The Great Ocean Ecolodge was delighted to welcome Louisa Emery from Wharf Magazine. You can read about her experience below or visit the Wharf Magazine website to view the full article.
Travel: Victoria
Words: Louisa Emery
Source: Wharf Magazine, UK
Landing in Melbourne following a 23 hour flight from London, I took my great big carbon footprint and earned back a little eco kudos along the Great Ocean Road.
The well-trodden tourist route contains some of Victoria’s most iconic landmarks, provides unrivalled access to Australia’s cuddliest creatures and is home to internationally acclaimed wine producers.
Great Ocean Eco Lodge located close to Cape Otway offers the opportunity to take your conscience on holiday.
Co-founders and dedicated ecologists Lizzie Corke and Shayne Neal poured everything they had – financially and emotionally – into the lodge after buying the land in 2000.
Lizzie said: “We wanted to find a way to make hospitality work with conservation. We planted trees, collect and reuse rainwater and use solar power.
“Our guests range from those who just want to see kangaroos and koalas and people who want to do the ocean walks to someone who just have to see a particular rare bird and those who want to see how sustainability works.”
You can watch kangaroos and kookaburras from the comfort of your bedroom but this is the kind of holiday where it pays to go the extra mile.
Drag yourself from your slumber at dawn and enjoy uninterrupted wildlife in the lodge’s extensive grounds or get an early start on a section of the Great Ocean Walk – 104km of coastline.
Coming down to breakfast I was confronted by the couple cuddled up to a baby koala and wallaby, both orphaned and being hand-reared at the centre. The chance to get that close to such fascinating creatures was a real treat.
The mix of guests is international and diverse. Dining is communal which is great for sharing experiences and receiving suggestions for the next day’s activity. The meals are imaginative and filling and use produce grown in the kitchen garden.
After dinner you can curl up and continue conversation over a glass of wine by the fire. A maximum of 10 guests will be staying at any one time – enough for company but not too much as to be crowded.
For those who want to find out more, Shayne’s twilight walks are a must. The centre has just received funding for new projects and has just been awarded highly commended by the international Responsible Travel Awards.
It is about an hour’s drive to the Great Ocean Road’s famous limestone monoliths The Twelve Apostles and from there you soak up the photogenic site all the way to Adelaide.