Travel Guides and Stories

The Great Ocean Road is a super popular route near Melbourne. This time, we opted for a 3-day self-drive trip, exploring some less-visited spots and camping for two nights in Apollo Bay. Our route:
   Day 1: Melbourne → Otway Fly → Triplet Falls → Melba Gully → Mait's Rest → Apollo Bay
   Day 2: Apollo Bay → Bay of Islands → Bay of Martyrs → The Grotto → London Bridge → The Arch → Loch Ard Gorge → Apollo Bay
   Day 3: Apollo Bay → Lorne → Erskine Falls → Torquay → Melbourne

Otway Treetop Walk

Otway Fly wasn’t as scary as I imagined—even my acrophobic husband said it was fine. The ticket was expensive, not really worth it.

Otway Treetop Walk

Otway Fly

A view along the Great Ocean Road

Mait's Rest—in my opinion, the best rainforest among these spots, with many thick, sturdy trees. You can see fireflies at night.

Mait's Rest Rainforest

Mait's Rest tree hollow

Near the Bay of Islands

Bay of Martyrs—you can walk right down to the beach here, and since it’s not a must-see for most tourists, there are very few people. The rock formations on the beach are really unique.

Bay of Martyrs

Bay of Martyrs

The Grotto—a small spot, but the landform is so unique. Definitely worth a stop!

At The Grotto, we followed the Aussies and went around the fence—the view was amazing.

Watching the waves at The Grotto

Loch Ard Gorge is a very popular tourist spot—super crowded! But it combines many of the Great Ocean Road’s highlights, and you can swim there. The area is quite big—it’s easy to spend over an hour.

London Bridge—this small natural bridge was once connected to the mainland, but collapsed in the 20th century. No one was hurt, but two tourists were stranded on the newly formed “island” and had to be rescued by helicopter.

London Arch (formerly London Bridge)

I don’t even remember where this is anymore. The first time I saw these bizarre landforms, it all felt so new, but there are actually many spots like this along the Great Ocean Road. It’s just that most people are rushing to the famous Twelve Apostles.

The Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostles

In summary, the Great Ocean Road is truly beautiful. If you have just one day in Melbourne, I recommend exploring the city. But if you have another day, the Great Ocean Road is a must-see. A one-day round trip is very rushed and tiring for the driver. We spent three days, traveling in reverse (from west to east). The benefit: we avoided traffic; the downside: driving on the inside lane made many coastal scenic stops inconvenient to park at. Honestly, the standard route is probably better. My picks for the best spots along the road:
   Rainforest: Mait's Rest
   Waterfall: Triplet Falls
   Beach: Bay of Martyrs
   Cave: The Grotto
   Town: Lorne
   Surfing: Torquay
   All-around: Loch Ard Gorge
   P.S. I took all these with my phone, and for some reason the colors look so dull—sorry! The real scenery is gorgeous, especially on a sunny day. If you have time, swimming and surfing are also great along the way.