Australia : Great Ocean Road

Day 1 Adelaide – Victor Harbor (80kms)
Collect your rental car and depart Adelaide for Victor Harbor, passing a number of vineyards and orchards. Victor Harbor was an old whaling base and much of its early history was preserved at Whalers Haven Colony Museum. An old horse tram runs out to Granite Island, which has colonies of wallabies and fairy penguins.

Day 2 Victor Harbor – Robe (350kms)
Make your way to Robe, originally founded in 1847 and prospering on wool exports. Nearby Little Dip Conservation Park, 4km to the south, is also well worth a visit.

Day 3 Robe – Mt Gambier (137kms)
Continue to Mt Gambier today, located on the slopes of an extinct volcano. Mt. Gambier has two famous attractions, the Blue Lake and the Cave in the centre of the city. The lake is famous for its change of colour from winter grey to intense blue in November each year. It remains blue until late March, and aside from its beauty, is the City's source of domestic water.

Day 4 Mt Gambier – Port Fairy (195kms)
Drive via Portland to Port Fairy – you may choose to detour to visit Mt Richmond National Park, or the spectacular seascapes of Cape Nelson. Port Fairy is a delightful little fishing port and seaside resort at the mouth of the Moyne River, with many historical buildings dating back to the early 19th Century when the town was home to sealers and whalers.

Day 5 Port Fairy – Apollo Bay (190kms)
Today you will experience the highlights of the Great Ocean Road, including a number of notable clusters of islands off the coastline such as the Blow Hole, Mutton Bird Island and Elephant Rock. London Bridge is another rock formation which was once a double arch which collapsed in 1990, stranding sightseers. Without doubt the most spectacular landmark on the Victorian coastline is the Twelve Apostles, offshore stacks which have eroded over the years, with only eight now left standing above the water line.

Day 6 Apollo Bay – Ballarat (200kms)
Continue along the Great Ocean Road through the surf haven of Torquay, before heading inland to Ballarat. Gold was first discovered in the Ballarat area in 1851 and it is here that the world’s second biggest gold nugget was found, weighing 68,956 grams. You can learn more at Sovereign Hill, where staff dress in period costume, and realistic stores and banks recreate the old gold rush days.

Day 7 Ballarat – Melbourne (115kms)
Make your way into the city of Melbourne and drop off your rental car.