Mmmm. If I had a thousand dollars where would I go. On the one hand, this is a difficult question, but on the other, deep down in my heart, I shouted the answer right away - Australia. I am writing this text specifically for the If I had $ 1000 contest.
I don't know why, but for many years now I have considered this country a paradise on our planet. And this is even despite the fact that there are many living beings with which they scare us on the Internet with the text "they want to kill you!"
You close your eyes to this when you look at photographs, read interesting notes about travels on this continent and when you just want to sit on a beach with almost untouched nature. A dream so completely! I've looked at enough of the posts on @Pinmapple and I've put together the perfect itinerary for the week in Australia. Although in fact, I understand that it is necessary to go there for several months. And thousands of dollars will not be enough 😂
Having studied the places in Australia for several years, I decided that on the first trip I would rent a car for a few days and drive the Great Ocean Road. And I want something like this.
For those who don't know the Great Ocean Road, Australia's iconic road route and one of the most scenic tracks in the world. It stretches for 243 kilometres along the coast from the town of Torquay to Allansford. Travelling the Great Ocean Road is not just about ocean and traffic. There are a lot of cool places, surf beaches, viewpoints. You drive from town to town, visit national parks, admire lighthouses and waterfalls, meet koalas and kangaroos. Then you can stop, eat, sit in local pubs, buy souvenirs and move on! I am sure that this impression will last a lifetime.
Next, I will touch on a few places that I dream to visit without fail. Ready?
Torquay
Torquay is a coastal city 95 km southwest of Melbourne, the official start of the Great Ocean Road. Here is the famous surfer beach Bells Beach - a mecca for surfers from all over the world. Bells Beach has hosted the prestigious surfing competition Rip Curl Pro every year since 1961.
In Torquay, everything is steeped in the surfer subculture. There is even an Australian National Surfing Museum (77 Beach Road, Torquay, Victoria). This is where I will begin my journey. Although I am not a surfer, I always look with admiration at people who can conquer the waves.
Memorial Arch
Memorial Arch is a memorial to the victims of the First World War. A monument to the builders of the road is erected next to the wooden arch. In 1919, they were three thousand Australian soldiers who had recently returned from the war. The arch bears the inscription Great Ocean Road. A century ago, the route was called the South Coast Road. She connected remote settlements of the coast, between which there was only water communication.
In different sources, there is a story about how in 1924 the steamship "Casino" landed on the reefs near the construction site. Onboard he had a very interesting cargo: 500 barrels of beer and 120 barrels of drinking alcohol. The workers "saved" the good, which caused the work to stop for two weeks.
Lighthouse at Cape Otway
The Cape Otway Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse on the Australian continent. It was built in 1848 and regularly serves to this day (now not the lighthouse itself, however, but a small building next to it) where the ships sailing to Melbourne once needed it - on the rocky shores in this place the waters of the Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean meet.
Water spaces here are quite dangerous (the place was also called then “the eye of the needle”) and before the appearance of the lighthouse, there were several shipwrecks with numerous victims. After the construction of the lighthouse, the first thing that was seen by ships with thousands of immigrants heading to Melbourne from Europe and finally reaching the shores of Australia was Cape Otway with its burning lighthouse.
Cape Otway Lighthouse is not just a lighthouse, but an entire territory, which is a museum complex. In addition to the lighthouse itself, there is a lot more interesting and informative - a telegraph station, a small cottage, in which information stands and photographs hang on the walls telling about the history of this place. And, of course, how without a gorgeous landscape around? By the way, as I read, the road to the lighthouse is located in a eucalyptus forest and you can easily see koalas 😍
Twelve Apostles
Initially, this area of Australia was called "Pig and Piglets", but the authorities considered this name unattractive and in 1922 renamed it "Twelve Apostles", although in fact there were only nine stone rocks at that time. Their calculation was justified, and now a large number of tourists come here. In 2005, the forces of nature brought down one of the "apostles" and now there are eight of them. In 1964, the cliffs were incorporated into the Port Campbell National Park, created to protect the unique limestone formations. The modern territory of the reserve covers 17.5 km².
They say that in order to fully enjoy all the colours and shades of the rocks, as well as to take wonderful photographs, it is recommended to come here at sunset when the sun illuminates the “apostles” with orange flowers with reddish tints.
Despite their beauty, the rocks of the Twelve Apostles also have a bad reputation. More than 700 ships sank here, and the exact number of the dead has never been calculated. Some interesting shipwreck sites are considered historical monuments, they are marked with special signs along the route. You can see more photos in this post from the user 
By the way, I want to combine a visit to the Twelve Apostles with visiting other attractions in Port Campbell Park. These include the London Arch, Gibson Steps, Loch Ard, and Te Grotto sinkhole.
And this, by the way, is a very short list of places that can be visited on the Great Ocean Road. If you believe those who have been there, you can make stops almost every 10 minutes, because a new beautiful place opens up around every turn. Definitely, Australia is my dream ❤️