Great Ocean Road

One of the world's most spectacular coastal drives, the Great Ocean Road winds past quiet bays and beaches, rainforests, and historic shipwreck sites for some 106 kilometres west of Geelong.

First stop is Torquay - Australia's 'Surf City'. This magnificent stretch of coastline produces the best waves this side of Hawaii. Every April, Bells Beach hosts the Rip Curl Pro and Sun Smart Classic, the most prestigious World Championship Tour event in the world. At nearby Anglesea, golfers tee off among kangaroos that relax under shady trees and graze the fairways. Further along the coast is Lorne and the surrounding Otway Ranges, where waterfalls, crystal-clear rivers and bubbling streams swirl beneath canopies of giant trees and ferns to the ocean below. Explore the Otway National Park, with its lush rainforest scenery complete with bush tracks, picnic spots and Otway Fly Tree Top Walk that leads visitors through the forest canopy.

For most the Great Ocean Road's highlight is Port Campbell National Park, home of the Twelve Apostles and other natural landmarks, such as London Bridge and the Bay of Islands. The ancient limestone stacks were formed by thousands of years of the sea and wind erosion, are can be seen from scenic flights that take off nearby, or by following boardwalks to lookouts.


The Shipwreck Coast is a graveyard for over 160 ships that foundered in the treacherous seas. It is also a popular destination for whale watching. From May to September rare southern right whales calve in the shallow waters off Logans Beach at Warrnambool.

The historic fishing village of Port Fairy, once home to a large Irish community, boasts colonial architecture, cafes, galleries and historic boutique accommodation.

Penguins on Parade

For a truly magical Aussie experience that delights adults and children, head for the Penguin Reserve on Summerland Beach, Phillip Island, 140 kilometres from Melbourne. The island is renowned for its dusk viewing of little penguins (also known as fairy penguins) as they march across the beach to their sand dune burrows. The Penguin Parade, as the procession is known, is one of Australia's main wildlife attractions for international visitors.
The smallest members of the penguin family, these engaging, formal-looking birds stand only about 40 centimetres tall, or about the height of a seagull. Immaculate in their blue-grey plumage with white fronts, they return home at sunset each evening after a day's fishing. They bob about in the water until night falls; then the first intrepid penguin scout lands on the island and waddles inland to its burrow. Hundreds of others follow, in small groups.

Watchers are not allowed to disturb the birds in any way - no sudden movements or flash photography. It can take over 30 minutes for all the birds to arrive on shore. Phillip Island is linked to the mainland by a bridge at San Remo. The island's visitor centre imparts plenty of information about the penguins' life at sea. Apart from penguins, the island is home to thousands of fur seals, lounging about on rugged rocks on the west coast. A colony of koalas relaxes contentedly in the branches of lofty gum trees, and great flocks of mutton birds arrive each November from their wintering grounds thousands of kilometres distant.