3. The Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Walk
The landscape it passes through is undoubtedly one of
Australia’s most spectacular. To truly appreciate its rich
diversity though, walk away from the road itself and
explore the lush rainforest, secluded mountain lakes or its
beaches shaped by ferocious ocean swells.
4. The Great Ocean Road
“... the sea suddenly reached out, water clenching their
ankles … like it was trying to drag them down. No-one
ventured that close again”.!!
This coast is a beautiful but eery place with a long
history of ship-wrecks. Nature artist Brett Jarrett spent a
childhood here, combing the beach after storms,
picking up the carcasses of birds that perished at sea.
5. The Great Ocean Road
Tower Hill
The blueprint for the revegetation of Tower
Hill still exists today, in the form of a painting
from 1855 by Von Guerrard. So before you
leave, head out of the park, turn left and you
can visit the very place where Von Guerrard
painted this masterpiece.
6. The Great Ocean Road
Tower Hill
A dutch couple seemed slightly perplexed. "Are they
venomous?", they asked … "yes, John said "but they
are everywhere, you'll have walked past plenty". They
carried on ahead of us, looking a little nervous but
within minutes were back ... they'd found another one
and brought us a photo to show!
7. The Great Ocean Road
Waterbirds
As the sun began to drop, thousands of wetland
birds were busy foraging on the sun-tinted lakes.
Recent rainfall has filled the crater at Tower Hill for
the first time in ten years.
8. The Great Ocean Road
Lake Elizabeth
Seeing a platypus was only part of the thrill of
canoeing through the deep valley, accompanied by
the sounds of nature as the baton passed from day to
night.
The sun had set a long time ago and there was one
last treat in store. Along the damp gullies live glow-
worms and the whole forest was covered in these tiny
blue lights.
9. The Great Ocean Road
Maits Rest
... you might stumble across one of Australia's
strangest carnivores, lurking in the shadows ... it has
survived several ice ages, outlived the extinction of
Tasmanian Tigers on the mainland and it's unique to
the Otway Ranges. It hunts across the forest floor,
searching out unsuspecting prey which it snares using
long, sharp, backward-pointing teeth ...
it’s a snail! Colloquially known as ‘victor’ after it’s
scientific name, this is one of the area’s special and
easy to find animals.
10. The Great Ocean Road
Waterfalls
There's something inscrutable about the
raw power of waterfalls. Against the
fizzing, thundering and babbling of water,
speech, apart from the whoops and yelps
from excited children, is reduced to a
murmur. The waterfall fosters a respect.
11. The Great Ocean Road
Satin Bowerbirds
The male had built his bower right on the edge of the
walking track leading to the Phantom falls. ! He had
lined it with pretty blue objects mostly bits of
discarded plastic. !When the female arrived he
proudly showed her his prized collection.
12. The Great Ocean Road
Fur-Seals
... another unique perspective of this
amazing volcanic landscape. The ceiling
architecture of the seals' caves is made
up of folded and compressed volcanic
ash. The contrasting colour of the
turquoise blue sea and reddish cliffs is
breathtaking
13. The Great Ocean Road
Australasian Gannets
The colony is a place of perpetual noise,
movement and excitement, death and life.
As we prepare to leave, we spot an egg
about to hatch. You can see the egg-tooth
that the chick uses to break its way to
freedom and the circle of life begins again.!
14. The Great Ocean Road
Hooded Plovers
... they take up residence just above the high water mark,
usually where there are mats of vegetation and bits of
material thrown up by the last big winter storm. Under every
stick and plant there are loads of tiny insects and
crustaceans on which to feed growing chicks.
(...everywhere we stop, crowds of people gather to ask us
questions. Ed)
15. The Great Ocean Road
Rufous Bristlebird
... found nowhere on Earth except for
southern Australia, from the Great Ocean
Road, west into South Australia.
If you glimpse a blackbird-sized bird
doing a 'road runner' impression, head
down, full pelt across a track - this is a
Rufous Bristlebird. The best way to find
them is just to listen. Particularly in the
morning and evening, they will sing VERY
loudly from the dense coastal heath ...
16. The Great Ocean Road
Koalas
... one hung ungainly on the thread of
an outer branch, looking as though it
would fall any minute. There were
delightful 'wows' by onlookers and the
chainsaw-like revving calls of other
koalas above us.
They didn't seem at all concerned
with the small crowd of cameras
pointed at them.
17. The Great Ocean Road
Eastern Grey Kangaroos
A party of Americans asked us where they could see
kangaroos. “Wait until dusk and check any bit of grassland
near a forest” we said.
Later on, we were watching this group on the road side when
the same guys pulled up and to their delight, fulfilled another
of their dreams ... seeing a wild kangaroo.
18. The Great Ocean Road
To our backs was the “petrified forest”, not a forest at all but evidence of where
volcanoes stood 10,000 years ago. Chunks of land were rolling, imperceptibly slowly,
into the southern ocean whilst the waves thumped against the cliffs.
We stared at the distant horizon, then we spotted it, the largest animal that’s ever
lived on Earth. When the Blue Whale exhales, a 20m high plume of spray shoots up in
the air, visible from miles away. It’s underwater calls can be heard 1000 miles away.
This is truly where the voice of the sea and the voice of the
mountains collide.
19. All the
images and
stories in this
document were collected over
just a few days and nights on
the Great Ocean Road.
