Tjo YEE WONG
Road Trip Along The Great Ocean Road
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
16 April 2022
DAY 1: PEBBLE POINT
Before leaving Tasmania, we went to Launceston to have our morning coffee and shop a little before heading to the airport.
When we arrive in Melbourne, we went to pick up our rental car (would advise you to rent a 4WD vehicle) and headed straight to Colac - a small town. We were there to get some dinner and groceries and went to our accommodation at Pebble Point (around a 2hr 30mins drive from MEL). This was a short day for us as we were traveling around most of the time.
DAY 2: WARRNAMBOOL
Woke up early to catch the sunrise from our tent. We decided to be a little adventurous and went glamping for our first night in Melbourne. It was a unique experience. This bush retreat is nestled just behind the rock formations and cliff tops of the famous Twelve Apostles.
Our first destination of the day was the Gibson Steps. It is a series of stairways with a total of 86 steps. You can get down to the beach and enjoy a good sea view.
The second destination we visited was the iconic Twelve Apostles. This would be the highlight as this road trip would not be complete without visiting the Twelve Apostles. Loch Ard Gorge was the next place we visit. It was similar to Gibson Steps where we were able to get down to the beach as well.
After a whole morning of enjoying the different beaches, we head to our next stop - Warrnambool. We bought some fresh lobster from Allfresh Seafood and then grab lunch at Pippies By The Bay for some modern Australian food. We ordered most of our dishes from their lunch menu and everything was appetizing. Warrnambool is pretty big so if you have some time to spare, you can explore this lovely town.
We started driving back to Lorne to do a pit stop there before we arrive at our next accommodation in Bells Beach.
DAY 3: BELLS BEACH
We started our day at the Bells Beach Lookout. Bells Beach is a world-famous surfing destination and if you happen to stop by this place around April, you may be able to catch the Rip Curl Pro surfing competition.
Next, we went to get some chocolate from the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery. We tried their handcrafted truffles and it was decent.
For our third day here, we traveled lesser and just wanted to explore the towns along the coastal drive. We did a pit stop at Torquay and headed to a nearby strawberry farm - Surf Coast Strawberry Fields (picking season: Oct/Nov - late April). I would highly recommend this farm if you are looking for fresh and sweet strawberries!
We got some fast food and fresh oysters to go at A&J Seafoods. We had our food at the Drysdale railway station picnic area.
The next town we headed to was Geelong. We parked our car near Geelong Waterfront and walked towards Wangnim Walk where we were able to catch the sunset.
We left Geelong and went to check in to our accommodation in Point Cook. This was our last accommodation for this trip where we had spent three nights here.
DAY 4: CITY OF MELBOURNE
Went to explore the city of Melbourne today by taking the City Circle Tram.
But first, we stop at South Melbourne Market to have some breakfast. They offer a wide range of fresh seafood. I would recommend you to get the oysters there. It was perfect.
We park our car in one of the parking areas around Docklands and took the tram for the rest of the day to get around the city. Taking the tram in the city would be cheaper as parking here is expensive.
The City Circle Tram offers free rides to various city attractions like Flinders Street or Habour Esplanade. We alighted at Flinders Street (stop 6) which is right beside the famous Flinders Street Railway Station and St Paul’s Cathedral. We walked around that area to take some photos and head to one of Victoria’s famous waterways - the Yarra River.
After walking for some time, we wanted to get some bubble tea and stopped by Instea Melbourne for a short break.
We took another tram near Instea Melbourne to Parliament Station (stop 10) and went to see the Parliament House. We headed back to the car afterward and drove to St Kilda Beach to catch the sunset.
DAY 5: YARRA VALLEY
Yarra Valley & The Dandenongs is around an hour northeast of Melbourne and is Victoria’s oldest wine region. For our last day here in Melbourne, we made a day trip to Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges.
We had breakfast at Yarra Valley Artisan Baker which is located in Wesburn, Victoria. Their pastries are all specially handcrafted and have a limited selection of freshly baked goods every day. I would recommend the almond croissant it was so crispy and fresh. If you need some morning coffee then The Flying Apron Patisserie would be a good choice to go. It is a small cafe that serves good coffee and fresh baked goods.
Next, was apple picking. We happen to visit Sanders Apples during the apple picking season which usually takes place between March to May. This was our second stop of the day where we were able to have a unique experience and opportunity to hand pick apples fresh from the tree.
We arrive at Domaine Chandon to check out their winery and enjoyed their garden with autumn leaves surrounding us. We stop by Yarra Valley Dairy for some milkshakes and enjoyed the nice weather there.
We headed back to Melbourne city and stopped by Rose Street Artists’ Market and did some shopping at DFO South Wharf before flying back to Singapore the next day.
