The Great Ocean Road, 12 Apostles and our stay at Pebble Point

Our second stop along the Great Ocean Road was at Pebble Point. Where’s that you say? It’s just a 5 minute drive away from the 12 Apostles, or a 30 minute drive from Port Campbell.

After our 2 night stay at Port Fairy we made the commute to Port Campbell– home to the iconic coastline and the Great Ocean Road. We made plenty of stops along the way, including some at some hidden beaches and cliffs that were not advertised (and I’m glad they weren’t, because we had it all to ourselves).

This is how our 2 night stay played out-

It’s time to rest your head

We chose to rest our rest our heads at Pebble Point. Pebble Point is a ‘safari’ or ‘glamping’ tent setup, nestled away in the hills and a stone throw away from 3 national parks. It’s just off of the Great Ocean Road, making it nice and close to the action, but far away enough that you feel like you’re in the bush (which you are). The tents are well equipt with a king size bed, heater, electric blankets and their own mini deck, with some of the views over a lake and scrub land.

We stayed in Tent 5 which had a great view of the lake, as well as bush land. It was further away from the kitchen and we loved the privacy. The tents also had a basic communal kitchen, indoor/outdoor dining area and firepits for when the weather gets cooler. The only negative was when it got a bit windy the tents made a bit of noise and you could hear a bit of road noise from the Great Ocean Road during the day, but we loved our stay none the less.

It’s time to eat

We found that Port Campbell didn’t have as many options as other places we had visited, but we still found a few gems. There is a lot of pub style food on offer, as well as very ‘western’ food- I think this is because of the influx of tourists that visit.

We loved-

Princetown Hotel– A real country pub, with real country meals. My partner and I both had schnitzels, and we both called it as some of the best snittys we have ever eaten. Homemade is the best. They also had well priced pints and a good range of food on offer.

Sow and Piglets Micro Brewery– In the heart of Port Campbell, this micro brewery is the place to be for all things beer and pizzas. Open every night from 4pm, the brewery that is attached to a backpackers hostel, offers a deck with optimal sun exposure, as well as plenty of indoor seating for casual drinking/dining. We opted for the Sow and Piglets tasting flight, which offered 4 different and very drinkable beers. They also have a variety of other non-beer options- I tried their organic alcoholic ice tea and it was bloody delicious.

The 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail– If you find yourself to be a bit of a foodie, or just love to get out in the countryside and explore, then this trail is a must. The trail is full of local producers in the region, encompassing everything from soft and hard cheeses, whiskeys, ice cream, olives and even snails. Download a copy of the map here, or check out my full itinerary of the trail and what we loved in this blog post.

Timboon Distillery– Featured in the 12 Apostles food trail for its whiskey, but also for its food. The restaurant attached to the distillery can get busy, and when you’ve seen the menu you’ll know why. You can get everything from a platter filled with local produce to some of the biggest seafood chowder I’ve ever seen. Well worth popping in, especially after a solid whiskey tasting.

We also heard very good things about but didn’t have time to eat at (insert sad face here)- Forage on the Foreshore and Frying Nemo- both seafood places who got some very good reviews. Both very close to Port Campbell beach.

The 12 Apostles

When travelling along the Great Ocean Road, a stop at the 12 Apostles is a must (DUH, isn’t that the main reason why people go?). One thing I did learn when we visited is that thousands of people visit this place everyday- we were told by a local that around 2.8 million people visit every year. Crazy.

We visited twice when we were at Pebble Point, and we found that the BEST time to visit the 12 Apostles was definitely in the morning. We got there at around 9.30am and found that the crowds were a million times better than the afternoon. There were no buses and you could freely walk along the boardwalk and viewing points without having to fight for a space or getting hit in the head with a selfie stick. We found mornings were also the best time to visit nearby attractions (due to minimal visitors), including Loch Arc Gorge, London Bridge and Gibson Steps.

We also loved visiting little inlets and clifftops off of the Great Ocean Road- just look for little dirt driveways/paths leading towards the coast line off of the GOR. We pulled into about 6 of them, and some of the views were just as breathtaking as the Apostles themselves. If you have the time make sure you spend some time taking in the WHOLE coastline. You won’t regret it.

Have you visited the Great Ocean Road before? Where did you stay? Where was your favourite place to dine? How did you beat the crowds? I’d love to know- flick me a message in the comment box below.