While the attention is often on the marathon efforts of Great Victorian Bike Ride participants, a volunteer earned the limelight with a brave animal rescue yesterday.

Muzammil Patel had just arrived at the Apollo Bay campsite next to the Barham River when a woman alerted him to a koala struggling in the river.

“There was no other option, I had to jump in and save the koala. It looked like it was going to drown,” Mr Patel said.

“It felt beautiful. The lady who spotted him was crying after she saw the koala had been saved.”