The Great Ocean Road

Arrived in Melbourne early morning after 9 hour bus ride (the joys of travel) and booked in at the YHA. A much more vibrant city than Adelaide and of course much older. As per normal I went to tourist information but minimal information about cycling the Great Ocean Road ( I realised that every tourist information office only knows about their immediate area and definitely nothing out of state). Established that the best plan would be to get the train to Warrnambool and cycle back. Arriving at the station the next day it was full of people dressed up to go to the races with the women all in their hats, posh frocks and high heels.

I felt pretty scruffy. It was at the conductors discretion if there was room for the bike but all was well and wheeled it on with luggage attached and no fuss.
Warrnambool was a nice town and decided to stay for 2 nights in another cheap hotel with same drinkers and gamblers as before. Sign below seemed to be true.

Warrnambool has a fantastic trail through the dunes either along board walks or tarmac paths with brilliant views. A really enjoyable day and a nice lunch.

The island with the purple flowers is called Middle Island and is closed to the public. It is home to a group of miniature penguins, sometimes known as Fairy penguins. During the breeding season they are protected by 2 Maremma dogs who stop foxes eating them. The man whose job it is to look after the dogs swims or wades to the island each day to feed them and check they are ok.