from laverton down the h/way to geelong and anglesea for smoko. then onto the go rd to lorne, apollo bay and lavers hill for lunch

Lavers Hill – Apollo Bay Lookout 12th December, 1999

The Ride:

With the weather already looking a bit damp I thought the turnout would be a bit small but I was really surprised to find only Ben at the West Gate servo at 9.30am! With the weather now looking even more threatening we talked about our options. I was still keen to go and see how the "Blade" performed in these conditions, so on with the wet-weather gear and we were on our way.

Down the Highway to Little River then around to Lara, Batesford, Moriac and Anglesea where surprise, surprise we found Ray Walker waiting. He had been to a wedding at Ocean Grove so found it convenient to meet us here. During this break it was time to discard the waterproofs as the weather had improved markedly.

The run along to Lorne proved most enjoyable although with lots of headlight flashing we were warned of Mr. Plods presence. Also noted the new 50 kilometre per hour speed limit through town! We pushed on to Apollo Bay and unfortunately a damp run through the Otway’s to Lavers Hill. After refueling and ordering lunch the sound of an approaching bike caught our attention. It was Mick Bosworth who had waited for the rain to clear before making the decision to venture down the GO road.

With lunch over the FOUR of us headed back to Apollo Bay and up to Marriners Lookout where the short walk along the ridge rewards one with a sensational view out over Bass Strait. Back to the GO road then for something a bit different, up Skenes Creek road. Unfortunately this great bit of road was under some refurbishment with lots of loose gravel covering the first 10 or so kays. We continued along to Forrest, Barwon Downs, Deans Marsh and Moriac. Along the way we encountered another group of bikes so some fun was had!

After a refuel and a drink we departed Moriac for Geelong and Melbourne. Ray and Mick left along the way leaving the ride to finish as it started with just Ben and I.

The Bikes:

Ben Warden – ZXR750 (leader) Ian Payne – CBR900RR

Ray Walker – GSXR750 Mick Bosworth – ZX9

Ian Payne (Honda CBR9)