Marty and I headed down hwy 1 from Geelong to Colac (Vic - approx 90 miles from Melbourne) and hooked up with Steve. From there the three of us took our familiar run to Apollo Bay via the inland forested part of the Great Ocean Road. Just out of Apollo Bay we turned inland and headed back towards Colac via the township of Forrest. Beech Forest and Forest were our main drink stops along the way.
Our route.
Our first stop after Colac was at Beech Forest. This comes after a great run gaining altitude along some winding roads lined with eucalyptus trees. We pulled in at the 'Ridge Cafe' which has a deck that looks out over the Otways bush.
Motorcycles parked in the shade.
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| The guys taking in the view |
After a drink and chat it was off to Lavers Hill and then along the GOR for a stop and fuel at Apollo Bay. We had a great run along the GOR and it seems like the recent heavy rains have really cleaned the asphalt - the grip today was terrific.
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| Steve pulling up in the main street of the coastal town of Apollo Bay. |
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| The Commando is approaching its 40th birthday! |
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| Waiting in the shade while the guys fuel up. At $1.42 per litre ($5.38 per US gallon) it's a blatant rip off. I'm glad I have a large fuel tank. |
After a brief walk around the Saturday market it was back on the motorcycles for a sensational run up through the bush to Forest, then to Steve's place near Colac. After chewing the fat for a while there under a shady tree, Marty & I headed back down Hwy 1 to Geelong.
This run was a really satisfying mix of great roads, great weather and great friends to share the experience with. January has just about ended and at last we are getting some decent summer weather! Tomorrow's forecast is for 41C (105F) so it was great to get out today in a very enjoyable 20C-25C (68F-77F).
Excellent post and photos! A wonderful ride shared with great friends.... it really doesn't get much better than that Jules! Those rural gas prices pretty much mirror what happens in NZ too.
ReplyDeleteJust had a slightly scary ride to the next town, dodging round slips and clay-covered roads arising from the remains of a tropical cyclone hitting us on Friday night. It's going to take hours to clean the bike!
Thanks Geoff.It was just one of those days where everything falls into place; weather conditions, road conditions, my ability and that of my riding mates
ReplyDeleteInteresting, I took Dorothy for a drive in the car today along the Colac to Beech Forest section and the road was covered in leaf litter and bark thanks to the wild winds and 38C temps. Whereas yesterday the road surface was as clean as if it had been pressure washed-hence my comment in the blog about good grip.
You really have to be in the mood for spending time with the cleaning gear and polishing rags - but its always great to stand back and look at the results afterwards.
Last time I looked your thread on STN re 'Speed Kills' hadn't really lit too many intellectual fires!
I was furious with our local newspaper yesterday reporting on the death of a mature aged motorcyclist in town on his way to work. They stated that he had "...lost control of his motorcycle while swerving to avoid a truck turning on to the street". They really raised my ire by following it up with "Police will investigate whether speed was a factor in the crash". Other than being damn insensitive to the man's family, this sort of uncritical parroting of the standard police line is what makes some print journalists such a laughing stock. Rant over! Here's the link if you are interested http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/article/2011/01/28/239395_news.html
Jules.
I enjoyed reading your blog, and look forward to reading a lot more about your adventures.
ReplyDeleteYour comments re the accident, are very similar to what goes on over here, it doesnt half piss me off! I am not saying that bikers are not at fault....but the standard line issued always, always paints the bikers in bad light.
Raftnn, I think you nailed it with your analysis that the standard line puts the bikers in a bad light. Things are about to get worse for us in Victoria. From yesterday's Melbourne 'Age' newspaper."Motorcycles and heavy vehicles are in the sights of Victoria Police as it concentrates on driving down further the state's lowest-ever annual road toll"
ReplyDeleteSee
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/victoria-records-lowest-ever-road-toll-20110201-1abqn.html
Another fun travel blog! Thanks to the blog "Tombstone" I've been lucky enough to find 3 new travel bloggers who I enjoy tremendously! I'm outta here for now, I want to read some of your past posts! I have a fascination for the countries "down under"!
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