Granny by Pushi around in Australia

At the Great Ocean Road

06.02.2013:

Warnambool – Port Campbell: 73 km

That with the wind, which would draw in the night through my tent, was nothing. It was the same tired like me and fell asleep.

My pink jacket is soon too warm in the sleeping bag. So I put it up and do it to the yellow fleece jacket on the sleeping bag. The fog horn toots and the lighthouse sends its rays at intervals through my little window of my tent.

So I roll off in the morning. In the city I find the large intersection with the Princess Highway, a Freeway. On this I shall head east once. At the beginning I cycle on a cycle lane next to the car track. When I leave the town, I have to go as bicyclist somewhere else. But later I achieved it again. As a precaution, I ask a woman who just gets out of the car next to me: "Good day, please excuse me, but how can I take my bicycle to the Great Ocean Road?"

She recommends me: "You completely are confident cycling on the shoulder of the Freeway. Otherwise it does not go to the crossroads, where the slow drivers must turn to the right on the Great Ocean Road."

"Thank you."

I hope that by then the police will not take me off the highway and give neat speed. Later, the car traffic is decidedly less because the company vehicles veered before.

So I reach the said intersection and turn off. This makes cycling gorgeous! It seems to me as if I were at home and ride my bicycle through a village. Every where the mothers play with their kids in front of the house.

In the next bigger town I see left hand in front of a large business a full loaded bicycle. Well, this sight electrifies me, so that I look more closely. A Japanese man stands near.

I think immediately, push my bicycle up there and place it next to his. His name I neither can understand nor keep. But we can talk good in English. He started in Darwin and pedaled up the Kakadu National Park to the east to Cairns. If he needed water, he had stopped the next car that provided him so happy.

He asks me, "Have you ever driven across the United States?"

"Yes, twice. Once from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean in Virginia to Oregon and once from the Pacific in California to the Atlantic Ocean in Florida."

Expression on his face, I realize that I am very risen in his esteem. "I have never cycled in America."

So, this Japanese transportes almost double compared to the luggage located on my bicycle. He is looking forward to the Nullarbor, through which he would whiz in no time with a tail wind. Once I had thought the same, but could not do it. Who knows, maybe he has luck? As he continues cycling with all this luggage he waves to me again. I also remember Fukuo, the Japanese of my Alaska bicycle tour, that the Japanese are all aliens.

And on it it goes always on flat landscape. Fields and meadows lie and I will make neat speed, for I realize that this is no wind, but tailwind.

From Peterborough I follow the signs that brings me to the most valuable points that lie on the Indian Ocean here, attentive. Here I take pictures of the rugged wild raging sea cliffs. What luck that the time of the great sailboats is over. Now people travel fortunately much safer with the big motor vessels.

When I come back from such a lookout on the Great Ocean Road, there is also a bicycle rider with Ortlieb panniers. I speak in German at the same, because these panniers are used almost exclusively by Germans. But it turns out that this young man is waiting for his companion, comes from Holland. She appears shortly afterwards and is called Mary. These two young people met previously on New Zealand someone who leads a cycling newspaper. He asked them to write yet. They came north from Melbourne and wanted to cycle through the watershed, as I did. There, it was fire in the forest and alleged to have blown. Therefore, they tell me they had to travel by bus and train to Melbourne. Now, only the Great Ocean Road is off. Located in Port Campbell on the caravan park, they do not need to sleep in a tent.

Almost together we ride the infinite descent to Port Campbell. They pass me on the big highway sign and tell me where I can find the caravan park. Behind the sign I see a lot of blackberries, pluck and eat it. Then I take in attack the last little climb up to Port Campbell.

The caravan park, which lies in a depression, decided too expensive for me. So I let give me a cheaper campground for the halv. There I spread out my wet tent parts in the sun to dry. The shower and toilet are very simple. But I think of the selfsame that I will have up in the north from Townsville to Broome and am glad that here are still people live and where my tent is secure. But out of the shower flows no hot water, only cold. There is also no sink for washing my clothes or brushing my teeth. Scarce. But I am here for this half price, so I can not complain.

In the near of the electrical box I sit down on the grass and begin to write this diary today. But when the mosquitoes take sight of me and harass me too much, I escape into my little tent. Outside there is no wind. Accordingly, therefore tomorrow so early I will find again a wet tent of my breath.

Cameron, the racing driver

07.02.2013: Port Campbell – Princetown: 20 km

To come all the way up to Lavers Hill, I start already at 6.45 am. Here are all asleep. The sky is drawn. But it is relatively warm. The inside of my tent was only damp, not more. So I roll on an almost untrodden morning road, the Great Ocean Road, to the east. It feels good to ride.

The small mountain is nothing compared to the others that I had to overcome here. From this height I am looking at the sight of the bright blue Indian Ocean in all its glory with very broad waves who are covered with whitecaps and very broad oncoming waves. I am happy. I may look at the other viewpoints of the corroded cliffs.

Until now I have been able to watch "Bay of Islands", "The London Bridge" and "Two Mile Bay." Now follow "hole Arch Gorge" and the "Twelf Apostles". But the last I still can not watch. Because when I again reach the Great Ocean Road from the "hole Arch Gorge", I am called and asked by a man in a yellow vest to leave the road as quickly as possible. In half an hour it must be totally free.

"Yes, but in half an hour I can never come to Princetown. I do not drive by motorcycle!" But he lets me down and asks me to hurry.

When I reach the note to the viewpoint "Twelf Apostles", I see a lot of men in yellow vests, a large truck, several other cars and policemen to which I cycle and ask: "I should leave the road. Why?"

"Yes," says one, "that is important. See you there the race car? This is now driving along on the Great Ocean Road at high speed. Otherwise, you would be run over there."

"But I would take photos for my book I write about my Australian bicycle tour.”

"Yes, you can and hurry. I take care of your bicycle."

In continuous operation I run the long distance to the coast, photograp it and race back. The policeman is very pleased with me and leaves me back my bicycle with the command: "But now you have to stay here until the race car is returned. It will take about half an hour."

That now I do not care. I look around me after the race car. In it sit two drivers one behind the other. The driver, Cameron, smiles at me and is pointing up his thumb. I smile back and show him my thumb up. Then I move to the others who are already with the camera waiting for the racing car that I can capture it by the takeoff on my camera.

I get it when he comes back with a loud engine noise. Over the speeding car a helicopter is flying. Sure there are reporters and journalists on board to document everything on video.

Only when Cameron with his Mazda is here again - I bann him on my lens - I must start with the bicycle to Princetown. The other tourists leave this place in a long queue with their cars.

It is not far to Princetown. The time has progressed. Today to drive right up to Lavers Hill, no, this is too late. In Princetown I find a cheap parking space for my small tent. In my era here at 5.00 pm I want to skype with Gudrun in Spain and record a new video for my friends.

 Here is great weather. Soon the clouds crumble fairly and make space for a totally blue sky.

Throw soon all your panniers into the forest!!

08.02.2013: Princetown – Apollo Bay: 59 km

I get up early. The tent is pretty dry from both sides. As yet all are asleep, I leave on my loaded bicycle the caravan park, who is situated on a hill. I can see the next rise. Only from up here I can not go up with full speed there. Unfortunately I have to take care for the cars on the main road, the Great Ocean Road. But then I start. It runs quite well. At 16 ° C, I am working my way up the first pitch. It is close to more, but now I do not want to mention because I can drive it well. Slowly the sun rises.

With these first mountains I imagine that they are the ones that I have to beat today. But nope! This begins only later as the real thing. Previously, it offers me the opportunity to photograph the Indian Ocean on the right hand, as he shows up in a bay.

And then it starts as really as I did not have imagined it. 16 km I climb with my retired gear. Then I met an elderly man on his bicycle which is much less packed, he comes, stops and waits until I park my bicycle safely and meets me.

"Hello," I greet.

"Hello, does you want to go around Australia?"

"Yes. Whom does you have brought with you here?" Behind his handlebar in a round leather pocket a small black dog is sitting and looks at me angry and growls.

"This is Lady, my little dog. It always comes with me." Lady growls even more. He puts his bicycle against a telegraph pole and comes to me to calm down his dog.

 "If you wants to cycle around Australia, then throw soon all your panniers into the forest. With this heavy luggage you will never come from Eden to Sydney."

"Why not?"

"I started in Brisbane and cycled to Sydney. From then to Eden there are 500 km fucking hills! You will never made it! Throw away the panniers!"

"But I need it."

"I just have a tarp to wrap me overnight and a long, hot pants with me. The others are eatables. More you do not need."

"No tent, no sleeping bag, no support, no clothes to change, no medicine?"

"No, I do not need it, too. Otherwise, I only have that what I have on my body. And then you needs 7 liters of water every day. Otherwise you can not come along there. You really needs a tent? I sleep under a thick tarp. At clothes I only have two shirts and a jacket with this. And as pants these short shorts. But also the pants I wrapped around my little lady, so it does not freeze here in this cold area." He smiles at his little dog that will not let me out of sight. "I head to Adelaide and will escape from this area to Darwin on the Stuart Highway then it is becoming cold here in the south. See that you are here away in two weeks from South Australia. Then you should already ride on the east coast to the north, where it is warm again."

"I will take heed."

He writes me his name and phone number from the phone, with which we want to stay in touch via text message. This man, who treats and takes his small dog Lady so loving, is lovable.

I sit back on my bicycle, but more than one kilometer I did not make it. Then I have to fit and slide. I had imagined it light. But all negative predictions go here in Australia in fulfillment.

After 1.5 km pushing my bicycle suddenly a heavy caravan drives slowly beside me. A blond, young girl with long plait looks out of the open window, smiles at me and asks: "Does you have problems?"

"Yes, I have."

"May we help you?"

"Yes, you shall."

Then the van will depart left me on the side strips. The aid is in dire need! I quickly take off my panniers, while the two girls, one was sitting in the passenger seat before, create space behind the front seat. I quickly heave into the van my panniers and top of it with my small and lightweight bicycle.

The blonde girl, the driver, asks me: "Can I sit comfortably behind the bicycle? Then you can take the front seat."

"No, thank you. I am sitting here quite well. And if I did not have to sit here, I would also like to sit on the roof of the car, however, from joy to have no longer to move my bicycle up this terrible mountain."

"But then the police would come."

"Oh, she would have brought me down and put me up there with their car up to Lavers Hill. The police is my best friend and helper."

This was new to them. And while I sit back there so jammed as in a tin can, I laugh and entertain with the girls. I am photographed by the co-driver every now and then.

Arrived earlier in Lavers Hill, the two girls told me their names. The blonde is called Pauline and is from France and the dark curly-haired with brown eyes and a thin face is Mona and comes from Sweden. She uses when she wants to go home or on vacation, getting the ferry from Kiel to Goeteborg, Sweden, or back.

"If you wants to take the ferry the next time from Kiel to Sweden, you're first my guest, yes?"

"You're welcome!"

"Hermine, we would like to invite you to a hot chocolate and a glass of cold water. Do you like it? Are you hungry? Can we buy you something to eat?"

"No, certainly I would not like to take it from you."

"Does you ever gets enough to eat with you?"

So I get my blue cool-box out, open it and show them my treasures for today and maybe tomorrow and beyond. In it are still a MilkyWay, a Mars, an avocado, a sweet other bar, an opened bag of assorted nuts and five biscuits. And I also still own a pack Weet-Bix for breakfast in my pannier, I tell them too. Everything is photographed. While I drink the hot chocolate, we exchange our addresses. We want to keep in touch. Then they go under cheerful waving back where they actually should have been driving.

It's still early. And as far as I know, should still be the 40 km descent to Apollo Bay, but mostly downhill. The wife of the economy does not acknowledge it, however, and says that there are still in between so some steep ascents. But as stupid as I am, I do not believe anything, grab all the panniers to my bicycle and leave the café towards Apollo Bay. This is again a sentence with "x": This has been nothing (nix). It came the opposite. But first, quite cheerful and self-confident I roll downhill, the next pitch up in the rain forest with tall eucalyptus trees. Large fern with a trunk height of about 1.5 m is between now and then. The fronds are as large as palm leaves. And the flowers that bloom along the way, are all yellow.

Before I take a downhill attack, I photograph the covered wide waves with whitecaps on the light blue Indian Ocean. So then I get a flat landscape, through which meanders a river. Yes, through this valley leads the Great Ocean Road on flat track. In thought I wish it to me till to Apollo Bay. But surely that is the sticking point in my wishful thinking. Then it's uphill, uphill, uphill. And what should I tell to my shame? I have to push as long as on the slope up to Lavers Hill. But nobody comes who likes to take me here. But, I console myself, today's route is mainly downhill.

At an entrance to a forest I would like to take a short break for lunch. But I become warned on a sign in front of Fox danger. Later I actually reach the top of the mountain and enjoy it, to go then downhill in stages longer than uphill, from which I still often have to push.

 Then I see at the left hand the Indian Ocean. Then there also has to be Apollo Bay. An end to this cruelty is in sight. Up here on the mountain trail expresses very strong the wind from the right side against my bicycle. I have to ride in the middle of the left lane, not to be pushed left down into the leafy depths to the sheep.

Finally, I ride my bicycöe on a very rough road, the Great Ocean Road down to the Bay of Apollo Bay. Below greets me warm sunshine. In the straight through and cross mountains with rain forest that was not the case.

 I am so tired that I did not make it to the Tourist Office to ask for a very reasonable place to sleep or a cheap tent structure. When I think of the cheap campground in Port Campbell, I am also opposed to have once again such a primitive way of sanitation.

Quite relieved to have arrived, I enter the office and get a beautiful and from the sun protected campground, on which soon my tent stands. Here camps a long-distance cyclist. He lies in his tent. Of him I see only his big belly. This bicycle rider I would not respond, but I photograph his interesting bicycle.

09.02.2013: Rest day in Apollo Bay: 0 km

A new young long-distance bicycle rider has arrived and is here nearby with his tent. He is from Holland and speaks German, fortunately. He came from Tasmania, where he explored beautiful areas on his bicycle. But there, everything was very mountainous and often without paved roads, he tells me. Beside him a car and the tent stand of a German from Bruehl. That man is here traveling on business. Tomorrow he flies back home.

I awake by noise. It is raining outside, how terrible! Hopefully it's the next morning dry. The strong wind is asleep. The surf roars.

10.02.2013: Apollo Bay – Lorne: 45 km

I wake up again at night. Outside there is the radiant Southern Cross above me. All the grass is dry, only my tent from the outside. Hopefully it will be still until sunrise. It occurs to me that I have to keep warm, I must wear the same underwear at night like in Alaska. A fleece jacket I own, as a Gortex jacket. I have no special sailor underwear including a fleece and Gore-Tex pants. I will look in Geelong afterwards in the second-hand shop. Then the freeze is over. This is the only solution. But that means again more weight.

When I wake up the next time it's raining outside. Well, those are not great prospects. And I have no rain pants.

In the morning the sky is still cloudy. But there is no wind which dries the rain all off my tent and the lawn. Very early my loaded bicycle is ready for departure at the camp table. I see the Dutch coming out of his tent. He would like to see my bicycle and is impressed. Now also Gunther, the motorist, appears out of his tent. As he lingers an extra night here, but after going home, I ask him: "Can you sell me your sleeping bag or do you needs it here? My is not warm enough."

"Yes, I will hand it over to you tomorrow on the Great Ocean Road when I see you with my car on my way to Melbourne. Write me a text message so I know where you are."

With Adrian, the Dutchman, I date in Apollo Bay at the shop for water sports. He also appears. But the business is not open. So since I can not buy for me here thermal underwear, so I have saved money.

Adrian tells a lot about his life and his travels. Since he is a professional gardener, he can only still travel in January. Therefore, only the southern states offer it, where it is then nice and warm. He starts to Lavers Hill. My sympathy is with him.

The route towards Lorne I like best of all day trips so far here in Australia. Finally, the Great Ocean Road very loften performs very closely along the Indian Ocean. I often take photographs. The weather is nice and warm. Right hand I see the oncoming waves with whitecaps on the light blue Indian Ocean and at left hand of the Great Ocean Road the rising forest slope. All in all, a wonderful day.

Today the Australian bicycle racing athletes are in a large contingent on the road, come to meet and greet me cheerfully. After 48 km I will find after a left hand bend down in a large bay of the site Lorne. I did not think that this is such a great town. The tourist information office sends me to the caravan park which is behind the curve. There, I set up my tent and would like to send the mails home. But the post office is already closed.

11.02.2013: Lorne – Torquay: 47 km

The first I leave at 7.00 am the great caravan park and run to the east. About me fly screaming in large flocks the white cockatoos with their yellow bonnets. Hopefully the clouds willl disappear. I do not like rain.

It feels good to ride. Very often the Indian Ocean is in sight. The sun peeps out between slowly but carefully. The surf roars. The waves hit the beach.

The ups and downs of the height profile is something similar to yesterday's. For me all the time a cycle lane is available, which is also very good cleaned of stones. Every now and then there are rock debris, who fall down on the night of the height.

Uphill, downhill, up and down it goes with me further east. Suddenly, I am standing in front of the historic monument of the Great Ocean Road. Like a wooden gate made of medium thick tree trunks, emblazons across the top in the middle of the name "GREAT OCEAN ROAD". On the one side there is a sculpture of two workers who, shouldered the pickaxe, are hand each other a drinking container. This road was built by Australian soldiers, who again were returning home from the war to give them work. On a photo a lot of tents is to be seen next to each other. In it they slept like the first German emigrants.

I cycle and take specific photographs. Yesterday I photographed often enough the surf. Therefore, I leave it at that today. A note on the right hand side a staircase leads down to the beach. Down there I can look at the bay, where three sailboats drowned in beach and all the passangers died. But I do not go down after the long staircase and then up again. I need my strength for the challenging Great Ocean Road. The sun reflects in the ocean. Before Torquay I cycle to my great joy for several kilometers on flat ground before the Great Ocean Road still rears several times on the last little part.

3 km I will keep on pedaling until the tourist information office. To increase the city I keep a lookout. It must be here somewhere. I see before me a man, at some distance, beckoning me. I wonder. Hans, my relative from Melbourne, it can not be. He does not know that I arrive here today. For me, it makes "click". This is Guenther of the caravan park in Apollo Bay, who promised me his light down sleeping bag and assured me to give it to me on the track somewhere to Torquay, depending on where he overtakes me.

Yes, indeed it is he who smiles and waves at me . He is surprised that I needed four hours for the 44 km today . Yes, I tell him that came from the many mountain climbs. He is, I think, driven the Princess Highway and has been waiting for me here, because after that the caravan park is right, to which I would like.

Beaming, he hands me his used, good sleeping bag and gives it to me, because I really need it . He picks for me a delicious red apple. We even entertaine for a while . He is based in Brühl on the Rhine River and works at a company that sends him every now and then abroad. Today he flies back to Germany .

My next order of business is the exploration of the post office for sending the thick trousers and the pink jacket, I do no need longer.

So I just walk into a located washing salon and ask one of the entertaining men, who are standing there. One who looks very similar to my cycling friend Bob from London, enters smiling at me, takes me out and shows me exactly which way I have to take to turn right to go to Woolworths and there also is located the post. And the caravan park is something here on this road down the hill.

 I ask him: "Are your ancestors from England?"

"Yes and we are all here in Australia very well. None of the whole family moved back to England. Here all people are open, friendly and helpful," he tells me.

"I can fully confirm." So I say goodbye to him, but first I go to the caravan park. There, however, the young woman asks me for $ 34, which I absolutely do not want to pay. That's why I am going out again.

But where I am supposed to sleep? Oh, the tourist information is still able to convey a property, I think to myself. So I push my bicycle through the loose gravel and look at the houses on the right lane. The name backpacker catches the eye. Nothing like immediately there. The owner stands in the garden and solds me a bed for the night in a 12-bed room for $ 28. In this way I save $ 6.

When she shows me the room, there lie on a bed next to my bed all kinds of things. "They belong to a young man," she says.

"What? I sleep with a strange man in the same room?"

"You do not need to have fear. He hurts nobody. He helps out here."

Soon my panniers are adjacent to one of the beds. I take my bicycle, ride into the center of Woolworths and buy food. There I get the address to a photo store that I visit soon. I feel that it is very important to beam on a stick some of my photos, and then to send them to my family and facebook. The manager of the company Codak helps me to do so. So, now I can finally make my family and friends happy.

As I enter the big backpacker room to fetch my little computer for writing, there are two young men - probably high school graduates – who also come in and occupy a bed. So tonight I sleep with three men in the same room. One of them is Martin and comes from near Copenhagen in Denmark. He speaks very good German. He has been here since January and he wants to work at the Great Barrier Reef for a year. He is often in Germany and always feels as well.

Now I am tired.

12.02.2013: Torquay – Queenscliff: 55 km

As soon I never was finished from waking up to the exit.

I resolve to buy me in Geelong a rain pants. Here are none. On the Surf Coast Highway, which runs past right at the Backpacker Hotel, I cycle on the specially dedicated cyclists bike lane next to the liquid rolling rush straight to Geelong. Yesterday I asked my photographer: "Is this a very mountainous highway?"

"No," he said, "only a single mountain in between to Geelong."

Yes, yes, these drivers! They can not feel many climbs at all because they listen to music or are preoccupied with thoughts of the reason for their day tour.

Anyway - it drives itself just fine. Had been decided by Quorn from poorer ride quality, but only because of the car, truck and road train drivers. This is something I am already used to it and totally hardened. I suppose actually no longer true.

When I arrive in Geelong, I am watching a lot to find the right intersection in the city where the Mountaineer shop is located. By mistake here I go a little further and I am just passing by on a bicycle shop. Well, I think to myself. To there I will still drive. They shall take an exactly look at my bicycle.

At the next intersect