Great Ocean Road Information

Great Ocean Road

MY VERTIGO had remained under control as I climbed the steel trusses that took me 25m above the floor of the rainforest in the Otway Fly.
Cape Otway, off the Great Ocean Road in Victoria
Well, pretty much under control. Just look straight ahead, I told myself, as I walked along the 600m elevated pathway that forms one of only a handful of steel canopy walkways in the world. Not every visitor to the Great Ocean Road takes the effort to go along the Fly. In fact, many drive along the road without realising this exhilarating stroll through the treetops evens exists. One of the reasons is this recently added attraction to the Great Ocean Road, opened in September last year, is not on the Great Ocean Road, but about an hour's drive inland from Apollo Bay. It is, however, a detour that's worth the effort. From a construction point of view, it's an impressive project. The walk was built largely on old logging tracks and made out of prefabricated parts that were shipped in 8m spans from Launceston. The information brochure assures nervous folk, such as myself, that the each square metre of the walkway can carry 400kg and can withstand winds up to 280km/h. The walkway includes a 24m cantilever section that juts out without any obvious sign of support, which the brochure goes on to say is capable of holding the equivalent of 14 elephants. If you know a herd of elephants with a head for heights and a passion for the rainforest, please let them know. If you feel relaxed standing 25m above the forest floor, you can explore your comfort zone by taking the next step and walk up the spiral staircase to the viewing platform.
"How high up do you reckon we are?" my non-vertigo suffering wife asked, as the wind increased to what appeared to me to be something just a few puffs shy of a cyclone. A quick glance at the brochure in my hand indicated I was now standing nearly 50m off the ground. Now, if you're Ian Thorpe, a distance of 50m is not something to raise a sweat over. If you're not Thorpe, and that distance is vertical and full of lots of nothing rather than horizontal and filled with water, it's definitely something to start sweating over.
The normal way to experience the Great Ocean Road, at least for Queenslanders who usually visit the deep south with a fairly strict time limitation, is similar to the way you might order a burger. You slow down, you might even wait a while, but you pretty much don't get out of the car a great deal. But not today. We had stayed the night at Beacon Point in a luxury villa overlooking Apollo Bay, a site that has undergone a $1 million redevelopment in the past year. The villas have a back deck overlooking the water, a view that is best appreciated with a cold glass and a warm sunset or in the fresh light of the early morning. Thanks to the assistance of an early-rising toddler, we were awake to catch the spectacle of sunrise over the coast and the chance to feed the posse of parrots hovering around the back deck, apparently aware that every villa at Beacon Point is fitted out with a jar of birdseed to feed the hungry visitors. Apollo Bay, and the hills above it, make an ideal base to explore the heart of the Great Ocean Road region. You could easily spend a morning exploring the Cape Otway lighthouse, which we did the last time we passed along this route a few years earlier, stop at one of the many waterfalls and bushwalks that cover the region, take the one-hour drive to the 12 Apostles or just travel the spectacular road between Apollo Bay and Lorne again and again. Our itinerary for the day was the sunrise (tick), walk through the treetops (tick), and then a quick drive down to this side of Port Campbell for a helicopter flight over the 12 Apostles. Having tested my vertigo limits in the morning (and failed), a flight in a helicopter would not normally be my choice of activity. However, if there is any scenery that deserves to be seen from the air, it's the rocky outcrops and stunning coastline that form the Shipwreck Coast. As I hopped into my 12 Apostles Helicopter flight, the pilot casually pointed out that there were windows in the back that could open, but if I dropped my lens cap out and it got caught in the tail rotor, the fancy Bell 206 Jetranger could easily do an impersonation of a flying rock. Having vowed to keep my window closed, I then sat back and spent the next 30 minutes trying to think of a descriptive better than "Wow!" that could be used to describe the aerial views of the Apostles and the Bay of Islands. FROM the chopper base, it's a few minutes drive back to the 12 Apostles, which, undeniably, are stunning even if they appear to be numerically exaggerated, and Loch Ard Gorge, the scene of the most famous shipwreck along this treacherous strip. You can follow the information signs around the clifftop that play out the tragic night in which a ship carrying 54 people ran aground, with the only two survivors being young Eva Carmichael, who clung to a floating chicken coop, and apprentice crewman Tom Pearce, who dragged her to safety on the shore. Or you can head straight down the steps on to the beach of Loch Ard Gorge and paddle in the water that is as clear, albeit several degrees colder, as anything you will find in the tropics. After walking in the treetops, flying through the clouds and having a quick paddle, it's time for lunch. That's the Great Ocean Road. There's plenty to do if you take the time to stop. Rodney Chester was a guest of Beacon Point Ocean Views Villas Tel: 03 5237 6218. www.beaconpoint.com.au.
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GETTING THERE
12 Apostles Helicopters: Tel: (03) 5598 6161. www.12ah.com. A 30-minute flight costs $195.
Otway Fly: Tel: (03) 5235 9200. www.otwayfly.com. Adults $12.50, children $6.50.

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