Following this morning’s sunrise over the Twelve Apostles, we have a jam-packed day ahead on our Groovy Grape tour.

We continue along the final stretch of the Great Ocean Road, stopping at several scenic look-outs and short hikes.

First up: the Loch Ard Gorge.

Loch Ard Gorge is named after a ship that ran aground here in 1878. There were only two survivors: teenagers Tom Pearce and Eva Carmichael. Our guide reveals there are rumors that these two had an affair while waiting to be rescued, but this seems far-fetched when you consider that Eva’s family members just died in the wreck (there were 54 passengers on board in total). But I appreciate the dramatic imagination behind this theory.

There’s a cave at the back of this gorge with funky stalactite formations.

We walk onward.

Our next stop is the London Bridge rock formation. That island in the water below used to be connected to the mainland by a natural bridge but it collapsed in 1990. Now it’s officially called the London Arch since the term bridge doesn’t apply anymore.

Our guide tells us a very funny story about the night the bridge collapsed. It was January 1990 (middle of the summer in Australia) and a couple was on the section of rock further out in the water. The bridge collapsed, trapping them there until help arrived… along with news crews. Turns out the guy was a European businessman on holiday with his mistress! What a unique way to get caught. I’m thinking Lifetime missed the boat on a made-for-TV movie about this event.

Next up: hole in the rock at Bay of Martyrs. We descend the steps to poke our face through that little opening in the rock below.

We climb back up to visit the Bay of Martyrs, named after a massacre of a large group of Keerray Woorroong aborigines in the early 1800s.

The sign below explains how the rock formations were once part of the main land but have been chiseled into stand-alone monuments over 10-20 million years.

Around this time we officially complete the Great Ocean Road. We move onward to Tower Hill Reserve — home to a dormant volcano, wetland, lake, and lots of wildlife.

We keep our eyes peeled on the trees, as we are guaranteed by our guide to see koalas in their natural habitat.

I spy with my little eye… one sleepy koala.

I venture off alone and spy another little dude, this time much closer to the ground.

Later on I point him out to others in our group and when Matthias finds him, the koala puts on a show! I’m so sorry I missed it. Koalas typically sleep for 20-22 hours a day so it’s rare to catch one moving in the wild.

Matthias shared his video footage with me:

I spot some kangaroos hiding amongst the trees:

And an Australian magpie bird:

And this ostrich (photo by Matthias):

After lunch we press onwards to Grampians National Park.

There’s scattered smoke in the distance.

As we drive closer, we see that controlled burning is in effect. It’s a forrest management technique to renew tree life and prevent a more serious (uncontrolled) fire from breaking out in the future.

I get a kick out of our tour guide’s scarf adorning the dashboard — he is a passionate supporter of a particular Australian rugby team and the scarf is a token of his support.

We arrive at the Balconies hike just before sunset. As we start out, we cross a field of cairns.

The Balconies look out over a long, tree-covered valley.

Our last stop of the day is a short hike to McKenzie Falls, also in Grampians National Park.

On the way to our accommodation, we stop at a drive thru liquor store…!

That evening we have a little cabin to ourselves. Our guide Leith makes a tasty gnocchi dinner (he goes out of his way to make a cheese-less version for me, bless his heart).

I’m so glad to have met this singular group of people.

One more day left!

This post is sponsored by Groovy Grape Getaways, who cater to the adventurous backpacker looking for a fun and informative trip. These photos were taken on the Great Ocean Road & Grampians tour. Opinions, as always, are my own.