The Great Ocean Road Australia

The iconic Great Ocean Road is inarguably one the world’s most beautiful coastal drives, and only 3 hours away from cosmopolitan Melbourne. Built as a memorial for fallen soldiers in WW1, the road began construction through the hills. 13 years later, in 1932, the road was officially open, finally connecting the coastal towns and beginning what would become Victoria’ s most popular holiday destination.

On my first day in Australia [16th January 2019] i walked into an excursion shop [a shop that sells tours]

I was extremely tired and jet lagged, but i knew i wanted to get stuck into things straight away and see the beautiful sights that Australia has to offer. I am so glad i booked this tour because it was one of the best adventures of my life. The tour guide Jude definitely made it extra special, she was just so sweet and wanted everybody to have the best experience possible.

I booked my tour with https://ridetours.com.au/

I'm not going to talk too much about it, or go into the historic facts, because Ride Tour's website has everything you need to know. Some people choose to rent their own vehicles and travel The Great Ocean Road this way, you can do it in a day. However, if i could turn back time, i wouldn't change a thing and would book with Ride Tours again. It was a two day trip with Ride Tours including an overnight stay in a nice clean hostel in a STUNNING location. The full two day itinerary is listed on their website and is very easy to read.

Tower Hill Volcano

It was a three hour journey to Tower Hill. Which wasn't a problem for me at all because it gave me a chance to catch up on some much needed sleep. When we arrived, we stopped in a small town for free tea and biscuits, as you can imagine, i was absolutely over the moon. FREE tea and biscuits, it doesn't get much better than that!

Logan's Beach

This is a surf beach in Warrnambool and you can also see Whales here in Winter!

I'm afraid to tell you that i didn't see any fit surfer dudes, but there's plenty of time to find some! [I mean, what!? That's definitely not why i'm here.....]

Moving on from fit surfers, i mean, from Logan's Beach.......

Cheeseworld

That's right - cheeeeese! And guess what? It's FREEEEE!

Legit, i was just getting over the excitement of the free tea and biscuits, and then Jude drops in this little beauty. I love cheese. Who doesn't love cheese. If you don't like cheese, then i don't trust you.... [Because why don't you like it, WHY?!]

Anyway, Cheeseworld wasn't a massive factory. I pictured it like Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory, but with cheese instead.... But no, it's a small shop full of cheese and you get to eat as much free cheese as you want.

I'm not telling you how many cubes i ate, all i'm saying is, those cheese boards were full before i arrived......

So yes, a lovely little stop at Cheese World. Could things get any more perfect?

Yes they can! Because next, we drove along

The Great Ocean Road

Bay of Islands

Bay of Martyrs

The Grotto

London Bridge

There is a really interesting story about The London Bridge, but i won't tell you and ruin it for you! It's great finding out the facts and the history of Australia.

The 12 Apostles

The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Their proximity to one another has made the site a popular tourist attraction. There are eight Apostles left, the ninth having collapsed dramatically in July 2005.

You also get to see Penguins swimming in from the sea and waddling across the shore. You can't see them up close but it's still really cool to see!

It's then off for a gorgeous free dinner at the hostel and time for bed after a long, beautiful day....

The next morning is great because you get to see the 12 Apostles in daylight and from different points of view.

We then headed to a beautiful rainforest and this was one of my favourite locations.

Maits Rest Rainforest

The rainforest gave me a calming feeling i had never experienced before. I felt like every tree had a beautiful story to tell and every bird had a beautiful song to sing. I stood still, closed my eyes, and felt at peace with myself. I remembered why i was in Australia, to find this very same peace not just for a moment in the forest, but for a life time in the world.

Time to leave the tranquil behind as we head to

Apollo Bay

We stopped here for lunch, it was a lovely small town.

Bell's Beach

You're more likely to hear waves and loudspeakers than bells on Bells Beach, which is on Torquay's southern outskirts.

I really admired the surfers at Bell's Beach.....

Did i say surfers? I meant views......

Aireys Inlet

Here we visited the famous Split Point Lighthouse from 'Round the Twist'

'Strange things happen, when you're going round the twist!'

Jude made sure that our trip had the perfect ending by showing us wild Kangaroos and Koalas.

This was the first time i have ever seen them and it was more beautiful than i could have imagined, especially when the kangaroos hopped!

And there you have it, my two day trip of The Great Ocean Road with Ride Tours. I went on a different guided tour with a different tour operator the next day, but it really wasn't the same without Jude and her wonderful stories. I'll be forever grateful for the experience she gave me.

You can watch my video of The Great Ocean Road here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY8xpRQ-jis

ridetours@bigpond.com

https://ridetours.com.au/great-ocean-road-tour/