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Tuesday 2 May 2006

Great Ocean Road - More Than Meets The Eye

By Darren Stones

It’s one of the most spectacular pieces of coastline in Australia and it’s located in the southern mainland state of Victoria.

The Great Ocean Road, which stretches from Torquay to Warrnambool, is a 300 km journey that provides visitors with breathtaking scenery from start to finish.

Memorial Arch - Great Ocean Road


For those who undertake a day trip, stay for a weekend or crawl their way through the many nooks and crannies, the experience is something to savour.

A day trip on a weekend is common amongst many visitors to this region and Ethan Glessich from Teesdale was visiting Bells Beach near Torquay and partaking in his favourite hobby of paragliding.


Ethan Glessich


Ethan had travelled 80 kms with his brother for the day.

“I come down here once a week or once a fortnight, depending on the weather to paraglide along this stretch of beach as it’s the closest location to home,” he said.


Ethan Glessich - Airborne above Bells Beach


Ethan said that when the parachute is filled with air, it places a great deal of strain on the harness and his body before he lifts off. Once airborne there is no further strain on him and he just goes along for the ride.


Ethan Glessich - Acrobatic Paraglider


A young couple from Geelong was also visiting for the day and they were keen paragliders but felt the wind conditions needed to be a little more favourable for them. They were considering moving along the coast to another location where wind conditions may have been stronger.

Ethan Glessich with interested onlookers


Interestingly, the cost of a parachute and harness as used by a paraglider costs around $5000AU.

Further along the Great Ocean Road at Lorne, I met another day tripper from Melbourne who was beach fishing with a friend at the eastern end of the main beach at Lorne.

Beach fishing - Lorne


“We’re trying to catch snapper, whiting, flathead or sting rays,” he said. “We come down here during the summer months as it’s the best time for catching them, but if we don’t have any luck here, we’ll go around to the pier and try there.”

The Great Ocean Road provides numerous activities for many people. Paragliding and fishing are two hobbies that are actively pursued along this marvellous piece of coastline.

Recommendations

____________

Accommodation

Lightkeepers Inn Motel - Aireys Inlet

Lorne Hotel - Lorne

Sandridge Motel - Lorne

Meals

Aireys Inlet Hotel

Lorne Hotel - Lorne

Attractions

Split Point Lighthouse - Aireys Inlet

See & Do - Lorne

Visitor Information

Lorne Visitor Information Centre

Torquay Visitor Information Centre

How to get there

From Melbourne

4 comments:

  1. Was interesting to read about the area I grew up in. Brought back a flood of memories. But missed out on mentioning the gem of all the towns down that way, Anglesea and Point Roadknight. Oh well them is the breaks. I will be back.

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  2. Thanks for your valued comments Henry and glad the article revived some great memories for you.

    Yes, I left out Anglesea and Point Roadknight unfortunately, but that was mainly due to space constraints as this article was an assignment as part of my course. Thought I'd post it here to share with others.

    Reckon I'll be writing a book on the Great Ocean Road in a few years - I'm gaining inspiration from people such as yourself.

    Good luck with your new book Henry and thanks for dropping by.

    Cheers, Darren.

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  3. Nice work Darren. The paraglider info was great and the photos told the story as well. Good stuff!

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  4. Kelly, thanks for your feedback - always appreciated. Just love making the words and the photo's flow together in this way. I'm sure you know this spot quite well having visited there recently. Glad you enjoyed the story Kel. Cheers.

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Hi and thanks for visiting.

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Darren Stones