Sydney to Great Ocean Road - Help Please

[JT76]

Some great extra tips, thanks guys. The better half has to work a couple of hours this morning then we hit the road. I'll be using the above tips as we progress. We have wikicamps and have earmarked a few options for tonight around 5 hours down the road, all free camps which will be our first free camp since owning the van. Then a river cruise is booked in for tomorrow

 

[Bluey]

Theres a van park at the back of sovereign hill ???? Isnt there just go through a gate and your there ???????
Port cambell nice little park and Peterburra ..... Apollo bay a favorite of mine great place..... lorne is a bit yuppie for me was better 20 years ago theres also skeans creek near Apollo bay
Van park right on the beach 5 min drive to town thats the thing with Victoria
Theres so much and so many great little places to stay thats why we go to NSW for christmas NSW easter SA cup weekend but we do camp down the coast in between

 

[JT76]

More of a travel day today. Just had the biggest burger at the beehive pub at Coolac and parked up out back. Tomorrow the adventure really begins. Trucks top on way made my truck look a little small.

 

[JT76]

Just thought I'd share our current camp on the Murray River at Moama maidens inn. Nice camp ground with good water park for the kids. I would recommend this place!

 

[JT76]

Just spent the day at sovereign hill, what a great place for the kids! Heading to Kennet river tomorrow via Torquay. Any "don't miss" spots we need to know about in this section. We have two nights at Kennet river before moving further along to Port Campbell and then Warrnambool.

 

[Bluey]

Theres nothing thats a dont miss on the GOR i could say dont blink you mite miss a bit .... you can take the turn off to bells beach pull into car parks then keep going on same road takes you back to main rd the bottom car park is bells top car park beach is called winki pop both great waves on its day ... looking at bells on the right out from cliffs is centreside break... oh !!!!! If hungrey stop at angelsea a group of little shops Jums chicken best chicken rolls eva .... just cruse on your way theres plenty of parking bays to stop but you have to ready ... slow turn outs for vans and trucks or anything slow
Watch the road as it winds around the cliffs its pretty narrow if busses or truck comes other way many a motor bike rider has met his maker on the road ....
Theres normaly koalas in the trees heading toward apollo bay in a treed section will be hard for you to find theres a lot of dead trees there too they have eaten them to death but if cars parked on side of road there may be a reason with no beach just cars parked people looking..... i could say so much
Great weather for your trip you will love it if it wasnt this time of year and on a weekend i would have given you a tour ive surfed all along the road at every break any excuse to drive that road ..... take your time soak it in have a blast some of the best stuff you see out of your windscreen

 

[JT76]

Awesome thanks @Bluey That all makes my plan sound good, which is head to bells beach car park and have a look around, from this point we will stick to the gor and stop at any and everything that catches our eye. I sometimes worry where I can turn off with the van hanging off the back and still be able to get out again (turn around) but will just take it easy and cross my fingers.

I have erkins falls on my radar but might decide to head back in that direction without the van after we settle into camp at Kenneth river.

Loving this weather too so thanks VIC for putting it on for us!

 

[Macca_75]

I hope the tourists on the GOR aren't to much for you - they drove us nuts and we ended up heading inland to get away from them.

 

[Bluey]

Just past apollo bay a fair bit past is Maits rest rainforest walk not bad at all worth a stop to strech the legs dosnt take long google it to find it its on the main road

 

[JT76]

All set up at Kennets river. Kids love the bird life! Road so far has been pretty quiet and hassle free. Doing a loop tomorrow around Otway fly and try to find a few water falls. So far the gor hasn't disappointed. Checked out Bells before making numerous stops along the coast for a walk on the beach and explore. Lunch at a pretty busy Lorne was nice. Missed jums chicken but found a nice burger at Lorne.

So far it has been a lot quieter then I was expecting. I think we are lucky our kids school finished earlier and we are missing a lot of the VIC school holiday crowds. Will post lots of pics when we get home. Will check out Maits rest tomorrow too!

 

[Macca_75]

Look up the Great Otway tree climb

 

[JT76]

Big day today visiting the treetops walk which took around an hour then the triplet falls which was another hour with plenty of steps. Kids were fine but we were wearing out. Next was Hopetoun Falls which was not only the shortest walk but our favourite place in this area. I would say if you are in this area Hopetoun Falls are a must see. Then just down the road another stop at the Redwood forest. From hear we decided to stay on this dirt road for around 20k to short cut back to the gor.

We did have more plans but out of energy we headed back to camp. Tomorrow we are off to Port Campbell which will be our base for two nights to explore some of the main gor attractions. Hopefully will get some nice shots on sunset.

 

[Bluey]

Dont forget the boat ramp at the Bay of islands thats a must see down the road from Peterburra i challenge you to back down it just with your car ....... no dont do that

 

[1DayIll]

You are touring a great part of Australia. keep having a good time.

 

[JT76]

Lobbed in at Port Campbell holiday Park and could not be happier. Site backs on to a lagoon with the beach just at the corner. Kids are happy playing across the lagoon. Did a few of the sites today and planning on heading back for a photo on sunset. Just need to decide which place I'll head back to.

Pic of our current set up.

 

[JT76]

Back at home now and thought I should update the rest of our trip.

Port Campbell was the perfect place to hang out and have access to a lot of the iconic features of the GOR. It would be the perfect backdrop for a landscape photographer. I headed back to the 12 apostles on the first evening for a photo and I would of preferred to head down Gibson steps for some photos at beach level but with the tides too high we decided to stay at the tourist lookout and be a little less creative. We did head on the beach during the day so at least we could see it from that perspective. On the second night we headed to Loch ard gorge which was really amazing. Took a few photos of the gorge and the nearby Tom and Eva lookout.

I noticed signs saying no drones, I don't own a drone but it would be the perfect place to use one.

Next stop was Warrnambool and a catch up with @Tone and his family. Thanks for taking the time out to drop in and say hello. Had a BBQ at the park across from where we were staying and we have now stolen the potato salad recipe from you guys too!

I'll update more in a day or two and try to include a few more photos of our little adventure once I get a chance to get on top of normal life again.

 

[Bluey]

Did you see the boat ramp at bay of islands ????

 

[JT76]

@Bluey now we missed it. I saw the sign as I was driving past but didn't turn back. I looked it up on google and it looks pretty crazy.

 

[Bluey]

Ahhhhhhh Doh!!!!!!! The bay of islands is worth a stop

 

[JT76]

Yeah we did see the bay of islands but missed the boat ramp, I think it was the next car park up the road but didn't see the sign until it was too late and didn't feel like turning around.