Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Interesting video!! Full of envy for who can live everyday the world...

Perfect!! I'll take the train with no worries to go to Warrnambool!

Today I started the preparation of the first 5 legs, from Warrnambool to Queenscliff. Through the Great Ocean Road and sometimes, other secondary roads along the coast.

2 - 3 - 4 july
Arrive in Melbourne on 2 july, de-tox from jet-lag and visit of the city

5 july
1) (Victoria) - Great Ocean Road - from Warrnambool to Port Campbell // km 68

6 july
2) (Victoria) - Great Ocean Road - From Port Campbell to Cape Otway // km 87

7 july
3) (Victoria) - Great Ocean Road - From Cape Otway to Lorne // km 76

8 july
4) (Victoria) - Great Ocean Road - From Lorne to Queenscliff // km 87

I have already see there are several accomodations for backpapers along the GOR, also holiday park with camping site and B&B. For every leg I'll prepare A4 sheets with the road indications, satellite views and informations about territory and accomodation, as I did for my last travel.

Question: Free camping is allowed in Australia? Are there different rules for each state? Today, while I was looking for accomodations along GOR...I understand that prices for B&B, Hotels and cottages are higher than I thought.

No. No. No! Don't ride the GOR in July, it's mid winter and miserable. The cold winds and rain will make your trip very, very unpleasant. I've just got back from a GOR trip and we had 1 bad day but that's in October. In July go north to Qld or Northern NSW. There are plenty of fantastic touring opportunities during the southern winter up that way. Sydney to Brisbane following the coast is a great ride.

Montgomery Brogan wrote:I have already see there are several accomodations for backpapers along the GOR, also holiday park with camping site and B&B. For every leg I'll prepare A4 sheets with the road indications, satellite views and informations about territory and accomodation, as I did for my last travel.

There are a few I can recommend:
- the caravan park at Peterborough was very nice, had a good camp kitchen.

- Bimbi Park near Cape Otway has cabins and backpackers dorms. Lovely bushland setting.

- the Ecobeach YHA in Apollo Bay is very modern, comfortable and right in town. Excellent place to stay.

You'll be doing it in July. Brrrrr. I'd suggest you don't camp too much, it'll be wet and cold down there.

Montgomery Brogan wrote:Question: Free camping is allowed in Australia? Are there different rules for each state? Today, while I was looking for accomodations along GOR...I understand that prices for B&B, Hotels and cottages are higher than I thought.

Very much so. Free camping is quite OK in most public forest reserves and some National Parks. Otherwise on private land it's something you may wish to ask the landholder for permission to do. There are also many smaller reserves and picnic grounds that you could use. Always with discretion of course. Picnic areas and roadside rest areas on main highways are often a bit too public and noisy, and it is a bit unwise to camp on the roadside right outside someone's farm gate.

Ciao Uncle!


First of all thank you for your attention, really. I appreciate your suggestion...but I don't know if I will have another occasion to come to Australia and surely, in Italy, we don't have the GOR. Also Il Padrone told me the same, honestly I'm not looking for bad weather but I'm ready to suffer few days for that show.

My journey is long (2 months) and after the GOR (just 4/5 days) I'll accross Victoria toward the east coast, up to Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns, as you said, enjoying good weather.


Andrea

il padrone wrote: - Bimbi Park near Cape Otway has cabins and backpackers dorms. Lovely bushland setting.

already contacted by email, they are kind, I received their replay immediately
I'll try to use cottages and backpapers accomodations on the GOR, for the bad weather. Hoping, with a good weather and temperature, to use the tent in the other states of the country

Travel alone is always very expensive...I have to organize all very well.

Aushiker wrote:

RonK wrote:To give a helicopter view of the route, on this map click the 3D button on the left in the driving directions. You may need to click the pause button to let the aerial photographs render.

Thanks for that Ron. I wasn't aware of this cool feature in Google Earth.

Andrew

Darn I can't find any 3D button. Using Firefox in Linux.

John

John Lewis wrote:

Aushiker wrote:

RonK wrote:To give a helicopter view of the route, on this map click the 3D button on the left in the driving directions. You may need to click the pause button to let the aerial photographs render.

Thanks for that Ron. I wasn't aware of this cool feature in Google Earth.

Andrew

Darn I can't find any 3D button. Using Firefox in Linux.

John

The 3D button is in the directions column, right next the text "Driving directions to Gilgandra NSW". I wouldn't have thought using Linux would have made a difference to the browser.

Montgomery Brogan wrote:I have already see there are several accomodations for backpapers along the GOR, also holiday park with camping site and B&B. For every leg I'll prepare A4 sheets with the road indications, satellite views and informations about territory and accomodation, as I did for my last travel.

Question: Free camping is allowed in Australia? Are there different rules for each state? Today, while I was looking for accomodations along GOR...I understand that prices for B&B, Hotels and cottages are higher than I thought.

I don't bother about pre-booking accommodation. The east coast is a well established backpacker route - you should be able to get budget accommodation most places. Travelling in winter there should be plenty of vacancies and rates will be cheaper too. Often you can get cheap stand-by rates if you just roll up or phone ahead.

Also once you get here and are closer to the date of stay, you might find bargains on Wotif or similar sites for accommodation specials.

Thanks Ronk.

No 3D button appears for me either in Firefox or Konquerer. Weird.

John

John Lewis wrote:No 3D button appears for me either in Firefox or Konquerer. Weird.

Are you viewing the map in satellite mode? Do you have the Google Earth plug-in installed (required for the Mac, not sure about PC).

Andrew

Aushiker wrote:

John Lewis wrote:No 3D button appears for me either in Firefox or Konquerer. Weird.

Are you viewing the map in satellite mode? Do you have the Google Earth plug-in installed (required for the Mac, not sure about PC).

Andrew

Thats it. Need Google Earth Plugin. I have stand alone GE but not the plugin. Appears plugin is not available for Linux or perhaps its just my version of Firefox.
John

Preparation is going on! "I'm" in the Lake District, Gippsland.

After GOR..
Queenscliff
Mornington Peninsula with Sorrento & Portsea
French Island
Philip Island
a dismissed trailway from Anderson to Wonthaggi "Bass Coast Rail Trail"
Cape Paterson
Venus Bay
The Prom & 2/3 days trekking
Secondary roads close to South Gippsland Hgw to arrive in Sale
Metung & Lakes Entrance & Ninety Mile

....KM 904 /10 days on bike + 5/6 stop

There are many opportunities to spend the nights in backpapers accomodation or camping site with cabins...I don't think there will be problem for me to find a place to stay! Long life Australia! SOOOO HAPPY!

p.s. seems to be others 2 trails. From Bairnsdale to Nowa Nowa and another from Bairnsdale to Lakes Entrance. Right? Do you know?

There is also a very nice rail trail that would help you, from Leongatha to Foster. The Great Southern Railtrail.

Interesting but Great Southern is in another zone..I'll use Railtrail Anderson / Wonthaggi to go to the Prom. Do you think I'll need railtrail's map to follow this?

http://www.railtrails.org.au/states/tra ... l&trail=19

Is clearly marked?

My idea is to take this from Lakes Entrance towards Newmeralla, Orbost.


At this point I have organised the trip until Orbost but now I'm full of doubts..I'm reading a lot about Australia but I don't know which is the best road (most interesting places to see) to go to north and the east coast. In few words..I decided to ride along the sea until this point (even if I'm thinking to see also Cape Conran Coastal Park & Croanjingolong NP..) but now I could take an inland road towards Canberra, to see also inland territory and alternate landscapes..Snowy River NP?

every suggestions will be super appreciated..I'm in crisis ;(

Montgomery Brogan wrote:At this point I have organised the trip until Orbost but now I'm full of doubts..I'm reading a lot about Australia but I don't know which is the best road (most interesting places to see) to go to north and the east coast. In few words..I decided to ride along the sea until this point (even if I'm thinking to see also Cape Conran Coastal Park & Croanjingolong NP..) but now I could take an inland road towards Canberra, to see also inland territory and alternate landscapes..Snowy River NP?

every suggestions will be super appreciated..I'm in crisis ;(

Monty - you will be visiting in winter. It's uncertain what road and weather conditions will be like if you head inland via the Snowy NP.

My advice would be - plan for the coastal route, but still take note of the alternate inland routes that interest you. Make the final decision about the route when you are here. Your visit is likely to be more interesting if you have a flexible itinerary and can be guided by local knowledge.

Australia is a huge country. You cannot possibly fit it all into the short time you have available, so don't try to plan too much.

5 minutes of impatience! This happen when I want to see (and I have fear to don't see!) all in, relatively, short time...good suggestion Ronk! Australia is huge. As you said, I'll prepare two kind of itinerary..one on the coast and another inland. Ya.. I don't understand if in the winter I'll find snow on NPs or mountains.
Anyway..for the coastal route, can you give me some informations about the best route? I wouldn't like to do Princes HGW...do you know something wild or with light traffic?

Monty

Just scanning thru this thread and seeing some of the pics. It makes me wanna go back and see more - a week in Perugia is just what the doctor recommends.

Hi Warren,

Your pics are fantastic and I dream of riding such roads as you've posted above. Will be bookmarking this thread for future trips.

thanks !!!!!

I don't know why but....time to travel & to enjoy a new place is never enough!!

Hi Guys!

I was thinking to use this, to go to Orbost:

http://www.eastgippslandrailtrail.com/p ... 202009.pdf

But I want to visit also Metung and Lakes Entrance and I was thinking if along the trail there are exit points to sealed roads (excluding old rail stations of course). I could leave the trail about at point 8 in the map, visit Metung & Lakes Entrance and then, some days later, take again the trail about at point 17 in the map. Following the trail until Orbost. Somebody knows this trail? Is clearly marked?? It's easy to do?

Thank you guys!! I hope my nightmare english will be enough to explain my idea..

Andrea

Yes, all of that is eminently possible. However best to leave the trail at Kettle Lane (point 10) - reduces your riding on the busy highway. Ride to Metung, then along the road through Nungurner to Lakes Entrance, and make your way back to the railtrail using the Mississippi Creek Trail. It's a very nice ride and Bairnesdale to Lakes Entrance is an easy day's ride. If you want to push it a bit you could get to Nowa Nowa for the night.

Some photos of the region are here.

Thank you mate!

il padrone wrote:It's a very nice ride and Bairnesdale to Lakes Entrance is an easy day's ride. If you want to push it a bit you could get to Nowa Nowa for the night.

I just finish to prepare the day's ride "Lakes Entrance / Orbost" with 2 Trails, I calculated a total distance of 75 km.

Gippsland Lakes Discovery Trail (Lakes Entrance until Seaton Track - Mississippi Creek)
East Gippsland Rail Trail (Seaton Track - Newmerella/Orbost)

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5222650

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!


Andrea