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Cycling the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell, Victoria, Australia
History
Notes for Cyclists
Update 25 February 2001: All bicycle shoulders from Anglesea to Airey's Inlet are now complete, and shoulders from Aireys Inlet to Lorne should be completed by Easter 2001.
For this reason I recommend cyclists have some experience riding in traffic before attempting this tour. The weather along the coast can be wet and windy but does not get excessively cold (below freezing). For this reason the tour could be done any time of year, although winter time could pose possible problems as it did for Jody and I on our first attempt. Raingear and bicycle fenders would be a good idea at any time of year.
Another consideration which is not mentioned in any quidebooks I read is wind direction. Many guidebooks recommend riding East to West, even though this means you are riding straight into prevailing headwinds. I called the Bureau of Meterology and made the decision to ride West to East which made the trip quite pleasant. We were pratically blown back to Melbourne! For this reason I recommend starting the tour in Warnambool which can be accessed by V-Line train from Melbourne. Cyclists that want a longer tour can start in Portland or Mt. Gambier (South Australia). Both of these towns are also serviced by V-line rail (see helpful links below). The tour can finish in Geelong and another V-Line train can be caught back to Melbourne. It is possible to ride all the way back to Melbourne, although it is not a very scenic ride, and would add an extra day to the tour. Since the Great Ocean Road is such a popular tourist destination, there are many towns along the way and supplies are easy to come by.
I must admit to having rather high expectations of The Great Ocean Road before starting our trip. The guidebooks I had read in America all described the road as one of the great attractions for visitors, and other cyclists confirmed the cycling was fantastic. Names like 'Loch Ard Gorge', the '12 Apostles', and 'the Otways' were firmly emplanted in my brain. I was quite keen to cycle it the minute I landed in Melbourne, which was unfortunately in June which is the middle of winter (I knew there was a catch to those 50% off airline tickets!). It turned out the weather along the coast was unusually severe at that time so Jody and I flew to warmer weather in Western Australia where we did some more touring and visiting with Jody's family North of Perth in Dongora. The Great Ocean Road would have to wait for another time...
Route Description
The next day we did a fairly long ride which I would recommend shortening to other cyclists. There is just too much to see. The first stop is Loch Ard Gorge, which is the site of a famous turn-of-the-century shipwreck. There were only two survivors, a young girl and boy. In the USA, this would be a huge tourist trap like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. In Australia, there are no tourist facilities other than a parking lot and numerous walking tracks to explore around. I would plan to spend at least a few hours here. We found the cemetery quite interesting and sad.
The next stop is just a few K's down the road at the site of the 12 Apostles, a series of limestone sea stacks (there are actually only 7 or 8) that are very famous and much photographed. I found them less inspiring than Loch Ard Gorge, but still worth a look. A few more K's down the road is Gideon's Steps, a staircase carved out of the rock face of a sheer cliff. You can walk down the staircase (be careful), to the beautiful beach down below. Surprisingly, this seemed a little less touristy than the other attractions even though it was quite nice. From here, it is just a few more K's to the small town of Princetown. Actually, Princetown is nothing more than a pub and grocery store but it is important because here is where you can detour off the main Great Ocean Road onto the Old Great Ocean Road, which is an unsealed road on the right hand side just past the turn-off to Princetown. This road takes you through some nice green countryside with very little if any traffic. It continues for about 10 K's and returns to The Great Ocean Road at the Gellibrand River.
From the Gellibrand River you begin the climb up Lavers Hill, the biggest climb of the tour. The climb is not really too bad and before you know it you arrive at Lavers Hill township. From here you are treated to a long, steep descent of about 10 K's before turning off again onto the Old Great Ocean Road. This part of the road is rougher and steeper than the previous section, but still quite rideable and scenic. It lasts for only about 5 K.
At this point the scenery starts becoming very green and lush as you enter the Otway National Park. This was one of our favorite bits of the tour, and we have returned several times since. On this trip we turned off to the right on the Otway Lighthouse Road and coasted down to the Bimbi Park campground, where we stayed the night after about 100 K of cycling. Like I said I would recommend splitting this bit into two days if possible. The campground is in the bush with heaps of birdlife about. We also saw some koalas here.
The next morning we got up early and cycled along the walking track to the Cape Otway Lighthouse, where we did a tour of the lighthouse for $5, which includes free coffee. After the tour, we cycled North a ways up the main Cape Otway Lighthouse Road, before turning off on the unsealed Blanket Bay Road and finding our way back to The Great Ocean Road via a series of off-road tracks including Parker Road and an unnamed walking track to Shelley Beach. The last bit to Shelley Beach is unrideable and not recommended to cyclists, but the previous bit along Parker Road is magic. The grade is reasonable and you are able to cycle through beautiful rainforest.
About 5 K's from Shelley Beach is Apollo Bay, a scenic coastal town with full facilities and home of The Apollo Bay Music Festival in late March. Here is where the "great" in Great Ocean Road begins. For the next 35 K's or so, the road hugs the coastline and affords some fantastic views. We camped at the Wye River campground, which is conveniently located behind the local pub. The pub is good value too, and has an excellent patio overlooking the beach. I recommend having a few drinks here and watching the sunset before retiring back to the campground.
From Wye River, it is about 15 K's of excellent cycling to the town of Lorne, which has full facilities. This town is larger and more touristy than Apollo Bay, partly due to its closer proximity to Melbourne. From Lorne, the traffic along The Great Ocean Road increases noticeably as you pass through the townships of Aireys Inlet and Anglesea (home of the famous Anglesea Golf Course). About 5 K's East of Anglesea you can take a backroad route into Torquay via Bells Beach and the Jarosite Road. Bells Beach is the home of the Surfing World Chamionships, held every Easter weekend. From Torquay, you can take a backroad called The Horseshoe Bend Road into Geelong and avoid the traffic. Geelong is the second largest city in Victoria (next to Melbourne) and is a good place to finish the tour as the ride from Geelong to Melbourne is not too exciting and takes a full day. There is also a regular commuter train service from Geelong to Melbourne.
Helpful Links
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Accommodation
Due to the high volume of requests from overseas visitors I have included some indoor accommodation here. However, please note that this site is primarily concerned with the self-supporting (camping) cycle tourist.- Accommodation on the Great Ocean Road a comprehensive listing
- Bimbi Park A very pleasant place to stay in the heart of the Otways
- Colac Caravan Park
Princes Hwy
Colac VIC 3250
Telephone: (03) 5231 5337
- Southern Ocean Motor Inn, Port Campbell
- Wye River Foreshore Caravan Park
Great Ocean Road
Wye River, VIC
Telephone: (03) 5289 0412
