Read Part 1: Driving the Great Ocean Road

The Twelve Apostles

Did you know that the Twelve Apostles used to be called the Sow and Piglets until 1922? They were renamed for tourism purposes. It was named The Apostles and eventually become known as the Twelve Apostles despite there only ever being nine stacks! Marketing for you! 🙂

These iconic sea stacks are the highlight for most people travelling along the Great Ocean Road. These stacks are up to 45 metres tall and sit one after the other along the coastline. A long viewing platform has been built so there are plenty of picture taking opportunities but be warned, this is a very busy tourist destination.

How do I avoid the crowds?

My tip to avoid the crowds is to visit at sunrise. During the day the place is heaving and sunset it very popular for most tourists. I would recommend getting up early to see the sunrise, it really was a magical experience and only shared with a handful of people!

Other highlights in this region include:

Gibson Steps

I would highly recommend going down the Gibson steps which take you directly onto the beach, right near the first few stacks.

Loch Ard Gorge

This gem is even better than the Twelve Apostles! Named after the clipper ship, Loch Ard, it ran aground on Mutton island nearby. The only two survivors were washed ashore here and managed to climb out to raise help.

Walk down onto the beach to explore this fascinating gorge which has blowholes, lookouts, a cave called thunder cave (pretty awesome name) and a cave entrance with numerous stalagmites.

London Arch

Formerly known as London Bridge until the first of the two natural arches collapsed in 1990 which left two tourists stranded and had to be rescued by helicopter, what a story to tell!

The Grotto

This enchanting grotto is a naturally carved out cave which stands back from sea level. Its like looking through a picture frame to the calm rock pools and crashing sea. The perfect shot!

Wreck Beach

After seeing a picture of an anchor on the beach, we decided we needed to check it out for ourselves! After walking down a huge amount of steps to get down to the beach we didn’t actually know which direction the anchor meant to be in. So we took a guess, as there were no signs to indicate the way and thankfully we saw the outline of the anchor after a 10 minute walk in the distance. Depending when you visit, if the tide is in, then the anchor will be covered over.

There are numerous other places to stop along the way such as:

• Mutton bird island,
• Bay of Islands
• Worm bay
• Bay of Maryters
• The Gables

After 4 days and 5 nights, we finished the Great Ocean Road and returned our lovely red hire car back to Melbourne. Great times and a must if you are in the area which proved there is no much more to see than just the Twelve Apostles which I found slightly overrated.