Port Campbell

 5 - 8 February 2025

We chose Port Campbell as the first stop on our Great Ocean Road journey. After lunch (and a  spot of birding) at Peterborough,  we settled in to the caravan park and discovered we were camped beside one of our favourite Youtube travelling couples. We found Steve from Trip 4 2, to be just as friendly in real life as he is online, although we didn't get to meet Ally. 

We had initially booked for 2 nights but added an extra one as soon as we arrived. It was clear this would be a nice place to stay, and an extra day would allow us to have some "down time" and see the sights. On our first day we walked along the beach into the village and called in to the Visitor Information Centre on our way home. Armed with some maps and brochures we planned our next couple of days.

Mick was keen to see penguins to add to his bird list and I was keen to do some sightseeing so we planned to drive east towards the Twelve Apostles with the aim to arrive at sunset. We headed off and stopped at Loch Ard Gorge, one of many spots where ships were wrecked. The Loch Ard was lost with only two survivors found in the bay. We walked along the clifftops where interpretative signage tells the story of the shipwreck, and also provides information on the geology, flora and fauna of the area.

Loch Ard Gorge

From Loch Ard Gorge we continued east to the Twelve Apostles and were quite surprised how full the carpark was at around 8:00pm. It was a beautiful evening after a very hot day and it seems we weren't the only ones with the idea of enjoying the sunset at one of Australia's best known natural attractions.

We made our way along the boardwalk and found a good spot. We could see the telltale signs of penguin footprints on the beach below and waited until about 10 minutes after sunset to see a small group of about eight Little penguins making their way from the water to the beach. There is a colony of about 800 birds but we were happy just to see the first few. We headed home very satisfied with the evening out.

Sunset at Twelve Apostles

We rose early the next morning for another birding session at Peterborough, although it wasn't as successful as some of the others had been. We then hit the tourist trail, first visiting Bay of Martyrs and Halladale Point, then Bay of Islands to the west of Peterborough. From there we turned towards the east again and called in to The Grotto and London Bridge before heading back to the caravan park. Because we were out early, there weren't too many people about. They can become very crowded by the middle of the day.

The Grotto

Later in the afternoon I left Mick happily procressing the hundreds of photos he had taken over the last few days, and set off on the Port Campbell Discovery Walk which can be accessed from the bridge adjacent to the caravan park. This walk is about 4.4km and is fairly easy although there are a lot of stairs at the start. The walk follows the cliff line for about the first half, then turns inland through coastal heath. It's an "out and back" walk and there is a carpark at the turn around point.

It's a big climb up the stairs at the start
of the coastal walk

We still hadn't made up our minds exactly where we would go next, but decided on Saturday morning that we would go inland to escape the weekend crowds. The caravan park in Port Campbell had been almost empty when we arrived, but by Friday night was almost full. We called ahead to Lake Purrumbete which had been recommended to us, and made our way there - only about 45 minutes away.  

Port Campbell

11 - 12 March 2015

Leaving the campground, we travelled back towards Portland and then on to the famous and beautiful Great Ocean Road. We stopped in Part Fairy for lunch and supplies. We found a park near the beach - it must be the smallest Apex Park in Australia, but was right next to a beach access track so we took advantage of the location and had a short walk on the sand. We also visited the Botanical Gardens - again, must be the smallest in Australia - absolutely tiny, but located next to the river  - wedged in between the bridge, the road and the caravan park.

Male Chestnut Teal. We don't see these up north but they're common here.

Musk Duck near the Gardens. Another tick for me.

Another stop in Warrnambool to visit the park and beachfront we remember from our last time there. The park is home to many birds - mainly seagulls and ducks - and is very popular with families because of the playground. Along the shoreline to Merri Marine Park. There is a long walkway and it appears that you can walk out to Merri Island at low tide, which it wasn't when we were there. There is interpretive signage along the walk, and great views.

Pied Oystercatcher on the beach at Warrnambool.

From Warrnambool we headed east along the Shipwreck Coast (so named because of the large number of shipwrecks in the early days of settlement) and made the obligatory visits to the viewing spot on this spectacular coastal drive. We visited most along this section, including Bay of Islands, Bay of Martyrs, London Bridge and The Arch.

The weather was still somewhat inclement so we headed into Port Campbell and a cabin in the caravan park. On Thursday morning we ventured on to Loch Ard Gorge. This is famous as the site of a shipwreck where only two survived. There are steps leading down to the beach and it is worth the effort. You can really get a sense of how amazing the story of survival is.

The main species I was looking for in this part of the country were Brush Bronzewing, Rufous Bristlebird and Blue-winged Parrot. I'm pretty sure I saw some Blue-winged Parrots from the car but could not find their location once we'd stopped. They are supposed to be quite common but not for me. The preferred habitat for these species is dense coastal heath so tracking them down was never going to be easy. A little bonus while searching in vain for the above birds was coming across a group of cute little Southern Emu-wrens. Mick.

Going down to the beach at Loch Ard Gorge.

Loch Ard Gorge

From there we also visited the most famous site - The Twelve Apostles (although there are now less than twelve). There is a visitor centre and the pathway to the viewing platforms leads under the road for the safety of pedestrians and the convenience of drivers. No visit to the area is complete without seeing this magnificent natural wonder. You can take a helicopter flight out over the coast - but we didn't.