Day 2/3: The Prom

A 10am start and I headed out on an indirect route to The Prom via the junction just before Meeniyan to ride the whole of Meeniyan Promontory Road (C444), which passes through the small towns of Fish Creek and Yanakie. The roads were still drying from heavy rain overnight. Yanakie is literally just a general store ($6 for a coffee and bacon roll if you've missed breakfast) and a petrol station (no petrol in The Prom now, so fill up here).

On from Yanakie to The Prom entrance ($2.70 for bikes), and then down to Tidal River, the main centre for activities in The Prom. The C444 up to the entrance consists mainly of straight isolated roads. Once past the entrance, the C444 becomes a superb tree-lined biking road; but the trees hold an abundance of wildlife, so I relaxed and enjoyed the most awe-inspiring scenery that Victoria has to offer. The peaks and bushland eventually give way to stunning coastal views. Tourists go to The Great Ocean Road, locals go to The Prom.

A change of clothes at Tidal River and I was off for a long walk, exploring the area around Tidal River and The Loo-Errn Track. A couple of hours exercise was enough for me, so I got in the long queue at the cafe, grabbed some lunch, and rode back while taking some of the side roads to beaches and scenic look-outs on the Western side of The Prom.

Alighting at Fish Creek for a quick look around, it began to rain heavily, so I had a coffee while it cleared. With the sun and the mercury dropping I went back to Foster, stopping to visit Foster Cemetery, established in 1872 in a pretty location just before the town centre. "Born Sleeping" read one of the plaques.

I was intending to tackle The Grand Ridge Road tomorrow, but some of it is dirt; with all the recent rain I'll leave it for another day. I'll complete the South Gippsland Highway instead.

Riding Distance: 170 kms