Iconic rides

When first considering routes around Australia I looked at a number of possibilities though one road I was always planning to ride was The Great Ocean Road. In touring terms a real must do. Having started in Brisbane this would come towards the end of our time here, in the final stage as we head round from Melbourne to Adelaide.

In the past week or so we have seen a real change in the weather here. Leg and arm warmers have been pulled from the bottom of the panniers and I’ve even been filling my hot water bottle at night. Eventually we decided to book up cheap accommodation. Getting out of a warm sleeping bag to the cold outdoors in the morning was just becoming too much and given the heavy rain of the past few days this it seems was a very wise decision. The travel brochures of course always show the Great Ocean Road in glorious sunshine. Fortunately, despite numb toes, the days when water seemed to pour from buckets in the sky we had rest days planned and our days on the most stunning section of the route were dry so we we’re able to stop, take pictures and take a peak at the various viewpoints along the way.

We followed the sea line out from Melbourne, taking the ferry between Sorrento and Queenscliff we would soon be on undulating, winding roads heading through Lorne and Apollo Bay, stopping to watch crashing waves, heading inland and up to Lavers Hill before reaching the most photographed areas of the Twelve Apostles and the rocky craggs of the shipwreck coast. It really was beautiful and would continue to be out past Port Campbell, through to Port Fairy.

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So far on our tour we’ve ridden through fabulous seaside areas including Oregon, South Africa, Italy and Thailand and The Great Ocean Road has certainly been added to this list of one of the best coastal routes. There really is good reason why this is an Australian must do. Far too often we look for trips, routes and journeys that may be considered the road less travelled. Sometimes it seems there is however a good reason why some places see thousands of visitors.