After a bit of toing and froing, my decision matching the weather i.e. changeable, I decided in the end to leave my comfortable stay in Warrnambool on Saturday 26. September and to make my way along the Great Ocean Road.
Over the last few days the weather forecasts were always worse than the actual weather so I set off very optimistically.
I easily found the side streets again through meadows of contented cows that Mary had shown me over the days before. Just before Peterborough I got on the Great Ocean Road and just then it started bucketing down. The wind also got up, there was no place I could turn round as it blew me in my way again.
After Peterborough the famous stone formations began, the Grotto
London Bridge, that fell down years ago, and the Ark,
with the bubbling waves in the heavy storm made a wonderful show. No wonder that this coast is also known as the “Shipwreck Coast”. It was easy to realize that some ships met their end here.
I remembered more places here from my first tour, although then it was summer the weather was the same. I recognized Port Campbell once more, this small over-priced tourist trap that I didn’t like the last time either. It is mostly famous for the 12 Apostles, of which only 8 are still standing, that come just after the place.
I’d been advised several times not to travel on the Great Ocean Road at the week-end. I’d had no problems though. Perhaps at normal week-ends there is more traffic, on this Saturday the day of the big Australia Football final the streets stayed empty, as in Europe when the soccer final takes place, a great day for cycling.
I was only over-run by hordes of Asians and Indians that stormed the coast by the 12 (8) Apostles in bus-loads. Thanks to the strong wind no-one stayed long. It even blew the waterfall back up the cliff.
After the obligatory photo I went on, but not for long. The wind continually blew me off the street, it was simply too uncomfortable for me.
In Princetown I found a small camp-site, where if I am not wrong, I was 5½ years ago. A woman who was travelling the Great Ocean Road had already settled under the roof of a building. I joined her, and as I didn’t have the slightest interest in putting up my tent in the storm and rain, I cleared out a store room again in which we made ourselves comfortable.
The next day the weather wasn’t any better, but there was nothing for it, it was not a place to stay. Over the last few days I had asked almost everyone about dirt side roads as an alternative to the Great Ocean Road. When I got there, I remembered that last time I went on a side road. Only I thought it was the ‘Old coach road’. It started right at the camp-site. I remembered it was very traversable. After I got stuck in sand after 1km and in the end after 2.5km had to turn around, I really had to ask myself how a road could change so much.
Back to the main road, a few meters further the ‘Old coach road’ started. This made a much better impression on me. A look at the map confirmed that had mistaken the road.
Perhaps I should wear my reading glasses from time to time.
This way corresponded to my memories, almost flat, on a good traversable surface, snaking alongside the Gellibrand river. The heavy downpour of the previous days was clearly visible. But the cows suffered from this more than me as they only had small places in the meadows and because of more puddles.
I was already physically and psychologically ready for the long ascent of Lavers Hill. Going up it wasn’t so bad as it was only 8-9 degrees. Going down it was a bit worse. Added to the cold were side and head winds. Very unpleasant. Despite this the area was very nice, rain forest mostly.
Then a second hill came totally unexpectedly, but once I had got that behind me it was downhill only to Apollo Bay.
Actually I only wanted to go very quickly through this tourist spot, but met Sebio and Kati, two Spanish cyclists, the first that were cycling round the world that I had seen for ages. They were looking for a camp-site and, as we had some experiences to swap, I hooked up with them.
We were sent away from the first camp-site as all the places for tents were under water. But at the second, located on a hill, we were more successful. A nice, new, luxurious place, affordable for three of us. We spent the evening in the cosy, heated camp-site kitchen, I gave them information about Asia, and got it about America. Once again it was really nice.
Although the weather looked better the next day I still wanted to reach Bawron Head where a nice warm dry place was waiting for me.
I left Sebio and Kati very early, got going and … after 3km had a puncture! Extremely strange as it shouldn’t have happened with good tyres and good roads. Nothing to be done but to change the tube and go on. It could have been worse, at least it wasn’t raining.
In my opinion, the most beautiful stretch of the Great Ocean Road is between Apollo Bay and Anglesia. The road goes up and down along the cliffs there and you see something of the sea for longer. In addition the weather was great, it was a wonderful bicycle tour yet again.
I went on side roads from Torquay to Bawron Head. They were all nice small paths, with signs everywhere to watch out for cyclists. There were many of them there but almost all were racing cyclists with Lycra shorts, probably inspired by Cadel Evans who spent his summer there.
One of them slowed down to my speed to start a conversation with me. Normally this lasts 500m perhaps, then the most important questions are asked and answered, and then they can sprint away. David lasted for a long time next to me and, as he established that he was a neighbour of my hosts Steve and Pat, he rode all of the remaining 20km next to me there. It was really nice to have a conversation along with the ride.
I received a hearty welcome from Steve and Pat and could use the guest house in their garden right away. What a luxury, a complete house with kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom, full fridge and books, books, books. You could easily spend a while there.
Steve and Pat are very interesting characters. Steve writes for a local paper, took accurate notes of everything that I told him about my tour and wrote the following article about it:
His father and he were one of the climbing pioneers on Mt Arapiles, the climber’s paradise where I had just been.
Pat is an excellent painter, and her pictures were up everywhere, reflecting the atmosphere of the area very well.
Paul and Sue, friends from Melbourne of Pat and Steve, came the next day for lunch. I was at their place 5 ½ years ago, they visited me in Steinen 4 years ago and we were very happy to see each other again.
It was very restorative day for me as in the morning I could sort out and dry my things and patch my inner tube naturally.
Finally the last part to Melbourne came. Just on this day a North wind was forecast which meant a head wind for me mostly.
The first stretch to Queenscliff where the ferry to the Mornington Peninsula stops, was OK though. It was also unusually warm, the first time since I don’t know when that I could ride without a jacket.
When I crossed the Philip Bay last time the water was full of dolphins. This time there was no trace of the animals, perhaps the water was too cold.
Things had been done over the last few years on the Mornington Peninsula. Nice cycle tracks went alongside the beach on which ever more colourful huts stood, really idyllically. I wondered what they had in them.
The wind made the stretch into a real challenge. Convinced I would make it to Sue and Paul’s house before darkness fell, I took my time.
Paul waited for me before Philip Bay branches off to Camberwell for which I was really grateful. The traffic had increased a lot over the last few kilometers as I got near to the second-biggest town in Australia. He showed me the small little-known ways up to Camberwell. We reached the house just before dark. Sue had already prepared a bite to eat for us before I moved into my new home. After the meal I wasn’t up to much however.
Now I’ve been in Melbourne for 2 weeks already and I still like it a lot. It felt like home with Sue and Pat, which does me a lot of good after the long time on the roads. Thanks to the Melbourne Arts Festival with the fantastic opening spectacle
and the Bike festival that began with the “Bike to work” event,
which always offered something interesting, I can take it here very well. To calm my itchy legs, I go running in the mornings and go from time to time with Paul on lengthy cycle tours. At Sue has damaged her knee, she can’t go cycling and I can have her super light bicycle. It is really fun to pelt through the area after Paul with only 9kg under my behind. Melbourne has the biggest and best network of cycle tracks that I have seen up until now, through woods and along streams, really nice. My stretch in the town is great too, along the Yarra River. In comparison to other towns the cycle tracks were really used.
Melbourne is the ideal place for me to stay until Tasmania gets warmer and I can take the ferry there on the 12th November.
