Apollo Bay Drive Ft. E30
02 March 2019

It must have convertible weather as we had four tops down on the Apollo Bay run along the Great Ocean Road, with the return route heading in land.  With the roof down as we turned along Skenes Creek Road under the trees the air felt cool and fresh, a perfect compliment to the excellent lunch we had just enjoyed at the Apollo Hotel.

The Great Ocean Road is, of course, renown for its aquatic scenic beauty and we took full advantage of that at Torquay to get some photos of our assembled cars.  Our route had taken us there via the aptly named Horseshoe Bend Road which features a series of bends which gave it its name.

Magnificent vistas of the coastline and swell enliven the otherwise rather frustrating drive to Lorne along one of the most popular stretches of the road.  It is somewhere everyone wants to be but nobody wants anyone else there!   The absence of a burning sun made the otherwise highish temperatures for open top driving a delight as the air moved briskly past our heads, protected by the wind deflector and side glass.

Once past Lorne, the road opens up a bit and the traffic thins, but brisk progress is still intermittent all the way to Apollo Bay.  Although that matters little when enjoying the sounds of a M2 not too far back and the delights of being in the open.

I can recommend the Apollo Hotel for quick service and tasty meals.  Being in a line of cars behind two coaches which stopped at the Hotel, it didn’t look too promising.   I don’t know where the passengers went, but we had plenty of space and attention in the bistro and it was quiet enough for easy conversation, getting to know a couple of our newer members and two prospective members.

A few made their own way home and the rest of us returned to the Prince’s Highway in convoy along the in land route which made for some more uninhibited spirited driving within the legal limits.

My thanks to all those who came out on the drive and to Peter Williams for another set of excellent route instructions.

Lawrence Glynn | Member #3
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne