Road Trip, The Great Ocean Road by motorcycle

The Great Ocean Road is one of life’s bucket list road trips. I had it in mind for many years, but tiredness from three years of driving 1,000 kilometres between Sydney and Melbourne each month, and life had gotten in the way. A change of work and travel led to a significant shift in my energy levels and a desire to get back on a motorcycle. The January summer holidays presented the opportunity for a spur-of-the-moment ride spread over three days. With accomodation booked and the route planed thanks to a gift of a book several years before—’Ultimate Road Trips Australia’—I was ready to ride.

This was set to be the first trip undertaken with only a top box—instead of side panniers—on my BMW F700GS; a motorcycle that has taken me over 65,000 kilometres without issue. The limited storage space meant riding in the same gear each day with only a change of shirt, underwear and socks; see pack list at the bottom. Most of the gear had been proven on previous rides, balancing the summer temperatures (Best Made corduroy jeans and El Solitario Rascal suede riding pants) and the need to be stylishly presented at restaurants and hotels along the way; this meant swapping my Belstaff waterproof riding boots for a pair of RM Williams with oil-proof soles. The set up worked well for the cold and damp first day, walking at the various coastal attractions, and for the warmer second and third days with their mid-to-high twenty degree temperatures.

Day one: Daylesford to Apollo Bay via Anglesea, Lorne, Wye River and Maits Rest Rainforest Walk (Otway Ranges)

Packing the bike in the cold Victorian winds (10 degrees), the El Solitario suede riding pants earned their place in the pack. Starting with a coffee alongside Lake Daylesford at Walter’s, this led to a chat with a rider from Denmark who had previously ridden around Australia on a Kawasaki 600 street bike, gear strapped high on the back seat. Motorcycling is a great way to meet people as there are so many riders, past and present, that you end up with interesting conversations about bikes, routes taken and places to visit.

The 90 minutes to the start of the Great Ocean Road from Daylesford is a mixture of winding forest roads, undulating agricultural lands and freeway. The roads become less trafficked after the Memorial Arch west of Anglesea where everyone stops for a souvenir photograph. Good winding roads continue alongside the coast with the occasional incursion into the bushland. Lorne was on my list as a place to visit, hearing it was a smart seaside town; here I stopped by the pier before continuing to Wye River. The Wye General Store was an excellent spot for lunch, being a buzzy place with its good food and coffee. Post lunch, I took a walk along the sand before saddling up and heading west towards Apollo Bay.

The winding roads beyond Wye River hug the shore offering sweeping ocean views. Cars often pull over to let faster vehicles go by which makes for good riding. Detouring into the Otway Ranges, the roads become even better; fast, smooth and with plenty of bends. The only issue is traffic. If you get caught behind a couple of vehicles it can be almost impossible to pass. However, once you’re free, these roads are a paradise for motorcycle riders. Maits Rest Rainforest Walk was the destination, a 20-30 minute walk through the giant ferns and old trees. The temperature and atmosphere is completely different to the busyness by the coast and well worth the trip for the great roads and the magnificent trees.

Back down into Apollo Bay, I walked along the breakwater before sampling the fish and chips at the Apollo Bay Fishermen’s Co-op. This place is busy in the summer holidays offering a good selection of seafood ranging from basic fish and chips to local lobster served in the shell. Back on the bike, it was fifteen minutes along the coast to Seacroft Estate, my accomodation for the night. This venue is out of town, yet offers a magnificent position along the windy stretch of coastline with Highland Cows and ocean views.

It felt good to have a rest before dinner in the hills outside Apollo Bay. Chris’s is an upscale Greek restaurant and was the outstanding dining experience of the trip. The views from high above the ocean are unexpected, offering a tree-top perspective of the ocean. I ordered four dishes, all of which were excellent. The BBQ Octopus was paired with a smokey eggplant and was a delight; the Saganaki was grilled to perfection, garnished with pomegranate, shallots and pesto; next came a generous serving of mussels in a tomato broth; and lastly, some kind of Greek dessert, served cold and rolled in chocolate, garnished with raspberries. Wow. After the feast, I rode back at sunset along the coast for a walk by the blustery shore near Seacroft Estate.

Day two: Apollo Bay to Warrnambool via Wreck Beach, Gibson Steps, London Bridge, the Twelve Apostles, Loch & Gorge and Port Campbell

Waking at Seacroft Estate to relatively calm seas, I set off for another walk along the shore before riding into Apollo Bay for breakfast at the Little Crumb Bakery. This day was much milder with 18 degree temperatures at 8am. At breakfast, people were talking about the previous nights’ fire in the Otway Ranges leading to the evacuation of 28 people. This meant the road to the Cape Otway Lighthouse was closed. Riding out of Apollo Bay, I realised with a sense of joy that I was going back on the road through the Otway Ranges of the previous day. The next 60 kilometres of winding forest road was best riding of the trip; fast, smooth and temperate. No cars in front, going at your own pace, these really are ideal riding conditions. My tip for riders is to go early, overtaking all the traffic coming out of Apollo Bay before you reach the forest as it is nearly impossible to past afterwards.

After this zone of riding bliss comes the tourist areas of Wreck Beach (practically deserted as it is down a dirt road), Gibson Steps (busy with steep steps and possibly not worth it as the next two stops are better), the Twelve Apostles (insanely busy, yet stunning) and Loch and Gorge (busy and well worth it). Each location has a fair amount of waking and by Loch and Gorge I was done and in need of lunch. Port Campbell was next and I stopped in for a Moroccan Halloumi Salad and local beer. This was followed by a walk around the town and an espresso at Waves. Port Campbell and its venues were good without being particularly notable.

Fuelled up, I rode the next hour or so through flat and unexciting terrain to Warrnambool, a larger town by the sea. Here I was introduced to a friend of a friend and had a beer overlooking the breakwater at Pavillion followed by a swim and delicious Thai meal at Mandala in the centre of town. The entree of duck Roti, constructed like a spring roll yet with Roti included succulent duck, crispy vegetables and hoisin sauce; delicious and unexpected. This was followed by Pad Cha Fish, the perfect combination of fried whole fish and vegetables, with heat from the peppercorns and sweetness from the sauce; the food highlight of the day.

Day three: Warrnambool to Daylesford via Port Fairy, Cape Bridgewater, the Petrified Forest and Mount Gambier (South Australia)

Waking before dawn, I watched the orange of the sunrise emerge over the sea from the balcony of the hotel. As it was 90 minutes until my hot springs appointment—one of the reasons I stopped at Warrnambool—, I pulled on some swim shorts and headed out for a long walk along the beach. The coast is lovely in the morning, before the winds, burning UV and crowds descend. The lifeguards were out practicing in their boat while the seaweed was being collected and dumped up on the dunes. The look of the beach in Warrnambool with its fine grey sand, yachts and breakwater felt more akin to what you see in Northern France than Australia.

The Deep Blue Hotel and Hot Springs were busy at 7.30am with crowds waiting to enter. The guidance here is to spend 20 minutes in the hot pools—36-40 degrees—, then migrate to the cold (12-16 degrees) plunge pools for two minutes. The first 20 seconds in the cold pool feels like an age, yet as your body adjusts the two minutes passes with out a fuss and you’re ready to get back into one of the hot pools. It is undeniable that after three rounds you do feel refreshed and ready for breakfast.

After breakfast, it was back on the bike for the 90 minutes to Cape Bridgewater and onto the nearby Petrified Forest. On the way I stoped in for an expresso at the Port Fairy Coffee Roasters. Port Fairy immediately appealed with its historic seaside town and good vibes. Next time I will stay in Port Fairy instead of Warrnambool as it was my kind of town. Cape Bridgewater is a small hamlet around an hour further along the road followed by the Petrified Forest. Science has since disproved the idea that the forest was originally trees eroded away, however, the romance of the notion is hard to ignore when you’re there.

On the way into Cape Bridgewater, there was a sign saying Mount Gambier, South Australia. Intrigued, I made a spur-of-the-moment decision to ride on. The roads west of Cape Bridgewater improved again with winding agricultural areas and forest roads most of the way. This impulse to see Mount Gambier added three hours riding to my day, bringing it in at a significant seven hours of riding plus stops. Lunch was had at a Vietnamese place on the main street which has numerous impressive buildings of a past era. Looking at the clock, it was already 2pm and I had four hours of riding ahead through Hamilton, Dunkeld and Ballarat. While keen to get home, these roads—almost all over the it 100kph through farm land—were very enjoyable and made the trip better than joining the freeway.

All in all, this was a trip that had been on my list for many years and it was a privilege to have had the time and energy to go. The Green Ocean Road is rightly on the list of great road trips and one I will do again with only a few minor alterations. If you have not been, it is worth adding it to your list.