Words: Matthew Shields

There are many famous riding roads around the world and a few of them are clasped to a glorious stretch of coastline. As highly-regarded and well-known as its equivalents in the United States and Italy – Highway 1 and the Amalfi Coast – the Great Ocean Road is, like them, one of the most famous coastal stretches of tarmac in the world.

Also noted for its spectacular scenery, the Great Ocean Road is 243km long and stretches from Victoria’s Allansford in the west to Torquay in the east. It varies from tight and twisty, slightly more open and winding, open and straight. There are damp patches in the tree-covered stretches through the Otways and can be windy on sections of coastline.

Whilst being Australia’s most popular tourist drive, the road surface is generally in good condition and, if it isn’t, you’ll find it very well signposted. Roadworks are commonplace along the road and unless they are emergency works, there is usually notification well in advance.

Source: Supplied.

There are very few spots for safe overtaking in the twisty stuff and if you find yourself stuck behind a convoy of cars, you are best to pull over and wait a while – and a while it may be! Traffic volumes on the road peak in the warmer months and weekends are always busy.

As for the best time of year to visit, as it faces Antarctica you can find it is sometimes very cold but, like anywhere else in Australia, boiling hot, dry days aren’t unheard of. Speed limits are typically between 80 and 100km/h and they are always signposted well.

There are plenty of great places to stop along the way like London Bridge, Twelve Apostles, The Arch and Lord Ard Gorge or what is left of them. The coastal formations stretch to the east of Port Campbell. Also worth seeing is Cape Otway, Australia’s oldest-surviving lighthouse.

Image: Matthew Shields.

You can get to the Great Ocean Road from many locations. At the eastern end, the road (signposted B100) runs off the Princess Freeway jut south of Geelong. At the western end, the Great Ocean Road starts at Allansford, just short of Warrnambool on the Princess Highway.

There are a number of ways to get there on back roads, but make sure you keep your wits about you! They are littered with tree litter, animals, lost tourists and locals. There is always a strong police presence on the road, so don’t think you’ll get away with misbehaving on the GOR.

The best part of this long stretch of ocean highway is heading east from the Otway National Park on to Lorne. It is corner after corner that follows the coastline as close as it can. And with such a rugged coastline, it makes for one hell of a riding road!