Great Ocean Road

April 22 2017

Driving along the Coast to the Grampians

Tobias Stricker Travel Log Grampians, Great Ocean Road, Port Fairy, Warrnambool

About the beautiful coastline tainted by the rain – Travel log no. 57

We drove along the rest of the Great Ocean Road to Warrnambool. There we restored the supplies to make it to the Grampians National Park up North.

Unfortunately the weather was getting worse and it rained a lot. The rest of the Coastline was still very beautiful though.

London Bridge, Victoria — The waves break on the London Bridge. There used to be a connection to the main land which broke down and trapped some travelers on the little island several years ago.

The Grotto, Victoria — The view through the Grotto another nice attraction on the Great Ocean Road.

The Grotto, Australia — The reflection of the Grotto through a close up photo. Thanks to the rain there weren’t many tourists at least.

After a longer lunch break in Warrnambool we drove to Port Fairy. Unfortunately we didn’t get to explore the city too much because of the rain.

On the way North to the Grampians we stopped in Hamilton around 6 pm. We didn’t find a good camping spot so we drove straight to the Fresh Water lakes at the Grampians.

Fresh Water Lakes, Victoria — The idyllic view on the fresh water lake the next morning. The actual night at the lake wasn’t too relaxed though.

In the dark and with heavy rain we set up the tent. This night I didn’t want to sleep in my hammock. After a short snack we went to sleep. Unfortunately we got a little bit wet during the night. It wasn’t too bad but camping definitely makes more fun without the rain.

I am excited to explore my first National Park in Australia tomorrow!

April 20 2017

Highlights of the Great Ocean Road: 12 Apostles

Tobias Stricker Travel Log 12 Apostles, Australia, Great Ocean Road, Victoria

About nice cliff formations and random coincidences – Travel log no. 56

This night was warmer and I made sure to wear socks. After a good night of sleep we had sticky pancakes. We started the day by searching the eucalyptus forest for Koalas.

Eucalyptus Forrest, Victoria — Driving through the eucalyptus forrest. The best place to spot Koalas.

Wreck, Australia — Beach with an old boat wreck on the way westwards.

Around noon we made it to one of the highlights of the Great Ocean Road, the 12 Apostles.

We stayed there for a while and took some cool pictures in the afternoon from the lookouts and Gibson Steps.

During the afternoon the 12 apostles were mostly covered in thick haze from the ocean.

12 Apostles, Australia — The sun is slowly uncovering the 12 Apostles from the haze of the high tide.

We drove off to the camping grounds to save us a spot for the night.

Besides the mosquitos the spot was really idyllic with a view over the whole valley.

sunset, Princetown — My bedroom with sunset view.

For the sunset we drove back to the 12 Apostles to take some more pictures.

Sunset 12 Apostles, Australia — This time the haze was completely gone and the sinking sun put the apostles in a majestic shimmer.

Back at the campground we had pasta for dinner. With us were two German girls. Sure enough they were not only from Germany but directly from my home town and we even had friends in common. Small is the world sometimes.

Tired but happy after taking the first shower of the trip I fell asleep.

April 18 2017

Westwards along the Great Ocean Road

Tobias Stricker Travel Log Great Ocean Road, Lorne, Melbourne, Split Point

Leaving Melbourne on an adventure full of scenic views, tropical animals and camping– Travel log no. 54

I got up this day full with excitement for the up coming adventure. After checking out at 10 am I met up with my friend Florian. We packed the car and met up with our travel companions. A girl from France and a boy with the name of Tobias from Germany.

We stocked up on Aldi supplies and I finally hit the road again.

At first we stopped by Torquay to check out the Ripped Curl Surfing Cup on Bells Beach. We just hiked a little bit around and watched some impressive surfing from far away.

Finally we got onto the Great Ocean Road which we intend to take until Adelaide. The views just got more and more scenic. During lunch break at Split Point I took the following pictures.

Shot from the Great Ocean Road in the direction of Melbourne. We were passing through beautiful beaches which get replaced by scenic cliffs and so on.

The view westwards is not less impressive. So far the experience is topping other scenic drives I took before, but maybe because I can finally enjoy the ride as a passenger.

The Lighthouse which is overlooking the Split Point from where I took the previous two pictures.

Afterwards we drove off to Lorne where I was able to engage with native wildlife the first time.

A koala feasting in the Eucalyptus trees at Teddy’s Lookout.

The sunset from up here through the eucalyptus trees wasn’t less impressive.

Sunset Teddy’s lookout.

We had our first camping experience in the wood.

Our campsite in the woods around Lorne with my hammock and our campfire.

Cooking was a real adventure since we were out of gas. But the fireplace was a good replacement even though it took us 2 hours to finish the pasta. But it wouldn’t be fun without the challenge.