Great Ocean Highway: The Twelve Apostles
Good Morning Cockatoos
We wake to a bright sunny day, a view of the sun rising over the ocean and a large flock of cockatoos foraging in the grass … does life get any better!
Maits Rest Rainforest Walk
We pass a red and blue Crimson Rosella parrot on our way to the Great Otway National Park. We arrive at the Maits Rest Rainforest Walk car park and a Kookaburra welcomes us with his loud laugh. Unfortunately, by the time I open my recording app, he has stopped.
This cool and temperate rainforest has a prehistoric feel about it with it’s mammoth, ancient ferns and Mountain Ash trees (the world’s tallest flowering plants). There are some huge, hollowed out tree trunks, big enough for me to stand in. Click here for a 3D image, compliments of Andy.
The variety of birdsongs in the forest is amazing. Click here for a short recording. If you listen carefully, you can hear the Kookaburra in the distance.
Cape Otway Lighthouse and Telegraph Station
Our next stop is the Cape Otway Lighthouse & Telegraph Station which was built in 
1859. The lighthouse is the oldest in Australia. The telegraph station was the Australian end of an underwater cable to Tasmania. I listen to Morse code messages and cannot imagine how the telegraph operators could translate from just listening to the lightening fast string of dots & dashes.
There’s also a display on dinosaurs bones found in the area.
We especially enjoy the cafe serving up huge scones with jam and clotted cream. Yum.
Gibson Steps and the Twelve Apostles
We continue along the gorgeous coastline and stop at the Gibson Steps to take in the dramatic view of the two stacks before moving on to the famous 12 Apostles which are considered the crown jewel of the Great Ocean Road. I am not sure exactly how many limestone pillars there are rising out of 
the ocean (seven?) but its not twelve. As the rough waters continue to erode the coastline, the pillars are eroded down and collapse while new ones are created. Apparently there never were twelve. The water is so beautifully coloured.
It is not high season yet but there are many busloads of tourists visiting these coastal sites.
Loch Ard Gorge
A short drive down the road is the Loch Ard Gorge area which takes its name after a famous shipwreck that took place in 1878. There are dramatic formations here but the most spectacular is the aptly named Razorback.
I spot a beautiful Superb Fairy Wren in the bushes.
London Arch/Bridge
Every stop has fabulous formations. Our next stop is at the London Arch/Bridge. Originally it was a double arched rock formation connected to the mainland called London Bridge. In January 1990 the arch closest to the mainland suddenly collapsed stranding two people who had just walked over it. They were stranded for several hours until rescued by helicopter. Now the single arch is an island called London Arch.
The Grotto
Our final site is the beautiful Grotto. Located at the bottom of a long stairway, the hole in the rock formation forms a picturesque frame for the ocean beyond. Fortunately we get there just before a large tourist group.
We visit another viewpoint overlooking a secluded beach filled with footprints that I highly expect are from Fairy Penguins.
Heading Back
We stop in the town of Port Campbell for a fish and chip (and calimari, shrimp, scallop and crocodile) dinner.
Then it’s time to return to Melbourne. We drive back by a faster inland route passing hilly farmlands and forest but it still takes 3 hours.
We get back just after 9:00pm.
