Itinerary open to comments - Blue Mtns, Melbourne, GOR , Grampians, in March

Thanks for all the suggestions and reminders re: weather - mid-March. We grew up in the Pacific northwest of the U.S. and know ocean driving and weather, albeit on the other side of the road. We've been to Melbourne previously and cycled a bit - along the shore to St. Kilda and back into the city. With a lot of time, we'd explore the whole area and have our bikes with us, but this time around, the focus is the GOR by car. I'll keep looking at options and keeping in mind being flexible (I don't much mind watching a stormy day on the sea, either). Thanks again.

You should have as reasonable a chance as anytime or even more so with the weather being OK in mid March, at worst a bit of a short lived cooler southerly blow and that can be a welcome reduction in the temperature if it has been hotter like up above 30C but more than likely around high twenties to thirty with a cooling effect by sea breezes that will be felt less inland.

Perhaps we could discuss the weather a lot less - it's a diversion because it can't be controlled, and only roughly predicted - and look at your itinerary, and particularly where you can best spend each night (and how many) between Melbourne and Halls Gap (The Grampians).

BTW both Apollo Bay and Halls Gap have excellent YHA hostels right in town ... can recommend both.

" (I don't much mind watching a stormy day on the sea, either). Thanks again. "
Your not minding could be well rewarded too for you can get some cracking seas, it a bit later in the year around Easter when the annual big surfing event is on at Bells's Beach back on the eastern end of the GOR but from Cape Otway to Port Fairy is not known as the Ship Wreck Coast for no reason - a south westerly facing coast and thus strong prevailing westerly weather drove many a sailing ship ( about 80 known ) in towards a rugged coastline - the prevailing weather also the reason for the cliff face and now off the face sculturing present.

http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Great-Ocean-Road/Things-to-do/History-and-heritage/Maritime-history

You will not see too much these days even with diving but every so often a rumour surfaces about a boat somewhere along the coast that was carrying bullion or something else of worth that might get the metal detector brigades out looking for something in the more accessible sandy areas.

But yes, weather is something that gets lived with all year around on the southern coastline of Victoria as elsewhere and you could get lucky to see some good stormy seas and another reason stopping around the Yuulon/Princetown/Port Campbell
Depending on when/where you start from of a morning ( what the traffic is like if it happens to be a weekend and best if it is not ) and of course what you stop off to have a look at will determine just when you make Lorne and in also wanting to have a look inland about there, Lorne or Apollo Bay will make a good first stop though with daylight saving, it'll not be dark until about 8 pm. so you will have plenty of time.

One good thing if you are doing that stretch away from the weekend, in it also not being school holidays ( not until the end of March ), traveller accommodation at either motels or in holiday park cabins will be readily available so if you look up a few in the stretch of territory where you might be the next day, you could ring a couple the night before to see how they are placed and make a decision for each day accordingly without needing to be too fixed with where you have to be. .

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