The Great Ocean Road is a beautiful coastal drive located on the southern tip of Australia outside of Melbourne. It’s packed with amazing scenery from beaches to rock formations to waterfalls and is the reason I fell in love with scenic road trips. Back in the spring of 2017, I took a road trip along this great drive with fellow friend, traveler, and videographer Monica!
From the learning to driving on the other side of the road, to learning that you need to pack snacks for a road trip, it was definitely an action packed trip, and I even made a video about it (link at the end).
So as the temperatures drop WAYYYY below zero in Chicago, all I can seem to think about is the warmth of other places I’ve been as an escape. If you need motivation to get your butt on a vacation or to a beach, I hope these next 6 stops I took on the Great Ocean Road will convince you to do so!
BRIGHTON BOXES: Although not *technically* on the Great Ocean Road, the Brighton Beach Boxes are just about the cutest thing you ever did see in Melbourne. These beach shacks, all painted in unique ways, allow for plenty of instagrammable moments on the beach that don’t face the ocean! Instagram or not, this place is really special, walking along the boxes feels like you’re in a game of candy land, and really makes you want to downsize your entire life into a cute lil box on the beach.
AIREY’S INLET: Our first official stop on the great ocean road was the most picture perfect lighthouse I’ve ever encountered! Set against the coast, you get panoramic views of the beach. The white lighthouse is quite possibly too perfect for words.
LORNE: A quaint town set on the coast, small shops and great views. The best part about this town, to Monica and I however, would have to be the trampoline park hidden within a beach club. As we spotted the trampoline park from the road, we made a quick u-turn and had no problem paying $10 for 15 mins on the trampoline.
Even crazier was the fact that this trampoline park didn’t require you to sign your life away or wear protect gear as you went to jump. A seriously foreign concept to me, as any activity in the US means signing your life rights away so you don’t sue.
TWELVE APOSTLES: This is the most popular stop of the Great Ocean Road and rightfully so! This stop will be crowded no matter what time of day you get here, but if you want to see something really special then you have to go around sunset. The beautiful colors were insanely special and made me feel like I was transported into a painting.
THE GROTTO: Intricate and larger-than-life rock formations against the coast, you can get up close and personal to the waves and the ocean. I really was moved at this location by the shear power of the ocean that I have never experienced anywhere else!
LAVERS HILL: On our second day on the road trip, we were heading back to Melbourne to return the rental car, so had to skip going back along the great ocean road, and instead drove through the countryside. We had low expectations going in for Lavers Hill as how could it possibly top all the amazing coastal views that we saw? But guess what, it DID. The green country, the farm animals, and in the distance the coast, was one of the most confusing sceneries to be stopped in, but definitely an amazing one. The contrast between the lush land and the ocean was purely amazing.
So there you have it, 6 stops that if I haven’t convinced you that you need to go on an adventure, I don’t know what else to tell you! The natural beauty in the world is stunning, amazing, and unique, go out and experience it for yourself and lmk how it is :)