Victoria ~ North or West?
May 12 - 16, AUS Post #36
Across the Sea
Departure day had arrived - the bikes were loaded for the first time in over a week and the ferry dock was only a couple kilometers away. We had a whole day to wait for our evening departure. While we hung out at our favorite breakfast place that morning, Nivaun got a text from our hosts at Montagu campground, who were now touring around Tasmania until their ferry departure date. A short while later, they joined us on the porch to help us celebrate our last day in Tasmania.
After a 12 hour ferry crossing, we arrived at 6am to another perfect weather day having barely slept in our recliner lounge chairs, full of mixed emotions and still undecided about which direction to go from here.
As we pedaled away from the ferry dock, it felt like we were rewinding the clock, retracing the route we first took to Geelong. We couldn’t help but laugh when we approached the same riverfront bike path, now free of construction in front of the new waterfront condos. We cruised through where the fence had first blocked our route, followed by the tractor parked in the middle of the path. As soon as we pulled into the Showgrounds campground, the groundskeeper still remembered us and came over to catch up on our travels.
Waterfront bike path ~ construction complete!
The next morning we were on a mission to fix Nivaun’s bottom bracket and find zipper wax to keep the tent doors working. Unable to find a replacement bottom bracket locally or from the manufacturer, the only option the mechanic could offer was replacing the bearings, which after a short test ride, only proved the housing was damaged. Clearly, the universe felt our perseverance needed testing.
Rather than head North as originally planned, we were still considering our friend’s suggestion to go West toward Adelaide and the Mawson trail. Our plan solidified shortly after we arrived in town and crossed paths with a couple of local cyclists excited to share their route West through the Great Otways National Park taking us off the Great Ocean Road and into a lush section of rain forest where koalas are known to growl from the treetops.
Torquay
The next day we followed the bike paths out of town into the suburbs and onto the main highway leading to Torquay - Victoria’s surf capital, the start of the Great Ocean Road, and home of surf brands Rip Curl and Quicksilver.
Torquay - home of iconic surf
To our surprise, a couple we had met in Smithton, also cycle touring Tassie, were now working from their van in Torquay. Just minutes after setting up camp at the caravan park, we were on our way to meet them at the local brewery for happy hour. Australia may be big country but “our world” within it was feeling perfectly small.
Our next stop was Anglesea, less than 20km down the coast, so we decided to go East to the start of the coastal path before turning further West. The paved path meandered along waterfront homes, connected with a dirt path along a protected woodland, passed by one of several “clothing optional” beaches, and ended in a dirt parking lot packed with surfers.
On the way back, we stopped in at a beachfront cafe for lunch and then followed the coastal path up to Bells Beach to catch our friends at their evening surf spot.
Bells Beach
Not again…
Somehow even though we had only 12kms left to reach the Angelsea caravan park, Google managed to turn the last 7km into an unexpected adventure. We had taken back roads to the top of the hill just above Anglesea but were now faced with riding the Great Ocean Road into town.
To our surprise, Google found an alternate route through the forest just above the coastline. My first and only thought was, “it’s only 3+ miles, it couldn’t possibly take that much longer”. Nivaun hesitantly agreed. Of course, the first kilometer was a nicely graded dirt road. But once we were too far in to bail, the road turned to a sandy track raising our skepticism, then a dreaded gate spurred us on to irritation, realizing Google might of taken us for a “ride” to nowhere, once again. So far we had seen no one and easily navigated around the gate, holding onto the hope that we would somehow find our own way down the other side, if necessary, before dark.
Unknowingly, the route continued into the midst of a private Scout campground, where we simultaneously realized we were completely turned around, as well as trespassing. Somehow, we managed to escape without having to explain ourselves. Soon after, we bumped into a lone mountain bike rider, who was no real help, other than to confirm we were no longer on private land. It was well past dusk by the time we rode down a steep, rutty dirt track to finally arrive at a back road that reconnected us with the coastal path. Mentally exasperated, we almost didn’t notice the owl tucked up in the tree just above the path a few meters before we arrived at the caravan park. A well-timed, first sighting, to gently remind us, even the seemingly off-course routes can bring you to moments you would never want to miss…
