cycling on great ocean road

[amridley]

Hi all,

I and my friend (we both male, early 30 and late 20, riding road racing bike) plan to ride along great ocean road for two days. neither of us has a car so we plan to utilize public transport.
Can you recommend which route and where to start, which is accessible by public transport?

the plan is to leave Melbourne early morning on day 1 then leave our stuffs in the hotel (It will only be a small bag as we wont ride with it), ride and back to hotel to sleep. If the hotel is somewhere in the middle of the finish line (we plan to go 12 apostle), we wont mind directly riding after off from public transport.
Day 2, ride along GOR again.

So, we basically dont know where to start, which route to take and where about to stay.

I appreciate your sharing;

Cheers, Mike

[slowrider]

Simply catch the train from Melbourne to Warnambool.

Plenty of accommodation and your choice of riding is good.

You can head east along the Great Ocean Road towards the twelve Apostles or west towards Port Fairy and Portland.

[il padrone]

You'd be pushing it to get to the 12 Apostles from Warrnambool and back in one day, and have time to do any sightseeing, even if you started at 9am - it's about 160km total ride. But then the train won't get you down there until ~11am or 12 noon. Also down around Warrnambool and Port Campbel you will get headwinds, one way or the other

It's really hard to do the GOR in day rides from accommodation and use rail transport to get there. If you're fit and fast, the best ride would be to use a big saddlebag and/or handlebar bag to carry some light gear, ride Geelong to Apollo Bay (perhaps via Deans Marsh to Lorne to avoid the Torquay traffic)and stay overnight in 'the Bay' at the excellent Eco Beach YHA, then ride over the Otways via Turtons Track and Beech Forest to Colac for the train home. This would be a very scenic ride with the best of the Otways landscape to experience.

Geelong - Apollo Bay = ~130-140km
Apollo Bay - Beech Forest - Colac = ~110km (hillier)

[snark]

... Turtons Track ...

Isn't that one a quite rocky-ish gravel road? At least, I think it was ... 20-odd years ago.

Cheers,
Simon.

[il padrone]

Recently sealed. Still very narrow and mostly 40kmh so very little traffic uses it (no buses nor caravans). A wonderful rainforest ride.

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2010/11/ ... rest-ride/







Well, hey! I think I've just come up with a long distance overnight challenge ride to put on my club's ride program

[Mulger bill]

For thise considering the train/bike option...

SSS-WBL services.
Mon-Fri
SSS 0735 1300 1836
WBL 1054 1609 2203

WBL 0538 1122 1714
SSS 0905 1443 2039

Sat
SSS 0800 1300 1900
WBL 1115 1618 2219

WBL 0635 1145 1725
SSS 0953 1503 2048

Sun
SSS 0900 1900
WBL 1143 2145

WBL 0710 1725
SSS 1030 2048

There's also trackworks happening between the 22nd Feb and 1st March and all services will operate as a road coach between Warrnambool and Geelong. Check with V/Lines site for more detail or call 136 196

[Uncle Just]

Yes I agree with il padrone's suggestions as I pondered the Op's request. Thanks also Mulger Bill for the timetables and heads up on trackwork. Would the replacement buses allow bikes? If you go via Apollo bay on the bus they are verboten which rules that option out for the OP.

I notice the SC to W'bool train leaves a tad earlier than the trains I've always taken making a two dayer to Geelong more feasible but as il padrone says not really allowing much or any time for sightseeing. Why would you rush such a lovely part of the world anyway? I'm planning a lightweight 4 dayer (midweek of course) soon along the GOR from W'bool to home via the ferry, but it's an opportunity to get in some back to back endurance rides away from city traffic.

[Mulger bill]

Good point Uncle. The corporate response is bikes are not permitted on regular services, tho' I don't usually have that problem
Rail replacement services are often a different thing again, in most cases it's drivers discretion. I've found if there's sufficient room in the bins you'll have no problem. Of course, you won't know for sure until you get there with your bike and if it's a no go then a certain creek springs to mind.

[stryker84]

I'm in Warrnambool. The last time they sprung replacement coaches on me (at the Geelong - Melb stretch), I checked, and the station staff 'guaranteed' that if it's a replacement service, anything that you would usually carry by train they are obliged to take, and indeed, my bike just slotted into the coach luggage bin. (Which I actually felt more secure than lying on the floor in the train luggage compartment, at least under the coach it's nicely padded by everyone else's luggage! )

But as you said, best to check, much also probably depends on who's staffing the joint on the day.

[il padrone]

(Which I actually felt more secure than lying on the floor in the train luggage compartment, at least under the coach it's nicely padded by everyone else's luggage

If it was in the guards compartment /passenger luggage compartment, just lean it securely against the wall, and use a strap to hold the front brake on. I've never had a bike fall in this situation - the carriage has passenger standard suspension. If you lie it on the floor:
1. It's almost garanteed the guard will have to move it, and stack it, in whatever manner he feels like
2. More likely that someone may stand on your nice new wheel

The D-vans (if you get one) are different.



Very rough suspension, so a leaned bike will get thrown down, especially if placed against the front or back transversely. Lean the bike against the side wall and use an ockie-strap around the seat tube then connected to the sidebars (low down) on the van wall to secure it. Our cycle touring club routinely does this with 6-30 bikes on our trips.

[igstar]

Just completed a ride along the GOR from Geelong to Lavers Hill and back (along Turons Track - a must). I found the wind to be southerly most of the time, so there wasn't a noticeable difference in either direction. I also recommend to travel during weekdays. The GOR can be notoriously busy during weekend.

[open roader]

I've ridden the GOR section between Apollo Bay and Aireys Inlet several times - both directions, in the past 2 years and have found the most ideal times to be on the road are between 9:00am and Midday and from 1:00pm to 3:00pm on workdays only. These approximate windows of opportunity represent the ideal times to ride the section I have ridden before as they avoid the morning and afternoon school bus runs, the lunchtime rush and the busy tradies are largely off the road inbetween these hours.

There is a permanent 80km/hr speed limit along the entire length of the GOR and as a 'semi-local' I've really noticed a more relaxed pace of the tourist traffic compared to 12-15 years ago when I rode motorcycles along the GOR and their was a 100km/hr speed limit. In many places like Big Hill, Mt Defiance and Cape Paton bike riders can roll through the corners quite safely as fast or faster than cars can allowing cars to pass easily on the straighter sections. There is also a near constant 1m wide sealed road shoulder on both sides along the whole road length which gives cyclist opportunities to pull across out of the carriageway allowing cars to pass at a very safe distance.

Turton's Track is another corker of a ride, again, I'd recommend similar times of the day on workdays only. Congratulations igstar on a great ride!!