Sabbaticals approved, Chloe and Matt set off on a show-stopping adventure in November 2018. We’ve seen them hit the beautiful country of Singapore, the Northern Territory and Australia's famous East Coast. This month we follow them along the Great Ocean Road. Let’s hand over to the travel duo…
"After being with a tour for the last month we were back on our own schedule and ready to drive the Great Ocean Road.
We flew from Sydney to Melbourne and checked out the local Street Art on ACDC, SouthBank, Federation Square and the Eureka Skydeck. It was here where we caught the sun setting over the start of the Great Ocean Road, as we talked about all the adventures still to come.
The first part of our drive was to Torquay. Famous for surfing, it was only right we gave the sport another try, again standing up for seconds and then ending in an Oscar Award-winning wipeout.
On from Torquay, we drove to Lorne for dinner at a recommended burger joint called The Milk Bottle. It was delicious. With full tummies, we continued on to Apollo Bay where we stayed at ‘The Apollo’ for the evening.
The next day was jam-packed. It started with a small hike to Beauchamp Falls in The Beech Forest and a little stop at a new Redwood Forest, all within Otway National Park.
Next up was the main attraction: The Twelve Apostles. There isn’t quite 12 anymore but the remainders did not disappoint.
We finished the official Great Ocean Road with the various other rock formations including; The Arch, London Bridge, The Grotto, Bay of Martyrs and Bay of Islands, all as the sun was starting to set. Despite being lesser known, these were also features not to be missed.
That evening we stayed at a lovely quaint little B&B, similar style to a Yorkshire cottage, called Douglas Riverside in Port Fairy. This place felt like a home away from home, as the host was so welcoming.
The next morning we drove two hours into the Grampians National Park to hike The Pinnacle - 9.5km through stunning scenery such as Venus Baths, ‘Grand Canyon’, Splitter Falls and Silent Street. This was difficult, but the views were well worth the effort.
We also got a lovely welcome back to the car from two kangaroos grazing on the local tennis courts. After a well deserved, carb-heavy lunch, we headed onto Mount Gambier for the evening.
Mount Gambier is apparently the second largest city in South Australia, behind Adelaide. Unfortunately, we didn’t have long to explore. Firstly we headed to the sunken gardens which were a little underwhelming, as they appeared to be used as a fly-tipping site for the locals.
Our second stop made up for it. The Blue Lake was stunning, even on a cloudy day (pictured above).
We drove on to Victor Harbour via lots of salt lakes glowing a vibrant pink. Note to self, you can sink into the mud beneath the salt.
The next morning we were up and out early to make the most of our one day in Adelaide. After we checked in to our hotel, we went to Rundle Street for shopping before heading over to the South Australian Museum which was really interesting.
We walked through the centre of the city, past the local government building, to have a look through Adelaide Central Market which was alive with locals and colourful fruits and foods, we left out the back door of the market and ended up in Chinatown where we stopped for dinner ahead of a cinema date night.
The next day, after much anticipation, we flew back to Sydney to surprise Chloe’s nieces and nephews and unwind for an Aussie-style family Christmas.
Next stop: New Zealand to see in 2019!"
Chloe and Matt