Great Ocean Road – Introduction & Itinerary

The Great Ocean Road, which stretches along the South Eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Geelong and Warrnambool, is in itself the world's biggest war memorial. It was built between World War I and World War II by returned servicemen in honour of their fallen comrades. The road took 16 years to build and it was all done by hand using picks, shovels and dynamite.

The Great Ocean Road with generally ocean beaches on one side and bush settings on the other, has been adjudged by many experts as one of the world's greatest journeys. These judgements have been made because of the natural attractions, facilities, safety and total experience. Frommer’s ranked the Great Ocean Road in the Top 10 Road Trips in the World. Conde Naste in the Top 20 Journeys of a Lifetime. And Lee Atkinson – Top Driving Holiday in Australia.

I planed my trip and made reservations two months early. Here is my itinerary:

June 6^th: drove from Adelaide to Lorne. Took about 10 hours. It was a long way driving, but most of time we were on the country road at 110km/h zone, not too bad.

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June 7^th: drove on the Great Ocean Road from Lorne to Port Fairy. If you like surfing and have plenty of time, you should also visit Torquay, which is undoubtedly Australia's surfing capital and also the official start of the Great Ocean Road.

June 8^th: drove back from Port Fairy to Adelaide, visited Portland on the way. Took about 10 hours again.


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Tips:

1. If you want to travel there in the hot season such as March or April, you’d better book you accommodations at least three months before your trip, some Aussie even made their reservations a year early. I know it sounds crazy, but if you want to take a chance, be prepared to sleep inside your car.
2. You’d better spend 2 days on the Great Ocean Road. One day is really tight.