It’s not a kayaking day today, nor was there anyone crazy enough to brave the ocean with a windsurfer or kite. Last night a deep low front from the south collided with a low from the west right over the Great Australian Bight, which just happens to be where we are. The winds were ferocious, battering the coast and making for a wild night camped on the foreshore.

As the rain abated we decided on a bike ride along the Great Ocean Trail which follows the coastline around the port of Esperance. Rainwear and warm clothes donned we set off along the coastal paved path which weaves along the town area towards the harbour.

The path climbs out of the harbor and onto the protective cliffs and that’s about the time that the first rain squall hit. Well, we were prepared for rain but hopefully not for the whole 30km loop. Thankfully we saw some blue sky breaks coming which would allow the camera to come out.

We did the tourist thing and stopped at all the beaches to take a few snaps.

The area has stunning seascapes and we often stopped to admire the power of the ocean and to take shelter from another rain squall.

The path follows along the cliff face, dropping down to various beaches allowing easy access on a better day. We reached Twilight Beach where we headed inland on the trail. The track is paved all the way following the contours of the coastline so it’s up and down , left and right and very seldom flat. This would make a great training loop for the gravel racers of the area.

The track heads inland through dense bushland again following the contours of the landscape.

We had a last view of the coast before descending into the inland gullies that weaved their way across the peninsula. The track suddenly pops out onto a main road where you have a dedicated road shoulder to follow back to town. As you might have guessed we found a nice coffee spot on the foreshore (Coffee Cat) where we ordered hot strong latte and that’s exactly what we got, along with a clearing blue sky. 30km of winding path with lots of short sharp climbs and very few flat parts until near the end makes this a great morning ride.

The forecast is not good for any water activities but I’m sure the bikes will get a workout and we will do enough exercise to counter the coffee, cakes, beer and other calories consumed.