Four days, 1287.9km and over 1,300 shutter actuations!

That was my extended weekend on the road with Tim Northey and Ford Australia…

About eight weeks ago, I posted a photo of the Black Spur on Instagram and my good buddy and Sydney-based photographer Tim Northey commented - “I need to visit the Black Spur again”. My simple reply “Do It!” quickly turned into planning a four day Victorian Winter Road Trip!

With so many amazing locations in Victoria, both in-land and coastal, we had had to plan a route that allowed us to minimise driving time while hitting as many locations across the state at sunrise and sunset as possible.

Naturally our first stop was the Black Spur…

DAY 1: BLACK SPUR / THE GRAMPIANS

With sunrise at 730 we hit the road at 600 in a hope to get a glimpse of some morning fog in the Black Spur before the sun started to burn it off. A balmy 8 degrees (and a no signs of fog along the way!) it wasn’t looking promising… but as we turned that final bend before getting to that insta famous Black Spur fire road the wind turned and started to push through some low cloud. The fog hung around long enough to combine with some amazing light and provide incredible rays - a successful start to the trip!

With the sun up high in the sky it was time to embark on the longest leg of the trip; a four hour drive to Halls Gap and the Grampians National Park. A drive made very comfortable thanks to our friends at Ford Australia and the brand new Everest 4WD. We arrived in the late afternoon, checked into our accommodation and head straight out for sunset at Reed's Lookout. With an easy 5 minute walk from the carpark and views over Victoria Valley, Lake Wartook, Victoria, Serra, and the Mt Difficult Range it is a sunset favourite for anyone visiting The Grampians.

We were treated to some beautiful clear skys and golden light.

DAY 2: THE GRAMPIANS / GREAT OCEAN ROAD

Day two began 924m above the Grampians National Park at Boroka lookout . While I was hoping for some thick fog below the lookout, Tim was chasing fast moving clouds and lots colour for the perfect time-lapse. Unfortunately, neither of us got what we were after - but with golden light-filled images like the now below, who can complain?

A beautiful sunrise, breakfast and coffee, it was once again time to hit the road - our destination: The Great Ocean Road. Our plan was to spend two nights based at the Clifton Beach Lodge in Princetown. - just a 10 - 15 minute drive from all the icons of the Great Ocean Road - Loch Are Gorge, 12 Apostles Lookout, Gibson’s Steps and The Grotto being amongst the favourites.

The Ford Everest somewhere along the way…

For our first sunset along the Great Ocean Road we made our way to Lock Ard Gorge. With some heavy cloud cover we had to make the most of a 5 minute window where the sun broke through and lit up the sky with pinks and purples!

After a short lived sunset it was time to head back to the accomodation, have a feed, download the content of our SD cards and wait out the clouds in a hope to catch the milky way over the 12 Apostles.

As luck would have it the sky did clear up - and at around midnight we were treated to a perfectly clear sky.

DAY 3: GREAT OCEAN ROAD / THE OTWAYS

After just a few hours sleep we were up for another sunrise and back at the 12 Apostles lookout. In addition to shooting the classic views I also tried for the first time panning the incoming waves with sunrise on the horizon - the result a nice mix of pastels and white streaks from the breaking water.

From there, we headed for the Otways (about a 50minute drive) with the hope of visiting the California Redwoods and one of the three waterfalls situated close by. First stop: Triplet Falls which we managed to shoot just as the clouds began to clear providing a nice combination of mood and sunshine. Unfortunately the sun hung around for our visit to the Redwoods which didn’t really work for the dark vibe we were trying to capture. We decided to make it a short visit and try our luck again on the way home the next day.

For sunset we had planned to shoot Gibson’s Steps, but as luck ( good, or bad ) would have it the beach access was closed due to high tide and poor weather conditions. Plan B was to once again shoot from the 12 Apostles lookout and it did not disappoint.

DAY 4: GREAT OCEAN ROAD / THE OTWAYS

After almost abandoning our sunrise mission to The Grotto due to poor weather conditions, we decided to persist - and lucky we did! What an amazing last minute show of colour. I got a little more than I bargained for, however, leaving with a boot full of water after a freak wave and fast rise in tide captured below in the image by Tim.

Back to Clifton Beach Lodge for breakfast and a dry pair of socks, we packed up our things and begun the drive back to Melbourne via the Otways. We again visited the California Redwoods (this time with perfect moody vibes) and the Beech Forest classic, Hopetoun Falls. The previous weeks rain fall combined with the cloud cover made for ideal conditions.

A nearly three hour drive back to Melbourne with a few full SD cards it was safe to say it was a successful trip. Big thanks to Ford Australia and Ryan at Clifton Beach Lodge for the support.

Hope you enjoyed following our journey around Victoria. If you have any questions about our trip feel free to ask in the comments below.

Follow Tim (@tk_north) and myself (@julianlallo) on Instagram for more images…