Warrnambool is the western gateway to the Great Ocean Road, or the end of it, depending on which way you ride, and it is a solid, comfortable regional city of about thirty thousand, where the dairy farms of south-west Victoria meet a cold, wild coast. The town spreads along the shoreline, with long beaches, a breakwater and good sea views, and the centre has all the practical comforts of a place that does not depend entirely on tourism.
The coast here is known as the Shipwreck Coast, and with good reason. Dozens of vessels went down on these cliffs and reefs in the nineteenth century, and the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool tells their story. The most famous wreck is the Loch Ard, which sank in 1878; only two young people survived, a ship's apprentice named Tom Pearce and a passenger, Eva Carmichael, and the gorge where they came ashore is a short ride from the road further east. Also important is the whale story. Southern right whales come to Logans Beach, just east of the town centre, between about May and October to give birth, and a viewing platform lets you watch them from the cliff. It is one of the best land-based whale-watching spots in the country.
The riding around Warrnambool is more relaxed than the twisting section near Lorne. Roads run through flat farmland with long straights and wide views, and the wind off the Southern Ocean can be fierce, so a firm grip on the bars is wise. Tower Hill, a collapsed volcano a few kilometres west, has a lake inside the crater and walking tracks where you may spot emus, koalas and kangaroos. The old town of Koroit has handsome Irish-influenced buildings and a long history of potato farming.
Fuel is easy here, along with food of all kinds, from fish and chips on the foreshore to cheese from the dairy farms nearby. The weather is changeable, and cold fronts can bring heavy rain, so bring a waterproof layer.
If you have time, the road east toward the Twelve Apostles is one of the great coastal rides in the world, and the light in the late afternoon is superb.