We were ready before 8:30am and so rode down to Little Crumb Bakery and Cafe in the main road for breakfast. Such cheerful, obliging folk; and David opined it was THE best smashed avo of his life! Tom needed to spend some time with his brother who lives in Apollo Bay, so did not join us for breakfast nor the morning's ride. We talked a lot while we ate (a regular failing of ours) and so departed Apollo Bay towards the west a little after the appointed time. We were a little concerned about the weather, as the forecast was for 5 - 10mm of rain and indeed, the radar was showing a huge band to the north east. Freshly down from Sydney, we thought. Plan A was to stick to Plan A ie gravel roads; but if it rained too much, plan B was to hit the (sealed) Princes Highway and head back to Melbourne. As so often happens, the weather forecast, if it was accurate at all, was accurate in a location or locations different to ours. So, during the morning and early afternoon we contended with dust, not mud. On Saturday evening, Tom's brother Matt, who lives in Apollo Bay, had joined us for a beer after dinner; and discussion ensued about roads and things to see. Binn's Road was mentioned, as was the stand of Californian Redwoods. Yes, you read that correctly. As an experiment, the Forests Commission of Victoria in 1936 planted a stand of Californian Redwoods in a verdant valley in the Otways. Planted on the bank of a small river, the site receives high winter rainfall and summer fogs. It is protected from the wind so, with such perfect growing conditions, these trees are now reaching 60 metres tall! This is really impressive and it was well worth the short stop. It is worth noting that over the two days we had a handful of instances where trees had fallen over and partly obstructed the roads. Our original intention was to proceed along certain dirt roads and meet Tom for lunch in Forest. That fell by the wayside when we saw an interesting looking cafe in Gellibrand. The staff were pleasant and helpful and the owner likes adventure bikes, selling bike equipment in another business. Tom made contact with David and he decided to wait for us in Forest. After lunch and a couple of stops to check the map, we duly caught up with Tom and proceeded to turn for home. We made a pit stop in Birregurra and discussed the fact that it is the home of "Brae" a high-end, very popular restaurant. Our cafe was pleasant, but definitely not high-end. Our dirt riding was over and we proceeded along the black top, reaching the M1 just short of Winchelsea. Double lane and freeway followed which, apart from some light but steady rain, presented an uneventful ride. As we approached Melbourne, we started peeling off off one by one at our home exits, hands raised in salute and farewell. Thanks to Greg for organising the accommodation and to David for planning the routes and leading. There was only one short section where the road, recently graded, provided some slippy conditions going into corners. Thus the weekend was adjudged fun, not training. Which is why Greg says we must do another day in sand before the Big Trip. That may well get a mention here. Please note: There are more photos in the Photos tab.
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AuthorDuncan & Liz are keen travellers, doing less than they would like but appreciating what opportunities present. Duncan loves his motorcycle and Liz loves it more at the end of a trip! Archives
June 2021
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