Great Ocean Road: A Piece of Victoria's Natural Beauty

This travel post is written by Vera who blogs at Life is in the Small Things. She travelled to Melbourne and spent 2 weeks exploring the city and its surrounding regions in Victoria, Australia with her petite travellers Noey (5 years) and Mei (3 years) recently in September 2014. During this period, Vera and family spent 3D2N along the Great Ocean Road, which is the subject of this post.

This holiday is suitable for families that enjoy self-drive holidays, and immersing themselves in nature while enjoying some spectacular views. 

When my husband and I decided to bring the family on a holiday to Melbourne Australia during the recent September term break, one of the places we readily penciled in was the Great Ocean Road (GOR). It has been a while since the husband and I have visited the GOR, and it's something we have not done together, so we thought it would be fun to do this as a family. The GOR is one of Australia's most scenic coastal drives, featuring awe-inspiring limestone cliffs and incredible rock formations. It is home to iconic surf breaks set against the tall trees and many waterfalls of Great Otway National Park, and lots of wildlife too! In other words, it is a must-see destination.  

Having decided to embark on the journey, the next big question was whether to drive the GOR on our own or take a day tour. The GOR is a very popular day-trip from Melbourne and there are plenty of tour operators offering day trips out to the Twelve Apostles. The biggest benefit of taking a tour is not having to drive, obviously. The trip out to the Twelve Apostles near Port Campbell would take at least 4-5 hours of driving from Melbourne. That's a lot of driving and that's just one way! Taking a day tour would also allow us to continue staying in our Melbourne accommodation and not have to move our many pieces of luggage. It was also possibly cheaper than renting a car that met our needs.

The biggest downside though is that we would be stuck on a bus most of the time and have limited scope to decide our own itinerary and time to explore. In the end, our desire for flexibility won out. If you've travelled with kids before, you'll know that things can change in an instant with them, so flexibility is key! We decided to try to take things at a leisurely pace and stay 2 nights at Apollo Bay, using it as the base to explore the GOR, and I think it worked out much better than if we had tried to squeeze everything into a day trip.

Dancing to the great view, just because I want to!

Here are some things we did, and enjoyed, on the GOR:

1. Have Lunch at Lorne

Everyone kept telling us to have lunch at Lorne, so we did! We had to check-out of our hotel at 10am (the standard hotel check-out time in Melbourne according to our experience), and since Lorne is a 2-hour drive from Melbourne, that set us up very nicely for lunch at Lorne. We didn't know where to eat but a quick search online on TripAdvisor (my go-to site for hotel and food recommendations) and we decided on the bottle of milk. It was a hit with the whole family -- certainly some of the best burgers we've had! And on lovely enamel ware too. Hee. We ordered both beef and chicken burgers and they were all good. Simply dressed but the meat patties were juicy and flavourful. Delicious.

A mighty yummy beef burger.

Menu and our happy campers!

2. Erskine Falls

After lunch we took a drive to Erskine Falls, a short 15 minutes away. This is one of the most popular falls of the Otways, and I'm sure that's in part because it's pretty accessible. From the carpark, a short walk of about 80m will bring you to the upper falls view, where you can get a decent view the waterfall. We continued along the trail to the lower falls view another 200m downhill and were glad we did as this was much more spectacular. My husband had a field day trying to take good waterfall and stream shots (ie. stuff that I the non-photographer do not appreciate quite as much) while the children loved poking about looking for rocks to pick up. Of course when it was time to go, both children bounded uphill like it was nothing, whilst I found it, well, a lot more tough going! Climbing back up is not an easy walk for the unfit, but we all made it, with some puffing.

Upper and lower view of Erskine Falls.

By the river at the base of the Falls.

The trek back up to the carpark. Mei is way ahead of me!

By the way, the nearest toilet is at the Blanket Leaf Picnic Area about a 3 minute drive away. Not a drive you'd want to make with a squirming urgent 3-year old, but doable. Just sayin'!

3. Teddy's Lookout

Heading back from Erskine Falls towards Lorne, we took a short detour to Teddy's Lookout nearby. It might not look like much when you're approaching but it offers some stunning views of St George's River and the Great Ocean Road coastline. We were there during the golden hour of the afternoon and the view in that light was pretty amazing.

This way to Teddy's Lookout!

With a glimpse of the view in the background.

Some stunning vistas of the coastline.

4. Apollo Bay

Apollo Bay was our rest stop while on the Great Ocean Road and we found The Dolphin Apartments a great little place to stay. Spacious, modern and comfortable, and with free wifi (yay!). It was also a short walk (or a really short drive) to the town where we could stock up on provisions or eat at a restaurant. We really appreciated the kitchen (for the preparation of breakfast and quick bites) and the washer and dryer -- essentials when you're on holiday with kids in tow! Our only complaint was that we didn't manage to get the top floor unit and on the ground floor, we got NO VIEW since the property is situated behind a gas station. That was a bit disappointing but we made sure to soak in views whenever we stepped out. I'm sure my husband also appreciated not having to lug our luggage up 2 floors!

We did not have much time to explore the town but it is known to be a good spot for walks and water sports. Perhaps when the kids are older!

A pretty delicious dinner we got a Sandy Feet Cafe & Health Food at Apollo Bay. The husband was a bit doubtful about the health food bit but we enjoyed their modern Australian menu. 

5. Cape Otway Lightstation

Cape Otway Lightstation is one of the highlights of the GOR, and it certainly was one of the highlights of this portion of our trip!

To be honest, the drive from Apollo Bay to Cape Otway isn't the most exciting, since you cut across the peninsula on an inland road with no ocean views. The husband and I joked that this really should be called the Great Forest and Farm Road instead of the Great Ocean Road! But what we did find exciting about driving through Great Otway National Park were the sightings of wild koalas. Yes, koalas in the wild! Naturally we spent a lot of time trying to peer into the trees but the best indicator is really just to stop whenever you see other cars and buses pulling over. 

Wild koala on the move!

(Another good spot for wild koalas is Kennett River. There is a road just behind the caravan park leading to a picnic ground and you can spot lots of koalas in the trees along this road.)

It is a long drive off the main road to the lightstation grounds but it is well worth the detour. Cape Otway Lightstation is the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia, having started operation in 1848. It continues to be in full working order but was decommissioned in 1994 when the cost of keeping it in operation proved to be too high. Today the lightstation and its grounds remain open for visitors to tour and get a taste of some history while enjoying some spectacular views. The lighthouse itself is incredibly picturesque and you will not be able to resist taking many shots of it. We certainly couldn't!

A reminder of all the shipwrecks off Cape Otway, which led to the building of this ligtstation.

Walking through the beautifully serene grounds, on which the original buildings still stand. Behind us is the Telegraph Station.

The lightstation. Standing since 1848!

Looking back on the grounds from the top of the lightstation.

Looking at the mechanism that rotates the reflector, which is what causes the light to flash.

One word of warning: it can get very windy! This is not surprising, given that it is situated at the tip of the peninsular after all, but do dress warmly. If it gets too cold, we found the cafe a welcome spot for some coffee and hot chocolate, and a big bowl of piping hot soup.

Soup and crayons make for happy kids! 

One last look at the lightstation.

6. Twelve Apostles

We couldn't make a trip to the GOR and not visit the Twelve Apostles, only the most visited site along the entire Great Ocean Road. The Twelve Apostles are a collection of limestone stacks off the coast near Port Campbell, and the dramatic and awe-inspiring quality of their form and placement have made them a major tourist attraction. The last time I visited the Twelve Apostles was, incredibly, about 26 years ago! The rocks look smaller than I remembere (and probably really ARE smaller, thanks to erosion) but still look just as impressive. The site is part of Port Campbell National Park and there are boardwalks which offer an easy stroll with great views of the famous rocks.

Yes, he was busy counting the structures. Apparently there are only 8 left standing but I didn't tell him that.

Rocksss.

Trekking up and down the boardwalk which helpfully gives you different vantage points from which to view the rocks.

We drove back to Apollo Bay after visiting the Twelve Apostles but if you have a bit more time to spend around Port Campbell, my fellow co-contributor Angie recommends staying at Macka's Farm Lodge, located a short distance from Port Campbell National Park where you can experience a working farm and get close to some animals. You can also visit Berry World at Timboon, a 20-minute drive from Port Campbell where the kids can enjoy picking their own berries. Unfortunately it wasn't quite the season for berries when we were there or we would have paid them a visit!

The GOR stretches past Port Campbell all the way to Port Fairy, but we didn't have the time to make it all the way to the end. I hope to do it on a repeat visit to Melbourne.

We packed up and returned from Apollo Bay back towards Melbourne in preparation for the next leg of our journey in the Yarra Valley. We had planned to stop at Weeribee Open Range Zoo on the way back, having heard good reviews of this zoo, but unfortunately the weather was grey and wet on the day of our intended visit. So we ended up doing a rest stop at Weeribee Plaza instead, and got in a spot of shopping! One of those large sprawling malls, it was a great place to grab some lunch, buy necessities and do some browsing. I didn't think it was a bad trade-off.

Our trip to the Great Ocean Road as a portion of our holiday that was not specifically child-oriented. Rather, it was us bringing our kids along to see what we adults wanted to see, but I dare say both adults and kids enjoyed it. I hope this inspires you to make the trip too.

20 Reasons Why You Should Lug Your Kids on a Holiday

This post is written by June who blogs at mamawearpapashirt. With 3 little ones beneath her wings, she often wonders to herself if it's worth the trouble lugging them all over to explore the world. So this post is as much for her, as it is for you...

1. It's more fun to photograph kids together with tourists attractions. Sure, one kid will be wincing/pouting while another is busy stuffing his mouth with snack biscuits, right in front of the grand canyon or something as monumental, but you know it's these imperfect moments that can bring a smile to your face 10 years down the road.

That is, if you don't have a husband who likes to do jumpshots like this one:

2. You don't have to worry about what your kids are up to with babysitters back home (watching telly, alternating diet of ice-cream and candies every other hour, etc)

3. Lugging kids around departmental stores is almost akin to hiking up Mount Kinabalu, so it's likely to curb your wife's shopping expenses somewhat. (Unless you're staying right in the middle of the city, where there's late night shopping. On that note, best to stay outside of the city.)

4. Because there's something about hotels and pools and bathtubs and horsey-rides that make a child go into "perpetual happiness" mode. (Okay, maybe like 50% of the time.)

5. In some countries, and on most airlines, families with children are given priority treatment (priority boarding, priority queues for tourists spots and buffet lines, and free balloons, chocolate and candy out of nowhere).

6. Because you don't really want to hear your wife lament, "I wish we brought the kids," every time she sees other families with kids or a special scenic spot that she knows the kids would love to visit.

7. It's excellent bonding time with your children. There's nothing like getting to experience new places and do things out-of-the-ordinary together with them. All while not having to worry about getting the chores done!

8. 10 years down the road, your kids won't lodge a complaint against you at the Ministry of Social and Family Development saying that you've been locking them up at home while you go gallivanting with your spouse to fun places.

9. Your babysitters (granny, grandpa, aunty and/or helper) at home will gladly let you go with nary a complaint about why you're not sponsoring a trip for them too. They may even ask you to stay a week (or two) longer.

10. It's more fun (in a wacky, overcrowded, and waking up with a teeny toe in your nose kind of way) to all bunk on the same king-sized bed.

11. Because you don't have to worry about buying bribes, I mean rewards, for them when you come home.

12. Because kids make good conversation starters, and companions around a dinner table, despite the mess. Seriously. Plus they can make you gobble up your food in 5 minutes flat.

13. Kids make good excuses when you need to use the bathroom in a hurry.

14. Hearing a little voice whine "Are we there yet" for the 101 time and other incessant noisies from the back seat while on a road trip helps to keep you awake at the driver's seat.

15. So that you don't have to feel guilty for the next 5 years.

16. Caring for the kids is a good way to burn calories, so you can binge without guilt.

17. Many family-friendly hotels now boast excellent child-minding facilities and fun activities, so you can drop them off for a few hours and pamper yourself with some luxurious spa treatments or enjoy couple-time.

18. You never need to set an alarm clock, or request a wake-up call.

19. You get to go to fun places like Disneyland and go on rides like a kid again!

20. So that you can let the kids stuff themselves silly with a lifetime worth of treats at the buffet table. And get chocolaty kisses after. ;)

What's your favourite reason for wanting to travel with kids? Do share with us by leaving a comment below!

Beijing, China : Immerse your Family in Chinese Culture & History

This travel post is written by Jasmine who blogs at Scissors Paper Stone. She travelled to Beijing with her husband and kid(s), J (5.5 years) & K (2.5 years) in June 2011. 

This holiday is suitable for families who are keen for a cultural adventure filled with nature walks, museum hopping and a glimpse into the history of China. 

In all, we had a really swell (smog-free) time but as our visit was 3 years ago, there are some details that are now a little hazy (pardon the pun). So if I have gotten any facts wrong or if you have a helpful tip about Beijing, please feel free to share it in the comments below. 

Here are 10 memorable things from our 6-day visit to Beijing that left us yearning for more.

1. Beijing Zoo

As some of you may know, we are a family of avid animal lovers. So whenever we visit a new place with our kids, it's no surprise that the zoo immediately gets added to the itinerary. 

One thing to note about the Beijing Zoo is that it sits on a huge piece of land (89 ha to be precise compared to the 28 ha in the Singapore Zoo), so be selective and head to the enclosures that you really want to see. 

For us, it was all about the pandas. The kids were really excited when we got to the enclosure but it took us a while to spot the lone panda in his play area. Each panda had a ginormous space to roam about in, complete with a playground and slide but they weren't playing on the day that we visited. In fact, it seemed rather happy lying in the shade just staring at the gate.  

Overall, the Zoo is quite old and not that well-maintained. In fact, there were some animals caged up in rather tight spaces which did make us wonder whether more could be done for them. Although it saddened me, I thought it was good for the kids to see the animals in these living conditions and to be able to appreciate how different this was to the other zoos that we had been to. 

2. Military Museum of the Chinese People

For a glimpse into Chinese history, bring the kids to the Military Museum where you can introduce them to the key political figures as you pass by the statues of the chinese leaders. 

It is a great place to escape the heat or smog and spend a few hours as kids and adults are treated to a large display of chinese armoured vehicles, fighter planes and missile launchers. 

While you are there, try to spot "Lee Kuan Yew" located in the section where statues and busts of well-known chinese leaders as well as foreign ones are put on display. 

3. Bird's Nest

A quick visit to the Beijing National Stadium is in order for those who appreciate architecture. Created to house the 2008 Summer Olympics and designed to look like a Bird's Nest, it has become what some would say a museum piece as there isn't a regular tenant.

We enjoyed a quick drive around the building but didn't go in. Some people say the building is more spectacular at night when it is lit up so you might want to drive by after night falls. 

4. Temple of Heaven

Before you begin this trek, I must inform you that the Temple of Heaven covers 273 hectares which is close to ten times the size of the Singapore Zoo. So if you are travelling with young kids and want to catch a glimpse of this Temple, bear in mind that the path to "Heaven" is no easy walk in the park. 

I suppose a stroller might come in handy (I'm not sure about stairs though) but we had decided not to bring one on this trip. Thankfully I had brought along flying toys, we also sang songs as we walked and as you can see in the picture above, carried our kids when they could walk no longer.

But as we strolled through the park, I couldn't help but notice the people playing chess, walking with loved ones, doing tai chi. Go prepared and you will enjoy the walk too.

5. Beijing Museum of Natural History

For dinosaur lovers out there, check out the Beijing Museum of Natural History (100m from the West Gate of the Temple of Heaven). Another great place to hide from the sweltering sun, the palaeontology section was my favourite. I thought it was pretty cool seeing all the dinosaurs with chinese sounding names, like the Tsintaosaurus, Yangchuanosaurus as well as the Lufengosaurus. 

6. Summer Palace

If you were to ask my kids what their favourite part of their holiday in China, this would be it.

Why? 

Simply put, it was the first time that either of them got to steer a boat. I can tell you at the age of 2 and 5, that was pretty cool.

The Summer Palace is the largest royal park in China and boasts of lush greenery and scenic spots to relax in. We chose not to walk around the park but instead rented one of the motor boats and drove around the lake. The boats move at a rather slow speed and there were very few boats in the massive lake so under our watchful eye, we decided to let the kids have a turn. 

It really was a wonderful way to enjoy the royal grounds. As the boat drifted through the calm waters, I enjoyed the gentle breeze and imagined what it must have been like to be royalty living here more than a hundred years ago. 

7. Great Wall of China

Of course, no visit to Beijing is complete without a visit to the Great Wall of China. On the advice of our hired driver, we chose to go up via the section at Mutianyu as it is known to be less crowded or touristy than the Badaling or Juyongguan sections. 

A cable car takes you up most of the way but there are some steps to climb but it isn't too bad. Once you are on the Great Wall, you can decide for yourself how far you would like to venture. The views are indeed spectacular but what really took my breath away was imagining how this magnificent wall was constructed, brick by brick. 

8. Tiananmen Square (& Forbidden City)

Historical places can be difficult for young kids and so we decided not to enter the Forbidden City with the kids. We did visit the Tiananmen Square and snapped a few pics but we didn't stay long. If you have brought your kids into the Forbidden City, I would love to hear what your experience was like. Perhaps we will head back with the boys someday.

9. Silk Street

The bulk of my shopping money went to Chinese books for the kids. They are a lot cheaper and the variety is of course more extensive. The kids were given a holiday budget and both bought one toy each. Most of our time was spent shopping at Silk Street where you are expected to haggle over prices which took time getting used to. Ultimately, don't be shy when you bargain. 

10. Food

Eating out with the kids was a breeze in Beijing. Everywhere we went, we enjoyed the food. We tried the Peking Duck, Ma La Hot Pot, and steamed mantou (buns). It was lovely not having to worry about what the kids could or couldn't eat. 

In all, it was a delightful trip with just the right dose of history and culture coupled with precious family bonding time.

Perhaps my only regret was not being able to visit the hutongs (traditional streets and alleys) and possibly indulge in a little paper cutting or peruse the painted snuff bottles. But I suppose that gives me reason to visit this charming old city again.

Have you visited Beijing with your kids? Do you think you would? 

If you have, what is your favourite place to bring your kids in Beijing?