Australia
Great Ocean Road
Limestone apostles crumble into furious surf while the road clings to cliffs above.
Limestone stacks crumble into the Southern Ocean in geological real-time; one apostle collapsed in 2005 while tourists watched. The road clings to cliffs above, carved from rock by returned soldiers as a memorial to their mates. Every bend reveals a different ocean.
The Great Ocean Road runs for roughly 240 kilometres along Victoria's south-west coast and was built by returned servicemen in the years following the First World War as a memorial. Limestone stacks and arches along the Port Campbell coast continue to erode, while plaques and walking routes interpret a shoreline known for hundreds of shipwrecks. Inland, the Otway Ranges add temperate rainforest, waterfalls and walks among myrtle beech and tree ferns.
Solo
Drive in short sections with fatigue managed, using formed lookouts and inland walks to break up the coastal road.
Couple
Share cliff lookouts, lighthouse country and a slow overnight route rather than racing between headline stops.
Friends
Take turns driving and leave room for surf towns, short walks and weather changes along the coast.
- Limestone stacks, arches and cliffs show erosion still reshaping the Port Campbell coast.
- Shipwreck stories and memorials give the ocean road a human history beyond its viewpoints.
- Otway rainforest walks bring myrtle beech, tree ferns and waterfalls close to the surf.
- Roadside towns and longer walking sections reward a multi-day route rather than a rushed day trip.
Apollo Bay's fishermen's co-operative has stood over its harbour since 1948, the last working fishing harbour on the road.
Southern rock lobster, flake and calamari come off Bass Strait boats straight to its counter.
Shimanami Kaido
Japan
Six islands strung across the Inland Sea on a bicycle lane suspended over blue.
Höga Kusten (High Coast)
Sweden
Cliffs still rising from the sea as the land rebounds from vanished ice sheets.
Cat Ba Island
Vietnam
Deep-water soloing island where limestone overhangs lean out over Ha Long's karst sea.
Silfra Fissure
Iceland
Snorkelling in liquid crystal through a tectonic rift between the American and Eurasian plates.
Karijini National Park
Australia
Red-and-black iron bands plunge towards cold pools inside narrow Pilbara chasms.
Kings Canyon (Watarrka)
Australia
Sheer 100-metre walls hide the Garden of Eden; palms and permanent water in the desert.
El Questro
Australia
Warm springs hide beneath palms while red gorges split a working Kimberley cattle station.
Nitmiluk (Katherine Gorge)
Australia
Sandstone gorges unfold along the Katherine River through cruises, portages and high walks.