Airbnb is a familiar name to many. This online marketplace has thousands of listings ranging from single rooms to entire villas, with different experiences catering to every interest. Over the years, more and more people have opted to stay at Airbnbs instead of hotels due to a couple of reasons.
Stays at Airbnb apartments are usually more affordable and they offer more authentic experiences for individuals as compared to hotels as travellers get to interact with natives in a localized setting – a great way to soak in the culture of the country.
To further allow travellers to immerse in the cultural activities of the country, Airbnb launched Experiences in Nov 2016, a feature that allows hosts to offer tours and events, such as city tours and cooking classes to interested parties. Some common experiences offered include cooking classes, tours around the city with locals and even photography sessions (perfect for solo travellers who have set their hearts on wanting good photos).
We have always wanted to visit the Great Ocean Road and we did that on our most recent trip to Australia, Melbourne! We looked through some of the various tours offered online but they did not manage to catch our eyes. Luckily, we came across an Airbnb Experience which fitted most of our criteria and we decided to give it a shot.
How does Airbnb Experiences Work?
It’s really similar to any other booking you’ve done on Airbnb. You search for a kind of activity you’re interested in and sign up for it. In our case, we simply searched for ‘Great Ocean Road’ and we ended up with a list of experiences to choose from.
The best part of Airbnb is that one can read the numerous reviews left by people who have been through the same experience. Some users will even post their reviews with photos, so one can really get a sneak peek of how the entire experience will be like.
Your host will send you a text message regarding the meeting details a few days before the meetup – ours even went all the way out by suggesting what to wear based on the weather.
Our Host for The Day
Rich and Matt were our travel guides for the Airbnb Experience which we had signed up for. Rich started TripFit because he was sick of sitting in front of a desk all day. Despite having the word ‘fit’ in his business name, you don’t have to worry about their experiences being too intense.
Some experiences include sipping wine in Yarra Valley or visiting a day spa at the Shire of Mornington Peninsula. Chill and pretty relaxing, don’t they seem to you?
Our hosts were born and raised in Australia, so they really know the country inside out.
Driving Towards the Great Ocean Road
Our Airbnb experience started at 6.30 am, a tad earlier than most tours. The silver lining about leaving the city at 6.30 am – no one is awake, hence fewer crowds to deal with. We managed to return to the city before the skies turned dark, which meant more time to soak in the nightlife in Melbourne.
One thing we absolutely loved about this Airbnb Experience was the short pit stop we made along the 2-hour drive. The hosts prepared coffee for us (in reusable cups of course – save the earth!) and freshly home-baked banana bread for breakfast. 😋
It was also a time when we got to interact and learn more about the rest of the tour members.
The 12 Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge
The 12 Apostles is widely known as the highlight of the entire Great Ocean Road stretch. However, it is also one of the furthest spots away from the city of Melbourne. Most tours would mark the 12 Apostles as one of the final spots to visit before making their way back to the city. For those in tour groups, one can expect a boardwalk filled with tourists trying to squeeze their way to the lookout point.
As the saying goes, “The early bird catches the worm.” We managed to avoid the sandwiching between crowds due to an early drive to the 12 Apostles at 630am.
Our first official stop of the day was a secret lookout point that large bus tours could not drive into. This made the tour feel more special as we got to visit places others couldn’t.
After touring the secret lookout point, we made our way to the 12 Apostles and we really counted our blessings cause it was not as crowded as what we have imagined! What we loved about our hosts Rich and Matt were that they allowed us to take our time to truly discover and learn about each attraction and be engaged with the site.
And with the clouds slowly clearing up, we headed to our second stop – Loch Ard Gorge. Frankly, we would pick this location over the 12 Apostles as it is more secluded, which meant more privacy for us. Also, since the rock structures were closer to us, the whole landscape felt grander.
Rich and Matt not only gave us a brief on the background and history of these places but also constantly offered to help us snap a few tourists shots and answered all the seemingly silly questions that we had. We were truly impressed with their knowledge and hospitality throughout the whole trip.
Lunch at Apollo Bay
After visiting the main attractions along the Great Ocean Road, it was a 1-hour drive towards Apollo Bay for lunch. As usual, both Rich and Matt proposed some great recommendations for lunch and gave us ample time to explore those areas as well.
We settled for Fish and Chips at the Seafood Café in the end and it is definitely well worth a try if you’re ever in that area.
Feeding Birds and Spotting Koalas
We headed to an area near Kennet River where we could spot wild koalas. According to Rich, 10 out of 10 times, you would be able to spot a Koala.
The tour also provided some bird feed for us to feed the birds nearby. These birds are all from the wild but many of these feathered friends are really friendly. Although, the white cockatoo was warned to be cheeky and more on the aggressive side. Otherwise, expect some bonding time with wild birds landing on your shoulders, arms and even on your heads.
Bonus: We managed to spot a wild Kookaburra here as well!
Temperate Forests, Waterfalls and Ocean Views
Erskine Falls is a waterfall located within a temperate forest in Lorne. It’s roughly a 200 step climb down to the lookout point.
It’s not just about the sightseeing here – it felt like a school excursion for us too! We learnt that the bark of these trees are highly flammable and they act as fuel to the bushfires during summer. This is why bushfires are really difficult to put out.
Along the way back to the city, we casually stopped along the coastal drive to take some photos of the breath-taking views. This wouldn’t have been possible with large tours and is probably one of the more attractive aspects of an Airbnb Experience. We also managed to spot some kangaroos and a rarely sighted Echidna!
Airbnb Adventures and Airbnb Animals
A few days ago, Airbnb launched Airbnb Animal Experiences – accommodating to those interested in animal tourism. If you’re in love with animals, your holidays are about to get even more exciting! Now everyone can Discover Arctic Foxes, Chill with Alpacas in Denver or even Learn Paddleboard with a Corgi.
And if you’re concerned about Animal Rights and Cruelty, do not worry because every single animal experience listed on Airbnb must adhere to the strict guidelines of World Animal Protection Guidelines.
Airbnb Experiences is definitely the next big thing in the tourism industry. With a variation of authentic experiences offered and the simplicity of utilising the platform, it is the perfect alternative platform to guided tours for people who yearn a fuss-free holiday with little planning ahead.