Exploring the Great Ocean Road with Kids: Part Two
- Monday 20th May 2019
Let’s pick up where we left off. So you’re already on the Great Ocean Road; you’ve seen the first half and had some fun. Make sure your car has a full tank of petrol and let’s get back on the road for some more family fun.
Otway Fly
Just in case you haven’t already checked out Otway Fly Treetop Adventures, now’s the time. Get the whole family to stretch their legs on our Treetop Walk, a 600 metre-long elevated walkway that gives you the chance to see the area’s animals and rainforest from 25 metres high. And if you have some daredevils in your backseat, you can zip through the treetops, stopping at each ‘Cloud Station,’ while you’re 30 metres up. Our Zipline Tour will have the kids talking for months to come!
Platypus At Lake Elizabeth
In the Otway State Forest on the East Barwon River lies Lake Elizabeth. Take an easy-medium 2km walk that meanders along the river and a billabong to Lake Elizabeth. That’s where a colony of platypus, or barlidjaru, live; walk softly so you don’t disturb them, and you might be lucky enough to lay eyes on one. If you want to up your chances of finding one of these notoriously hard-to-find animals, the best time to spot them is at dawn or dusk. If you do see one, it will eventually dive for food and resurface to breathe and look for their next meal; bring your binoculars. There are picnic tables and toilets if you want to linger for lunch.
Kayak Apollo Bay
This village is surrounded by peaceful beaches, hills, and the Great Otway National Park. Nature is the star here, and there’s an adventure around every corner. To make the most of this bay, take to the sea on a kayak and paddle out from shore to see the region’s reefs and look back at the hills. For kids aged 12+, a 2-hour tour takes you to the Marengo Marine Sanctuary and a local fur seal colony. Maybe these playful creatures will even sidle up to your boat to say ‘boo!’ If you’re not keen to take the tour, you can hire kayaks by the hour if the weather allows. And if your kids are too young to kayak, visit the seals by boat.
The 12 Apostles
This incredible site is one of the country’s natural wonders. Magnificent in both beauty and scale, these big, burly rock stacks emerge grandly from the sea to form this Southern Ocean spectacle. Formed by continual erosion of limestone cliffs, this dramatic phenomenon began 10–20 million years ago. The winds wore away the soft limestone and formed caves which turned into arches. These then crumbled, leaving the apostles alone in the ocean. Incredible at any time of day, these formations change colour as the sun strikes them.
Berry Good Picking
In the Pennyroyal Valley, picking-your-own berries is a brilliant way to spend a day. Head to Gentle Annie Berry Gardens, take a basket, then get picking to harvest some fruits and veggies which are priced by the kilo. There’s also Pennyroyal Raspberry Farm which is the oldest working berry farm in south-west Victoria. Here, you can reap a heap of raspberries and blackberries. Get back on the road with some delicious jam, relish and chutney packed for your roadside snacks.
There’s so much to do on the Great Ocean Road, you and the family can keep coming back to discover more. Make sure you take loads of snaps along the way so you can share your road-tripping memories for years to come.
