Grade: M - X
Distance: 482km one way
Road Conditions:
Route: Melbourne to Mt Gambier via Mornington, Torquay, Lorne, Apollo Bay, Peterborough, Warnabool, Nelson and Mt Gambier.
Maps: Any good road map of Victoria
Starting Point: Port Phillip Ferry Terminal, Melbourne
Description:
In March, Rod and myself went for another bike ride. I think it started out as a way to save money as we wanted to get from Melbourne to Adelaide. The options were 1) To fly (this costs money). 2) To catch the train (this costs money). 3) To catch the bus (this would also be boring). 4) To drive the car (this uses petrol). 5). To ride our bikes (this doesn’t cost anything, well, no fares up front anyway and no petrol costs). But it is not exactly free because we did have to pay for accommodation along the way and meals.
From Melbourne we started from the “Spirit of Tasmania Ferry Terminal” and rode along the east side of Port Phillip Bay, along Beach Road. To have headed the other way would have meant going through the City and along the Freeway to Geelong and I didn’t fancy the traffic along that road. It is a scenic ride along the Bay, sometimes going on the bikepath, and then joining the road when it wasn’t too busy. A map is not necessary as we followed the shoreline as closely as possible. We had typical Melbourne weather all day, so after 53km of riding in the rain we spent the first night in a motel in Mornington and we ordered home delivery pizza.
The second day we did better, clocking up 87km. We rode to Sorrento at the mouth of the Bay and crossed over to Queenscliff by car ferry. We parked the bikes underneath with the cars, locked them up, then went up the stairs to the lounge area where you could watch TV. We took the opportunity to eat our lunch so that when we disembarked we could start riding straight away to arrive at Torquay, Australia’s surf capital, that evening and stayed in a cabin.
The third day really showed up the superb costal scenery. The road was so close to the ocean that at one point I stopped my bike and parked it off the road, took 3 paces and jumped onto the sandy beach. The road is good and the traffic not very heavy, but we did worry that some of the drivers might have their sights on the ocean views rather than on a couple of cyclists ahead of them. It was 48km to Lorne, where we stayed at a Youth Hostel in a really cute A-frame cabin and our room was in the attic with a view of the tree tops.
Apollo Bay was only 49km away. As we had heard that the next part of our journey was up and up a winding hill we thought we might catch a bus, only to find that there are no buses going that way, and there were no taxis or hire cars in Apollo Bay. Rod managed to persuade one of the locals to take us in his car, so for a price he took us to Port Campbell on the other side of the mountain. There was no cheap accommodation here so we then rode a further 12km to a caravan park in Peterborough. It is in this area that you will find the huge limestone cliffs, the famous Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, the Blowhole, the Grotto…these natural features are easily accessible from the Great Ocean Road.
The following day took us along the “Historic Shipwreck Trail”. Markers have been placed at the sites of the 25 known wrecks and road signs point to their location. Plaques on the clifftops overlooking the sites tell the stories of the wrecks. It was 58km to Warrnambool, where we found a private Bed and Breakfast place. At $45 double it was quite comfortable and our host very helpful.
On the way to Port Fairy we came across Tower Hill. The Tower Hill State Game reserve is nestled in a massive volcanic crater, several kilometres in diameter. The local Park Rangers are trying to rehabitate the area. We saw koalas in the trees close by the road, kangaroos and emus, and lots of wildlife. There is a wetlands area and plenty of waterbirds. At Port Fairy we went out at dusk to see the mutton birds. They come from the Arctic Circle to breed and raise their young and in the fading light we watched them return from their feeding grounds.
The highlight of the next day was the stay in a log cabin on a farm. This was about 8km from Portland, and after a 70km ride, the last part was riding up the dirt road to the farmhouse where the farmer welcomed us with iced drinks and his wife had made fresh scones. They had some magnificent looking Belted Galloways and in the evening kangaroos came down to the house, also peacocks, ducks and fowls.
We left early the following morning with directions for a shortcut. Now we were riding away from the ocean road and through timbered country. It was 70km to Nelson on the Glenelg River, famous for its gorge and limestone caves.
Only 35km to Mt Gambier. Having arrived there early, I had time to visit the hairdresser, and Rod found a cheap pub, only $27 double. We rode up to the rim of the Blue Lake, the most famous of the crater lakes at Mt Gambier. It is a natural reservoir and the source of the city’s water supply. We were surprised to find we could ride all the way around it at the top. The lake changes in November from winter grey to light blue, to a brilliant turquoise, to a remarkable deep blue. After February it gradually reverts to grey.
We were able to catch a bus from here to Adelaide. We prepared our bikes by taking off the pedals, turning the handlebar, taking our panniers off, and arriving early. We figure that if you have a neat presentation, the driver is more likely to look favourably upon taking your bike. We are always very obliging and put the bikes on ourselves, so the driver doesn’t get his hands dirty. Rod has an extra elastic strap so he can secure the bike, in an upright position, to the subframe inside the bus. It was a 6 hour trip and we asked to be let off at Crafers which is at the top of the hill just before Adelaide City. We assembled our bikes and had an exciting 10km downhill ride. A fitting end to a very enjoyable trip.
Annemarie Driver