Going on a road trip in Australia has always been on my travel bucket list! In the 9D8N stay in South Australia, J and I drove from Adelaide to Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road. One thing is for sure, traffic is definitely better than going on a road trip from Melbourne to Adelaide. It seems like traveling from Melbourne to Adelaide is a popular choice amongst travelers. Hence, if you wish to take your time to drive, look at the sceneries and not get tailgated by cars behind you during your drive especially at Great Ocean Road, I strongly recommend you to travel from Adelaide to Melbourne!
Our routes.
We plotted our routes, places of attraction, food places and accommodations on Google Maps before our trip and made it available offline because reception is bad at certain areas. We also rented the Wifi Egg at Changi Airport at $10/day! By the way, if anyone wants our itinerary or map for this trip, I'm more than willing to share. Just drop me an email, comment or let me know personally! :)
Adelaide
(16/05/2016 - 17/05/2016)
Upon touching down at almost 7 a.m., we collected our car from Avis at the airport and was given a premium SUV - Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, which cost us around $1100 for 9 days, inclusive of GPS, comprehensive insurance and a baby seat (because I'm meeting my sister and nephew in Melbourne). The car is really huge!
iStay Precinct
Address: 185 Morphett Street Adelaide SA 5000
Tel: 1300 665 591
Check in: 2.00 p.m. ; Check out: 10.00 a.m.
Website: iStay Precinct
Gorgeous.
On another note, parking is expensive. We paid AUD$18 to park our car for a night.
Overall, we had a pleasant stay and wouldn't mind returning to this apartment again!
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As mentioned above, the hotel only allows us to check in at 2.00 p.m. so we walked along the streets to Rundle Mall to have our lunch!
Outfit of the day.
The picturesque sky. So pretty!
The 4 famous pigs, namely Augusta, Oliver, Horatio and Truffles, outside Rundle Mall.
P.S. The fourth pig is all the way beside that silver pole so it can't be seen here.
We had to recuperate from the lack of sleep on the plane so we headed back to our hotel to rest! That basically sums up our stay in Adelaide. Wished we had more time to explore but we had to proceed to our next destination: Victor Harbour.
Victor Harbour
(17/05/2016 - 18/05/2016)
(17/05/2016 - 18/05/2016)
We drove for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes to Victor Harbour. As Victor Harbour is a small town, everything is a stone's throw away. Victor Harbour Visitor Information Centre, Whale Centre, Horse Drawn Tram, Granite Island and eateries are all within walking distance!
The South Australian Whale Centre
Address: 2 Railway Terrace, Victor Habor, SA 5211
Tel: +61 8 8551 0750
Opening hour: 10.30 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily
Opening hour: 10.30 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily
Website: The South Australian Whale Centre
This is a place to explore marine history and look at whale skeletons and murals. There are interactive displays around, rooms to conduct workshops and a retail shop too.
We saw this board right outside the South Australian Whale Centre and decided to purchase it!
The skeleton of the mouth of a whale.
Skeleton of a sperm whale.
I wasn't really fascinated by the things in this exhibition except the skeletons around, but since we had nothing else to do, it's a good place to find out more about marine life. I wouldn't say this is a must-go place, but if you have time to spare, why not?
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Horse Drawn Tram
Address: Esplanade Victor Harbor SA 5211
Tel: (08) 8551 0720
Opening hour: 10.30 a.m.
Email: horsetram@victor.sa.gov.au
Website: Horse Drawn Tram
This is the only horse-drawn tram in Australia and it brings us across the 630m causeway connecting Victor Harbour to Granite Island. It departs from Victor Harbour hourly, 6 times a day, starting from 10.30 a.m..
Perfect weather for a shoot!
I love the experience and would recommend everyone to try it! Instead of taking the tram back to Victor Harbour after exploring Granite Island, J and I decided to walk back to enjoy the view, weather and time together. :)
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Granite Island Nature Park
Address: 2 Ocean St., Victor Harbor SA 5211
Tel: +61 8 8552 7555
Granite Island Nature Park is a small island located next Victor Harbour. It is a popular tourist attraction. I really love the place a lot and spent probably 3 to 4 hours there looking at the waves hitting against the rock, strolling along the walkway and slopes, admiring the scenery and taking lots of photographs! I shall let the photos do the talking.
My heart was pounding so fast! The waves would hit the rocks hard with a loud thud and I actually climbed up the rocks to get this shot taken. I was so worried that the waves would engulf me! On and off, there would be a huge wave slamming onto the rocks, splashing water everywhere and it sounded like an explosion. I was praying so hard that the huge waves wouldn't appear at the time when I am posing for this photo. Haha!
So much love for this photograph.
My favourite tree on this island.
The sky was getting dark so we walked back to Victor Harbour! Blogging about Granite Island Nature Park brings back so many funny memories and I couldn't stop smiling and laughing at our photographs.
This is definitely a place for couples and nature lovers! I highly recommend this place! :)
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Beach Huts Middleton
Tel: +61 8 8554 3933
Website: Beach Huts Middleton
I was so excited when I found out about this place while researching for a place to stay in Victor Harbour! Firstly, the beach huts are so gorgeous as seen in the photograph above! That was the first thing that caught my attention. Then, J and I headed to their website and realized that each coloured beach hut has its very own theme and name! The sizes of the beach huts varies too, so one can choose according to the number of guests.
We shortlisted a few themes that we liked and concluded that our favourite theme was the one in the pink beach hut! I was over the moon because pink is my favourite colour and I can finally stay in a pink house! :D Don't worry, its interior is not pink in colour.
Each beach hut has a porch and parking is free!
Cottesloe is the name of our hut.
The staff was friendly and she said complimentary drinks and food has been prepared for us and placed in our refrigerator when we arrived.
The interior was very cozy and it made us want to relax, play our games and watch our shows in the room! I love everything about it except 3 minor things: I wish the bathroom tiles were nicer, the television set wasn't mounted so high and the room had some heater. I was shivering the whole night because it was probably 10 degrees there and then.
Anyway, we bought instant food for our dinner before checking in because we were lazy to head out again. Restaurants are quite a distance away too! They have a restaurant within this compound but it only opens on certain days.
A garden right outside the beach huts.
So pretty!
The reception and restaurant.
Tennis court.
We had a pleasant stay and I love how peaceful it is here. I wouldn't mind coming back and try out the other beach huts in future! :D Thumbs up to the service and experience!
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Meningie
(18/05/2016)
We drove for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes to Meningie for brunch! It's actually a pit stop to take a break from driving before proceeding with our road trip. Our original plan was to eat at 'My Friends Cafe', but it was closed! So, we walked down the streets and settled down at Lake View Cafe. It wasn't a disappointment.
Lake View Cafe
Address: 56 Princes Hwy, Meningie SA 5264
Tel: +61 8 8575 1082
Opening hours: (Sun - Thurs) 9.00 a.m. - 7.30 p.m. ; (Fri - Sat) 9.00 a.m. - 8.00 p.m.
J ordered a quarter chicken and it was finger-licking good! I ordered fish and chips and the fish was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. One of my favourite meals in this entire trip! By the way, most restaurants do not provide chilli sauce so we brought along many packets of chilli sauce from Singapore. I cannot imagine myself eating fries without chilli.
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Cows spotted on our way to Robe.
Robe
(18/05/2016 - 19/05/2016)
We drove for another 2 hours and finally reached Robe! This is one of the towns which I personally like because it is extremely peaceful and slow-paced - the kind of place I don't mind retiring in. :)
Lakeview Motel and Apartments
Address: 2 Lakeside Terrace, Robe SA 5276
Tel: +61 8 8768 2100
Website: Lakeview Motel and Apartments
This motel is pretty decent for a small town like Robe. One of the main reason for choosing this motel is because of the view at the backyard! There is free parking too!
We parked our car right outside our room.
Guess what's outside our window?
Another door that leads us to...
... a lake!
Sipping my hot tea in the cold.
The room is clean, spacious and well-equipped. Although the motel is located near the road, it is very peaceful and we did not face any disturbance from any vehicle at all. It is a nice place to stay in and we enjoyed our night here.
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Cape Dombey Obelisk
Address: 5 Obelisk Road, Robe SA 5276
The Obelisk stands 12m tall and was built on Cape Dombey in 1852. It was once used to navigate passing ships. Soon, it will fall away due to erosion of the land surrounding it. Catch it while you can!
We went there twice because a thunderstorm was approaching on our first visit. It was really scary as the sea was choppy, the wind was so strong and it started drizzling! It felt like the movie, where the ship struggles to stay afloat despite the strong waves in a thunderstorm.
See the dark clouds approaching?
Perfect weather.
Our trusty car.
J and I were so pleased with the car, except the fact that the back seats were dirty as the previous owner did not clean it after they went for their muddy road trip. Other than that, the comfort was there and driving was fun! This Mitsubishi Pajero is even taller than me! For a long road trip, it's always much better to drive around in SUV than a sedan car!
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Mount Gambier
(19/05/2016)
We bided farewell to Robe and drove for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes to Mount Gambier to visit 2 attractions - Blue Lake and Umpherston Sinkhole!
Blue Lake
Address: Bay Rd, Mount Gambier SA 5290
The Blue Lake is a large crater lake, located on one of Mount Gambier's extinct volcanic crater. It is one of the tourist attractions in Mount Gambier. Each year, it turns into vibrant blue colour during the period from December to March and turns into darker steel grey colour from April to November. Amazing, isn't it?
There are many viewing platforms around the lake and we went to 2 of them. I have been longing to see this lake! I was so excited when the day finally arrived!
The first viewing platform we went.
So pretty!
The lake looks steel grey colour in this photograph!
Fighting against the strong wind in this cold weather while syncing our Go Pro Hero 4 at another viewing platform! I was trying to use J's body to hide from the strong wind but to no avail. Haha.
I simply adore the Blue Lake and this is something not to be missed! :)
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Umpherston Sinkhole
Address: Jubilee Hwy E, Mount Gambier SA 5290
The Umpherston Sinkhole is a beautiful garden that was once a limestone cave formed by the corrosion of limestone rocks by seawater waves and the sinkhole was naturally created when the roof collapsed! James Umpherston then turned it into a garden in 1886.
Apparently, this place is a venue where couples like to hold their solemnization too! It's my first time standing in one and it feels pretty cool, especially when I could see myself surrounded by plants in a circle, as shown in the first picture above!
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Port Fairy
(19/05/2016 - 20/05/2016)
We drove for approximately 2 hours to Port Fairy and stayed for a night at The Victoria Apartments.
The Victoria Apartments
Address: 48 - 50 Bank St, Portfairy VIC 3284
Tel: +61 3 5568 1160
Email: info@thevictoria.com.au
Website: The Victoria Apartments
Facebook: The Victoria Apartments
The Victoria Apartments is a low-rise building located near the Great Ocean Road, hence making it a good place for tourists to stop by for a rest before or after their road trip! J and I stayed in a 1-bedroom suite and it is my first time having a lock up garage at my apartment! Plus points for security of our car. Check out the video to see the lock up garage and the interior of our apartment!
We had a peaceful and comfortable stay! Everything was good except for the small space in the bedroom. We had to find spaces to place our luggage, which made our walking space even smaller in the bedroom. Nonetheless, it's worth the price we paid for it so no complains!
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Port Pizza and Bistro
Address: 45 Sackville St, Port Fairy VIC 3284
Tel: +61 3 5568 1756
Opening hours: From 5.30 p.m.
We came across this restaurant near our apartment and decided to gave it a try. It turned out that the food was great and the portions were large too! There was a wide variety of food, from pizzas to pastas to side dishes like chicken wings and seafood platter!
Both of us had the restaurant to ourselves, probably because it was drizzling outside.
Seafood platter and pizza.
Carbonara.
The carbonara tasted so good! It's probably nicer than any carbonara I've eaten in Singapore. Though I'm a good eater, I couldn't finish it because the portion is pretty big. What a waste. Anyway, it's a must-try dish if you happen to be here! :)
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Port Campbell
(20/05/2016)
We left Port Fairy in the morning and drove to Port Campbell for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. At last, we began our long awaited journey along Great Ocean Road! We went to 7 attractions in total!
Great Ocean Road
(20/05/2016 - 21/05/2016)
1. Bay of Martyrs
Bay of Martyrs is an open, 2.5 kilometres long bay facing several limestone stacks. There is a viewing platform near the car park and there is a path that leads to a beach. However, the beach was isolated that day as the weather was turning bad.
Limestone stacks.
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2. The Grotto
Take a look at how strong the waves were in the video below!
I just love watching waves, especially when they slam onto the rocks. I always find it very therapeutic! Honestly, I would have spent 1 or 2 hours just looking at them if we had more time. J had to stop me so that we can proceed to our next destination! I still remember how reluctant I was to leave this place.
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3. London Arch / London Bridge
The London Arch, or rather The London Bridge, is an offshore natural arch formed by erosion. Sadly, it collapsed in 1990 or I would have gotten the chance to cross the bridge! Nonetheless, it still looks nothing short of amazing.
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4. The Arch
The Arch is a natural limestone rock formed through erosion. The waves wasn't very strong when we got there, else I'm sure it'll be a pretty sight to see the waves crashing through and around the arch.
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5. Loch Ard Gorge
Loch Ard Gorge is actually named after a wrecked ship in 1878! It's a long story so you may look it up online if you're interested. There is a stairway that leads down to the beach but J and I didn't head down.
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6. The Twelve Apostles
The Twelve Apostles is probably the most popular tourist attraction along Great Ocean Road! It's my second time here and it is still as crowded as before! The only difference is that there are only 7 apostles left. There are several viewing platforms but we only went to two of them as it was getting late. Anyway, I recommend you to visit this place early in the morning if you want to beat the crowd.
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*one more attraction coming up after blogging about our apartment*
Apollo Bay
(20/05/2016 - 21/05/2016)
After visiting the 12 apostles, we rushed off to check in at our apartment as it was getting late. I didn't want to miss the sunset from my apartment!
Seafarers Getaway
Address: 6080 Great Ocean Rd, Apollo Bay VIC 3233
Tel: +61 3 5237 7555
Check-in time: 2.00 p.m. - 6.00 p.m.
Check-out time: 10 a.m.
Website: Seafarers Getaway
Seafarers Getaway is my favourite apartment for this trip! Not only does it offer me splendid view of the ocean, it is also very spacious and clean. Thumbs up for its location too! It is located away from the main road so it is very peaceful at night. Check the photos and videos out!
Reception
Our apartment.
Watch the video below to get a full tour of our amazing apartment!
Automatic toilet blinds.
Watch the video below to get a full tour of our amazing apartment!
Automatic toilet blinds.
The apartment that we booked is called the Top Lodge. It is a two bedroom apartment. The entire apartment allows us to have a panoramic view of Seafarers Beach and the coastal view too, no matter which part of the apartment we're standing at! You must be wondering why we booked a two bedroom apartment when there's only two of us. Well, we felt that this room size will give us the best view of the ocean and hence, we booked it. There are other types of rooms available as well, i.e. Ocean View Studio, Beach Lodges and Beach Units. Head over to their website to find out more!
A fireplace to keep us warm during the cold weather.
And this is what we get in the morning...
So pretty.
I wish I own this apartment.
Breakfast prepared by J while I was washing up.
So much love. ^^
Sheep spotted near the apartment!
Perfect day for a jump shot!
I highly recommend this apartment to everyone! A perfect way to start or end your road trip along Great Ocean Road!
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7. Teddy's Lookout
Teddy's Lookout is located at the outskirts of Lorne. There is a walkway which leads to a viewing platform that allows us to see the coastal views and rainforest. We actually drove up an extremely steep pavement and I was so worried that the car would roll back! Thank goodness that we were in a SUV!
View on the left.
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That marks the end of Great Ocean Drive!
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On our way to Melbourne, we happened to pass by the Split Point Lighthouse.
Split Point Lighthouse
This lighthouse was actually built in 1891. Previously, it was known as Eagles Nest Point!
I wish I had a house facing the ocean!
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Melbourne
(21/05/2016 - 24/05/2016)
We went to several places in Melbourne (I went there again in September), so I'm going to collate the places and blog them in this post!
Here are the things that you can do in Melbourne (click on the link):
Photo taken from microflite
That's all for the road trip from Adelaide to Melbourne! Till then.
Love,
Ching Ying
