Ocean Road, was included in the itinerary. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and will come back for a longer adventure.
Scenic views
I signed up for a one-day bus tour with my friends as our schedule is quite packed. We visited Eastern View beach, Loch Ard Gorge, The Razorback and The Twelve Apostles. The bus started at around 7 am and came back to Melbourne CBD at 7 pm. The road was fairly smooth with beautiful scenery along the way so it was hard to fall asleep during this trip.
Loch Ard Gorge and Razor Back
Loch Ard Gorge
A way down to the beach of Loch Ard Gorge
The Razorback
The rock formation at The Razorback is interesting. It’s like a natural artwork being crafted by wind and water of Bass Strait sea every day. Amazing when you think about it that way!
The Twelve Apostles
Twelve Apostles
The Twelve Apostles looked dramatic in the afternoon with long shadow. The contrast between sky, earth, water made the view so picturesque that you might spend hours strolling along the beach to view it. Standing there, I wondered why I couldn’t see all twelve stones. The reason is that one of the stones collapsed in 2005.
The facilities at lookouts are great. There are toilets, shelters, free tap water and clear signage for visitors.
Best time to visit
I think any summer day is great to visit Great Ocean Road. The sun is up early and the day is long for so you can explore more destinations. Winter day is shorter but the sunset is earlier so you can wait for a good sunset photo before heading back to Melbourne. Please avoid weekends and peak season in May and December, when university graduation ceremonies happen and international families pour into Australia from other countries, which I saw during my trip to Melbourne in December 2017.
Getting there
Hiring a car and driving there is the easiest way. Tour is good also if you choose to go with a private coach and a small group. Tour bus and big group are not enjoyable, which I experienced on my trip.
The less crowded spots are further down the road and it takes one more day to explore so I could only visit those near ones. I highly recommend taking a two-day itinerary so that you will enjoy Great Ocean Road at your own convenience. I myself will definitely take this option next time.
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