Apollo Bay

Apollo Bay Vic 3233 (Pop 1 900) 
Pic: by Dustin M Ramsey

Apollo Bay is a pretty coastal town located on a spectacular stretch of the Great Ocean Road. Located 196 km s-w of Melbourne, the proximity to the Otway NP results in contrasting rolling green hills and a rugged coastline. Timber cutters settled here in 1850s with the town first named Kambruk then renamed after a local schooner. Like many nearby towns, Apollo Bay has seen its fair share of early shipwrecks. The completion of the Great Ocean Road (1933) ensured the town’s future in tourism and it is also an important fishing port. Foreshore markets each Sat. Apollo Bay Music Festival (Mar), Aquathon (Dec).  

Tourist Attractions & Info:
Old Cable Station Museum, Great Ocean Rd excellent displays and memorabilia of the area’s local and telecommunications history. Open (2pm-5pm) weekends. Bass Strait Shell Museum, Noel St home to an amazing collection of shells as well as local marine life information. 

Nearby:
Mariners Lookout (1.5 km n-w) stunning views. Otway NP (13 km s-w) remarkable 13 000 ha park containing some of Victoria’s most rugged stretches of coastline particularly near Cape Otway and its historic lighthouse (1848). Bushwalkers may be rewarded by sighting various species of wildlife found here including the rare tiger quoll. Otway Fly (62 km n-w) recently constructed steel walkway standing 25 m high and spanning 600 m over the rainforest canopy. Flora & fauna can often be spied from this height and vantage point. Melba Gully State Park (47 km n-w) stunning reserve of rainforests, fern gullies and glow worms in the evening.

Accommodation:
Apollo Bay has a dozen motels, 3 hotels, 3 B&Bs, many holiday apartments/cottages, 6 caravan parks and a backpackers. Visitor Information Centre: 100 Great Ocean Rd. Tel (03) 5237 6529.