Highlights of the Great Ocean Road

(Two days later)

This was the day we had long awaited. We were going to see most of the highlights of the natural side of the Great Ocean Road today!

While we ate breakfast, I read Amber the story of the Loch Ard which wrecked on the point of a narrow gorge now bearing it’s name. This had been my favourite part of the GOR last time I was here, and I think most kids would engage with the story of the two survivors: Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael. He was a deck hand, and she a passenger who lost her entire family. She couldn’t swim and he was quite capable... rescuing her where she was latched onto a fractured spar, keeping her sedated with grog, then clambering up the cliffs to get help.

The newspapers  of the time (1873) had a field day since these two were about the same age, but romance was not to be, and snobby Eva returned to England eventually.

So, back to today... Loch Ard Gorge was our second stop...the first was the famous 12 Apostles, (which used to be called the Sow and Pigs). We got there around 9am, well before any tourist buses and essentially had the site to ourselves. What a magnificent feature this is! Since I was here last (over 14 years ago) a new visitor centre cafe and toilets have been built. The ‘info centre’ is sparse on information, but the toilets are welcome since most stops don’t have them!

Back to Loch Ard Gorge where we looked at the narrow entrance, walked down to the beach and found the caves in which the pair would have sheltered, and wandered around the graveyard finding remnants of the four bodies which were recovered from the wreck.

Then it was on to The Grotto before fish and chip lunch at Port Campbell... in the same spot where Amber’s Dad and I had shared fish and chips so long ago. 

One more attraction on the agenda: London Bridge... which fell down in 1990, leaving two people stranded on the end.  My parents had walked out here in 1989, so we called Mum to tell her we were here

Quite tired by now, we headed back to camp to chill for the rest of the afternoon: a  much welcome repass! After dinner we plan a short bike ride around Peterborough....