Great Ocean Rode Luxury Bike Tour 2012

What a package! Your four day Great Ocean Road Luxury Bicycle Tour including Around the Bay in a Day, Sorrento to Melbourne starts at Southern Cross station, 7:35am Thursday. We load all bikes and luggage in to our vehicles and set you off on the train to Warrnambool.

You will arrive at approximately 11:30am where we all saddle up and ride a scenic 20km to Allansford Cheese Restaurant and Museum for lunch. We then get on to the world famous Great Ocean Road, where the grandeur of the Bay of Islands is stunning, sheer cliffs of limestone and rolling surf as you ride to Port Campbell in the heart of this shipwreck coast.

Enjoy an evening meal with the group and a great motel as you absorb the seaviews.

Leaving Port Campbell early, you rise above the cliffs to the unforgettable view and golden colours of the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park and 'London Bridge', before you start climbing through the forest to the renowned Lavers Hill, deep in the Otway Ranges.

The roller coaster ride on today's route will allow you magnificent views of the ocean before descending into Apollo Bay with its many restaurants and cafes for you to choose for your evening meal.

An early morning start along the Great Ocean Road awakens your senses as the wild seas smash against the rocks below. Look out for wildlife along this section, especially the koalas watching your every move.

This is very exciting ride as you climb up and down around the cliff faces, marvelling at the scenery, punctuated by inlets and villages like Lorne, Anglesea, our lunch stop, then Torquay and Ocean Grove, famous for their world surfing championships. We finish our day in Queenscliff, a beautiful town on the mouth of Port Phillip Bay.

Today is the day where our riding group of 40 becomes 15,000! We join the hugely popular 'Around the Bay in a Day' bike ride starting with an early morning ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento followed by our last 100km push to Melbourne. Beach Road becomes a cycle path for thousands of eager riders from all walks of life during this annual event that finishes in Alexandra Gardens in Melbourne City.

There is a truly festival atmosphere at the end of the ride as you pass through the finish arch where the bands are playing, the tents are up and bikes and people are everywhere.

Congratulations - what a ride!

To all the team at Alltrails, my sincere thanks for making my first cycling tour with you such a wonderful enjoyable fantastic event,it certainly exceeded my best hopes and has fuelled my appetite for more. Well Done . Best Wishes. Colin N (VIC), Great Ocean Road Luxury Tour 2011

Hi Midge, Phil, Susan and Ben, Thank you so much for another fantastic bike ride! It's great to just ride and know everything will be wonderfully organised, safe and fun. I'm looking forward to the Great Vic in only a few week's time and all the European riding with you next year. Thank you once again for everything. Mary-Anne C, (VIC) Great Ocean Road Luxury Tour 2011

Good photos, great tour, I had a wonderful time. See you again soon, I hope. John T (NSW) Great Ocean Road Luxury Tour 2011

AllTrails is a proud Australian owned company with over 14 years experience running cycle tours throughout Australia and overseas. During the course of running over 100 tours since 1997, we have established a top reputation in the bicycle tour industry and cycling community that has been earned through hard work and dedication and we sincerely care about every person on every tour.

Our large community of loyal AllTrails riders that keep coming back year after year are testament to the high standard of tours that we provide. The safety and confidence that comes with riding on one of our tours is one of many great reasons to book your cycling holiday with us.

Check out our testimonials page for some recent feedback from our clients.

We do everything possible to get great accommodation that is up to our AllTrails standard. Our hotels are 3-3.5 star in great locations with character and charm. These are the best and most welcoming motels for cyclists that fit the needs of our group, being close to town centres, restaurants and other facilities.

We include all meals on tour. This means good cyclist-sized breakfasts in the morning, healthy snacks and fruit for morning and afternoon tea during your ride, quality lunches, and great dinners.

One of the great things about this 4-day bike ride is that you become part of a small group cycle-tour within the larger Around the Bay in a Day ride. So you get all the benefits of being part of the big event, but you are still part of an intimate group and you get to know a small handful of like-minded people. Many of our cyclists have made friends for life on our rides.

The Great Ocean Road is a wonderful place to ride a bike but the roads can get busy. We have support vehicles on the road showing 'Caution Cyclists' signs to warn traffic about our cycling group as well as revolving flashing lights. You will also be briefed before each day's ride pointing out parts of the road that may get narrow or have potential hazards. Please note that we are not allowed to continue with our safety and support vehicles on the final day on the 'Around the Bay in a Day' riders route. All riders on our tour will also be registered for Around the Bay in a Day and will have full access to Bicycle Victoria support on the final day as per Bicycle Victoria's terms and conditions.

We have a great safety record, but accidents can happen. We have comprehensive First-Aid Kits with trained 1st aiders as tour guides and drivers, mobiles and satellite phone for emergency calls and the locality of hospitals in the area. We also have vehicles that can take anyone injured or sick for further treatment.

Feel free to contact us at any time through our website ‘Contact Us’ page, phone or email. We love what we do and want to get you on the best bike ride for you. Speak to us about what's on your mind and we'll help you make your decision.

No, we will meet all the riders at Southern Cross Station and load all luggage into our own vehicles. We will also load some of the bikes on to our vehicles and carefully pack additional bikes on to the train. When in Warrnambool we get everybody set up on their bike with the help of our mechanic, then transfer your luggage to our first motel.

The Skybus from the airport carries bikes and goes to Southern Cross Station which is also where our train leaves from on Thursday morning. If you are coming in on Wednesday you can stay at our pre-tour accommodation which is also just down the road from Southern Cross Station.

Our meeting place is Southern Cross Station on Thursday morning.

If you are staying at our pre-tour accommodation (The Enterprize Hotel) we will collect your luggage and bike on the way to the train station.

If you have a car and you are staying at our pre-tour accommodation you may be able to leave your car at the hotel for the duration of the tour at $25/night. Contact our office if you would like to arrange this.

If you are driving your car to the start but not staying at the hotel please contact our office about car parking options.

We do everything possible to get great accommodation that is up to our AllTrails standard. Our hotels are 3-3.5 star in great locations with character and charm. These are the best and most welcoming motels for cyclists that fit the needs of our group.

On the online entry form you can nominate any travelling companions that you would like to share a room with and/or be accommodated close to so that couples or friends can be roomed together. This can be in a double bed or in twin beds. If you are travelling alone like many of our riders, you can choose to 'twin share' where single riders are paired with other riders of the same gender and sometimes changed at each accommodation to create interest in sharing rooms. Single Supplement is also available for those that would like their own room for the whole trip. If you are a chronic snorer or have other habits that may affect your fellow room-mates we suggest booking your own room.

Always a big part of any cycling holiday! Check tour details for meal inclusions on your ride. Our emphasis is on fresh food and balanced diet with plenty of carbohydrates, proteins, fruit and vegies catering for a cycling holiday. We successfully cater to most dietary requirements, however feel free to contact us with any questions. Most meals are included as part of our tours, however you may be required to purchase some meals as per the inclusions and daily itinerary.

A comfortable racing bike, road bike or touring bike with a good seat and road tires with slick or near-slick tread. A hybrid or mountain bike is also possible if you are comfortable riding the daily distances of the tour at an average of 20 km/h on the flat.

You really need to be a reasonably keen cyclist, however not necessarily fast, but consistent. Plenty of time to build your kilometre total distance in training, to gradually attain about 100 km a day for 2 days straight.

People from all parts of Australia and overseas. Ages generally range from 25 - 70 with the average age about 50 years old. Adventurous cyclists usually about 40% women & 60% men with a mix of singles, friends and couples.

We suggest you carry a spare tube, tyre levers, two full water bottles and your own personal goods such as camera, wallet and perhaps rain gear if it’s threatening. We transport your luggage, day packs, food & extra water. A detailed list of what is required and provided will be sent to you in your pre-tour info pack.

Yes. Either Bicycle Network Victoria membership insurance, Cycle Queensland membership insurance or similar, travel insurance, or another personal accident insurance is compulsory on our AllTrails rides. We also strongly suggest travel insurance to cover cancellation fees and lost/damaged luggage.

Welcome! Traditionally most of the clientele on our rides have been from Australia or New Zealand, but we also have had many riders from USA and UK/Europe. You just need to make sure that your passport and visas are in order and check the cost of transferring your bike to Australia, or rent one here.

Yes, you can rent a bike. We often have overseas riders coming to Australia, or interstate riders that would rather not take their bike around Australia on a plane.

We will be able to help you out with organising bike hire through our local contacts near our office in Melbourne, or closer to a ride departure location. When you make your booking just let us know that you would also like to hire a bike and we will get the ball rolling for you and put you in touch with the right people.

You can also bring your own seat and/or pedals to give you that little bit of 'home comfort'.