The Great Ocean Road is listed as an Australian Heritage site and runs between Torquay and Allansford for 243 Km/151 Miles. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and dedicated to soldiers killed during WWI, the road is the world’s largest war memorial. It winds through varying terrain along the coast and provides access to several prominent landmarks, including Cape Otway Light Station and the Twelve Apostles limestone formations. The road traverses rainforests, as well as beaches and cliffs composed of limestone and sandstone, which is susceptible to erosion.
Given my interest is what I’ve come to call “slow touring without windows” I searched to find a way to walk the Great Ocean Road, and found the Great Ocean Walk, a 109 Km track between Apollo Bay and the 12 Apostles, and there are outfits which will manage your luggage, arrange accommodations and transport, and so I signed on and begin that walk tomorrow morning at 7AM. This track was first suggested in the mid 70’s but only completed in 2006. The trail meanders along high cliff tops and sandy beaches. It is often cited as one of the greatest multiday walks in the world. It will be a challenge but after days of city life I’m happy to out of doors and active.
The way to get to Apollo Bay from Melbourne involves a 75 minute train ride to Geelong, and a transfer to a coach (read: bus), which takes about 2 1/2 hours to drive down the coast along the Great Ocean Road. It reminded me at times of the Pacific Coast Road, and at others of the Road to Hana — curvy and high on the side of a cliff without much of a guard rail. The weather went from sunny and windy to cloudy and rainy, but the colors on the Great Southern Ocean were amazing.
Apollo Bay is a small tourist town that was established in the 1840’s when a whaling station opened at Point Bunbury on the western end of the bay. It was named by Captain Loutit when he sheltered his vessel from a storm in the bay. The first European settlers were timber cutters in the 1850s who subsequently established sawmills. Farmers later moved into the area. The township of Krambruk (later to be renamed Apollo Bay) was established in 1877 and with the upgrade of the road to the town in 1927 and the completion of the Great Ocean Road in 1932, the town became a tourist destination and an important fishing port. It is a sleepy town in the off-season (now), and really just the stepping off point for those doing the walk. It’s a beautiful bay with lovely trees and a coastal walk.
A good spot to stop before I start.
