DAY 2: APOLLO BAY
DAY 2: APOLLO BAY
The road hugging the coast near Apollo Bay
Today we start the driving. We head off from the hotel, which is conveniently located near to the city centre and also to the exit for the Great Ocean Road. We will leave mid morning, time to give the peak hour traffic time to dissipate.
We head off on the Geelong Road and skirt that city, then join the Great Ocean Road for what promises to be a day not to forget. We pass through the town of Torquay the surfing capital of the southern coast. The road hugs the coastline where surfers cluster all year to brave the world-renowned curls. Crowds swell each year to attend the famous Bell’s Beach Surfers Classic which is the sport’s oldest international competition.
The road features the beautiful contrast of ocean beaches with the pounding surf almost crashing on the bitumen on one side, and the forests and mountains of the Otway ranges on the other. We will stop for lunch at the fashionable beach-side resort of Lorne, one of the most popular summer holiday destinations for people from Melbourne. Lorne has many specialty shops and boutiques. Lorne’s beach is well protected from the swells that the area is so well known for, and offers a safe swimming haven for families..
We will then proceed to our overnight destination of Apollo Bay. The road from Torquay to Apollo Bay is approximately 70 km and is never more than a stones throw from the beach. Sometimes along its length the road meanders up and around cliffs and the extra height gives a majestic outlook over the ever changing colours and vistas. There are a couple of lighthouses that remain in view, one at Airey’s Inlet and one further along the coast at Cape Otway. Both were built in the 1800’s
Apollo Bay is serene, a great place for a long slow coffee and a newspaper. A paradise by the sea.
Tonight we will be dining at one of the most sought after gourmet restaurants on the surf coast. Chris’s Restaurant is perched high on the hills overlooking the approach to Apollo Bay, and was rebuilt after being destroyed in the Ash Wednesday bush fires.
The coastline approaching Apollo Bay