Adelaide - Great Ocean Road - Melbourne

Crafers - Hahndorf - Mount Barker - Wellington - Meningie - Salt Creek - Kingston S.E. - Robe  - Millicent - Mount Gambier - Portland - Warnambool - Port Fairy - Port Campbell - Lavers Hill  - Apollo Bay - Torquay - Geelong - Queenscliff - Ferry to Sorento - Rye- Dromana - Mornington - Melbourne

Nov 20th - Dec 11th
Kilometer in total: 1.140km
days on bike: 14

G´Day Mates,

On Nov 20th I headed off to cycle along the Great Ocean Road. In Crafers, where I was hosted by the daughter of my grandaunt, it was raining cats and dogs. I cycled through Hahndorf, the oldest German settlement in Australia.

Beerenberg, strawberry farm

My first stop was in Wellington, a small town at the Murray River.

Wellington Ferry

Murray River

I spent there one night and the next day I crossed the river by ferry. With a lovely tailwind along the Coorong National Park.

http://www.meningie.com.au/pages/attractions/the-birdman-of-the-coorong.php

 I arrived in Salt Creek, where in 1892 some entrepreneurs tried to find oil.

On the way to Robe, after a the Nullarbor Roadhouse,  I met another fellow cyclist. Luc from Belgium, coming from Sydney, on the way to Adelaide.

Three days in Robe, a lovely town.
Mount Gambier was a highlight. I already have been there in 2007, and again, I visited the Blue Lake

and the Umpherston-Sinkhole. (see more on Mount Gambier Tourism).

After another day with headwind I arrived in Portland and met Heidi and Max from www.2roadrunners-on-tour.
We already know each other from Facebook and now it was time to have a Austrian/German meeting :-)

the next days were not so much exciting. steep upclimbs, especially Lavers Hill, heavy rain, more unpleasant wind...  on Dec 6th I had my first homestay at the the GOR in Torquay at Ian and Kay.
heading to Geelong to my next WS-hosts. Guy, Frederike and their baby Saskia. awesome :-)

I enjoy this warmshower hosts so much. many friendly people, great hospitality, interessting conversations. I took a ferry to Sorento on the Mornington Peninsula and on Dec. 11th I arrived in Melbourne.

Giant Lobster in Kingston S.E.

Lakeside Caravan Park in Robe

my small cabin ;-)

now I know, where they produce this bloody headwind ;-)

no more problems with roadtrains, caravans or stupid car drivers. the road is mine !

Portland

Koala on the tree at the caravanpark. so cude :-)

war memorial in Portland

Max and Heidi from Austria, awesome meeting !

Warnambool

London Bridge

Alpaccas at Lavers Hill

foggy and rainy at Lavers Hill

road to Apollo Bay, Great Otway National Park http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Otway_National_Park

YES ! aristocratic and my own creek :-)

Echidna

raining and raining......

Mikael from Danmark/Europe

Ian and Kay, my WS-hosts in Torquay

Frederike, Guy and Saskia their baby, my WS-hosts in Geelong

ferry to Sorento, Mornington Peninsula

international sailing regatta in Melbourne

Melbourne , I am coming !

When I drove back to Adelaide, I did it on the Great Ocean Road again, hoping, to get some better pics. 

German cyclists at the Twelve Apostels.with backpacks, no panniers ! incredible.

Twelve Apostels

my "small" car, a Mitsubushi Outlander

all my stuff inside the car :-)

three guys from Brisbane to Adelaide

Eric from Adelaide, I met him in Robe.

German supermarket in Warnambool

Andrew, a sheep-farmer, who I met in Nelson