BLUEPRINT TRAVEL UPDATE:
Driving the Great Ocean Road, Australia’s Famous Road Trip from Melbourne
Well, we finally did it! We drove on the left side of the road! And for great reason. We wanted to explore the iconic coastline of south-eastern Australia by driving the Great Ocean Road. This stretch of coastline is regarded as one of the finest ocean roads in the world. The cliffs and beaches along the coast, the small towns and seafood shacks, and the incredible rock formations did not disappoint.
In addition to taking in the landscapes, we had the opportunity to spot some unique Australian wildlife, including the kookaburra, Australia’s national bird. We even got to see our first wild koala while at one of the viewpoints! Unfortunately, koalas are getting much harder to spot along the Great Ocean Road. There are always conversations about how tourism for photo opps has negatively impacted particular attractions. In this case, tourists heavily disturbed the animals by invading their personal space, touching them, attempting to feed them, etc. for their social media content. This has put a lot of stress on the environment and the animals themselves, driving them away from their natural habitats.
Beyond driving the Great Ocean Road, we knew that we had to find a way to get from Melbourne to Adelaide. We could have spent even more time taking in the views and the coastal towns along this route but we had decided to visit and hike in Grampians National Park (located just north of the Great Ocean Road) before continuing onto Adelaide. Here, we saw our first kangaroos (we really are hitting all the Australian wildlife icons on this trip), made some new friends, and hiked to our hearts’ content.
