Great

This has been a really special day. Not much sleep last night due to the larrikin lads of Lorne. Can you believe they were playing Simon and Garfunkel songs at 1am? And people say that I have no musical cred! These guys were only in their mid 20s too. Anyway I got to sleep just in time to be woken by a flock of cockatoos squawking hello. There were dozens of them flapping round my tent. So I decided to take advantage of the early start and head up to the nearby Erskine waterfall. Twisty, misty road through the forest, and steep and slippy too. But when I got there I had the place to myself. Magical atmosphere as the sun started to burn the mist from the fern and tree lined gorge.

Back at camp I gossiped with the neighbours awhile, then packed-up to really start the GOR. Within minutes I was into the winding wonder of the biking world, and with relatively few others, it was an awesome experience. Steep cliffs plunging down to rough seas on one side, and equally steep tree lined hills on the other. Then through a chilly section of forest, up and down hills, wriggling round the landmarks the ex-soldiers who built the road couldn't drive on through.

It may be named and famed as the Great Ocean Road, and those bits by the sea are spectacular, but loads of it was inland too, and just as exciting to ride. You need your wits about you, and it's hardly relaxing, but it is an exhilarating experience on two wheels. And I was amazed just how much I had it to myself. The longer, straight sections further west had me riding for miles at a time without seeing any other traffic at all.

By now it was hot! The road ahead shimmering in the heat haze. All along, I kept stopping at various scenic viewpoints, and have taken tons of photos. Highlight was the section with the "Twelve Apostles", huge sandstone bluffs just off the coast. They looked stunning in the hazy sunshine. The ocean crashing around them is rough and has carved the bases of some of them. One outcrop known as London Bridge was amazing. The power of the waves smashing through the huge hole which formed the arch of the 'bridge' carved over centuries. Breathtaking scenery.

Though the water was cold, I did have a little skinny dip on an isolated beach stretching for miles. In homage to the only episode of Neighbours I ever watched closely... Where Guy Pearce, Jason Donovan and Craig MacLachlan did the same thing. Memorable moment in my formative years, ha ha!

Tonight I'm camping in a place called Port Fairy. No need for comment! As I type I'm sheltering from a lightning storm, and splatty rain in a corrugated tin roofed cooking shelter. Pity me in my little tent! Actually it's easing already. There's power to charge my exhausted camera and the phone in here, and I'll also top up the iPod too. No Simon and Garfunkel, but I did put Nik Kershaw on shuffle as I set out today. The first random track was a recent song called 'Already There'. The lyrics go: 'There ain't no stopping this thing we're chasing.... There ain't no stopping this runaway train we ride'. Somehow an appropriate start to an awesome day... And I'm only JUST getting started! Hoping to make up some miles tmrw. Only about 450 kilometres covered so far. Got to get a move on if I'm going to tick some more of my boxes. But today was a good one. Big tick!