Great Ocean Road Attractions

Innumerable kangaroos romp on the greens and fairways of the Anglesea Golf Club, unperturbed by the white balls whizzing past. Between Anglesea and Lorne Aireys Inlet with its lighthouse opens up, framed by rocky cliffs. At Apollo Bay, 39km further south, the road leaves the coast for a time and runs through the Otway rain forest, on slopes covered with ferns. Side roads, usually unsurfaced but negotiable by ordinary cars, lead into the quiet, unspoiled forest. In this area visits can be paid to Melba Gully State Park and the tiny settlement of Lavers Hill, once an important timber-working center. At Princetown the road returns to the coast, skirting Port Campbell National Park, the high point of the Great Ocean Road, on a fascinating stretch of road with breathtaking views. Off the wild, cliff-fringed coast are a number of heavily eroded rock formations, lashed by the surf - London Bridge, the Twelve Apostles, the Arch and Loch Ard Gorge.

Less well-known are the Bay of Isles and Bay of Martyrs to the west of Peterborough. The Great Ocean Road then turns inland. At Warrnambool, 53km beyond Peterborough, it runs into the Princes Highway, which continues via Portland to Mount Gambier in South Australia.