Great Ocean Road. Day 8. Torquay

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GOR Day8 Torquay.
Better looking day with cloud but no rain and a forecast of 19. Breakfast on the strip of bacon and egg in a sourdough loaf. It tasted very good but the egg was done with cheese and tasted nice but my mouth is now inflamed with ulcers 8 hours later. I was treated to a pleasant Happy Birthday song and suitable card with a cyclist on it by the group to mark my 3/4 century. How time flies and luckily I still have my legs.
The coast from Lorne to Torquay is very picturesque with big rolling waves dashing onto sandy shores and as the day progressed it got warmer and must be in the mid 20’s at least by late afternoon. I saw a snake at the roadside, luckily dead, just before the Memorial Arch dedicated to the men who built the Great Ocean Road. The tourist information office In Lorne has a good display of the history of the road which was built by men returning from WW1 from 1919 to 1932 from mostly public subscriptions. Before it was built the small settlements could only be reached by rough tracks and by sea. The work was started by 18 men with basic tools and was eventually completed by a workforce of 3000 living in tents and rough housing. Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet standing proud to warn shipping on this Shipwreck Coast. The road is far from level and after every river inlet there is usually a hard climb out of it. The climb to Anglesea was such a climb which did my legs in following the two whippersnappers of John and Kay. Thankfully a coffee stop in the town gave me some respite be fir the next rotten climb towards Torquay. The coast by Bells Beach and Janjuc was stunning on this sunny afternoon as we rode along the sandy cycle track culminating in a boardwalk around a small pond just below the Torquay Hotel where we will rest our weary heads. The room are very nice with a small garden at the rear with a table where we are now basking in the sun. The Australian weather has now arrived - do NOT disappear for two more weeks please.

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Photos

Split Point Lighthouse
Aireys Inlet

Comments

[Trevor Lingard]

Happy Birthday Richard
Very much enjoying your daily blog Richard.. Hope the weather continues to improve. Have a great time on your 3/4 century birthday.