17 May 2019
This would be the 3rd day of our road trip along the Great Ocean Road. It was also our last day touring Melbourne and the surrounding attractions.
We planned to be at the airport by 2.15 PM to return our rental car, do the flight check-in and have lunch. We had the whole morning to complete our Great Ocean Road drive from Lorne to Torquay before heading to the airport, about 1.5 hour driving time from Torquay.
Impromptu “breakfast” with the cockatoos
The day started with breakfast in our suite at Chatby Lane Lorne.
We saw a pair of white cockatoos in the veranda. I went out to take photos of them and they did not fly away. After seeing the cockatoos at at Kennett River the previous day, I reckon they were hoping for some food.
I had a couple of plums for breakfast and decided share a plum with them. One of them pick the piece of plum from my palm gently, ate the flesh but not the skin of the plum. Maybe the smart bird was trying to tell me the skin is not worth eating. Or it is loaded with pesticides!
More cockatoos soon joined in.
The bird on the lounge chair was the first to interact with me and was the calmest of the lot.
Even with many cockatoos waiting to be fed, they remained respectful and well-disciplined. All waiting for their turn. No fighting for food on my palm. The cockatoo closest to my palm will take the piece of plum offered to it gently with the tip of its beak while the neighbouring cockatoos watched.
I had only 2 tiny plums to share with all of them, so they each got a tiny bit only.
Teddy’s Lookout
Before leaving Lorne, we took a short drive to the top end of George Street at the back of Lorne where a scenic spot known as Teddy’s Lookout is located. A viewing platform offers scenic views of the Great Ocean Road, mountainous peaks and the Saint George river winding itself into fern covered valleys and gorges.
Along the tree-lined George Street, just before arriving at the lookout point, I saw a koala on a tree directly above me. We stopped to observe it after visiting Teddy’s Lookout.
View of the Great Ocean Road from Teddy’s Lookout.
View of the surf breaking into the mouth of the Saint George River.
Memorial Arch at Eastern View
The Memorial Arch at Eastern View commemorates the building of the Great Ocean Road as a memorial to Victorians who served in the First World War, 1914 to 1918.
About 3,000 ex-servicemen worked with picks and shovels and natural materials of the area to construct the Great Ocean Road. It fulfils the dream to link up the seaside settlements, open up the coast for development and provide us with “one of the most beautiful ocean drives in the world”.
Most day tour buses from Melbourne will arrive at this site at about 10 AM. It was good that we managed to arrive at Memorial Arch at about 9.50 AM. The tiny car park was almost full of cars but we managed to get a parking space.
We only stayed for 10 minutes to take some photos and learnt about how we had driven on a 200 km long war memorial over the past 2 days.
By 10 AM, more buses and cars arrived. We were glad to leave the car park before the mayhem of people, cars and buses overrun the tiny car park.
Split Point Lighthouse and Tea at Willows Tea House
Continuing our scenic drive along the B100 or Great Ocean Road, we arrived at Aireys Inlet. We followed signs that led us to the Split Point Lighthouse.
The car park was located a few hundred metres away from the lighthouse, at the intersection of Lighthouse Road and Federal Street. This day was the warmest over the past few days along Great Ocean Road and the red and white structure of the lighthouse was beautiful against the clear blue sky.
For a fee, visitors could join a guided tour and a chance to climb up to the top of the lighthouse.
There is also a viewing platform called the Eagle Rock Lookout where we could get beautiful views of the coastline. I tried but failed to spot any whales in the blue ocean.
We stopped for tea and scones at the Willows Tea House. Willows Tea House is located just a few minutes’ walk from the lighthouse. It was a perfect day to sit in the outdoor garden of the English-style cottage. There are nice wooden tables with potted plants and colourful chairs set out on the lawn, giving the place a rustic countryside look.
Bells Beach
Our last stop for the day was at Bells Beach, near Torquay. This beach is one of Australia’s best surf beaches. There are viewing platforms which offer great vantage points to watch the surfers in action.
I had never done any surfing. The sport seems dangerous and required guts, great skills and sense of balance. It was fun watching the many surfers challenging the surf on this warm day. I also enjoyed the splendid views of the beaches.
Where we stayed along the Great Ocean Road
We chose the stay overnight at Port Campbell and Lorne on our 3 days/2 nights road trip.
Port Campbell is a small coastal town along the Great Ocean Road. It is an excellent location to explore the nearby attractions along the Great Ocean Road, namely Bay of Islands, Grotto, The Arch, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, Tom and Eva Lookout, 12 Apostles and Gibson Steps. In Port Campbell, we stayed at the Port Campbell Motor Inn.
In Lorne, we stayed at the Chatby Lane Lorne. This luxurious condo hotel offers studio rooms with a spa bath.
For those with more time, Apollo Bay would also be a nice seaside town to stay for the night. It is the gateway to the Great Otway National Park.
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