Victoria
and the Great Ocean Road.
It had
been a while. When I thought about where to go, the Great Ocean road wasn’t my
first thought. But once I had it there was no going back. My first bike trip on
the GOR it rained nearly all the way and my plan to get to Robe in SA was
abandoned at Mt Gambier. The second trip I planned and went to Portland before
turning North. This time I thought I would try for Robe again.
The week
before I left I had a terrible bout of flu and spent all day Wednesday and
Thursday in bed hoping I could recuperate in time. Saturday morning was
decision time. I still had a cough but I definitely felt up to it.
Saturday 15th June 2019
Oyster Bay - Nowra - Moruya - Narooma - Bega - Eden
440 kms
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| Day 1 |
Set off
about 9am, sunny day, not too cold, “the livin’ was easy” as the Gershwins once
said. Straight through Wollongong. Straight past Berry and through Nowra.
Through Ulladulla and the traffic starts to thin out. My first stop was Moruya
for a cup of tea, a swig of cough syrup and a muffin. Actually the cough made
itself scarce while I was riding, but reappeared once I stopped. I pushed on a
bit further before getting fuel at Narooma. The young Indian Lady in the
service station was chatting while the EFTPOS took its time and commented that
it was a nice day and everyone was going fishing. She paused and looked at me
quizzically and said “don’t you like fishing”? I replied that I was fine with
fishing but I preferred riding motorbikes. She thought I was confused.
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| Tea and muffin in Moruya |
Then
straight on through Bega and in to Eden. Familiar territory. Mine Host at the
Twofold Bay Motel even said he remembered me and I think he gave me an upgrade
from the standard room ordered. Very Comfortable.
After the
usual rest and shower I thought I would venture over the road to the Eden
Fisherman’s Club. Feeling a bit cold in the Motel room, I thought the club
would be nice and cosy. My first disappointment was finding that the good old
club Bistro had been turned into a “family buffet”. I didn’t like the sound of
that. Never mind, Ill go in and have a drink and check it out. Oh no. There was
a large fancy dress party. Attendees scattered about the place. the usual super
heroes, comic book characters, movie stars and a few Hogwarts students. I could’nt
cope. I left the club and headed across the road to the Great Southern Hotel
which was warm and cosy and had a nice bistro menu to choose from. Having
chosen the local Ling fillets fried with chips and salad I went to the bar for
a glass of red. When I said I was after a glass of red the young bar attendant
went into sommelier mode and asked what type I usually liked to drink. “All
types” I replied. She then tried to enthuse me with descriptions of a NZ Pinot
Noir and for something different a Tempranillo. I opted for the Pinot Noir,
foolishly passing up a couple of more promising wines on the list. It was very
ordinary. But the fish was delicious.
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| Eden Fisherman's Club, too many super heroes |
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| Morning in Eden |
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| Eden |
Sunday 16th June, 2019
Eden - Orbost - Lakes Entrance - Bairnsdale - Sale - Yarram
440 Kms
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| Day 2 |
A Lovely
morning. No fog. Sunshine. But cold. 7c when I ventured out to Ollie Masons
Cafe, which was just delicious.
I left
town about 9am and headed south. I had all layers on and I was pretty well
protected from the cold. I didn’t stop till I got to Lakes Entrance. Time for a
pot of tea and another muffin. I don’t think my taste buds have fully recovered
from the flu yet. Coffee is not doing it for me like it usually does and I have
had no taste for beer. Perhaps I
shouldn’t have been too harsh on the Pinot Noir after all. A beautiful morning
at Lakes Entrance and I left there feeling ready to go. A beautiful ride
through to Bairnsdale, where I stopped for Petrol, then on to Sale and the last
leg into Yarram.
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| Lakes Entrance |
Originally
Yarram Yarram, it lost one of the Yarrams around 1925. Don’t tell Wagga Wagga.
A rich Dairy farming community, the town looks larger than it’s 2600 population
would require. Some beautiful old buildings in the Main Street. I had booked
into one of the fancy Motel Style units at the back of the Commercial Hotel.
They must have been awesome, in 1985. And perfectly adequate in 2019.
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| Yarram accomodation |
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| Yarram |
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| Yarram |
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| Yarram |
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| Yarram |
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| Breakfast in Yarram |
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| Yarram - recommended |
Monday 17th June, 2019
Yarram -
Leongatha - Sorrento - Torquay - Lorne - Apollo Bay
420 Kms
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| Day 3 |
A
beautiful morning in Yarram. Cool, but a sunny blue sky. Found my way to Coffee
Food Life for baked eggs which was very good. Hit the road about 8.30 and had a
blast on the South Gippsland Highway. A great road through the dairy farms,
especially with the early morning sun glistening on the dew soaked green grass,
while the dairy cows slowly munched through breakfast. This was a highlight of
the trip. The country is just amazing with some great views over farming
valleys, ocean glimpses and hills to the north, and every shade of green you
can imagine.
Unfortunately
the fun ended when I struck urban build up through Frankston and down the Mornington
Peninsula to Sorrento. Got there about 11.30 and had a short wait till the car
ferry arrived. Easy loading process and then a seat upstairs for the 45 minute
crossing. Not too rough today.
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| First in line for the car ferry |
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| On the ferry |
Once on
the Queenscliff side I set off for Barwon Heads and then joined the Great Ocean
road at Torquay. Still sunny. A. Bit of traffic on the GOR but nothing like my
past experiences. Enjoyed the scenic views on every corner. Some drivers even
pulled over at the slow vehicle turn out to let me pass. About 20 Kms from
Apollo Bay I came to a roadworks stop which must have been stopped for a while
because there were about 20 cars lined up. I wound my way up beside them until
I was first in queue and when we got the green light, I don’t think I saw
another car going my way all the way to Apollo Bay.
I had
selected a different motel this time. The Best Western just around the corner
from the Apollo Bay Hotel. Great location and a very comfortable stay.
I was
planning to go to the hotel for dinner, but walking out of the motel I noticed
an Italian Restaurant called Casalingo across the road. I crossed and had a
look through the window. Looked great. Saw a menu and the first main course I
saw was Roast Duck with cherry glaze, wilted spinach and mash potato. I walked on to the pub, had a beer and
checked the menu, but I never stopped thinking about that duck. So back I went
to Casalingo and had a great meal with couple of glasses of fine red wine.
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| Casalingo - Apollo Bay |
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| Dawn - Apollo Bay |
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| Dawn Apollo Bay |
Tuesday 18th June, 2019
Apollo Bay - Pt Campbell - Warrnambool - Portland - Millicent - Robe
515 kms
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| Day 4 |
Predictions
for Apollo Bay weather had not been good. Yesterday had been gorgeous, today
looked nasty. After a very nourishing corn fritters with smoked salmon, avacodo
salsa and poached egg at the Bay Leaf Cafe, I got ready for the ride. My second
attempt at getting to Robe on the bike.
I left
Apollo Bay at 8.45. Very overcast. The first section of this part of the ride
winds through the Cape Otway National Park, which is beautiful, but slow going
in the wet. The rain started almost immediately. A few heavy downpours, but
mostly drizzle. The temperature got down to 9c which was warmer than leaving
Yarram the day before. Despite the rain, there was no fog, which I was very
grateful for. Last time through here I could hardly see where I was going.
I made
good time through the park and came out the other side into the wind. Very
strong wind and still some rain. It carried on like that through Port Campbell
and Warrnambool and I had decided that if it was still like this by Portland I
would stop there and abandon all thoughts of robe.
I got to
Portland, pulled in for petrol and the sun came out. The wind had died down and
it was still only 1pm. Do or die, I pushed on to Mt Gambier. Another 100 kms.
All went well and just before Mt Gambier I turned on to a minor road with sign
saying Millicent. I had full committed to getting to Robe. No wind, but I still
had a couple of rain patches to get through, but by the time I got to Robe it
was a sunny afternoon. Checked into the Motel with a sense of accomplishment.
Finished the day with a very nice meal at the Robe Hotel and discovered Lille
Creatures newly brewed stout.
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| Robe Hotel |
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| The view from Robe Hotel |
Wednesday 19th June, 2019
Robe - Naracoorte - Horsham - Halls Gap
360 kms
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| Day 5 |
Very
pleased to wake up to sunshine in Robe after the horrible weather the previous
day. Predictions hadn’t been good so I thought I would make tracks before it
changed. I didn’t venture out for breakfast, just packed, got in the gear and
hit the road. It was about 6c but sunny.
I got to
Naracoorte about 10am and stopped at a cafe for breakfast. Still only about
10c. I headed through Edenhope and on to Horsham. Clouds gathered, but never
got any rain. Stop at Horsham for petrol and then the final push into the
Grampians.
This is
why I chose to stop at Halls Gap. The Grampians are so dramatic. The Wimmera
region surrounding them is fairly flat farming country, and there in the middle
the Grampians burst out of the ground with incredible huge rock faces providing
an amazing contrast. I chose to come from the Horsham side on Mt Victory Rd
because it takes you right over the top of the Grampians with some fantastic
sights along the way. It is only about the last 20 kms that crosses the
Grampians, but they are spectacular.
Eventually
you come down the other side to the village of Halls Gap which is in a valley
surrounded by the mountains. It was back down to 7c and I was very pleased to
get into a motel room and warm up a bit. A 100 meter walk to the Kookaburra
Hotel saw me very well fed and hydrated for the night.
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| Halls Gap |
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| Halls Gap |
Thursday 20th June 2019
Halls Gap - Stawell - St Arnoud - Bendigo - Heathcote - Seymour - Beechworth
480 kms
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| Day 6 |
The
Country life motel I was in had breakfast available which saved me a walk in
the 6c morning. A fairly clear sky. A beautiful place to wake up.
Got on the
road before 9am, still 6c, and headed through Stawell and on to St Arnoud and
towards Bendigo. The temperature never got above 10c all day. Clouds increased
steadily and I got a little bit of rain. Nothing to be concerned about. I
stopped in Bendigo for petrol and then headed for Heathcote. I was following
the GPS directions, but next time I’m sure I can find a better way.
It took me
to the Hume Freeway at Seymour and then I had 200 kms of very dull highway
riding. At least it was quick.
Got to
Beechworth about 2.30pm and the weather was back down to 6c, where I started
the day. Very glad to get into a room with air conditioning.
A lovely
dinner at the empire Hotel and an early night. One day to go.
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| Beechworth by night |
Friday 21 June, 2019
Beechworth – Holbrook – Yass – Goulburn – Oyster Bay
565 Km
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| Day 7 |
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| Iced bike |
In the
morning the weather ap told me it was -1c. I decided to skip going out for
breakfast, stay in bed a bit longer and then hit the road, hoping it had warmed
up a bit.
When I got
out to load the bike I found it covered in ice. The seat, the panniers, the
tank. I have never had that happen before. It was still 0c, but I didn’t want
to wait any longer to get on the road. Long way to go to get home.
After
wiping down the seat with a face washer soaked in very hot water, I climbed
aboard and set off very wary of ice on the road. To make things worse, about
10kms out of town I struck a thick fog that wasn’t going anywhere. Finally got
to Wodonga and found the Hume Freeway, which I don’t normally like, but under
these conditions I felt a bit safer.
I decided
I would stop for breakfast at Holbrook which was about 140 kms. The temperature
struggled up to 3c and stopped there. My gear had been very effective at 6c and
above, but at 3c I was really feeling the cold. Despite 2 layers of gloves and
heated handgrips, my fingers were really feeling the cold. Probably the worst I
have experienced.
Finally
got into Holbrook. Still 3c. Still thick fog. I had a steak sandwich and coffee
before venturing back out. Still 3c. Still thick fog. There was nothing for it,
but to get on the bike and start riding. Finally as I approached Gundagai the
fog lifted and the temperature almost immediately rose to 5c. Much better.
I stopped
at Yass for petrol and a hot chocolate. It was 6c by then and a clear blue sky.
The rest of the trip was gritting my teeth and getting on with it. After
Goulburn the temperature struggled up to 13c which felt quite toasty after the
morning experience.
Got home
about 3.30pm ready to put the bike away for a while.
3,170 kms
all up and apart from a couple of cold bits, a wonderful trip.
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| From my GPS Spot tracker |
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| The full trip |
