NATURE’S POWER AND GLORY

Every day, Mother Nature has her way with the stunning coastline of the Great Ocean Road. The Port Campbell National Park is her playground where she sculpts ever-changing rock formations, rugged cliffs, booming blowholes and sweeping archways.

She’s been evolving the world-renowned towering limestone stacks of the 12 Apostles (above) for a few thousand years, using the raw power of pounding ocean waves. Not far away, she carved a narrow opening in the cliffs to create Loch Ard Gorge – an eerie, shape-shifting inlet where shipwreck survivors beat the odds and lived to tell the tale.

MIND-BLOWERS …

• Meet towering offshore stacks at beach level. At Gibson Steps, venture down the 86 steps carved into the cliff and feel the freedom, the wind and the ocean at its most powerful.

• Explore the Bay of Islands between Peterborough and Warrnambool, for incredible Southern Ocean views, geological features and remarkable names likes Massacre Point, Bay of Martyrs and Wild Dog Cove.

• Stroll 400 metres from the carpark to The Gables Lookout for stunning views across the reefs off Moonlight Head, and to Wreck Beach to see rusty remnants of ships that couldn’t tame nature.

• Tackle the cliff-hugging walking trails of the Port Campbell Discovery Walk to fully immerse yourself in the majestic beauty of the region. Glimpse native wildlife and revel in clear vantage points of the 12 Apostles and Sentinel Rock.

• Port Campbell Jetty juts defiantly out into the bay, no matter what the weather brings. On a wild day, wander the jetty to feel the powerful swell beneath you and be dwarfed by limestone cliffs.