Our meet-up point for our group tour of the Great Ocean Road was just across the river from where we enjoyed our Golden Heritage Mile, tour the day before, past Flinders Station. We gathered bright and early at 0700, skipping breakfast and coffee in hopes our driver would make a pit stop for snacks along the way. It was a quick 1 mile walk. Melbourne is a quiet city that early. Chris, our driver, greeted us with a warm smile as we jumped into the van alongside our new friends. He informed us that we were just waiting on one more passenger and made it abundantly clear; if anyone was late getting to the van throughout the day, he would leave them behind—just like the last guy who didn’t show. We later speculated that this was a strategic move to ensure punctuality among the group, and it worked! Not a single person was late for the rest of the day, making sure we didn’t suffer the same fate. And if there really wasn’t one more guest, the ploy sure worked.
It turned out that Chris was a former “surfer dude” (our terms) who was very familiar with all the surfing spots and all the beaches along the Road as they had been the location of his hangouts with his fellow surfers. It felt like getting the real insider perspective.

Our first stop was a favorite of our driver, Chris, a cozy little café in the middle of nowhere. He let us know the process; order, then bathroom, and our coffee (and for me a “brekkie” - Australian for breakfast sandwich) would be ready when we were. My coffee was hot, and my sandwich delicious. We climbed back into the van and headed to our first stop, Gibson’s Point.
*The Gibson Steps have a fascinating history that dates back hundreds of years. Originally, it is thought the steps were cut out by the Kirrae Whurrong people, a local tribe who called the area home.*
It wasn’t until 1869 that the steps got their full use and their name. Pioneer Hugh Gibson built nearby Glenample Homestead and regularly used the carved steps to access the beach below. During this time, it was constantly used by fishermen and other seafaring workers to get to the beach and the water. Gibson is most famous for his role in the Loch Ard shipwreck. The two survivors, Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael, regained their strength at his homestead.

We descended the 86 steps to the beach. Filled with excitement I rattled off a few pics and ran back up the stairs. My heart racing (either from the excitement or more likely those 86 steps) we continued on a few hundred yards to the Gibson Saddle Lookout. Looking back up the coast to the beach toward Gibson’s Beach was breathtaking. More pics…and more pics…then off to turn around and see the “Twelve Apostles”. I could now check off that box. What an amazing sight.

The Twelve Apostles were formed by erosion. The harsh and extreme weather conditions from the Southern Ocean gradually erode the soft limestone to form caves in the cliffs, which then become arches that eventually collapse, leaving rock stacks up to 50 m (160 ft) high. The stacks are susceptible to further erosion from waves. In July 2005, a 50-metre-tall (160 ft) stack collapsed, leaving eight standing. Another collapsed in 2009 leaving seven remaining stacks. Due to wave action eroding the cliffs, existing headlands are expected to become new limestone stacks in the future. The stacks were originally known as the Pinnacles, and the Sow and Pigs (or Sow and Piglets, with Muttonbird Island being the Sow and the smaller rock stacks being the Piglets), as well as the Twelve Apostles. The formation's name was made official as the Twelve Apostles, after the Apostles of Jesus, to attract more tourists, despite only ever having had nine stacks. (Now only 8)

Flora & Fauna

We turned back toward Melbourne and stopped at a few more viewing points. We then turned inland to be given a treat of viewing wildlife in the bush. At one place he had us get out of the van and start walking down a side road. Almost immediately we saw our first koala in the wild. We continued seeing a few more as well as an Echidna . Echidnas, sometimes known as spiny anteaters, are quill-covered creatures living in Australia and New Guinea. The echidna and platypus are the only living mammals that lay eggs. Their diet mostly of ants and termites, although, they are not related to the American anteaters or hedgehogs. We continued on and stopped at a rain forest that had interesting mosses. We were fortunate enough to see a wallaby in the wild. A little further we stopped near a field and saw a mob (as a group are called) consisting of a couple dozen kangaroos. Our guide Chris said to be patient, quiet and wait. Pretty soon you could see a few more dozen at the edge of the tree line. Ten more minutes and I could spot a hundred kangaroos..!

Beaches & Birds

On the way back we also stopped at a few beaches. Karen always takes her shoes off and sticks her toes…feet into whatever body of water. So far this trip (now on our way to Hawaii) she has dipped into the Coral Sea, Pacific Ocean, The Great Southern Ocean, Great Australian Bight and Tasman Sea. The beaches were gorgeous and the yellow-crested cockatoos were loud and destructive.