I said I was tempting fate when I wrote about how lucky we have been with the rain during our cycle across Oz. Well, next morning as we prepared to leave Apollo Bay the rain was lashing down. We were a bit concerned as the Great Ocean Road hugs the steep shoreline as it winds it’s way around the coastline promontories and is regularly closed due to subsidence in wet weather. In the last week it had been closed, open, closed and was now open again. 

It wasn’t long before we were pretty well soaked through. As I tend to lie in a more reclined position I find the water runs up my sleeves and under my jacket. Susan doesn’t fare much better.

Apologies for the blurred rain spots on the photo as I couldn’t keep the camera dry. Susan isn’t actually smiling – her face is frozen in that position for it was the coldest October day for 6 years. Here is a photo of our way ahead – you can just make out the road.  

Soon we were cycling around minor landslides and rockfalls. Rivers flowed down the hills and over the road. We kept wondering whether we had passed the section that is regularly closed but soon decided the whole thing was pretty precarious in this weather. The road was littered with fallen rocks and we were glad we had our cycle helmets as we cycled under the cliffs. 

Thankfully we were only cycling 44km that day to Lorne and the lovely old Grand Pacific Hotel. By the time we arrived we were frozen, wet and walked like penguins because we couldn’t feel our feet.  That’s actually why penguins walk like that, so I’m told. 

A couple of hours after we cycled the Great Ocean Road was closed and remained that way for two days. The alternative would have been a cycle inland over the mountains. No thanks. 

Susan managed to get an extra fan heater for our room and turned the bathroom into an oven and dried our clothes. It was a great effort but the following day it was, unfortunately, still raining. Our dry clothes were soon wet clothes as we set off for Geelong 

The rain was on and off as mini storms swept across from the Southern Ocean.  The wind was either behind us (hooray) or hitting us from the side (oh no!) and several times I thought we were going over. 

Here’s a repeat of the picture of Susan sheltering under the gum trees because I just love these gum trees. Oh it’s okay I made sure the lightning had stopped before we sheltered. In case you’re wondering (you’re probably not) she is holding her seat cushion trying to keep it dry. Men don’t do that kind of thing so my seat cushion is on the bike getting wet. 

We stopped at a cafe and met Johnny Isaak (johnnyisaak.com) who was sheltering from the rain.  He is cycle touring from Hobart to Darwin or maybe Cairns – I can’t really remember because my brain was frozen. Johnny is only the fourth touring cyclist we’ve met in Australia.

I do remember we did have some nice coffee and wonderful cake. Now I know there’s lots a cake people who want more information so I had raspberry and apple tea cake whilst Susan had lemon and ricotta. You know there’s so much rubbish cake out there that it makes a pleasant surprise when you come across a small cafe in a small town that beats the rest. Here’s a picture of us smiling during a brief interlude in the rain. You just can’t keep us down when it’s a great cake day! 

We passed under the memorial arch for the Great Ocean Road that recognises the magnificent efforts of those returning WW1 soldiers who built the road. 

After 66km and a reasonable 2,500 feet ascent we reached Geelong and were made very welcome by the motel.  Goodbye Great Ocean Road. 

The following day we cycled 77km into Melbourne. I ditched the Garmin Edge for the day as the routing is so dreadfully poor despite the efforts of the Garmin help desk.  Google maps was called into action and found the Federation Trail that followed the route of an old open sewer. It’s okay the sewer isn’t used anymore but it wouldn’t have bothered us anyway – people would have actually complained about the smell of us cycling alongside the sewer. Anyway with the help of Google we avoided most of the city centre traffic.  Outstanding.  

So here we are in Melbourne for a few days sightseeing before our final push to Sydney. 

3,877 km to date. 

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