In 2017, we have had a couple epic road trips and a road trip debacle. With one road trip left for the year, we were wondering what we were going to get. And it all came down to a koala…a koala that decided to cross the road.
We started one of the world’s most scenic ocean drives, the Great Ocean Road, from Melbourne, Australia on a bright, sunshiny day. On tap for the first day, we had world-class surf, waterfalls, koalas, and one of the best winding, cliff-side, ocean-view stretches of the whole route. The first big sights came at Torquay, the famous surf capital, and Bell’s Beach, home of the Rip Curl Pro.
Just like in New Zealand, we were in awe of the gorgeous azure water and the magnificent coastal views, especially on the stretch from Torquay to Lorne.
Although the Great Ocean Road is most famous for its cliff-top, ocean views, the diversity of nature in this area is incredible. Just a short distance inland around Lorne, we took a short hike, well, technically lots of stairs down through the forest, to see the beautiful Erskine Falls, one of the most popular in Great Otway National Park.
Also in Lorne is Teddy’s Lookout, a great spot to capture the essence of the Great Ocean Road, a place where lush rainforest meets turquoise ocean waters.
Of course, Jimmy loved driving on these crazy, windy roads. He even splurged on a nice BMW to be able to enjoy the ride (no Panda this time). Just a short stretch after Lorne, we came to one of my favorite stops, the Koala Walk at Kennett River. This area is home to many koalas and taking a walk up a specific dirt road will bring you to an area covered with the koalas’ favorite eucalyptus trees. At first, we struggled to see any. Koalas sleep for 18-22 hours per day, so you are basically looking for furry lumps in the trees. When we finally found some, they were knocked-out cold. I’m surprised this guy hadn’t fallen out of the tree the way he was dangling so precariously.
And this guy…you think he could have found a bit thicker branch to sit on…doesn’t look comfy at all.
Finally, when I was snapping photos of another furball, he actually moved his arm. I yelled to Jimmy to come over quickly! It was the first movement we had seen. Granted, he didn’t go very far and was basically just repositioning himself, but now we could see his cute little face!
Wild koalas are a pretty rare find these days, so we felt fortunate with the ones we spotted. Little did we know what the following day would bring.
The first surprise of the day was a disappointing one, rain. We decided to not go to the famous seascapes and rock formations on such a dreary day. Instead, we focused on local flora and fauna. Our first stop was at Mait’s Rest, a lovely loop trail through an ancient rainforest gully. The area is home to some spectacular trees, towering Mountain Ash and a massive 300-year-old Myrtle Beech tree.
The giant trees rise up through the mist and create a canopy for the array of tree ferns and moss on the rainforest floor.
From Mait’s Rest, we jumped back in the car and headed to another rainforest attraction, the Otway Fly Treetop Walk. The roads were slick from the rain and curved through the forest. All of a sudden I saw something out in front of us crawl into the road. I screamed with a bit of fear and excitement, “Koala!” Lucky for us, we were in a BMW this time instead of that crappy, bad-luck Fiat Panda. Jimmy was able to bring us to a safe stop just a few feet from the koala. Had we been just a few seconds earlier or in a car with less-than-stellar performance, our road trip could have quickly become a nightmare. But, luckily, the koala was safe, as were we. We scared the crap out of him though. He tried to scramble up the nearest tree and slipped off, falling back onto his butt. By the time I got our camera out, he had made it part way up the tree about eye-level. Here he stopped and looked at us, as if to say, “thank you for not running me over.”
Or maybe he has never moved that fast in his life and just needed a breather. He then proceeded to climb a bit higher in the tree. At this point, some other tourists stopped to see what we were staring at. A young Chinese woman came running and squealing out of the car. Yes, seeing a koala in the wild is quite exciting. The koala was a bit higher in the tree at this point and was peaking around some branches at us wondering what all the commotion was about.
With that, my Australian road trip was complete. Shoot, our worldwide trip was complete. Never in a million years did I think I would ever see a koala cross the road.
After the koala excitement, we still enjoyed the rest of the rainy day. First, we walked around the Otway Fly Treetop Walk to see the rainforest from a different perspective.
The elevated path is 30 meters above the ground and includes a 45-meter tower to see the tops of the trees and a cantilever to sway above a creek.
Last, but certainly not least, we headed over to the Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park to see some of the locals. One of the highlights is the petting area where you can feed the kangaroos and come face to face with giant emu.
That is a big, scary bird! I have to admit that I was a bit unsure of the encounter but managed to give him some food without losing a finger.
The kangaroos were really calm and weren’t too interested in the food. The number of visitors at the park everyday probably keeps them stuffed.
The big kangaroos and the momma kangaroos were kept in a large, enclosed field. They were way more excited about the food we brought them than the kangaroos in the petting area. We were pretty thrilled to see a joey chillin’ in his mom’s pouch. And some of the male kangaroos were almost as tall as me!
The rain had let up by the afternoon, and we had time to squeeze in one more sight. So, we took a sneak peek at the most famous attraction on the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles. Two of the Apostles are further away from the others along a beautiful golden shoreline. A few flights of stairs, called the Gibson Steps, lead down to the sandy beach for a stroll and close-up views of the rock formations.
The quick stop at the Gibson Steps was a nice appetizer for what was to come. We were fortunate to have the ability to spend our last day entirely devoted to the jewel in the crown of the Great Ocean Road, the Twelve Apostles, and the other interesting limestone rock formations nearby. Unfortunately, the weather was a bit rainy again and cold! But, we were still able to get some spectacular shots of the famous formations.
Twelve Apostles
Loch Ard Gorge
Muttonbird Island
Thunder Cave
The Arch
London Bridge (which collapsed in 1990, stranding tourists on the newly-formed island)
Bay of Islands
The Grotto is one of the formations that doesn’t get much hype, but we thought it was one of the coolest. Here is the view from above:
The flight of stairs down into the Grotto takes you to sea level to take a peek through the arch past a small, calm pool and out to the open, raging sea. Cool contrast!
The interesting rock formations along the limestone cliffs of the Great Ocean Road were 20 million years in the making. The harsh weather conditions of the Southern Ocean bring waves, rain, and wind to slowly shape the coast by eroding the soft limestone. First, caves form, but as time ticks on, the caves become majestic arches framing the sea. I love this picture of the most popular arch formation on the route. From above, you can see the waves pounding underneath the arch and carrying away tiny bits of limestone.
When arches collapse, like the London Bridge, rock stacks are left behind. In the case of the London Bridge, once the second arch collapses, two new “apostles” will be formed. So, throughout time, the coast is losing apostles to erosion (one toppled recently in 2003) while also gaining new ones.
The Great Ocean Road definitely proved to be full of some spectacular natural wonders. In just 3 days, we went past kangaroos lounging on a golf course and iconic surfing spots, under koala-filled trees and sparkling waterfalls, above the rainforest canopy, through laid-back seaside towns, and alongside rugged limestone cliffs filled with majestic rock formations. The route truly showcases nature at its most diverse.
And thank goodness that the koala decided to cross the road when it did or there could have been a very different ending to this story.
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