5 Spring Activities to Clear the Winter Chill
Fresh air, blue skies and five ways to reset this spring.
You can visit the Great Ocean Road region at any time of year because each season brings its own unique offerings. If you haven't had the chance to take a holiday in winter, then shake off your winter blues with a break on the coast in spring! Here are five activities that might be just what you need for a spring escape.
1. Visit a waterfall
The Otways are home to some of Victoria’s best waterfall walks, with a cluster of trails through the Great Otway National Park putting them within easy reach. Hopetoun Falls is the standout, tumbling into a fern-lined amphitheatre that’s every bit as good as the photos suggest, while Erskine Falls is the easy-access favourite closer to Lorne. Spring means the creeks are still running strong from winter rain and the fern gullies are at their greenest. Pack a raincoat, just in case, and check for any track or falls closures before you head out, as trails can close after heavy weather.
2. Watch (or try) surfing on the Surf Coast
Torquay is Victoria’s surfing mecca, and Bells Beach is the place to watch the pros carve it up, grab a coffee, find a spot at one of the lookouts, and settle in for the show. If watching from the sidelines isn’t enough and you’re keen to give it a go yourself, book a lesson with one of the local surf schools at a more forgiving beach break, with safer conditions and expert guidance mean you’ll be up and riding in no time.
3. Explore Port Fairy
One of Victoria’s prettiest seaside towns is even better with a bit of spring sunshine on it. Port Fairy’s streets are lined with historic bluestone cottages and old whalers and fishermens cottages dating back to the 1800s, best explored on foot with no agenda. Wander down to the wharf, browse the boutiques and galleries, and stop in at one of the town’s cafes or bakeries for something sweet. Walk or cycle out to Griffiths Island for coastal views and a lighthouse at the end of the track or simply find a bench on the foreshore and watch the Moyne River roll by.
4. Discover the region’s best foodie experiences
Spring is the season to eat and drink your way along the coast, and the region’s food trails make it easy to plan a day around it. Head into the Otways hinterland and follow the Otway Harvest Trail, linking cellar doors, distilleries and farm-gate producers scattered through the rainforest and surrounding countryside. Further west, the 12 Apostles Food Artisans trail strings together cheesemakers, distilleries, chocolatiers and local growers around Timboon and Port Campbell, with spring bringing fresh season produce. Pick a trail, plan a loose route, and let the stops along the way set the pace.
5. Go on a camping adventure
There’s nowhere better to wake up in spring than a campsite across the Great Ocean Road region and there’s a lot more ground to cover than just the coast. Pitch a tent near the beach for a dawn surf check and the sound of waves all night, or head inland into the Otways, where fern gullies, waterfall walks and cool forest air make for a completely different kind of spring camping. Further inland again, the volcanic plains and lake country around Colac and beyond open up a whole other side of the region, with a slower, wide-open kind of stillness.However you spend it, spring in the Great Ocean Road region means longer days, clearer skies and a coast that's shaking off winter right along with you.
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Explore more places to stay, play, and reconnect with nature in the Great Ocean Road Region