Destination: ON THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD

Australia's Shipwreck Coast

Take a trip through history on the Great Ocean Road

THE RAGING Southern Ocean crashes into London Arch, a sandstone formation on Australia's rugged Shipwreck Coast.

 ON THE GREAT OCEAN ROAD, Australia -- The Loch Ard was one of the prettiest ships afloat. With its towering square-rigged sails, the 87-metre three-masted clipper cast a striking outline on the horizon.

 The ultimate in sailing ships, the Loch Ard carried 17 passengers in first-class comfort and a crew of 36 on a three-month voyage from England.

 Bound for Melbourne, the first land sighted on June 1, 1878, was not the Cape Otway Lighthouse the captain had expected. Instead, because of inaccurate readings due to thick fog and being caught in the eye of a southeaster, the Loch Ard was driven onto a reef extending from Mutton Bird Island.

 Heavy seas

 Heavy seas pounded the ship unmercifully and, just 60 km from the mainland, the magnificent vessel's iron hull broke in two and sank. Two persons survived, plus a stunning Minton Pottery peacock that was bound for display in Melbourne's Great International Exhibition of 1880.

 The life-size peacock is now exhibited at the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool (from an Aborigine word meaning "plenty of water"). Australia's most famous shipwreck treasure is housed in its own building in the superb open-air museum, part of a recreated 19th-century coastal port. Built around two gleaming lighthouses that stand alert as stately as a tall ship's mast, the museum chronicles the colourful maritime history back to the mysterious Mahogany Ship, which sank in 1522.

 The sinking of the mystery ship and Loch Ard are included in the toll of more than 700 ships and hundreds of lives lost along the reef-ringed coast of southern Australia. Victims of violent weather, human error and the rugged coastline, the Shipwreck Coast -- the 130-km stretch between Moonlight Head and Port Fairy -- is one of the most treacherous navigational coastlines in the world. And one of the most harshly beautiful.

 Winding along the wild, haunting coastline is the Great Ocean Road. Regarded as one of the most scenic coastal drives in the world, the Great Ocean Road runs through pretty holiday towns, along sheer limestone cliffs, and cuts through lush subtropical rain forests.

 Endless vista

 Kilometre after glorious kilometre, the sea and coastline create an endless vista of nature's fury, a dramatic canvas that changes constantly with the light, weather and scolding winds that have travelled thousands of miles from Antarctica.

 Built by pick and shovel as a memorial to veterans of the First World War, the Great Ocean Road was opened to traffic in 1932. The Country Roads Board proposed that the route be "a tourist road of world repute, equalling that of California." It wasn't an exaggeration.

 One of the most spectacular sights is the Twelve Apostles, a series of limestone stacks in the ocean that have weathered away over time. Originally a dozen formations, with many rising over 65 metres above the ocean, the erosion by wind, rain and raging sea has reduced the imposing giants to nine. A dramatic outcrop nearby is the Loch Ard Gorge, a mighty limestone memorial standing guard over its sleeping giant.

 A seaside village that mushrooms with tourists in summer, Lorne is one of the most popular resort towns along the Great Ocean Road. Nestled between headlands of the Otway Ranges at the mouth of the Erskine River, the village is sheltered from the stormy Southern Ocean. Mountjoy Parade is the main drag, named after two brothers who in 1868 built the original Erskine House. A magnet in summer is the annual "Pier to Pub Swim," which lures swimmers from across Australia. International competitors are attracted to the Otway Classic Foot Race, a contest that tests endurances in the demanding mountain ranges.

 Apollo Bay is the gateway to Otway National Park, home to rare birds such as the king parrot, powerful owl and the satin bower. The park has several walking trails where visitors can enjoy the cool subtropical forest, and the star of the park, a 400-year-old myrtle beech tree.

 Farther along the Great Ocean Road at the Hermitage Cafe and Wine Bar, stars in the southern hemisphere glow brilliantly over a darkened terrace.

 "The electricity will come back on soon, I hope," says Phillipa Treadwell, a winemaker with the Coonawarra Vignerons Association. "Electrical failures are common here in South Australia but they usually don't last long."

 After a wine-tasting tour of the vineyards, no one seems to mind the inconvenience in the heart of Australia's premium wine district. Over a carafe of fine cabernet merlot, I enjoy a memorable dinner of yabby chowder, smoked kangaroo and steamed-grape pudding with butterscotch sauce.

 Oldest town

 At the edge of the vineyard some 60 km from the sea is the village of Penola. The oldest town in the southeast, Penola was the home of Mother Mary McKillop. Founder of the Sisters of St. Joseph and a longtime school teacher in Penola, Mother Mary McKillop has been beatified by the Vatican, one of the final steps toward making her Australia's first saint.

 Beyond the Great Ocean Road and midway between Penola and Adelaide is Camp Coorong, a cultural centre and home of the Ngarrindjeri people. Separated from the sea by a sandbill peninsula, the Coorong is a sanctuary for some 400 species of birdlife, including the endangered orange-bellied parrot and white-faced heron, as well as being a breeding ground for the Australian pelican.

 "We can read the weather forecast better from pelicans than the TV weatherman," says Tom Trevorrow, an Aborigine cultural teacher and manager of the only cultural centre in Australia.

 Trevorrow was born and raised on the reserve, a natural bushland that has been home to his people "for eternity."

 "Archaeologists talk about huge kangaroos and wombats the size of hippos that inhabited Australia a million years ago," Trevorrow says. "Our ancestors have handed down those stories for years because our people lived here then. In our culture we never had years, dates or times. We've always been here."

 And long before the first shipwreck.  

 GETTING THERE: Sydney is Australia's main international gateway and can be reached through several carriers from Toronto such as Canada 3000 or Air Canada. Return airfare starts at $1,279.

 WHEN TO VISIT: Most visitors travel during the December to March period when it's summer Down Under. The Top End is either wet or dry, and is always hot. "The Dry" from April through November is the preferred season to visit the Top End.

 GREAT OCEAN ROAD: The Great Ocean Road stretches 550 km from Geelong to Mt. Gambier.

 ACCOMMODATIONS: A variety of five-star international hotels along with chain and budget hotels are available. Air-inclusive packages are recommended for best rates.

 MORE INFO: Call the Australian Tourist Commission at 1-800-333-0139. Visit the Internet site at http://www.australia.com/.

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