When I’m looking for a location to go to for a shoot the Great Ocean Road is nearly always at the top of my list. It really is an area that ticks nearly every box that a landscape photographer looks for – seascapes, forests, waterfalls and layers of rocky terrain. I think it would be harder to not be aware of some of the more famous attractions that are peppered along the coast. Locations such as the 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge tend to gather a large tourist crowd and yet they still make great spots for a photo without people getting in the way.

It’s not all coastline however. A large portion of the Great Ocean Road is surrounded by temperate rainforest. Here grows the Myrtle Beech tree. This is a tree that can grow many limbs that create abstract shapes covered in moss and ferns, the perfect scenario for forest landscape photography. All this is a short drive along the coast.

A little further inland and deeper into the beech forest takes you to an area full of waterfalls. Some of the larger and more grand have easy access such as Hopetoun Falls and Beauchamp Falls. However if you are keen for some off the track exploring there is an almost endless supply of cascades that make their way down to the ocean.

Further to landscape photography there’s a multitude of wildlife to see down the Great Ocean Road as well. From Seals, kangaroos, koalas through to pelicans and penguins. Incorporating them into a landscape photo is a trick in itself but highly rewarding.

It almost feels like a photographer’s dream to have all of this available that can realistically be seen within a day (though much better done in 2-3).