The Great Ocean Walk – Tour diary 12/13
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Victoria’s Great Ocean Walk is fabulous. It combines dramatic coastal views, rain forests, pristine beaches as well as good opportunities to see koalas and echidnas in the wild.
Each year the Inspiration Outdoors team heads over to southern Victoria to complete a four day tour of the Great Ocean Walk, taking in all the highlights.
Read on to hear about our adventure on the Great Ocean Walk.
Day One: Despite the early December date, we are greeted by mid August weather on the drive down to Lorne. Welcome to Victoria our host Alan remarks. Things clear up however as we wind our way along the beautiful Great Ocean Road and soon enough we are in the picturesque town of Apollo Bay. This is not a driving tour however so we get ourselves out in the elements for a wonderful introductory stroll. The walk starts off in lush green rainforest with giant ferns all around. We are down on the beach after a couple of kilometres and it is fairly easy going with not a sole in sight. After our walk we head to our accommodation at the Cape Otway light station which is our home for the next few days while we explore the Great Ocean Walk. The sun set is spectacular as the orange light reflects off the lighthouse. A white wine followed by salmon steaks and salad for dinner – a great start to the tour!
Day Two: The Great Ocean Walk goes straight through the Cape Otway light station, so this morning we walk straight out the door. After making our way to the coast, we are greeted by some spectacular cliff top walking. The landscape is green with lots of evidence of the above average 2013 rains. Morning tea of Emily’s home made gluten free banana cake and hot tea and coffee is shared looking out over the beautiful ocean. Everyone was in great spirits due to the easy walking, perfect weather and stunning landscape. As we approach lunch, the Aire River comes into view. It winds it’s way out to the ocean cutting a deep green through the landscape. Lunch is shared by the riverside with lots of Blue Wrens flittering about. The definite highlight of the afternoons walk, was the echidna spotting. Five echidnas in 3 hours! A couple of them posed for us allowing a chance to take photos up close. Everyone was energised by the echidnas so the few hills in the afternoon were a breeze. The track goes quite close to the ocean as we get close to Castle Cove the breeze is delicious with the warm sun over head. Another fabulous day is complete with a BBQ and an 8:30pm sun set.
Day Three: Definitely the most challenging day on our little tour of the Great Ocean Walk but we don’t make you slog it out for no reason though! This is the pick of the walk for sure. We start off in the forest in the morning before heading down onto a pure white sand beach. There are some wonderful turquoise bays and rolling granite headlands. Lots of ups and downs make it a challenging walk, but we take our time and the path is in excellent condition. Morning tea is taken on a grassy knoll and looks like something out of a fairy tale. The walk through to lunch at Ryans Den twist through rain forest with its huge ferns and views out to the spectacular coast. Could it get any better? Probably the best views on the entire Great Ocean Walk. We have lunch and a well earned rest above the camp ground at Ryan’s Den overlooking the beautiful blue waters with a gentle breeze cooling us down.
The weather starts to warm up in the afternoon so we are grateful for the shade where we get it. It’s only a short walk though, so we are at the Gables in no time. Curry night tonight. Emily uses a home made curry paste to whip up a chicken curry, a vegetable curry served with popadums, rice and yoghurt riata. Dessert is an orange and date salad and stewed pears. Yum!
Day Four: On the road in and out of the Cape Otway light house there is a resident koala population. We were so lucky to have mother and baby come down from the tree to pay us a visit. These guys walked with a few metres of us and posed for this beautiful photo. After packing up, we head out to Princetown. Our final perambulation on the Great Ocean Walk has us finish up at the famous 12 Apostles. It is great to get a decent walk in on our last day. We walk right the way up to lunch time, with the apostles visible in the distance. Slowly they grow bigger as we get towards the finish point. It is really easy walking and a fabulous way to end the Great Ocean Walk.
We arrive at the end of the Great Ocean Walk and drive the short distance up to the 12 Apostles visitors centre. There are hundreds of people there viewing these sandstone stacks and it is a stark reminder to us that we have not seen anyone in the whole four days we have been walking! The crowds don’t diminish the experience though. There is no wonder why this is Victoria’s top tourist attraction. We leave the southern coast to head back to Melbourne around 2pm with a stop for a culpa along the way. It is amazing how much we packed into the four days however everyone is relaxed.
A big thanks to Alan from Parktrek Walking Holidays for helping us out on the ground.
If you like the sound of the Great Ocean Walk, why not join us on our next one. More details on our Great Ocean Walk page.
Or visit our Flickr page to see more photos.
Happy trails,
Simon
I’ve guided walking tours across some of Australia’s most spectacular regions. After more than a year on the road — and another season kicking off in WA — I still feel lucky every day to share these landscapes with others.
