After our time at Natasha and Dan’s, we headed out of Melbourne to the Southeastern coast of Australia to check out the Great Ocean Road. A UNESCO World Heritage site, the road is 243 kilometres of highway between Torquay and Allansford built as a permanent memorial to those who died while fighting in World War I.
As we wanted to experience the best beaches and ocean views of Australia, it was a no brainer, we needed to do it. Not to mention we had the Porsche and it seemed like the perfect road take it for a drive!
We found out there are two ways to get to Torquay from Melbourne. We could either head Southwest through the city directly to Torquay or Southeast out of the city and catch the ferry from Portsea to Queenscliff. As we were staying northeast of Melbourne in Mount Dandenong, we decided to take the Southeast route to catch the ferry.
On the drive down to Portsea, we stopped into Mornington for breakfast at an awesome cafe called Coffee Traders recommended by Natasha. There, I got to experience my first “smashed avocado.” Toast, smoked salmon and a mound of guacamole.
Brilliant. Why don’t I see this as a breakfast option in Canada? Seems so obvious now that I have had it. I am definitely making this for breakfast when I get home!
After breakfast, we headed to Portsea. Before embarking on the ferry, we walked through Point Nepean National Park and took in our first view of Australia’s beaches.
So far, pretty good. At a minimum, the water is much warmer than New Zealand but I was still not convinced they were the best in the world.
Australia definitely had some more proving to do.
After our short ferry ride, we made our way to the Great Ocean Road in Torquay. From there, we spent the day weaving along the spectacular coastline stopping when we could to capture the ocean views as far as our eyes could see.
Alright Australia, this is getting better…
That night we decided to stay in the town of Lorne and finish our drive the following day. A storm was moving in and we thought it was best to get off the road. Driving along the “Great Ocean Road” didn’t seem to be that awesome of a plan in a rain storm.
Most things are less appealing in the rain..
The next morning we continued on! Our plan was to complete the remainder of the drive from Lorne to Port Campbell where the Twelve Apostles are located. These are limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park and are, apparently, a huge attraction along the Great Ocean Road.
The weather our second day was okay. It was still pretty cloudy but we were hopeful that when we arrived at the Twelve Apostles, we would get a break in the clouds and some good sunshine. Pictures of the ocean are just better when it’s sunny.
I mean, everybody knows that.
As we weaved along the next day, I have to say that I was really starting to dislike the Porsche. I got that it was fun, fast and fancy but I hated being that low to ground. I found it hard to see… And I totally got motion sickness…
I kind of missed Pebbles.
After about an hour of driving, the road headed inland away from the coast as we moved through Great Otway National Park. I remembered Natasha talking about this part of the road but I couldn’t quite remember what she said about it…
Cruising along, I was taking in the views in when all of a sudden Kevin needed to slam on his brakes after the car in front of him slammed on theirs.
There, in the middle of the road, in no hurry at all, was a Koala bear crossing!
Now, I remembered what Natasha said. This was one of the few places that you were still likely to see wild Koalas. Of course, I didn’t have my camera ready to go at this point so there are no pictures.
Unbelievable.
About an hour later, we reached the Twelve Apostles! The clouds even started to part and we were treated to a little bit of sunshine. 
I love how blue ocean is! It was a pretty sight for sure!
After the Twelve Apostles, we ended the day with a quick stop into the Thunder Caves a little further up the road. These were recommended by our server the night before, so we figured we would check them out.
Overall, it was a great couple of days driving along the coast of Australia. While we did not have the best weather, we still got to experience unbelievable views of Australia’s coastline.
But we still were not convinced they were the best in the world. We had a lot more exploring to do in Australia.
Next stop, Tasmania!