Melbourne (GOR) with Sweethearts ❤ Part 2
Read the Prequel if you haven't already :)
Girls being girls, we departed almost an hour later than the originally planned timing of 6.45am. But in our defense, there was only 1 bathroom. We started our journey to Great Ocean Road (GOR) with a stop at Lune Croissanterie CBD for takeaway of some mouth-watering croissants. In fact, the best croissants we ever had!
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| $29.80 for 3 croissants purchased |
We estimated a long 3 hours drive to Marriner's Lookout, our 1st intended stop of GOR provided that traffic is smooth and no wild kangaroos appear. Since we chose to self-drive instead of following tours, we had the flexibility of stopping anytime and anywhere we want (but of course, no trespassing). 2 hours into the drive, we came across Wonky Stables Holiday Park Forest which is a camping & caravan site with a public washroom available.
The sights and scenery there was lovely, so we had a quick 5 minutes photo op before continuing on our journey. We spotted a wild joey (baby kangaroo) along the roadside but didn't manage to capture a photo as it hopped quickly out of view :(
Alas, we reached Marriner's Lookout, a spectacular lookout that offers an expansive town and coastal view of GOR. This epic vantage point is situated on private land so please be respectful and care for the surroundings since the owners so kindly offered to share the wonderful scenery with the public.
Once you park your vehicle at the (free) car park, you will spot a gated path that leads up to the lookout point. Be prepared for a 10 minutes walk uphill from here. It's a gradual slope so not too difficult to walk but there are quite some pebbles underfoot so please be cautious.
With much anticipation, ta-da! Ain't this such a beautiful sight?
After frolicking on top of the hill with the amazing views for a quarter to an hour, we continued on our way to Great Ocean Road Brewhouse located in the town of Apollo Bay for lunch. It's just a 15 minutes drive away. This quaint little town boasts a variety of F&B and amenities such a petrol station, grocery shops, parks, ice cream parlors, dining places and more!
Having missed the sunset at 12 Apostles the day before, we decided to watch the sunrise there. It was a short 15 minutes drive from our stay and it was the best decision ever to visit early! We arrived around 7am to catch the beautiful view of 12 Apostles amidst a clear blue sky infused with lovely hues of yellow, orange and pink.
For those who don't know, 12 Apostles is a magnificent collection of limestone stacks created by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs over millions of years.
Following our visit to 12 Apostles, we went to the nearby Gibson Steps that was said to be connected to 12 Apostles via the beach. Sadly for us, the tide was too high and the connecting pathway was too treacherous to cross so we left it at that.
By 10.30am or so, we arrived at Loch Ard Gorge, the last destination we had planned for GOR. Named after the clipper ship, Loch Ard, the gorge is situated just a stone's throw away from 12 Apostles.
Note:
Once you park your vehicle at the (free) car park, you will spot a gated path that leads up to the lookout point. Be prepared for a 10 minutes walk uphill from here. It's a gradual slope so not too difficult to walk but there are quite some pebbles underfoot so please be cautious.
With much anticipation, ta-da! Ain't this such a beautiful sight?
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Marriner's Lookout |
The food at Great Ocean Road Brewhouse was quite good, but the waitress was not in a very good mood it seems. It was a light lunch crowd but she did not offer a smile nor sound pleased to serve us or any other customers. We ordered the Lemon & Pepper Calamari ($16.90), a 200gm Porterhouse Steak in Wine Juice ($28.90) and a Fish & Chips ($19.90). The good food makes up for the poor service I would say. The steak was a little overcooked although we went for medium rare but the calamari and fish & chips were totally awesome!
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| GOR Brewhouse meal costs $65.70 |
We washed down our mains with the creamiest ice cream from Dooley’s Premium Ice Cream, just 5 minutes walk down the road.
With numerous awards in their pocket, they boast the best ice cream in the
whole of Great Ocean Road and we can testify to that. I personally don’t take to any food or beverages on the
sweet side, so if even I find their ice cream to my liking, what are you waiting
for? Dooley’s is not only for the sweet tooth J
Lunch, dessert, car refuel and a quick grocery trip later, we headed to Cape Otway Lightstation. We took the shorter route, a 30 minutes drive thru 28km of winding forest road. If you don't mind spending another 25mins on the road, you could take the longer route which gives you some beautiful sea view.
Cape Otway Lightstation is the oldest surviving light station in Australia from 1848. This significant light station sits atop sea cliffs 90m above the ocean. Entry tickets onsite were sold for $19.50/pax, with a discount of $1 for online purchase.
We were lucky enough to have this place mostly to ourselves as the stream of visitors was really low during our time of visit (3.30pm). It's a beautiful place and the view from the lighthouse would probably take your breath away as it did ours.
We enjoyed ourselves a little too much over here hence were behind schedule and had to let go the chance of watching the sunset at 12 Apostles. We drove towards our stay for the night, Southern Ocean Motor Inn slowly in hopes of spotting some koalas. Chew Yen (our professional koala spotter) spotted a few of these cuddly creatures with sharp claws within minutes. They were too far up so this was the best-overexposed shot we got.
1.5 hours later, we arrived at our accommodation with relief. We drove in the dark most of the way as the sun sets around 5.30pm in early May and there was little to none street lights along the way to our inn. So, do take this into account if you have plans to drive here.
We headed for dinner at 12 Rocks Beach Bar right after dumping our bags at the inn.
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| $22.50 for 5 scoops in total |
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| Happy when fed dessert ^^ |
Cape Otway Lightstation is the oldest surviving light station in Australia from 1848. This significant light station sits atop sea cliffs 90m above the ocean. Entry tickets onsite were sold for $19.50/pax, with a discount of $1 for online purchase.
We were lucky enough to have this place mostly to ourselves as the stream of visitors was really low during our time of visit (3.30pm). It's a beautiful place and the view from the lighthouse would probably take your breath away as it did ours.
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| Spot the koala |
We headed for dinner at 12 Rocks Beach Bar right after dumping our bags at the inn.
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| Prosciutto Pizza @ $20 + Oysters @ $16 |
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| Wagyu Scotch Fillet @ $38 |
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| Linguini Marinara @ $26 |
The dinner inclusive of a coffee and a hot chocolate was $104. The food was quite good as the seafood was really fresh and the wagyu was tender. However, we find the ham on the pizza extremely salty.
I missed the video of our accommodation but it was clean, roomy and adequate for a quick night's stay with free parking, too. The downside though was the problem with their water heater that led most of us to shower in the freezing water in 10 degrees weather at night.
Total Expenses for Day 2 = $372.76 ($74.55 per pax)
1. Lune Croissanterie - $29.80
2. Great Ocean Road Brewhouse - $65.70
3. Dooley's Premium Ice Cream - $22.50
4. Fuel - $38.56
5. Groceries - $14.70
6. Cape Otway - $97.50
7. 12 Rocks Beach Bar - $104
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For those who don't know, 12 Apostles is a magnificent collection of limestone stacks created by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs over millions of years.
Following our visit to 12 Apostles, we went to the nearby Gibson Steps that was said to be connected to 12 Apostles via the beach. Sadly for us, the tide was too high and the connecting pathway was too treacherous to cross so we left it at that.
By 10.30am or so, we arrived at Loch Ard Gorge, the last destination we had planned for GOR. Named after the clipper ship, Loch Ard, the gorge is situated just a stone's throw away from 12 Apostles.
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| Credits: Chee Huan |
1. It's awfully windy in Melbourne, so make sure you have a windbreaker or coat handy
2. The temperature was lower by 3-4 degrees during our trip compared to the forecasted temperature on Accuweather
3. Food is served in bigger portion compared to Singapore standards so it would be good for small eaters to share
4. Complimentary (tap) water is served at most F&B if you do not want to go for sparkling/still water
5. Where entry fees are not stated, the attractions are free of charge
2. The temperature was lower by 3-4 degrees during our trip compared to the forecasted temperature on Accuweather
3. Food is served in bigger portion compared to Singapore standards so it would be good for small eaters to share
4. Complimentary (tap) water is served at most F&B if you do not want to go for sparkling/still water
5. Where entry fees are not stated, the attractions are free of charge
This marks the end of my post on Great Ocean Road. Hope you enjoy reading it :)
Check out my bestie, Chee Huan's blog for tips on exploring GOR!
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