Great Ocean Road!

Great Ocean Road is a one hundred and fifty mile stretch of road along the coast of south eastern Australia. Beautiful is an understatement. The road winds back and forth along a cliff over looking the entire coast. The cliffs have eroded over time and their unique structure, surrounded by crystal clear water makes for some amazing views.

Twenty four of us woke up early, threw our luggage in a small uhaul and climbed onto a large van to begin our journey into the Great Ocean Road. Our first stop was in Torquay where we all took a tour of the Australian surf museum. Although it was really cool to see the evolution of surfing over time, many of us were anxious to get into the water and try surfing for ourselves!

After much anticipation we finally arrived in Point Addis for our surf lessons! We changed into our wetsuits grabbed a surf board and headed down to the beach. Our instructor had us all practice the basic motions on the sand before hopping into the water. Being a swimmer my entire life, I knew that I would love surfing and was determined to stand up on my feet. The entire process was pretty difficult; you had to have perfect timing. You have to wait on your board until you can feel the wave come up behind you. Once the wave tugs your feet a little you begin to immediately paddle your arms. As your board and body lunge forward you wait a little bit and then hop up onto your knees. Getting to this point was pretty easy and almost everyone was able to ride the wave while standing on their knees. Surfing on your knees was actually really fun too; it is amazing how fast you go! The hardest part however, was transferring from your knees to feet. After multiple failed attempts (and many face plants into the water) I finally did stand up! Although it wasn't for too long, I think it is fair to say that I successfully surfed. : ) I actually really want to try and do it again at some point before I leave; I loved it!


After our surf lesson we warmed up with some hot drinks and cookies (the water was freezing!) and then we continued on to do a little more site seeing. The entire road is on a cliff so every second of the drive is absolutely breathtaking. It is crazy that the simple erosion of water on the rocks can produce such beautiful sites. After some more driving we stopped at a local park and got to see some wild koalas! They were a little difficult to see because they were so high up in the trees, but it was still very cool to see them in their natural habitat rather than a sanctuary. Eventually we began the journey to our hostel and spent the rest of the night bonding with each other over a delicious barbecue dinner.

The next morning was completely devoted to site seeing. One hundred and fifty miles is a lot to cover but we managed to make the most of our time. Our journey included stops at the 12 Apostles, the Loch Ard Gorge, Port Cambell, the London Arch and the Grotto. Each site was absolutely breath taking. It honestly felt like we were all looking at something fake. It is crazy that sites so beautiful exist in real life.

The 12 Apostles are these huge limestone rocks in the water that reach higher up than the surrounding cliffs. They originally started off as caves that eventually eroded into arches and have now eroded into rock stacks. Also, during this erosion period four of them have been completely washed away leaving only eight standing. It is expected that there erosion will continue at a rate of about 2cm every year.

The Loch Ard Gorge was probably my favorite stop. It is a bay of water enclosed by two cliffs that have a tiny opening in the middle where they meet. It actually looked really similar to some scenes that appear in the film Pirates of the Caribbean. Although the water was ABSOLUTELY FREEZING I braved it, and was the only girl from our group who went in. : )

The London Arch was also an amazing site. Originally it was called the London bridge because it was completely connected to the land and people were allowed to walk out to the edge. In 1990 the middle of the bridge collapsed leaving two tourists on the outer part. The two had to wait for a helicopter to come rescue them and since then the name has changed from the London bridge to the London Arch. Again the water surrounding each rock was crystal blue and absolutely flawless.

Finally, the Grotto, which was also one of my favorite stops. It is this cave archway that opens up into the endless ocean. Only a few of us were brave enough to climb over the rocks and through the archway but it was worth every second!