Sunday 24th March 2013
Geelong is only a day's ride from Melbourne, but I don't want to end the tour yet, so rather than continuing on to Melbourne I headed in a north-easterly direction towards Ballarat and the Gold and Spa country.
It looked like a nice easy day's riding ahead, along the Midland Highway which proved to be straight, well surfaced, and with a nice wide shoulder. However, unfortunately there was a ferocious headwind blowing against me for the whole journey and it was a real slog. Also there was nothing of note worth stopping to photograph on the way.
I reached Ballarat around 1630, fairly exhausted. There's a lot to see here so I will be staying here 2 nights. I'll post some photos tomorrow once I have had a chance to explore this very interesting and historical city.
Distance today 94kms, total so far 1439kms.
Here is the updated route map -unfortunately Google maps now seems to be splitting it into 2 pages. I will try and sort this out but meanwhile you can scroll down the directions and click on Page 2 to see the latest section.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Lorne to Geelong
From Lorne heading east the Great Ocean Road became distinctly busier, due to weekend traffic; however the shoulder also became wider so it felt reasonably safe despite the tight bends and blind corners.
12kms from Lorne is the Memorial Arch, commemorating the Great Ocean Road's completion, with a statue of two of the workmen, note that they only had picks and shovels, no mechanical tools.
Also note in this photo, the house in the background; much of this section of the coast has been developed and there are some real architectural monstrosities.
About 5kms further I reached Airey's Inlet, where there was a lighthouse on a hill which gave great views of the coastline:
Bells Beach, at 40kms, is home to one of Australia's major surfing competitions:
I reached Geelong, a large city on the waterfront of Corio Bay, around 1630 and spent some time in the National Wool Museum before finding a place to stay in a comfortable motel. Took a brief look at the waterfront which had some interesting sculptures.
Distance today 78kms, total for the tour 1345kms.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Apollo Bay to Lorne
Friday 22nd March 2013
I actually had a rest day yesterday, the first since leaving Adelaide nearly 2 weeks ago. The reason being that the weather yesterday was pretty dodgy. Very high winds, and frequent showers throughout the day. I hate cycling in the rain, and the Great Ocean Rd is narrow and winding and would not be very safe in the wet. Plus, Apollo Bay was an agreeable enough place to spend a day relaxing.
There was very heavy rainfall throughout Thursday night, but by the morning it had stopped and although the sky remained overcast, there was just enough blue showing to encourage me to set off for Lorne, today's destination. Fortunately it remained dry for the whole journey.
The Apollo Bay - Lorne section of the Great Ocean Road is the most spectacular section of the entire journey, where the route is carved into the cliffs as they plunge into the sea.
At various points along the road, sculpture plaques tell the history of the road and how it came to be built by returned WW1 soldiers:
A short walking track after about 30kms led to the Shoak Falls, at this time of the year there isn't much water flowing over them but they are still quite attractive:
I arrived in Lorne, a busy town and a very popular holiday destination, around 1400:
After lunch, I then went for a scenic walk along a well marked route up to Teddy's Lookout:
The walk returned to Lorne via an old tramway route through dense forest; there was once a tramline there to carry timber to the pierhead:
The walk ended back in Lorne, arriving on the beach, where there were lots of surfers in action:
Distance today just 46kms, total so far 1267kms.
Here's a link to the updated map
I actually had a rest day yesterday, the first since leaving Adelaide nearly 2 weeks ago. The reason being that the weather yesterday was pretty dodgy. Very high winds, and frequent showers throughout the day. I hate cycling in the rain, and the Great Ocean Rd is narrow and winding and would not be very safe in the wet. Plus, Apollo Bay was an agreeable enough place to spend a day relaxing.
There was very heavy rainfall throughout Thursday night, but by the morning it had stopped and although the sky remained overcast, there was just enough blue showing to encourage me to set off for Lorne, today's destination. Fortunately it remained dry for the whole journey.
The Apollo Bay - Lorne section of the Great Ocean Road is the most spectacular section of the entire journey, where the route is carved into the cliffs as they plunge into the sea.
At various points along the road, sculpture plaques tell the history of the road and how it came to be built by returned WW1 soldiers:
A short walking track after about 30kms led to the Shoak Falls, at this time of the year there isn't much water flowing over them but they are still quite attractive:
I arrived in Lorne, a busy town and a very popular holiday destination, around 1400:
After lunch, I then went for a scenic walk along a well marked route up to Teddy's Lookout:
The walk returned to Lorne via an old tramway route through dense forest; there was once a tramline there to carry timber to the pierhead:
The walk ended back in Lorne, arriving on the beach, where there were lots of surfers in action:
Distance today just 46kms, total so far 1267kms.
Here's a link to the updated map
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Port Campbell to Apollo Bay
Wednesday 20th March 2013
Another beautiful sunny day, and warmer than yesterday. I left Port Campbell around 0930 and was soon back on the Great Ocean Road, heading east. After about 8kms I reached the Loch Ard Gorge, the scene of a famous shipwreck in 1878:
A few kms further is the Great Ocean Road's most photographed icon, the Twelve Apostles:
I stopped for a drink at Princetown, shown here from the main road:
The road then leaves the coast and turns inland to cross the Otway mountain range, and there was a 19km solid climb, very steep in parts, to the summit at Lavers Hill, a tiny settlement around 420m above sea level, where I stopped again for a well earned drink and a sandwich at the cafe there:
According to the schedule in the Lonely Planet guide the day's journey was meant to end at Lavers Hill; however there was very little of interest there and since it was still only 1430 I decided to continue on with the next day's LP journey, to Apollo Bay, another 50kms away.
There was a long, exhilarating downhill stretch from Lavers Hill, back towards the coast, at Castle Cove:
For the next 10kms the road ran across the pancake-flat floodplain of the Aire River:
I stopped to take a photo of an echidna by the roadside:
There then followed another steep climb for about 5kms, through the tall timbers of the Otway National Park. Near the summit there was a fine boardwalk through spectacular rainforest:
Then I enjoyed another long descent with great views towards the coastline:
I arrived in Apollo Bay, a nice town with plenty of good restaurants and cafes, around 1745.
On the approach to the town I met my 2nd cycle tourist so far since leaving Adelaide. He was an English guy heading in the opposite direction and heading for Adelaide, where I'd started from. He'd begun his journey 2 days ago in Geelong. It was good to stop and swap info about our routes and things to see on the way.
Total distance today was 102kms which included a lot of steep ascents! Total so far for the tour 1221kms.
Another beautiful sunny day, and warmer than yesterday. I left Port Campbell around 0930 and was soon back on the Great Ocean Road, heading east. After about 8kms I reached the Loch Ard Gorge, the scene of a famous shipwreck in 1878:
A few kms further is the Great Ocean Road's most photographed icon, the Twelve Apostles:
I stopped for a drink at Princetown, shown here from the main road:
The road then leaves the coast and turns inland to cross the Otway mountain range, and there was a 19km solid climb, very steep in parts, to the summit at Lavers Hill, a tiny settlement around 420m above sea level, where I stopped again for a well earned drink and a sandwich at the cafe there:
According to the schedule in the Lonely Planet guide the day's journey was meant to end at Lavers Hill; however there was very little of interest there and since it was still only 1430 I decided to continue on with the next day's LP journey, to Apollo Bay, another 50kms away.
There was a long, exhilarating downhill stretch from Lavers Hill, back towards the coast, at Castle Cove:
For the next 10kms the road ran across the pancake-flat floodplain of the Aire River:
I stopped to take a photo of an echidna by the roadside:
There then followed another steep climb for about 5kms, through the tall timbers of the Otway National Park. Near the summit there was a fine boardwalk through spectacular rainforest:
Then I enjoyed another long descent with great views towards the coastline:
I arrived in Apollo Bay, a nice town with plenty of good restaurants and cafes, around 1745.
On the approach to the town I met my 2nd cycle tourist so far since leaving Adelaide. He was an English guy heading in the opposite direction and heading for Adelaide, where I'd started from. He'd begun his journey 2 days ago in Geelong. It was good to stop and swap info about our routes and things to see on the way.
Total distance today was 102kms which included a lot of steep ascents! Total so far for the tour 1221kms.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Warrnambool to Port Campbell
Tuesday 19th March 2013
It was another bright sunny day. I left Warrnambool around 1000 and rode along the Esplanade bike path. At the edge of the town is "Granny's Grave" - the memorial to the first white woman to be buried in this region, back in 1848:
The route east then crosses over the Hopkins River:
After about 10kms I reached the Great Ocean Road - one of the world's most famous tourist routes, renowned for its spectacular coastal scenery. I've been along it before by bus and car but never cycled it and had received mixed advice on it's suitability as a cycle route.
As the photo below shows, it's quite a narrow road, and it has little or no hard shoulder. Also it can get busy at weekends, and is therefore judged by some to be unsafe for cycling.
However, it is one of the routes in the Lonely Planet Cycle Australia Guide, all of which I am trying to complete, so I am going to take my chances. I should complete most of it before the weekend rush, and if it does get really busy I can always bail out at the nearest exit and find an alternative route. Today it was really quiet and the few cars that there were gave me plenty of room.
The scenic rewards are certainly there to be had from this road. First up were the Bay of Islands:
Then a few kms further on, the formation known as the Grotto:
The next stop was the famous London Bridge - when I first visited this spot back in 1988 it was joined to the mainland by a second arch and you could walk across it! The arch collapsed in 1990 leaving 2 people stranded; they had to be winched off by helicopter.
Nearby there was another interesting arch formation:
Around 1530 I reached Port Campbell - seen here from a scenic lookout on the approach to the town:
I found excellent accommodation in a small guest house and had a good steak, followed by a big chocolate dessert, at the hotel overlooking the small harbour.
Distance today 82kms, total so far 1119kms
It was another bright sunny day. I left Warrnambool around 1000 and rode along the Esplanade bike path. At the edge of the town is "Granny's Grave" - the memorial to the first white woman to be buried in this region, back in 1848:
The route east then crosses over the Hopkins River:
After about 10kms I reached the Great Ocean Road - one of the world's most famous tourist routes, renowned for its spectacular coastal scenery. I've been along it before by bus and car but never cycled it and had received mixed advice on it's suitability as a cycle route.
As the photo below shows, it's quite a narrow road, and it has little or no hard shoulder. Also it can get busy at weekends, and is therefore judged by some to be unsafe for cycling.
However, it is one of the routes in the Lonely Planet Cycle Australia Guide, all of which I am trying to complete, so I am going to take my chances. I should complete most of it before the weekend rush, and if it does get really busy I can always bail out at the nearest exit and find an alternative route. Today it was really quiet and the few cars that there were gave me plenty of room.
The scenic rewards are certainly there to be had from this road. First up were the Bay of Islands:
Then a few kms further on, the formation known as the Grotto:
The next stop was the famous London Bridge - when I first visited this spot back in 1988 it was joined to the mainland by a second arch and you could walk across it! The arch collapsed in 1990 leaving 2 people stranded; they had to be winched off by helicopter.
Nearby there was another interesting arch formation:
Around 1530 I reached Port Campbell - seen here from a scenic lookout on the approach to the town:
I found excellent accommodation in a small guest house and had a good steak, followed by a big chocolate dessert, at the hotel overlooking the small harbour.
Distance today 82kms, total so far 1119kms
Dunkeld to Warrnambool
Monday 18th March 2013
It was a beautiful sunny morning and following a quick breakfast at the Mountain View cafe I hit the road heading south from Dunkeld. Here's a view of the cafe, with Mt Sturgeon in the background:
25kms onward I reached Penshurst, where I saw this historic garage facade and was intrigued by the advert for Nash Lafayette cars, and the word "Lubritorium":
It reminded me to give my bicycle chain a good oiling, since I've done nearly 1000kms now since the start of the tour.
The road onward was through fairly unremarkable farmland, until after 80kms I reached Koroit, a historic small town with a lot of signs in Irish, and a distinctive Art Nouveau style hotel:
Here I was able to join the rail trail which links Port Fairy with Warrnambool, my destination for today. The station at Koroit has been restored and the platforms are still in place:
The trail was well marked and easy to follow. The tarmac soon finished and the surface became gravel but it wasn't too rough.
Near Warrnambool the trail ran across a swamp, then it followed a river. Along this section I saw a large brown snake, about a metre long, on the path, unfortunately it slithered off before I could get a photo.
The rail trail eventually joined a coastal path for the final kilometre or so into Warrnambool:
After riding around the town for a while, I checked into the Colonial Village Motel which was pretty good, and had a pleasant meal at a Thai restaurant.
Distance today 122kms, total so far 1037kms.
It was a beautiful sunny morning and following a quick breakfast at the Mountain View cafe I hit the road heading south from Dunkeld. Here's a view of the cafe, with Mt Sturgeon in the background:
25kms onward I reached Penshurst, where I saw this historic garage facade and was intrigued by the advert for Nash Lafayette cars, and the word "Lubritorium":
It reminded me to give my bicycle chain a good oiling, since I've done nearly 1000kms now since the start of the tour.
The road onward was through fairly unremarkable farmland, until after 80kms I reached Koroit, a historic small town with a lot of signs in Irish, and a distinctive Art Nouveau style hotel:
Here I was able to join the rail trail which links Port Fairy with Warrnambool, my destination for today. The station at Koroit has been restored and the platforms are still in place:
The trail was well marked and easy to follow. The tarmac soon finished and the surface became gravel but it wasn't too rough.
Near Warrnambool the trail ran across a swamp, then it followed a river. Along this section I saw a large brown snake, about a metre long, on the path, unfortunately it slithered off before I could get a photo.
The rail trail eventually joined a coastal path for the final kilometre or so into Warrnambool:
After riding around the town for a while, I checked into the Colonial Village Motel which was pretty good, and had a pleasant meal at a Thai restaurant.
Distance today 122kms, total so far 1037kms.
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