Twelve Opostles and the "Great Ocean Road"

Last night I decided I would take the 3 hour drive to see the 12 Apostles as I had never seen them before and I didn't want another day hanging around the hotel room. I got up at 5am and was on the road at 6.30am. Just as I pulled out onto the street from my hotel I saw this beautiful sight, 8 hot air balloons. I have seen one or two together but never this many. They really looked amazing floating there in the early morning light so I stopped to take a few photos.

I then proceeded with my trip heading out towards the west travelling via Geelong, I knew Avalon Airport was out there so I made a slight detour for about twenty minutes. Driving past the airport on the highway you can't help but see an old Boeing 747-300. When I got up closer it had "Avalon Airport" on the side. There was also a Qantas B737 doing touch and go's.

Having my aviation fix I hit the road again for the trip to the Twelve Apostles via the Great Ocean Road. Even though I enjoyed the scenery along the way the 2 hour 45 minute trip the GPS told me turned out to be just under 5 hours.

I was really sick of driving by the time I got there, but I did enjoy the scenery and the beautiful beach side towns along the way.

The 12 Apostles, located 275 kilometres west of Melbourne, were created by constant erosion of the limestone cliffs of the mainland beginning around 20 million years ago. The stormy Southern Ocean and blasting winds gradually eroded the softer limestone, forming caves in the cliffs.
The caves eventually became arches and when they collapsed rock stacks up to 45 metres high were left isolated from the shore. I was told the 12 Apostles change colour at sunrise and sunset as they change from dark in shadow to brilliant sandy yellow under full sun.

You can even get helicopter flights over the Twelve Apostles

ROBINSON R44 II VH-DXT (CN 10952)

EUROCOPTER EC 130 VH-ZVB (CN 7727)