Apollo Bay is a pretty seaside village and fishing port on a wide arc of beach surrounded by rolling green hills on the eastern flank of Cape Otway.

Behind the beach is a grassy foreshore park with shady picnic tables and a playground whilst a row of cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and takeaway stores face the beachfront. A fabulous tourist information bureau, with informative displays, has all the lowdown on the Great Ocean Road, The Great Ocean Walk, and the Great Otway National Park.

Starting life as a whaling station in the 1840s, Apollo Bay was settled by timber cutters, farmers and fishermen. With the completion of the Great Ocean Road in 1932 it became a tourist destination. In 1936 a submarine telegraph and telephone cable from Apollo Bay to Stanley provided the first connection to Tasmania from the mainland. The Apollo Bay Telegraph station closed in 1963 and is now a museum.

THINGS TO DO:

* Apollo Bay is a safe half-moon-shaped swimming beach popular with families. There’s a fishing boat marina at one end. Lifesavers patrol the beach during the summer months. Swim between the red and yellow flags, which designate safe and supervised areas.

* The Barham River Estuary offers more safe swimming and picnic facilities.

The Apollo Bay Market, with local produce, crafts and musical entertainment, is held on the foreshore every Saturday morning.

* Apollo Bay Surf and Kayak offers a whole slew of adventures including surf lessons, kayaking trips to the Marengo Seal Sanctuary, snorkelling, rock pool rambles, fishing, body board and mountain bike hire.

* Apollo Bay is also the start (or end) of the fabulous Great Ocean Walk. Walk 91 provides transport, rental and transfers of camping gear, food provisions, camping reservations and B&B accommodation.

* Enjoy the free Kennett River Koala Walk, just off the Great Ocean Road in the hamlet of Kennett River between Lorne and Apollo Bay.

WHERE TO STAY/EAT:

Chris’ Beacon Point on rolling green hills above Skenes Creek between Apollo Bay and Lorne, has the best view of the Great Ocean Road both from its delightful Mediterranean-inspired restaurant and its villas and studios.

The dog friendly Coast Cottages are located on a 42-hectare farm, which is also an injured and orphaned wildlife centre, overlooking the Great Ocean Walk and Bass Strait. Of the four cottages, the split-level 2 bedroom Seanook with a large deck and wood stove, and the original stone cottage with open fireplace and mezzanine sleeping loft, are the most appealing. Each cottage has its own private track through farmland to the Great Ocean Walk

Chocolate Gannets luxury self-contained two-bedroom Sea Villas are directly opposite a beautiful sandy beach, not far from Apollo Bay.

Whitecrest Great Ocean Road Resort offers a range of studio, 1-3 bed apartments, with decks and wood stoves, as well as a swimming pool, tennis court, and billiards room right across the road from the beach between Apollo Bay and Lorne.

For budget accommodation it’s hard to go past the passive-solar, architect-designed Eco Beach YHA hostel with spacious lounges, outdoor balconies, and rooftop deck offering spectacular views across the bay.

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  Photo by libodyssey
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  Photo by taki Lau
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  Photo by Robert Blackburn