All too soon our mini break was over, and it was time to head home, the “long” way via the Otways, the Great Ocean Road and the Surf Coast. We retraced the previous day’s route back past the Twelve Apostles, and pressed on to the top of Lavers Hill. We’d cycled this route many years ago, but couldn’t remember much about the riding; though memories of being blown off the face of the earth at Johanna Beach have never left me. Today we remarked on how steep and long some of the hills are; I guess we were a lot fitter back then, as I don’t remember being too bothered by the climbs or descents.

We took the short but very scenic side road to the Cape Otway light station – the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia, built in 1848 to guide migrant ships safely through the narrow gap between King Island and Port Phillip Bay. You can climb the spiral stairs up to the lantern, and take in the views of the rugged Otway coast – looking benign today, but its not hard to imagine what it would be like in a raging storm. The little stubby thing in front of the lighthouse, is the modern light used nowadays, but the old light is kept in working order as a backup.

We toured through the Telegraph station, which played an important role in communications back before the days of satellites and instant news. We even discovered that there was a top secret WW2 radar bunker installed on the grounds, keeping an eye out for Japanese submarines. Back in the day, this was state of the art stuff. It was an interesting way to spend an hour or two, and fill in some gaps in our knowledge of local history.

From there it was on to Apollo Bay, then along the “classic” section of the Great Ocean Road with its neverending curves and spectacular ocean views. The only problem was that we were driving the wrong way – all the pullouts that allow you to stop and gaze, are on the “ocean” side, and its not safe to dive across the road. So if you want the best views, take the road west rather than east. I drove the first half, then Ian took over so that I could at least look back over my shoulder.

We ticked off Lorne (looking very upmarket these days), Anglesea, and finally Torquay, which is huge nowadays; then onto the freeway to skirt round Geelong. In spite of the time of day, we got an unexpectedly good run over the West Gate, and all the way home (with brief thoughts of calling in at Tuesday streetO).

As it turns out, our timing was very lucky – a week later and we’d have arrived at Halls Gap only to face a snap 5-day lockdown, which would have forced us straight back home again. You have to grab your opportunities with both hands, enjoy them while you can, and be ready for anything.