Adelaide Road Trip
Headed to an Adelaide for an event with a friend Mallory, for our drive to Adelaide we decided to take the most direct route possible so there was not a lot of sightseeing. However, Mallory really wanted to see a collection of ‘Big Things’ so we had to stop at the Giant Koala located in Dadswells Bridge. The Giant Koala is located between Stawell and Horsham, inside the Koala they have a large range of souvenirs and gifts.
We also stopped to take photos with the sign as we entered into South Australia, I believe this was Mallory’s first time Road Tripping to Adelaide. Once arriving in Adelaide we checked into our hotel, dropped off our luggage and went for a wander around town. The next two days were spent at the event before we heading on our way back home.
The Long Way Home
After an awesome weekend at the event we left Adelaide at around 9am and decided to take the most scenic route home, along the coast. Our first stop along the route was Murray Bridge which is a bustling rural town about an hour outside of Adelaide. We stopped to check out The Murray Bridge which was the first road bridge built to cross the lower Murray river, which was built in 1879.
From Murray Bridge we started our trek toward the coast, the next stop was Kingston, we wanted to see The Big Lobster but somehow missed it and due to how long the drive was going to take we couldn’t back track. We did stop to see the Cape Jaffa Lighthouse, which is located in Kingston after being dismantled and moved from Cape Jaffa in the mid-1970s. The lighthouse was originally built on Margaret Brock Reef to protect ships from being shipwrecked, the structure was completed in 1872.
Robe
Next stop along the route was Robe, a picturesque coastal town located in the limestone coast and situated on the ancestral lands. We drove out to Cape Dombey to see the Robe Obelisk, which stands proudly on the capes point. The Obelisk was built in 1855 and was used to create a landmark to navigate the entrance into Guichen Bay and to store rocket fired lifesaving equipment for stricken ships. The Obelisk was originally painted a single colour but was proven difficult to sight against the sandhill, in 1862 it was painted in the white and red lines.
Robe was also the site of the region’s first gaol, officially opened in 1861 which included a stone building and four holding cells, a receiving yard and keepers’ residence. The gaol was closed in 1881 and the building gradually fell into disrepair.
Beachport
Our next stop was Beachport located about forty minutes from Robe also on the Limestone Coast, its sandy beaches stretch around Rivoli Bay and offers spectacular views. We stopped by the Cape Martin Lighthouse, this lighthouse was first lit in 1960 and replaced the Penguin Island Lighthouse which light was reused in the current lighthouse. The lighthouse was originally only 4.5 metres heigh but was raised to 12 metres in 1980 after the sand dunes started to obscure the light.
We also checked out the Beachport jetty on our way through, the jetty is one of the longest in South Australia and reaches out to the waters of Rivoli Bay. Construction of the jetty commenced in 1878 but it was not completed until 1882, it was originally intended to be 4000 feet long but sits at approximated 2536 feet in length, present day.
Windfarm Fun
Next up was a trip to Lake Bonney Wind Farm near Millicent, built along the Woakwine Range a line of sand dunes. The wind farm was constructed in three separate stages with the final stage commencing in 2010, and comprises of 112 wind turbines. We happened to arrive in Millicent around the time the sun started to set so were able to get some close to sunset photos.
From there we headed inland to Mount Gambier and the Blue Lake, but due to the time of day it was hard to tell the deep blue colour of the lake.
Great Ocean Road
As we continued on our journey we stopped as we crossed the border back into Victoria, due to the fact that it had started to get dark we decided to drive inland for a while. We headed back to the coast at Warrnambool to drive along The Great Ocean Road, even though it was dark it was worth it.
The Great Ocean Road is a heritage listed 240 kilometre stretch of road along the south-east coast of Australia. It is the world’s largest war memorial and was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932. Hugging the coastline along what is known as the Surf Coast and Shipwreck Coast, it provides views over Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. The road runs through varying terrains including rainforests, beaches and cliffs, along the coast providing access to several prominent landmarks.
I have driven along The Great Ocean Road many times in the past but this was my first time driving the road at night. Driving such an iconic road at night was a really interesting experience, the peace and quiet was incredible. We didn’t stop at any of the landmarks along the way except for the Twelve Apostles, but by the time we reached the location it was almost midnight and it was pitch black. We stopped several times along this route just to enjoy the peace and quiet and to look up at the amazing sky where all the stars were visible due to the lack of light pollution. There was something incredible about being out there during the early hours of the morning, with no one around and no lights, it’s stunning.
Home…
After the long drive and dropping Mallory off at home I eventually managed to make it home by 5am meaning that we had been on the road with me driving for roughly 20 hours. As much as the road trip was amazing I don’t know if I could do it again, by the time I got home I was exhausted. As much as this was such an awesome adventure and I was happy to have Mallory with me, it was tiring and I was so glad that it was over. But we both got to see a lot of sights we had never seen before, and well we still didn’t get to the twelve apostles, but that’s okay, the quietness and the stunning sky made up for it.
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