Great Ocean RoadPersonal travel impressions in stories and pictures from Great Ocean Road, Australia. Click on the pictures to enlarge, send as a free e-card, or download for personal use. You can locate Great Ocean Road and navigate the world using Google Earth Show on mapLocate Great Ocean Road on map
S 38° 40.194
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Lying some 250 kilometres west of Melbourne, Australia, is the famous Great Ocean Road. This coastal road leads to panorama viewpoints over the ocean and the stone formations typical of this area. Out of the coast, like advanced pawns in a chessboard, are huge rocks which once formed part of the coast but which have been detached from the land long time ago. They are level with the coast, only they are standing 50 to 100 metres away from the coast and divided by spectacular cliffs. 
This is a perfect trip from Melbourne. Not too far (especially considering distances in Australia) and with beautiful views over the enormous ocean. The road gives access to almost every interesting point possible. It is fascinating to be at one of the viewpoints, see the waves lick at the rocks, quietly, and then imagine that that same sea once caused the rocks to break away from the mainland. In between the rocks and the coast, on most places there is a nice beach which can be accessed as well, descending the steep cliffs.
An especially nice time to visit is around sunset, when the colours quickly change and give the rocks a very reddish and almost mysterious colour. At times, it seems that they are floating in the ocean, floating away, to unknown destinations. No matter how friendly this coast might look, still it is the location of many shipwrecks. Although not visible from land, there are numerous places where one can find plaques with more information. In the right season (May-October), it is possible to spot Southern right whales from the coast.
