Clement Lowe
Jul 11, 01, 8:11 am
This report is a short description of one of the best coastal drives in the world. I did Port Campbell to Geelong, my dad did the western drive. We had a Camry V6 and the suspension is stiffer than the US model, so the drive was much more enjoyable.
The Road from Port Campbell to Lavers' Hill is windy, and goes through some lush forest. The road winds through the vegetation, much like a snake. It's mostly uphill and can get a bit slippery. It's however, a good test and great fun.
Lavers' Hill to Apollo Bay is mostly downhill, this section is marked by a succession of curves which, although radially wide, are banked downhill which makes it difficult. The road is narrow and there is no divided road.
Apollo Bay is a fine place for a surf (though Torquay further up the road is better) and it's so peaceful and yet, the power of the Southern Ocean is there to be heard. It really is quite an amazing piece of scenery.
Apollo Bay to Lorne is coast-hugging. Literally. The road winds around the cliff tops and thus is very, very dangerous. It is great fun, but if you're driving, there is no time to enjoy the scenery as much as the passengers. If you take your eye off the road for a couple of seconds, you're in the Southern Ocean. Going east is probably less scary than going west (since we Aussies drive on the left), but a word of warning. Driving east in the morning is not the best thing to do because the sun will rise over the ocean and the glare can become extremely inhibitive. If the road from Port Campbell to Lavers' Hill is like 1 snake, the road from Apollo Bay to Lorne is like 10 anacondas twisted out. It is very, very fun, but also highly dangerous. It's exposed to the coast and hence is very slippery in the wet.
Lorne to Anglesea and Torquay is much the same. Coast hugging and excellent places to stop and have a meal. Great Aussie beer on tap as well.
It's one great drive and I encourage people to drive it sometime. I think it's better than the Cali drives. (or maybe that's because I wasn't used to the right-hand side of the road and hence was more careful http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif )
Regards,
Clement
The Road from Port Campbell to Lavers' Hill is windy, and goes through some lush forest. The road winds through the vegetation, much like a snake. It's mostly uphill and can get a bit slippery. It's however, a good test and great fun.
Lavers' Hill to Apollo Bay is mostly downhill, this section is marked by a succession of curves which, although radially wide, are banked downhill which makes it difficult. The road is narrow and there is no divided road.
Apollo Bay is a fine place for a surf (though Torquay further up the road is better) and it's so peaceful and yet, the power of the Southern Ocean is there to be heard. It really is quite an amazing piece of scenery.
Apollo Bay to Lorne is coast-hugging. Literally. The road winds around the cliff tops and thus is very, very dangerous. It is great fun, but if you're driving, there is no time to enjoy the scenery as much as the passengers. If you take your eye off the road for a couple of seconds, you're in the Southern Ocean. Going east is probably less scary than going west (since we Aussies drive on the left), but a word of warning. Driving east in the morning is not the best thing to do because the sun will rise over the ocean and the glare can become extremely inhibitive. If the road from Port Campbell to Lavers' Hill is like 1 snake, the road from Apollo Bay to Lorne is like 10 anacondas twisted out. It is very, very fun, but also highly dangerous. It's exposed to the coast and hence is very slippery in the wet.
Lorne to Anglesea and Torquay is much the same. Coast hugging and excellent places to stop and have a meal. Great Aussie beer on tap as well.
It's one great drive and I encourage people to drive it sometime. I think it's better than the Cali drives. (or maybe that's because I wasn't used to the right-hand side of the road and hence was more careful http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif )
Regards,
Clement