Australia – VIC – Great Ocean Road (2)

Hello Readers!

Continuing from the previous post, our second day at Great Ocean Road was even more exciting with lots more sight-seeing!

1) Apollo Bay

After a good night rest at the Captain’s Quarter in Apollo Bay, we were ready for another day filled with activities!

2) Marriners Lookout

Our first stop was the Marriners Lookout, which was only a few minutes drive from Apollo Bay. Marriners Lookout is located atop a hill on the Northern outskirts of Apollo Bay. After an easy 10 minute walk from the carpark, we were rewarded with spectacular ocean, beach, hinterland and town views! We were blown away by the views and spent quite a long time taking photos there.

For more info, click here.

3) The Twelve Apostles

We then headed to the Twelves Apostles – the icon of the Great Ocean Road. The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park. Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction.

The Twelves Apostles were created by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs of the mainland beginning 10–20 million years ago. The stormy Southern Ocean and blasting winds gradually eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs. The caves eventually became arches and when they collapsed, rock stacks up to 45 metres high were left isolated from the shore. Unfortunately, four have fallen over the years. Currently there are eight apostles left, the ninth one of the stacks collapsed dramatically in July 2005. The name remains significant and spectacular especially in the Australian tourism industry.

The various lookouts did offer expansive and breathtaking views. I was awe-struck in wonder at their size and beauty.

For more info, click here and here.

4) Loch Ard Gorge

After a very quick lunch, we drove to a nearby coastal attraction – Loch Ard Gorge. This is named after the clipper ship Loch Ard, which ran aground on nearby Muttonbird Island on 1 June 1878 approaching the end of a three-month journey from England to Melbourne. Only two survived out of the 54 passengers and crew: Tom Pearce, 15 years old and a ship’s apprentice and Eva Carmichael, 17 years old and an Irishwoman emigrating with her family. Pearce was washed ashore and rescued Carmichael from the water after hearing her cries for help. Pearce then proceeded to climb out of the gorge to raise the alarm to local pastoralists who immediately set into plan a rescue attempt. Carmichael lived in Australia for three months before returning to Europe. Four of her family members drowned that night. Pearce was hailed as a hero and lived till the age of 49.

What a story! The sight itself is as astonishing as the story!

For more info, click here.

5) Gibson Steps

We stopped by at another lookout – the Gibson Steps. We did not spend much there time as we had to head back to Melbourne. So sadly, no time for photos there. However, I do recommend visiting this lookout and give yourself more time here as it is beautiful too. You could take some 86 steps down to the beach below to be dwarfed and amazed by the 70 metres high vertical cliffline! Also walk along the beach to the enormous offshore rock stacks.

For more info, click here.

All photos were taken using:
Camera: Nikon D800.
Lens: Tamron 24-70 mm F/2.8.
Post-processing: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Hope you have enjoyed the post! 🙂