Great Ocean Road: How I Drove It and Lived to Tell the Tale

For those of you unfamiliar with this majestic road, it is located on the southern coast of Australia and runs

along the southern coastal boarder of Victoria. (http://www.greatsoutherntouring.com.au) I always describe the Great Ocean Road as the Pacific Coast Highway on steroids. If you have been lucky enough to drive that awesome stretch from Southern California to the Pacific Northwest, just multiply that by ten and you will get an idea of what I mean.

My husband and I decided to take the drive for a many reasons:
1) To see the famous 12 Apostles (which are rock formations rising out of the ocean) before erosion makes them all tumble into the water
2) My husband Paul is an amateur photographer so the diverse and stunning scenery located along the drive makes it a perfect subject
3) We like to mingle with the locals while on holiday and the quaint beach and fishing towns located along the way provide the perfect opportunity
4) We are slightly adventurous, so driving on the left side of the road through some difficult terrain seemed thrilling
5) Lastly, I’m not going to lie. I wanted to see Bell’s Beach where Keanu Reeves finally caught up with Patrick Swayze after years of searching in the movie Point Break.

Self driving the Great Ocean Road is very challenging, to say the least. Staying on the left hand side of the road is, at best, a minor irritation. The main problems are the winding roads that are sandwiched between cascading mountains and 1,000-foot cliffs. Paul drove most of this portion (which can take a couple of hours). I am an avid backseat driver and fancy myself quite good at the task, but apparently it isn’t helpful when you feel that imminent death is around every turn. Most of the time I alternated between short outbursts of fear (insert expletive here) and white-knuckling the door handle. Paul remained mostly quiet, but I’m still convinced he was plotting out exactly where he was going to leave me on the side of the road. Needless to say, we survived, and what the drive lacked in leisurely pace, it more than made up for in sheer beauty and diverse landscape.

For those of you interested in traveling this route but not interested in self-driving, we can set you up with plenty of options. You can do a day trip from Melbourne with a small group. Or if you want to splurge a bit, a heli flight is a spectacular way to view the stunning Apostles. For a more leisurely pace, hire a private driver for the day who will show you all the ins and outs from a local’s perspective.
From stunning cliffs to rolling green pastures, the Great Ocean Road delivers as one of the world’s most scenic drives. Check it out for yourself.