Great Ocean Road
After leaving all the attractions on the Warnambool side, the road wound its way up into the Otway Mountains leaving the coast behind for a while. It’s a very sudden change, one minute you’re riding along windswept coastal cliffs, then you crest a hill and it becomes sheltered forest valleys. The respite from the wind was very welcome.
The road climbs upwards until the village of Lavers Hill. Its a pretty steep climb and there were roadworks for part of it so for a few km it was just gravel surface, which on the steep bits, particularly the descents made for some exciting riding. This is a rainforest region and everything was beautiful and green. Along the whole length of the Great Ocean Road my favourite part was here, from the coast into the mountains and back to the coast again – thr part with no view of the ocean, go figure. I like hills!
For the last few days its been pretty cold and today the max was eighteen degrees. It’s been raining too so with the wind and rain it felt just about zero. Its the first time that I’ve been properly cold since I left home. Even so I was enjoying the ride towards Lavers Hill. A few km before the township there is a sign for a place called Melbas Gully. It is also refered to as the Jewel of the Otways which is a good enough reason for me to invstigate. I got down to the carpark, made some sandwiches and went exploring. I loved it there and wanted to stay the night, there are Gloworms here that are only visible in the dark. But it was raining almost constantly and I was soaked and cold to the core. I couldn’t get warm so just before the light went completely I packed and went to Lavers Hill for a shower and a warm pub to sit in.
As I was cooking my dinner I got chatting to a few people camping there too. I told them about the gloworms and convinced them to take a trip back to Melbas Gully that night. It was incredible, walking down a forest track in total darkness and suddenly you see what looks like thousands of stars on the bank beside you. It’s almost like looking up into the sky on a crystal clear night. Incredible!
Next day, it was pretty much downhill all the way to the coast, going fast is so much fun unfortunately the hills end all too soon. From there to Torquay was the best bike riding section of the road. It had plenty small lumps, lots of twists and turns and a good smooth surface with a decent shoulder to ride on. I stopped for the night at a beach outside Anglesea. Another couple stopped there for the night in their camper and I was treated to tea with biscuits and fruit smothered in custard in exchange for some tales from the road. Next day I continued along the road towards Torquay. I made the short detour to Bells Beach – surfers mecca – where preparations were underway for the Ripcurl Pro surf competition. There were a few people on the water but the waves were pretty tame that morning.
I’ve had the pleasure of riding along the California One down the coast from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. Like the Great Ocean Road it too was built right along the coastal cliffs but in the 30’s if I remember. It is amazing and not nearly as busy. The Great Ocean Road is amazing but California One is too. So if you’re ever there check it out. You’ll be glad you did. It was my first experience of bike touring and the one that planted the seeds for this adventure 