Practicalities
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay, Port O’Call at 37 Lord St is a good, inexpensive motel, while the Southern Ocean Motor Inn on Lord Street is more upmarket and has a good licensed restaurant. The Port Campbell National Park Cabin & Caravan Park on Tregea Street offers on-site vans and beachside cabins.
Places to eat include the bistro at the Port Campbell Hotel on Lord Street (daily lunch and dinner), the Great Australian Bite, on Lord Street opposite the beach; and the Port Campbell Take Away Cafe. For a bit more of a choice, and good coffee, go to Emma’s Tearooms at 25 Lord St (Thurs–Sun 11am–11pm) or the Bakers Oven and Coffeehouse opposite, in the building just in front of the Shipwreck Museum.
Tourists could once walk across the double-arched rock formation known as London Bridge, a short distance west of Port Campbell, to the outer end facing the sea. In mid-January 1990, however, the outer span collapsed and fell into the sea, minutes after two very lucky people had crossed it – they were eventually rescued from the far limestone cliff by helicopter. Another good place to stop, just before Peterborough, is the Grotto, where a path leads from the clifftop to a rock pool beneath an archway.
Moving on, you pass through undulating dairy country on the last stretch of the Great Ocean Road from Peterborough, on Curdies Inlet, to Warrnambool. There’s little to detain you along the route, although if you’re a cheese fan you might consider a detour to TIMBOON, 18km inland from Port Campbell: at Timboon Farmhouse Cheese (daily 10am–4pm), on the corner of Ford and Fells roads, you can taste and buy excellent, biodynamic cheese and wine.