Come rain, hail or shine it’s always great on the Great Ocean Road
A couple of things became very clear on arrival. One was that we would spend the weekend dodging showers as each front released itself from the Otways. Second was that we had found ourselves in no better a place to watch it all unfold. The outlook from almost every room is nothing short of spectacular.
And so our weekend unfolded. Sneaking down to the pristine Fairhaven beach for a stroll either side of a spot of tennis or board game. Shooting up the road for a latte at the Lighthouse cafe followed by a longboard session at Point Roadknight. There was plenty of action.
Having lived in the region for over 20 years, but rarely spending overnighters on the coast, and certainly not in houses with such amazing outlooks, it got me thinking…
The thing about The Otways is that when bad weather hits, it tends to all come from south westerly weather patterns. These roar up from the southern ocean making landfall anywhere from Portland to Cape Otway. Following this they tend to bank up in behind The Great Otway National Park until they build enough mass to demand release. The joy of this is that while these fronts build in the hinterland, the east facing coast between Torquay and Cape Otway, often bask in sunny clear skies. As the fronts start to release, it is common to see incredible rainbows dancing their way into the ocean. It is also common that these weather patterns come hand in hand with strong swell lines as far as the eye can see. It’s also common to see ship sheltering from the storms.
We witnessed this time and time again across the 3 days we spent at Windform House, allowing us to enjoy every moment as it came by. It was truly a fantastic weekend and one that forever reminds us that the Great Ocean Road can be just as ‘great’ in rain, hail or shine. And it did…