The Great Ocean Road , Victoria's famous southwestern coastal route, starts at Torquay, just over 20km south of Geelong, and extends 285km west to Warrnambool. It was built between 1919 and 1932 with the idea of constructing a scenic road of world repute, equalling California's Pacific Coast Highway - and it certainly lives up to its reputation. The road was to be both a memorial to the soldiers who had died in World War I, and an employment scheme for those who returned. Over three thousand ex-servicemen laboured with picks and shovels, carving the road into cliffs and mountains along Australia's most rugged and densely forested coastline; the task was speeded up with the help of the jobless during the Great Depression. The road hugs the coastline between Torquay and Apollo Bay and passes through the popular holiday towns of Anglesea and Lorne , set below the Otway Range. From Apollo Bay the road heads inland, through the towering forests of the Otway National Park , before rejoining the coast at Princetown to wind along the shore for the entire length of the Port Campbell National Park . This stretch from Moonlight Head to Port Fairy, sometimes referred to as the "Shipwreck Coast", is the most spectacular - over eighty ships have been sunk here, victims of the rough Southern Ocean and dramatic rock formations such as the Twelve Apostles , which sit out to sea beyond the rugged cliffs. The often windy and stormy weather enhances the jagged coastline, and even at the height of summer you can't rely on it being sunny here. Information on all the villages and sights on the Great Ocean Road can be found on the area's website, www.greatoceanrd.org.au .

 

If you're in a hurry to get from Melbourne to Warrnambool, the Princes Highway is a much faster route - and a much duller one. The only place you might consider stopping briefly is Colac, where Lake Colac and the vast Lake Corangamite support a profusion of birdlife, with botanical gardens and a bird sanctuary.

From Warrnambool , the small industrial coastal city where the Great Ocean Road ends, the Princes Highway continues along the coast, through quaint seaside Port Fairy and industrial Portland , before turning inland for the final stretch to the South Australian border. If you're determined to stick to the coast, you can continue along the Portland-Nelson road, with Mount Richmond National Park and Discovery Bay Coastal Park on the coastal side, and Glenelg National Park on the other, to end up at the unspoilt little town of Nelson on the peaceful Glenelg River, with the spectacular Princess Margaret Rose Caves nearby.

The Great Southwest Walk , a 250-kilometre circuit starting from just outside Portland, going on to the Glenelg River and Nelson, and then back through the two coastal parks to Portland, is magnificent. There are campsites all along the route; for further information, and to obtain maps, contact the NRE Information Centre, 8 Nicholson St, East Melbourne (tel 13 6186, www.nre.vic.gov.au ), or Parks Victoria (tel 13 1963, www.parkweb.vic.gov.au ).