It was to be a long day. As time didn’t permit, we had to do the journey in one day. It was not drivable in a day so we took train and bus with V line, the public transport operator for Victoria. It was a compromise but it avoided taking a tour! (you already had my thoughts on tours!)
The train departed Southern Station for Geelong ( pronounced Gelong) at precisely 09.10 hrs. It took an hour. A V- line bus met us at the station and we travelled to Torquay, where the GOR officially begins.
We travelled on to Apollo Bay. At times the road hugged the coast, at other times the road climbed above the ocean.
The scenery was breathtaking - sandy beaches (so many that most were unoccupied),
or extensive wave cut platforms.
Apollo Bay is one of the highlights of the route. It was once a forested area from which logs were exported. The seas around are treacherous and there have been many ship wrecks - less than half have been recovered.
Today Apollo Bay is a resort with the usual water sports.
After a 40 minute break ( we had just enough time to picnic at a nearby site) and we were off on another bus.
From here the landscape changed and the road wound uphill towards Laver’s Hill.
Here were areas of rain forest intermingled with cattle and sheep ranches. The ground is irrigated to produce grass for silage.
Eventually, we arrived at the most famous site along the route - the 12 Apostles.
St Patrick never came here!
However, due to erosion some of the apostles (sea stacks) have been eroded. I counted 7 but it depends on whether one calls a sea stump an apostle.
From here we travelled to another geological feature -an arch described as London Bridge.
We continued our journey now on the coast then in the mountains unto we reached Warrnambool, from whence we took the 3.1/2 hour journey back to Southern Station Melbourne., arriving c. 12 hours later at 21.20hrs - a very enjoyable stress free day.
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