Visiting the 12 Apostoles was one old dream of mine that has finally turned into reality.

Since our airline decided to change the short layover in Melbourne from 19hrs up to 55hrs, we got lot of opportunities to travel outside the city and nothing in the world would have made me miss my chance to visit the 12 Apostoles.

The 12 Apostoles are located on the Great Ocean Road, considered the most beautiful road in the world and the largest war memorial as it was built by the soldiers returning from the WW1 for those who didn’t make it home. The work was hars and underpaid but the soldiers got their reward when one ship was forced to unload its heavy cargo in order to float out of a sandblock. 500 barrels of beer and 120 liters of spirits kept the hard working soldiers hangover for 3 weeks.

How to reach there

The road stretches for over 250 km alongside awe inspiring limestone cliffs, incredible rock formations and the endless ocean.

The easiest and most convinient way to visit the 12 Apostoles it’s by booking a tour from Melbourne. I know I have said in numerous occasions that I would rather rent a car and explore the world at my own peace but I wouldn’t feel comfortable in driving on the left side of the road. Maybe I will do it one day, just not now.

GO WEST TOURS: aprox 100$. Professional tour guide, punctuality and great costumes service. Recommended!

I found my tour on Viator and even though I have read lot of negative opinions about this trip, I have decided to give it a try anyway. Most of the tourists would complain about the bus being too cramped and the distance being too long. While those are indeed true facts, I wouldn’t discourage anyone from living this adventure at least one time in their life.

What to visit

The entire trip lasted a bit over 14hrs with numerous stops in iconic locations such as:

Gibson Steps where you get the chance to climb the stairs down to the beach and swim close to two rock stacks. Even though we were blessed by a sunny day and a bit over 20 degrees Celsius I would have not dared to try the ocean’s waters not even with my finger, however many of the locals including children seemed to disagree with me;

The Loch Ard Gorge which is the scene of Australia’s most famous shipwreck which ended up romantically when the young Tom Pearce saved the life of Eva and found shelter on a cave located near by until they were rescued by the locals. Luckily nowadays we are able to go down the beach using the stairs, however at the time of the disaster (1878) the only way to reach up the cliff was by…climbing;

The Maits Rest, a magical rainforest populated by cute koalas, old eucalyptus trees and fluorescent mushrooms. A walk through the heaven’s garden would be the best quote to describe its beauty. Even though it was day time when most of the Koalas are sleeping, one of them was awake enjoyed his meal. Those cute animals have a strict diet eating just eucalyptus leaves, sleeping 20 hrs per day and rarely going down the tree in search for water. This looks preety much like my spirit animal.

Beside of what is considered to be the highest eucalyptus tree in the world, the beautiful rain forest will catch your eye with the fluorescent mushrooms which are a true wonder during late hours of the night, a giant tree trunk layed down by a strike and the unusual space used by aboriginals as birth place for babies.

The 12 Apostoles, the jewel in the crown of the Great Ocean Road. The beautiful limestone formations were given a religious name after Jesus disciples, however there is no record of the rocks formations ever being more than 9. In the present times only 8 of them are still standing and we will never know how long before any of the disciples will decide it is time to rest on the blue ocean blanket laid underneath.

The best photo locations was behind a security fence, however don’t take it as an advice not only because of the falling danger but also because of the venenos snakes that are waiting for a fresh prey.

Piece of advice

During the trip you will be stopped in few locations were you would be able to use the restrooms and buy yourself some food, however I would recommend you to have snacks for the way and few water bottles. Also a sunscreen would definitely help, especially in the summer when the sun is really strong. I didn’t feel the heat due to the low temperature and windy, however I ended up the day with my face completely burnt.

I hope you will enjoy your day trip and be able to see some Koalas on the way.