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Melbourne
VICTORIA
Great Ocean Road
Winding roads
Take a drive down the Great Ocean Road. It’s an adventure
all ages will savour WORDS CATHERINE BEST
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Explore I THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD
Driverless cars can’t come soon enough in Victoria because the
Great Ocean Road – with its vertiginous cliffs, hairpin bends and ocean-hugging passes – demands eyes on the road at all times. But those jaw-dropping vistas are mighty distracting. One of the world’s great coastal drives, the ‘GOR’ carves a spectacular path through rugged headlands, twisting valleys, lush forests and green pastures that tumble down to the Bass Strait. The 243km road from Torquay to Allansford, near Warrnambool, is a road-tripping honey pot of sights and delights the whole family will enjoy. Here are a handful not to be missed.
Discover long, empty beaches – such as Kennett River Beach between Lorne and Torquay – all along the Great Ocean Road.
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SURF’S UP, TORQUAYOnce you’ve checked out the fearsome swell at Bells Beach, the home of Australian surfing and venue for the Rip Curl Pro world championships, drop into the Australian National Surfing Museum. Here, you can learn about the history of the sport, see vintage and experimental boards, find your hero in the Australian Surfing Hall of Fame and be snapped riding the barrel of a monster wave. Be a pawn in a giant game of snakes and ladders, marvel at epic surfing images and videos, and wince at ghastly injury tales while the kids hang in the sandpit.australiannationalsurfingmuseum.com
KANGAS ON THE COURSE, ANGLESEAGolf. “Boring!” yell the kids. But not at Anglesea Golf Club, which is famous for the 300-odd eastern grey kangaroos that roam the fairways and greens. Set amid natural bushland, the club runs half-hour kangaroo tours and features an 18-hole mini golf course. The clubhouse balcony is a great spot
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for a late afternoon sundowner, when the roos really come out to play. While in Anglesea, make sure you have a dip at the kid-safe Point Roadknight beach and a paddle in the Anglesea River.angleseagolfclub.com.au
TREETOP THRILLS, LORNEEver wondered what it’s like to hurtle through the treetops at 35km/h? Here’s your chance. At the new Live Wire Park, set amid soaring blue gums in the Lorne hinterland, you can fly through the forest on a 525m zip coaster (one of only four in the world). Open since March, the park offers high-rope thrills and adrenaline-pumping ziplines thanks to 50 tonnes of wires and ropes suspended in the forest. Test your mettle on the Super Circuit with its suspended bridges, tree-scaling obstacles, Tarzan swing and QuickJump bungee. There’s a short circuit and canopy walk for the kids. Get back down to earth at the nearby Erskine Falls in the Great Otway National Park, and don’t miss Teddy’s Lookout as you head out of town.livewirepark.com.au
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Gone surfing on the ‘GOR’, a visitor on the Anglesea Golf Club, in the treetops at Live Wire Park.
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CLOCKWISE: Fish ‘n’ chips on the beach at Apollo Bay, a sleepy local, poolside at BIG4 Apollo Bay, explore the Cape Otway Lightstation.
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SLEEP ON IT, APOLLO BAYHit the hay in Apollo Bay, a great midway base for exploring the GOR and the Otway Ranges. The BIG4 Apollo Bay Pisces Holiday Park is tucked on a hillside overlooking the beach and has a pool, resident koala and squeal-inducing kids’ playground, complete with flying fox and a modular pump track for skateboards and bicycles. There’s family friendly accommodation to suit all budgets, from unpowered campsites to top-of-the range ocean villas. Splurge on the latter and wake to the sound of crashing waves, soak in the spa bath and enjoy ocean vistas on your deck. Watch fishing boats unload their catch on the pier, tuck into fresh seafood at the Fishermen’s Co-op or enjoy a meal at the lively Great Ocean Road Brewhouse, featuring more than 100 craft brews, a large beer garden and a kids’ play corner. piscespark.com.au
LIGHTHOUSE LOWDOWN, CAPE OTWAYOn the blustery clifftops of Cape Otway, 90 metres above the ocean, stands Australia’s oldest surviving and most significant lighthouse. Built in 1848 and decommissioned in 1994, the Cape Otway Lightstation had a powerful beam that could be seen from 48km away. The life-saving structure was built after hundreds of people perished at sea on Victoria’s infamous Shipwreck Coast while trying to ‘thread the eye of the needle’ between Cape Otway and King Island, 90km to the south. Climb the 78 steps of the lighthouse for spine-tingling views up and down the coast, explore a World War II radar bunker and learn about the early lighthouse keepers and their families, Indigenous culture and dinosaur fossils discovered nearby.lightstation.com
An experience above all else
Open Daily from 10ameurekaskydeck.melbourne
MELBOURNE AUSTRALIA*Valid for one entry only. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers. Not Valid for Edge Experience.
The Southern Hemisphere’s highest viewing platformwith the world’s only EDGE EXPERIENCE
Present your Jetstar boarding
pass at ticket counter to receive a
20%discount
off entry*
@eureka_skydeck#eurekaskydeck
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Triplet Falls hemmed in by green. ABOVE: Paddles in Loch Ard Gorge.
Jetstar has great fares to Avalon and Melbourne from across the
network, plus car-hire packages.
To book, visitJETSTAR.COM
Travel info
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SHIPWRECK REFLECTIONS, PORT CAMPBELLJust west of the Great Ocean Road’s most famous attraction – the 12 Apostles, of which only eight mesmerising limestone stacks remain – you will fi nd Loch Ard Gorge. Arguably the coastline’s most dramatic and chilling landmark is the site where ill-fated clipper the Loch Ard was wrecked off the coast of Muttonbird Island in 1878; after three months at sea and just one day before it was due to dock in Melbourne. Only two of the 54 souls on board survived. Descend the steps onto the picturesque beach where debris from the Loch Ard was piled more than two metres high. Visit the graves of the victims in the nearby cemetery, listen to the rumble of the ocean pounding inside Thunder Cave, and see the blowhole where victims of the shipwreck washed through a colossal underground channel. To learn more about the Loch Ard, visit the Port Campbell Visitor Information Centre, where you can borrow binoculars, wind-monitoring equipment and treasure-hunting gear for the kids.visit12apostles.com.au
FOREST FUN, OTWAYSMake a pitstop at the Timboon Cheesery and nearby ice-creamery before slowly making your way back towards the big smoke. Head inland at Lavers Hill for lungfuls of fresh Otways air, walk through ancient forests and absorb the health-restoring negative ions at Triplet Falls. Hire a bike and explore a section of the Old Beechy Rail Trail, a 45km track through scenic forest and farmland. From here you can take the speedy inland route via Colac to Melbourne or hook back onto the GOR. You know which has my vote.
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Line up your stay on the Great Ocean Road and join the crowds at these iconic local festivals:
FALLS FESTIVALLorne, 28-31 December 2018
PIER TO PUB SWIMLorne, 12 January 2019
CADEL EVANS GREAT OCEAN ROAD RACEGeelong to Torquay, 24-27 January 2019
APOLLO BAY SEAFOOD FESTIVALFebruary 2019, date TBA
Fun in the summertime
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