Warrnambool to Johanna Beach: The Great Ocean Road

This section of the road was quite a drive, with the first lot of really winding roads and where we saw a lot of the sights that makes The Great Ocean Road so popular. It was spectacular scenery for much of the way and thankfully, the rain cleared up and we had great views and sunshine. It was a bit windy, but you can't have everything can you?! We had a recommendation to visit Cape Schank lighthouse which is in the Great Otway national park and on the way, we noticed a couple of people had stopped beside the road, pointing their cameras into the trees. They had seen koalas snuggled amidst the branches so we quickly pulled over to have a look. They didn't seem too bothered by us and one of them woke up for a moment and blinkingly looked at me as if to say "I was having a really good dream until you came along." Thankfully, they didn't make the noise of our previous koala encounter in the Narrawong forest nor did they aim their poop in our general direction. In fact, they were more interested in rearranging themselves in the trees to continue their sleep and who can blame them? They looked so comfy and it was early morning after all. On arrival at the lighthouse, we climbed the spiral stairs to the top to hear the stories of the shipwreck coast and the history of the lighthouse and admire the spectacular views. We also took time to wonder around to see some former defences and communications from WWII as well as some Aboriginal artefacts and information which was all fascinating.
Onwards to The Great Ocean Road and we saw the incredibly beautiful rock formations that make this coast so dramatic. The Bay of Islands, the Grotto, the Arch and of course, The Twelve Apostles. We didn't stop at London Bridge as it's no longer a bridge, it collapsed in the early 90's leaving two tourists stranded! All these sights are absolutely stunning rock formations caused by the unrelenting winds and the waves of The Southern Ocean pounding the cliffs. Apparently, Australia is the only country to recognise The Southern Ocean, so to the pommies reading, it's the Indian Ocean, OK? This is what we've read here so if in fact you are a pom that recognises it, please let us know!! There aren't Twelve Apostles but more like 9, apparently they were given the name to make them more appealing to tourists, something which was pretty successful judging by the number of people there.
That night we stopped at Johanna beach, a free campsite that was nestled in the hills next to a beautiful sandy beach. The relentless wind and strong currents meant it was too dangerous to swim but we had a paddle before setting up camp for the night.