Cruising one of Australias Best Roads – The Great Ocean Road


It was a cold and crisp Sunday morning, on Sunday 7th of May, when we joined the Melbourne Mustang 6G Club held their recent Great Ocean Road Cruise. The Club was formed as a result of the demand for a dedicated area for the growing 6th generation S550 Mustang owners in Victoria. The club has currently around 500 members.
Our choice of vehicle for the trip was a 2017 Ford Mustang GT Convertible, thanks to our friends at Ford Australia.


 



We joined the group at its first meet point in Port Melbourne. It was there that Kevin from the club informed those in attendance the plan for the day. We would be heading from Port Melbourne to a second meet point in Little River to meet the members from the Western Suburbs, before heading down the freeway past Geelong and onto the Great Ocean Road, stopping at Lorne for Brunch.

We departed Port Melbourne just after 8am and it was an impressive sight as a long line of Mustangs pulled onto the freeway and headed west. We left the meet point with the roof down on our convertible, which allowed us to capture action shots of the cars on the freeway, whilst it was cold, the temperature was barely in double figures, with the Mustangs heater on in conjunction with its great heated seats, the drive was a pleasant experience. The one thing the convertible is missing is a wind shield as even with the windows up, the air buffeting around the cabin is quite strong on the freeway.











Pulling into the Little River meet point, the car park was full of Mustangs as far as the eye could see, with the number totalling over 50.
The majority of models were the current S550 model, with most of these the 5L GT model, there were also a few of the EcoBoost Turbo charged 2.3 litre models, as well as two interesting S197 (Fifth Generation) models joining us on the cruise. They were Josiah’s 2007 Saleen Parnelli Jones Edition Mustang and Marc’s 2014 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Also joining the cruise was a current Ford Focus RS.







After giving drivers and passengers time to grab a coffee, top up the fuel tanks and to have a quick chat to other members, we headed off in convoy down the freeway.
The convoy of cars weaved their way through the twist and turns of the GOR as we headed to Lorne.
Just on the outskirts of Lorne we pulled over to grab some photos of the cars driving down towards the water.
The cars all pulled into Lorne to stop for brunch, with many headed to grab much needed coffee and food.
We then met up in the bottom car park, where all the cars lined up, which made for some great photo opportunities not just from the members but from the general public, the new Mustang’s really draw a crowd no matter where you go and they are always a conversation starter. Members got to chat some more whilst many took photos of the cars.










The group then planned to head back to the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery which was just past Anglesea.
We left ahead of the group to get to a spot to capture the cars as the climbed up into the hills, which makes a great image with the ocean in the background. With the roof down on our Mustang convertible, the sound of the V8 bouncing off the surrounding hills was just music to a petrol heads ears. The Convertible Mustang comes only in automatic and in conjunction with the sports mode and the paddle shifters on the back of the steering wheel, it’s as good as a manual with the shifts extremely responsive. Driving through the twisty roads it was very easy and pleasant to drive in either normal automatic or switch to sports mode to shift for yourself.



The group then all met up in the car park at the Chocolaterie, with more photos and chats to be had. Before most people headed inside to check out and sample the goodies on offer.




The group started to disperse from here on in as people headed off the enjoy the rest of their Sundays plans.
We thank the guys and girls from the Melbourne Mustang 6G Club for allowing us to tag along on their cruise and for Ford Australia for the kind loan of the Mustang GT Convertible
You can find out more about the Club at the following locations
https://www.melbournemustang6g.club/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MelbourneMustang6G
https://www.instagram.com/MelbourneMustang6G/
 

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10 responses to “Cruising one of Australias Best Roads – The Great Ocean Road”

  1. Hatchtopia Avatar

    I drove that road in a Toyota Corolla Seca – I’m guessing the Mustang was a little more fun to drive, but the road is definitely the star. Beautiful part of the world.

    1. Joel Strickland Avatar

      Definitely more fun to drive in the Mustang.

      1. outback_ute Avatar
        outback_ute

        I don’t know, the Mustang would be so far below its capabilities whereas you can actually push a Corolla a bit, within the limits of available sightlines – eg allowing for the possibility of a group of cyclists or a stationary car around every blind corner. A couple of years ago I spent a week down there on a job and went up and down the road a few times. The worst thing was slow drivers who don’t pull into the turn-out bays!
        I think it was last month that Ford has sold its 10,000th S550 Mustang.

    1. Joel Strickland Avatar

      nice spot

  2. kogashiwa Avatar
    kogashiwa

    2.7 EcoBoost??

    1. Joel Strickland Avatar

      should be 2.3, slight typo

      1. kogashiwa Avatar
        kogashiwa

        OK, thought so. Because a 2.7TT Mustang definitely *should* exist.

  3. robbydegraff Avatar
    robbydegraff

    Gorgeous shots, nice to see some coverage internationally

    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

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