The Great Ocean Road - 1

Just before Christmas, we decided to go on a vacation to one of our dream trips to the Great Ocean Road. Prior to the trip, we made reservations at Hotel Marrengo at Apollo Bay for 2 nights. We decided to drive all the way. We were told that the drive may take upto 4 hours from Melbourne especially if we stopped in between. Our main concern was if our one and a half year old daughter would be able to sit through the journey.

So we set off on our journey on the sunday morning. The drive upto Geelong was like any other drive with the glimpses of the city life. The real Great Ocean Road drive begins from Torquay. Torquay is the most wanted destination for surfing. Bells Beach in Torquay is supposed to be the surfers' paradise. As we drove along, we caught the first glimpse of the ocean. It was surely breath taking! We stopped at every possible place where we could get the view of the ocean.:)

As we went further, on one side we could see the roaring ocean and on the other side stood the rugged cliffs. What surpised us was the abundant green vegetation so close to the sea! I had never seen that in India. There is a particular sea-side vegetation in India ( usually the palm trees and the coconut trees) and the forests are never so close to the sea. On the way, with some exceptions , most of the seashore is covered with rocks. And you can always stop anytime to get a feel of the beach.

Between the towns Anglesea and Lorne, there is a lighthouse known as Split Point Lighthouse. For every 30 minutes, there is a guided tour in this lighthouse. But we decided to just walk arond and get a feel of the surroundings. I got to know that this lighthouse is referred to as "The White Queen"(cute, isn't it?).

There is this famous Eagle Rock just behind the lighthouse.

Our next major stop was at Lorne. It is one of the poular destinations because it has some of the finest beachs and the thick rainforests. It is also a town with a diverse range of eateries. We found a pizza and a pasta place and our growling stomachs were finally at peace.

After peeping into some local shops there, we went to Erskine Falls nearby. If you are an avid trekker, then you will be able to visit lot of waterfalls in these rainforests. Well, as we much as we loved trekking, we were also concerned about doing it with Tunga. Hence we had decided upon places where it would be easy to carry her. So you can almost park your vehicle very near to Erskine Falls. There are steps that lead to the base of the waterfalls. But we preferred to have an overview from the top. I must say that Erskine Falls reminded me of Abbey Falls in Coorg.

We continued our journey on the Great Ocean Road again. As we had stopped at so many places in between, all the three of us were a bit tired. So we drove down to our hotel at Apollo Bay. The drive from Lorne to Apollo Bay was amazing. It is one of the beautiful sights I have ever seen.