Great Ocean Road - tips by travel authority Howard Hillman

Great Ocean Road

travel wonder in Australia

Why

Great Ocean Road

is special

The Great Ocean Road hugs the southernmost tip of Australia for nearly 300 kilometers (180 miles). It is one of our planet's most scenic highways. You see bizarre natural rock towers jutting from the surf - and tall headland cliffs as high as 45 meters (150 feet).

Tips & insights on

Great Ocean Road

in Australia

By far the biggest "rock star" is the dramatic rock formation named the 12 Apostles (see photo). Now only 8 remain. Four had collapsed, one as recently as 2005.

The Bay of Islands is another must-see rock formation group on the Great Ocean Road in Australia.

The rock stacks were created when waves and winds sculptured the limestone over eons of time. The erosion process continues.

The western part of the Great Ocean Drive is aptly called the "Shipwreck Coast".

Stormy winter seas claimed over 100 large sailing ships and countless lives in the 1800s.

The London Arch is also famous, but it lost some of its appeal when it partially crumbled in 1990.

Semi-officially, the Great Ocean Bay of Australia begins in Geelong and ends in Warmanpool. However, the best part of that journey occupies a shorter stretch, from Torquay (a world-class surfing town) and Petersbourgh.

You can travel the Great Ocean Road in a half day, but there are so many splendid vantages along the way that you should spend at least one overnight en route.

The overnight will let you see the 12 Apostles at sunrise and sunset when the low-angled solar rays breathtakingly change the colors of the limestone rocks and cliffs.

For hikers, the park authority created a Great Ocean Walk. It's almost 100 kilometers (60 miles) long. There are strategically located guest houses for those who prefer to sleep in a bed at night.

The best months to visit the Great Ocean Road are November, December, March and April. The road can be clogged in January and February, the height of the Australian summer tourism season. The other months (especially August and September) can be windy, chilly and wet. Remember, only restless water separates you and Antarctica.

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