:: footprintsallover ::: Melbourne Travelogue 09: Loch Ard Gorge + London Arch + The Grotto + The Arch + Bay of Martyrs

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Melbourne Travelogue 09: Loch Ard Gorge + London Arch + The Grotto + The Arch + Bay of Martyrs

Continuing on our journey on the GO drive, which triggered my wanderlust again (what's new whenever I reminisce about our holidays). Majority of the people who embarked on the GO drive would normally end the journey at 12 Apostles. However, we decided to venture further and drove along the coastline to visit the surrounding attractions. While these formations may not be as famous as 12 Apostles, I think they are worth visiting too.

After leaving 12 Apostles, we drove for a short distance and reached Loch Ard George. The gorge is named after the clipper ship Loch Ard; the ship was bound for Melbourne from England but was wrecked at Muttonbird Island and only 2 survivors were found.

The arch of the nearby island archway collapsed in Jun 2009. The feature now appears as two unconnected rock pillars and are named Tom and Eva, after the two teenage survivors of the shipwreck.

There are stairs which allowed visitors access to the beach and a pathway allowed access to the eastern side of the gorge. Unlike the 12 Apostles which was crowded with tourists, it was very peaceful at the gorge with just a handful of visitors here. We sat at the beach and listened to the waves crushing against the structures - it really relaxes the mind!

Loch Ard Gorge
Great Ocean Rd, Campbell VIC 3269, Australia

We moved onto London Arch, formerly known as London Bridge. Before 1990, this was literally a bridge that connected the arch of land to the mainland. However, a part of the bridge collapsed into the ocean in 1990, leaving two tourists stranded on the outer span and had to be rescued by helicopter.

Impossible to get a decent picture without hair flying all over! Leecher had to pretend to put his hands around me, while in reality he was trying to "clamp" down my hair from flying all over his face.

London Arch
Great Ocean Rd, Peterborough VIC 3270, Australia

The stairway leading down to the next attraction.

The Grotto is essentially a sinkhole, where the limestone cliffs fall apart to meet the receding cliff line. The geological formation is reachable via the flight of stairs that leads down from the viewing platform at the top. We headed down to explore it at eye-level, which supposedly offers the best view where you can see the horizon, the pools and the jutting rock formations in one go.

The Grotto
LOT 2 Great Ocean Rd, Port Campbell VIC 3269, Australia

The Arch, another rock formation formed through erosion along the GO drive. It was sure therapeutic to watch the waves crashing through the opening and cascading out of the other side. It almost formed a lullaby that lured us to sleep, with the constant breeze circling around us.

The Arch
Great Ocean Rd, Port Campbell VIC 3269, Australia

After a series of rock formations, we made one last stop at Bay of Martyrs. Don't be deceived by the bright sun, it was freezing cold that even Leecher had his hoodie up to keep warm. We lingered around the place and took some pictures before carrying on the journey to Port Fairy.