Convoy

Day: 127
Lorne to Torquay
Time: 3:17
Distance: 49.95 km
Avg Speed: 15.10 kph
Terrain: rolling
Location: 38˚ 20’ 25.2” S, 144˚ 19’ 14.2” E

We officially ended our tour of the Great Ocean Road today. We crossed under the memorial arch this morning and stopped for a picture opportunity. We ended up waiting our turn since we timed our stop with three tour buses.
We picked up a third in our party last night. We ran into an Austrian fellow who is doing a trip along the same lines as ours. He is from the town that Governor Arnold is from. In fact he wowed us with a spot on impersonation of the man. It was too funny. He started his trip with a trek in Nepal, followed by diving lessons on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, a 4x4 journey across the center of Australia to Adelaide and when we met him, he was cycle touring. He had bought his bike in Adelaide and was working his way east in our direction. He was actually going to New Zealand in a couple of weeks so we ran out for beers and Leslie and I gave him the low down. He was quite appreciative of the info and we made plans to meet for breakfast. We finally met someone who is in love with food as much as we are. We finally got on the road around 10:30 or so and the three of us headed on down the road. He had to get to Geelong today so he could make train into Melbourne tonight. He had to get his bike packed for New Zealand and then he was heading to Tasmania to trek a bit. We stopped along the way for an ice cream break. He ended up with iced coffee and Leslie and I ended up with Slush Puppies. I had to tell the other two how my sister and I would get Slush Puppies from the market where we grew up in Reno. Grape is still the flavor to have. We rolled into Torquay and stopped at an info center to find a place to camp. I asked our Austrian friend if he wanted to buy Leslie’s front pannier rack for his tour. He had been talking about getting a front rack and since Leslie wasn’t using hers it seemed like a good idea. We ended up switching it out in the alley between a bike shop and surf board shaper. The wind was just right and the alley was filled with epoxy fumes the whole time. A few zip ties and a couple feet of duct tape later we were in business and having ice cream again before he got on the road. We are now back to a twosome and camping like we have been for the past 4 months. We have now graduated to campgrounds full of surfers rather than families on holiday. I prefer the surfer.
Hasta la vista…baby.
CK

A Surprise around Every Corner

Day 125
Apollo Bay to Lorne
Time: 2:47:26
Distance: 43.44 k
Avg Speed: 15.5 kph
Terrain: Beautiful Coastal Road
Location: 38 32 14.8 S, 143 58 39 E

Today was one of those days. It was the kind of day that just felt right. It didn’t ever get too hard to pedal, the temperature was perfect and every view was unbelievable. It was day four on the Great Ocean Rd.

The guidebook claimed that the route from Apollo Bay to Lorne would be the most scenic. I had my doubts since we had seen some fantastic landscapes in the previous three days. However, I have to agree that the 44 kilometers we pedaled today were pretty darn incredible.
We started early this morning after a really good rest. The road was flat and the traffic was light. About the only sounds we heard were the birds singing and the waves crashing. After the first few kilometers we found ourselves riding above the water with grand views of the Southern Ocean. The highway is definitely carved into the hillsides along this section of coast. We got into a rhythm as we ducked and rolled in and out of each cove. Each corner held a new view for us and each one was a nice surprise. We didn’t know what stretched out before us; we only knew that there would be more surprises if we kept pedaling.
Being the philosophical person that I am, I analyzed this during the ride. I realized that this kind of uncertainty is fun. So many of the uncertainties that we encounter each day are not exciting; finding a place to sleep, buying food, etc. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve enjoyed all aspects of our life on the road, but a day like today has a powerful affect. It definitely recharged our souls and gave confirmation to the reasons why we went on this trip.
Looking forward to more surprises,
LK

Day 124: Lavers Hill to Apollo Bay

Time: 3:00
Distance: 48 km
Avg Speed: 16 kph
Terrain: Up and Down
Location: 38 44 28.4 S, 143 40 31.6 E

We left Lavers Hill early this morning. We camped at the local ground behind the local pub/gas station/take away/bistro. We ate dinner at the bistro and it was really quite good. I had my first taste of kangaroo and it wasn’t bad at all. It was a fillet so it was pretty tender, and hardly gamey at all. I am not sure if it was farm raised or wild. Our neighbors in the campground spent their long dinner hour (actually hours) in the pub. They showed back up at their tents at 11:30 last night and played music and partied until our alarm went off at 5:30 this morning. Earplugs work wonders. We tried to be noisy, but how noisy can you be taking down a tent and riding your bikes?
To add insult to injury my cycle computer wasn’t working this morning. I am amazed at how hooked I am to that thing. I just love watching the numbers go by. We arrived in Apollo Bay early this afternoon and took the opportunity to do some laundry and take some much needed showers. We also shared the biggest, sweetest and juiciest mango either of us had ever seen. I know it is kind of a side note, but it was good. Apollo Bay is a little seaside village along the Great Ocean Road. It was hopping with tourists today since it is a holiday weekend. They had cleared town by late afternoon and we had the beach and town to ourselves. The ocean is beautiful here with waves crashing on fine sand beaches stretching into the distance either way. We are off tomorrow; hopefully after a good nights sleep.
CK

Lord of the Flies

Day 123
Port Campbell to Lavers Hill
Time: 3:37:58
Distance: 49.54 k
Avg Speed: 13.6 kph
Terrain: Rolling with one big 19k climb
Location: 38˚ 41’ 4.9” S, 143˚ 23’ 3.9” E

When you travel for long amounts of time, you get to know yourself pretty well. Chris has learned that he’s not a big fan of bugs. His insect stories began during a late night meeting in Fiji with a cockroach and continued in Costa Rica with giant caterpillars. More recently he’s been in near nervous breakdown mode with the flies in Australia. Today he packed his bug head net toward the top of a pannier just in case. It didn’t take but fifteen minutes of riding and he was sporting a whole new look. Function trumped fashion in my case and I donned mine as well. We both looked like a cross between bee keepers and aliens. The nets we actually ok to ride with. The hoop keeps the netting out of your face and it’s possible to drink water without too much trouble. The only problem I found was a little wind drag while descending hills.
Let’s get to the important stuff…
We started out a little earlier today to stop at a few viewpoints along the Great Ocean Rd. The first stop was Loch Ard Gorge which was the site of an 1878 shipwreck in which only two people survived. We had a chance to hike down to the beach where the two survivors washed ashore. It was breathtaking to witness the energy of the ocean driving through the narrow opening of the sheer limestone cliffs.
The next stop was the infamous Twelve Apostles. A century ago they had been named the Sow and Piglets but someone decided that a name like that wasn’t appropriate. I guess they needed to dress it up a bit. Anyway, the Apostles are limestone sea stacks that have been weathered over time by wind and water. The unique geologic formations stood like sentinels just off the coast and demanded our attention. It would have been easy to waste several hours just gazing down the shoreline.
Unfortunately, we had to move on because a large climb loomed in the distance. We said farewell to the dry plateau and limestone cliffs and starting climbing through the dense eucalyptus forests of the Otway Range. We were thankful for a cooler cloudy day since it was granny gear for most of the ascent. We reached Lavers Hill by mid afternoon and will be looking forward to a nice pub meal this evening.
Here’s to keeping the flies at bay,
LK

Day 122: Warrnambool to Port Campbell

Time: 4:08
Distance: 68.32 km
Avg Speed: 16.4 kph
Terrain: Rolling
Location: 38 37 10.5 S, 142 59 48.2 E

We had an odd morning this morning since I forgot to run to the grocery store last night for some breakfast this morning. We had coffee and split a cup of muesli before we left for some more food for the road. It is Australian Day here today. It is the equivalent of the 4th of July in the states without the fireworks. We considered ourselves lucky at the time to find a grocer open and then a café as well. We rolled out of town by 9:00 and began our journey east. We took back roads for the first hour of the day through some pretty farm land and into a small town for a bathroom break. From there we jumped on the Great Ocean Road and promptly met up with an Australian cycle tourist from Adelaide. He is taking a year off as well, but will be working his way around Victoria and New South Wales as a volunteer. He is working with a group called WWOOF, which is Worldwide Opportunities On Organic Farms. They put him up with room and board and he provides 5 hours or so of labor per day in exchange. We have seen a lot of this group on our travels. It is kind of a neat way to see the countryside and make a positive impact as well. We left our new Aussie friend and took some back roads towards Childers Cove. About 20 minutes down the road we saw our first live snake. We had read about tiger snakes in the Grampians Visitor Center and were warned that they were poisonous. I saw it first and swerved and Leslie gave it a wide berth after me. It was about a meter long and by the time we had grabbed our camera to take a picture it was upon us! The snake had made a b-line towards Leslie’s back tire and began striking it. I thought for sure we were done for but right at that point…GOTCHA! It actually slithered off before we could even snap a photo. We did ride the rest of the back roads right down the middle though. By the time we made it to the beach we were in full force Aussie saluting. An Aussie salute is a wave that you make to get the flies out of your face. Everyone does it, all the way from the news reporters in the field to the tennis players at the open. The fact that there is a name for it means that it is commonplace. The beach scenery was spectacular today and the riding went by quick. We are hoping for some better light tomorrow as we head off to some famous landmarks along our route.
Happy Australia Day!!
CK

The Shipwreck Coast

Day: 121
Portland to Warrnambool
Time: 6:14:00
Distance: 99.11 k
Avg Speed: 15.8 kph
Terrain: Flat
Location: 38˚ 23’ 40.3” S, 142˚ 29’ 18.2” E

It’s too bad we had to get up early today – we really liked our sweet pad in Portland. The road was calling and we needed to pound out 100 k to Warrnambool. We are on a bit more of a schedule than New Zealand and wanted to set ourselves up to be riding the Great Ocean Rd starting tomorrow. The weather report called for more winds from the east and south and we were prepared for a long day. Fortunately, the wind was more like a breeze until we got just outside our destination.
The Great Ocean Rd has been a goal for us since we decided to include Australia in our travels. It’s touted as one of the prettiest coastlines in the world and is on every suggested itinerary in our Cycling Australia book. For just about 300 kilometers we should be treated to some awesome scenery. Beginning as a track when the telegraph line between Victoria and Tasmania was built in 1859, the road itself was constructed between 1918 and 1932. Without much funding, the project succeeded with returning WWI servicemen and Depression era workers.
The coastline is also known for many shipwrecks during the 1800s. Over 160 ships have wrecked in the area from Port Fairy to Apollo Bay (west to east). Ships traveling to or from the east coast of Australia had to navigate Bass Straight and the going was treacherous to say the least. Today there are a few automated lighthouses and some very large wind machines to guide the way.
Tonight we’re back in the tent. We miss our friends in Portland, but are grateful for the time they shared with us.
See you,
LK