Ride Summary

This section of the Great Ocean Road is 44 kilometres long and has a corner ratio of 85%. The corners can be taken at fair speed. You are likely to meet a car every five minutes, and often several at once if one is passing several others, etc. The bitumen grip is good and the road surface is smooth and free from bumps.

Ride Description

For breathtakingly magnificent scenery combined with deadly danger, no routes in Victoria can compare with a ride along the Great Ocean Road from Lorne to Apollo Bay. Although the Great Ocean Road continues for many more kilometres, and some of that distance is described elsewhere on this site, this section is the area with the most awe-inspiring surroundings – a truly unforgettable ride.

The road traverses a cliff-face at anywhere from 10 to 100 meters above the sea, with a splendid view of the breakers crashing and foaming at the shore below. Huge cliffs and beautiful green mountains ascend on the other side of the road, above the natural escarpment on which the route was built, and give the impression that you are riding at the world’s rim.

The traffic, however, provides a lethal backdrop to this otherwise excellent ride. Impatient motorists attempt to pass other vehicles on blind corners, tour buses travel at high speeds on this two-lane road, and the well-marked scenic lookout areas are places where people are often pulling off the road or re-entering traffic, a hazard if you happen to be approaching at that moment. Furthermore, some drivers simply park at the roadside despite the danger to enjoy a view, and encountering one of these scofflaws after a blind corner can be a hair-raising moment.

The road does offer a good-quality surface and plenty of interesting curves as well, mostly of medium radius.

Directions

The town of Torquay, the actual start of the Great Ocean Road, is 85 kilometres southwest of Melbourne’s CBD, and can be reached by first crossing the West Gate Bridge and following the Princes Highway. Continue on this highway through Geelong, then turn off onto the Surf Coast Highway, which leads directly to Torquay. From Torquay it is a short ride to Lorne.

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Best Thing About This Ride

The spectacular, absolutely stunning view over the surrounding scenery is without doubt the best thing about the ride from Lorne to Apollo Bay.

What Else To Look Out For

The constant risk of wild motorists and erratic traffic on this route are definitely something you should watch out for, considering that the Great Ocean Road’s fatality rate is 10 times (1,000%) higher than the death rate on the next most dangerous route in Victoria. Besides the traffic, certain corners have radii which decrease unexpectedly, making them a bit risky to turn at speed – meaning that it is wise to approach all corners with caution until you have learned the route thoroughly.