Today we set off early from Melbourne on our 'Great Ocean Road' trip. We joined our group of 18 people on the minibus, so many nationalities ranging from German to Swiss to Danish to American to Dutch to Japanese to us British, and we set off on our 3 day tour. We met a girl called Phillippa who was from York and was travelling before University, we also made friends with Nicola from Germany. The first stop on Day 1 was the sign erected in the centre of the road telling us that we were about to enter onto the 'Great Ocean Road'. From there we headed to "Bells Beach", it was a lovely beach with very strong surfing waves - the pro surfers championships were soon to be held there. We then stopped at the little towns of "Anglesea" and "Fairhaven", which had superb views as they were right on the coastal road. Next stop was "Wye River" where we ate lunch at a little cafe and where whilst waiting to be served we saw koalas in the eucalyptus trees. We then travelled to "Apollo Bay", stopping at "Castle Cove" with its stunning views of clear beaches and the rugged and natural coastline - the landscape on the Great Ocean Road is so untouched. Next we went to "Otway National Park" and walked among the rainforest and waterfalls. We then went to the "Twelve Apostles", the most amazing an iconic part of the Great Ocean Road landscape, although they are just rocks in the sea the way the formation sits is stunning, especially when lit by the sun. Last stop of the day was "Loch and Gorge" lookout, you could enter the gorge if you wanted but the seas were very strong and the tide in - so quite dangerous! We stayed in 'Port Campbell' for the night in the YHA. Day 2 began at 8am where we went to see the "Twelve Apostles" at daybreak. Next on the itinerary was "London Bridge", it was very interesting as the rock was seperate from the mainland because in 1990 the bridge had fallen into the sea leaving 2 tourists stranded on the newly created island (luckily we had no such problems!). The we headed to the "Bay of Islands" which was no where near as impressive as the coastline near Melbourne. The town of 'Warrnambool' was next as it is the official finishing point of the Great Ocean Road. We then ventured to "Tower Hill Reserve" where whilst some people went to the toilet Annie and I investigated the area, only to come across some Emu's. The lunch stop was the little rural town of 'Koroit', where we also stopped to get BBQ food for the evening. After lunch we headed up into the "Grampians National Park" where we did a 2h walk up the very steep and rugged "Mount Stugeon". It was a difficult climb but the view was stunning, of both the flat farmland and park itself. Finally we headed right into the centre of the bush to "Stoneybroke" our log cabin for the night. In the evening the whole group had a huge BBQ with a few glasses of wine enjoyed! Day 3 also began at 8am as we had to start the long journey back to Melbourne. First stop was the "Wonderland Range" which had superb views over "Mt William Range", "Lake Bellfield" and "Lake Fyans". We then went onto "Mt Difficult Range" and saw great views of the untouched forest - we also had a group photo taken. Next up was "McKenzie Falls" hogh up in the "Grampians", it was a long walk downhill but once there the waterfalls were georgeous - a beautiful backdrop! From there some of the group took the day bus to Adelaide, the rest of us went to see some Aboriginal Art in "Bunjil", the paintings were interesting as they were painted direct onto rock faces. We then started our journey back to Melbourne; stopping at "Arat" to see a goldmine and have lunch, and "Ballarat" - a quaint quiet town. We arrived back in Melboune at 7.30pm on Friday evening where we were met by Family friends, Roy and Fran, some lovely people that were letting us stay for the night.