We carried on along the Great Ocean Road, and the coastline just kept throwing out bigger and better scenery. Our first stop was London Arch, this huge slab of rock sitting offshore like it’s barely holding itself together. The waves crashed underneath it, carving away at the layers, and the colour of the water made it even more dramatic.
A bit further along we reached the Grotto. From above it looks like a cave, an arch and a pool all mashed together. When you stand in the right spot you get a perfect frame of the ocean through the opening. It felt like one of those places you accidentally discover, even though it’s been there forever.
We kept following the coastal path, checking out the cliffs and rock stacks around Razorback. The shapes in the stone are unreal close up, like someone sliced the cliffs with a giant breadknife. The girls loved spotting patterns in the rock while the ocean hammered the cliffs below us.
Just inland we ended up at this little dairy and agricultural museum that looked tiny from the outside but opened up into room after room of old machinery. Massive engines, dairy gear, vintage tools, signs and farming history stacked everywhere. Georgia wanted to pull every lever. Dotty called every engine a tractor. Ali probably wished the gift shop sold earplugs.
Then we headed back toward the water and walked out to Port Fairy lighthouse, standing bright white and red against the black volcanic rock. The wind nearly took us into the sea but the views were worth every gust. Dotty got another ride on my back, as always, and Ali grabbed the perfect lighthouse photo with the girls.
To finish the day we found a monster metal slide built straight into a sandy hill. Georgia launched herself down it like she’d trained for this moment. Dotty sized it up, took a breath, and committed. Her scream of joy echoed the whole way down. Sand absolutely everywhere… worth it.
We spent the rest of the day driving toward Adelaide, the car full of crumbs, boots full of sand and the kids buzzing about “the cave window,” the lighthouse and of course the mega slide.
Another day where nature went full show-off mode and we matched it beat for beat. Wow.
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