The Great Ocean Road Part III
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008The Great Ocean Road is AMAZING!
By: Phoenix Arrien
Apart from its stunning views, Seatree is a useful base for visiting the attractions including the region’s new attraction, the Otway Fly. This 600 metre treetop walk, created from steel, snakes its way through moss-covered Myrtle Beech, Blackwood and imposing Mountain Ash. Well worth it, even though there was a distinct lack of wildlife as it is so new they have yet to return to the disturbed forest.
No trip along the Road is complete without a sunset viewing of the Apostles, a group of monument-type cliffs which, losing their grip of the mainland, now stand sentry in a long scattered line in the foaming sea. The enclosing cliffs rise to nearly 70 metres in some places and the highest Apostle is approximately 50 metres from base to tip. They change colour depending on the light, so as the sun sets, the rock catches the warm hues of the fading day while the clouds streak even more colour into the darkening blue sky in competition.
The apostles head a stunning list of natural features along this truly remarkable stretch of coastline. Great names like Pudding Basin Rock, Island Arch, the Razorback, Muttonbird Island, Thunder Cave, the Blowhole, Bakers Oven, London Bridge and the Grotto intrigue and just force you to explore them. Extensive boardwalks and viewing platforms ensure visitors experience sweeping vistas of rugged coastlines.
Activities which offer other angles to viewing this region include hang gliding off the cliffs, horseriding along the beaches and scenic flights buzzing low over the coastline. Good food and wine are dotted around the towns with local chefs making the most of the fresh foods produced in the area, including berries, cheeses, herbs, mustards, vegetables, honey, mussels and crayfish.
It’s a region in which to peer through a window to beautiful scenery, history and adventure as well as peace and quiet, all conspiring to be an ideal drive, one of the best in the world.
Ideal trip length along the GOR is 2-3 days by car. A bus also travels the Road from Geelong. For more information click here.
