The list of places that can compete with the beauty of Australia’s southern coast is short, and in an effort to see as much of it as I can, today I’m tackling the Great Ocean Road.
This 150-mile scenic route, hewn from sheer rock above the Southern Ocean southwest of Melbourne, was built largely by soldiers returning from World War I, and it’s dedicated to their fallen comrades, making it the world’s longest war memorial. I feel the historical impact right from the start, as I pass under the Memorial Arch, a log gateway that signals the unofficial beginning of the trip.
The road traverses cliff faces, wind-whipped headlands, golden beaches, and lush rain forests, but I have to remind myself to keep my eyes on the narrow, twisting road—especially with the left-hand traffic! Fortunately, the responsive sports handling of my Audi SQ5 helps me hug tight to those curves.
A few minutes down the road, I pull into the town of Lorne, where I stop for a chicken jaffle—the Australian equivalent of a toastie—at HAH Lornebeach, a beachside café that serves sustainable food and also rents surfboards and paddleboards. After breakfast, I make a stop just outside town, at Erskine Falls. A short walk brings me to a viewpoint where I watch the cascade crash 100 feet into a fern-lined gully.
Next, I’m off to meet some local critters. At Wildlife Wonders, a 30-plus-acre conservation center just beyond the town of Apollo Bay, I wander through a eucalyptus forest, its canopy dotted with sleepy koalas. Continuing on, I follow a boardwalk through a verdant gorge populated with small marsupials (knee-high Tasmanian pademelons and rabbit-size long-nose potoroos) before reaching a broad grassland occupied by wallabies, kangaroos, and emus.
My next destination is the most famous attraction on the Great Ocean Road. Located within Port Campbell National Park, the Twelve Apostles comprise a series of magnificent limestone stacks that rise dramatically from the ocean floor. To get a closer look, I hike down the cliffside Gibson Steps to the beach, then continue along to the turquoise pool known as The Grotto, before reaching Loch Ard Gorge, the site of a notorious 19th-century shipwreck.
I’m out of gas by the end of that hike, but the Audi has enough fuel left to get me to the town of Port Fairy and the Oak & Anchor Hotel. Visitors have been spending the night at this heritage-listed venue since 1857, and I’ll be doing the same—after I enjoy the Mediterranean-style cuisine at the hotel restaurant and a spectacular Southern Ocean sunset, of course.
The Car
2023 Audi SQ5
Melding luxurious interior design with sporty performance and family-size seating capacity, the Audi SQ5 is the ideal vehicle for a drive along the serpentine Great Ocean Road. The light SUV’s turbocharged V6 engine churns out 349 horsepower, while the eight-speed Tiptronic transmission, all-wheel drive, and five-link front and rear suspension ensure that you’ll be in complete control, no matter how curvy or tight the road gets. The quilted-leather sport seats, meanwhile, will keep you and your passengers comfortable for the whole journey.
From $56,500; audiusa.com
