Great Ocean Road

[shakey55]

I'm off to do the GOR next April (2014) before school holidays start. I'm taking the CT and starting at the Western end.

Is it a trip that you move from town to town, setting up camp each stop, or is there a place you can set up base camp for a few days and look around several location over a few days.

Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated.

Just me and the bride, no children on this trip.

Is it possible to take a dog ?

[Pete_R]

We did it in April this year but from east to west. Personally I would set-up base camp then look around several locations over a few days. We stayed at Anglesea for a few days but if we did it again, would head further down to Lorne/Wye River/Kennett River area. We then stayed at Port Campbell for a few days which we found good for the attractions either side of there ie 12 Apostles, London Bridge, etc

[xcvator]

The GOR can be done in a day  but  it would be better to find a spot in the middle for a few days and see it properly . Lots of nooks and cranny's to explore. Some of the caravan parks will allow dogs but best to call them 1st, none in the state or national parks. If it's around easter you'll need to get in early or you'll be 
cheers keith

[speewa158]

You must go to The Mariners lookout Eastern side of town , Very steep climb to the car park then a 1/2 km walk to gety aview you really have to see .
Godfrees Creek stop at the grave then walk past it to the beach , straight out is the wreck of the ship wrecked on the rocks many years ago . You can still see 1 of the anchors in the surf .
Anglesea Golf course  pods of wild Roos all over the place , but tame enough to get close to if you move slow
 Oh harrr every little bay along the road has its own surprise to share with you .
Travel slow look at the views & enjoy 

[richardl]

Hi Shake
If you take your dog you will be limited to the local towns, all of them worth the visit, but you will miss out on the bush. If your camper is not too large then Blanket Bay is a great stop over to unwind. Cape Otway lighthouse is a good trip as is the Otway fly. If you own a bigger rig Bimbi Park is a great little caravan park, full of Koalas, and has some great walks along the coast.
Richard

[shakey55]

That's it, the dog misses out.

My CT is big and on the heavy side. So I'll need be selective where I take it.

Thanks Richard

[dazzler]

A plug for Wye River Caravan Park. 

Nice large grassed areas and the staff are wonderful.   They cared for our family when we were very ill once when on our big trip.

[Bird]

plug for
www.bimbipark.com.au
LOTS for kids to do.. eg; big screen movies at night, horse ridin, 20938409230239840293409243803s of koalas everywhere... plenty of threads on the place on here.

[Pete_R]

If you are heading down to Cape Otway lightstation, just be aware that they charge an Entrance fee to see it & it isn't cheap:
http://www.lightstation.com/index.php?page=entrance

[barneys]

plug for
www.bimbipark.com.au
LOTS for kids to do.. eg; big screen movies at night, horse ridin, 20938409230239840293409243803s of koalas everywhere... plenty of threads on the place on here.
[this is a great spot /quote]

[Foss]

Port Campbell is a good base as stated for the 12 Apostles, London Bridge, Loch Ard Gorge etc if you can find somewhere to camp with a dog. I don't think they are allowed at the caravan park. We also stayed at Johanna Beach camp ground for a few nights. Great national park (free) camping area with "nice" toilets (not smelly at all) but no water etc - be self sufficient. (Dogs on leads are allowed at Johanna) From this base, we explored the area a bit, including the Otway Fly.

Also stayed at Kennett River Holiday Park and did a couple of day trips from there. A very nice spot with plenty of koalas at the back of the park. (just look for all the tourist mini buses each morning - cant miss them) Unfortunately no pets allowed - the same for the Big4 at Wye River ( I assume due to the koala and other native animal population)

Out of interest, not having travelled the GOR for many years, we decided to stop at most memorials and/or historical markers along the way. The information on the area was fantastic and well worth "continually" stopping.

And yes, to visit the Cape Otway Lighthouse (read get anywhere close to it - you cannot see it from the carpark), they sting you $18.50 each. We walked up to a "lookout" where you can see some of the lighthouse in the distance !! A reasonable drive to get to it from the GOR, but there are/were plenty of koalas to see and photo opportunities along the way.

All the best with it. The GOR is a great drive and a beautiful place to visit. As said, you could drive it in a day, but then you would miss out on heaps.

Cheers,

Dave

[Bird]

And yes, to visit the Cape Otway Lighthouse (read get anywhere close to it - you cannot see it from the carpark), they sting you $18.50 each.

Me and son did it years ago on way back from mates farm at Timboon, and its worth about $5.00 tops. expected so much, got very little... can't get into the lighthouse either.

[The Bockies]

Skakey55,

The only suggestion we would make would be to do it East to West as all the viewing areas on the GOR to pull over on are on that side of the road. We did part of the GOR last September and came in from the north to Port Campbell and spent a couple of nights there and then made our way across towards Geelong from there. There was nowhere we felt safe enough to pull over to the viewing areas  that were on the other side of the road to take in the beautiful scenery. It is a beautiful drive and one that will definitely be taking our time to do more thoroughly next time.

Cheers!
The Bockies