What's so 'Great' about the Great Ocean Road?
So what’s so great about the Great Ocean Road, and why has it earned its reputation for being one of the best motorcycling roads in the world and one of our favourite rides?
243km of twists and turns along coastal roads and through national parks, with phenomenal views whichever way you look is just the start. As far as roads go, this place has pretty much everything a motorcyclist could want!
Starting in Melbourne, while it is possible to do it in a day your best bet is to do it over two or even three days to allow enough time to stop and take inso many of the attractions that contribute to making this journey so, ‘Great’.
Highlights
The 12 Apostles are one of the things that put the Great Ocean Road on the map. A spectacular sight, although don’t waste your time trying to find all 12 of them or you’ll be there forever. The ocean has claimed more than half of them! Sundown or sunrise is the best time to visit here, the colours are magical at this hour.
The Great Otway National Park is a must see too. Take your hiking boots with you though, the trail is long if you’re up for it, snaking through some amazing rainforest and waterfalls.
Time permitting, you can’t go wrong stopping at any of the lookout areas. The Loch Ard Gorge, London Arch, The Grotto, Bay of Islands are all well worth a look to name but a few.
The Best Times to Visit?
With decent weather all year round, there really isn’t a BAD time of year to visit the Great Ocean Road. Although, each season has its ups and downs, which we will outline below to help you make the right choice. Whichever you choose, if possible, you’ll have the best time riding mid-week, when there aren’t so many cars and coaches to deal with. The quieter roads give you a bit more freedom to open up and really enjoy these epic roads.
Without a doubt you get the best weather in summer. And there are plenty of opportunities for a swim along the way. Being peak time for most visitors, it does get busy this time of year though, and accommodation prices go up accordingly.
With Autumn being shoulder season, prices start to come down, as does the weather, but it’s still a great time to visit with fairly mild temperatures and low rainfall.
Winter is actually a great time to ride. While it’s definitely cooler than other times of year, generally speaking it’s still nice riding weather for the most part, and as a bonus, the roads are less busy and accommodation prices come down. It’s also Whale migration season so be sure to hop on a whale watching boat if you do visit at this time.
Spring is the best time of year to visit for you nature lovers. The rainforests and waterfalls are at their best. The wildlife is also on the move, and the plant life wakes up displaying all sorts of colours and flowers.
The Wildlife
Around Cape Patton Lookout and Kennett River you can expect to see plenty of Koalas. You might have a hard time spotting them during the day though, they sleep about 20 hours a day! Late afternoon is the best time to catch them on the move.
If bird spotting is your thing then you’ve come to the right place. Expect to see King Parrots and Crimson Rosellas amongst other species of birds around the rainforest areas.
As you can see, the Great Ocean Road is not only a fantastic ride, but there is plenty to see and do along the way too. There’s plenty of fun to be had both on and off the bike – a ride not to miss if you get the chance to do so.
Iva Madderom – Steel Horse Moto
