Day 4 – Monday June 27, Lavers Hill to Warnambool – 119 Km / 74 – Miles

I usually check e-mail first thing in the morning.  After yesterday, we were all feeling a bit low.  My spirits were lifted however with e-mails confirming donations to Ride for Water.   Definitely an inspiring way  to start the day!

We used every bit of daylight to get make our goal today. Cold, wind driven rain, and heavy fog accompanied our descent from Lavers Hill. The early hour allowed us to make our way with little traffic. Our ride twisted its way down passing thru various zones of vegetation including dense eucalyptus gum forests.   We were at the bottom of the grade in time for breakfast in Princetown by 9:00 AM.   Halfway down from Lavers Hill, the rain and fog dissipated and blue skies could be seen on the horizon.

The 12 Apostles and London Bridge were sightseeing highlights of the day. The rock columns are what remain from years of coastal erosion. Both sites were crowded with tourists from around the world. Quick stops were made at both locations before we continued our westward push.

As we moved west from Princetown, we struggled most of the day with headwinds as our route paralleled the coast. We realized a small respite as the jogged in a northern direction before turn back west. We were about 15 Km east of our goal as the sun set. Our high-viz jackets, rear flashers and headlights were a must as we entered the Warnambool area and were pressed to ride closely as traffic increased.

Our host for the evening was “Crazyguyonabike.com” journalist, Mike Avery. In preparation for this ride, each of us read Mike’s journal of his 2013 trip from Melbourne to Darwin. A couple of months ago I had contacted Mike with some questions about the route and expected temperatures during the time of our ride. Mike, originally from New Zealand, relocated to the Warnambool area with his wife shortly after his ride. Mike graciously offered to put us up for the evening. He had dinner and a couple of very nice bottles of Australia red wine ready upon our arrival.   The evening was spent in lengthy conversation centered on cycling travels.