On the Road Before Sunrise
Today was the day we’d been looking forward to: two days of driving the Great Ocean Road, one of the most famous coastal drives in the world. We picked up the car and were on the freeway out of Melbourne by 6am, in the dark, with the sky slowly turning pink ahead of us.
Breakfast at Fishos, Torquay
The Great Ocean Road officially starts at Torquay, the surf town about an hour and a half from Melbourne. Our first stop was breakfast at Fishos, a cute weatherboard café right across from the beach. Coffee, a matcha latte and a pastry, while the storm clouds rolled in over the sea.
Lookouts All the Way
From Torquay, the road follows the coast, and there’s a lookout every few minutes. We stopped at almost all of them. Long empty beaches, red cliffs, a curious magpie, and a cold wind straight off the Southern Ocean. Hoodies on.
Split Point Lighthouse
At Aireys Inlet, we walked up to Split Point Lighthouse, a tall white lighthouse on the cliffs with a red top. Below it is Eagle Rock, a big rock stack standing in the sea.
The Memorial Arch
A bit further on is the Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch. The road was built by soldiers who came back from the First World War, as a memorial to the ones who didn’t, which makes the whole road a war memorial. Next to the arch is a statue of two of the workers.
Rock Pools
Back in the car, past more beaches, until we found a flat rock platform by the sea and pulled over again. Rock pools, mussels, and a lot of photos.
Brunch in Lorne
By late morning, we were in Lorne, a pretty seaside town, for brunch at The Bottle of Milk: scrambled eggs and a cold juice. Then it was time to head into the forest, for Erskine Falls and the koalas of Kennett River.
Information About the Memorial Arch
The wooden arch over the road marks the Great Ocean Road as a war memorial: it was built by soldiers who came back from the First World War. There's a small car park and a statue of two of the workers.