Travelling the Great Ocean Road

We had a slight change in plans this morning and decided to hold off going to Melbourne.  Instead we decided to visit the town of Lorne and travel along parts of the Great Ocean Road. By 9am we headed off on our way...hoping the grey skies would be long gone by the time we reached our destination. 

The drive to Lorne was about 1.5 hours and on the way there we went inland to avoid possible traffic.  Part of the drive was in the rain, but once we arrived the rain had passed and we decided to check out Erskine Falls.  It was nice to get out for a walk and check out some of the sites, including the huge gum trees...also known as Eucalyptus trees.

                                     

We walked down the long set of steps to the base of the falls...Finley doing it all on her own...and took a few obligatory photos. 

                                      

                                     

While there we also took a little walk along the river.  It's incredible how huge the ferns are here...and very old as well.  

                                       

       

From the falls we headed over to Lorne...a highly popular location for surfing and vacationers. This relaxed, Mediterranean atmosphere town was fairly packed with a surfing competition happening and a music festival in the area...plus people on vacation.  There was lots of new development in this growing vacation destination and I loved some of the modern architecture of the homes in the area.

      

       

The wind was gusting from time to time so the waves at the beach were quite big and great for surfing.  The sand at Lorne beach reminded me of PEI north shore beaches...I felt right at home!

                                     

       

Before we checked out the beach we went for lunch at one of the local restaurants on the main street. The entire stretch along the beach is packed with little shops, restaurants and rental shops...and lots of traffic for this little area.

       

       

Before calling it a day, we stopped for ice cream...an entertaining sight with a 3-year old!!!

                                      

On our way back to Lara we drove back along the Great Ocean Road....what a spectacular drive!  This route is 243 km of coastal road along the south-eastern part of Australia.  The winding road takes you along beautiful beaches and cliffs, with various look offs to capture the stunning views.

       

                              

By 4pm we arrived back to the house for a bit of relaxation on the patio and supper.  Tomorrow looks like it will be a walkabout Melbourne and then possibly NYE fireworks in Geelong.  

Until then...