Western Bluff & Ironbark Gorge, Werribee Gorge, Victoria. 26th December 2010

Werribee Gorge from Western Bluff 

Well, day walking again is on the menu. It was Boxing Day and I felt beefier than usual due to the previous days activities. I was quite keen to have a look at Werribee Gorge again seeing how on my last trip I didn't actually get to walk at all. I did see a few car parks at the gorge but they didn't really do it for me. I wheeled out the 'Daywalks Around Melbourne' book again and settled on a stroll that was rated as Moderate/Difficult but was only 5 kilometres long. I'm figuring that although a little short it's an improvement in length since my previous walk of 250 metres.

I'm quite interested in Werribee Gorge as it seems totally untouched and is listed in the Parks Victoria handout as being 500 million years old. That's sounds like a long time, but it leaves me a little confused as when I went to school I was told the world is only 6000 years old. Then again I was also taught about some old dude with a boat full of animals when it started raining one day. I could never work out where he kept the termites on that wooden boat though? Oh well. The Glenn Tempest book throws in a great quote about the gorge, "...There are some excellent lookouts and the gorge is unexpectedly spectacular..." Unexpectedly? My interpretation of that sentence is, "Look, I know you think this is going to be crap, but it's actually not too bad."

Right. I had the book telling me the proposed walk is mainly untracked but easy to follow. It's a case of following a track to Western Bluff and then an untracked steep descent to the base of Werribee Gorge. I was feeling organised this time though as I also had the Parks Victoria handout which actually doesn't list the walk at all. Last of all I had the official 'Victoria's Parks' map of the area which has the start of the walk to a lookout on Western Bluff and then this quote, "Walking track continues to Werribee River. Stop when descent gets steep - Private Land." Hang on. 'Walking track continues but stop' Does that make any sense at all? Can I walk there or not?

Consulting Glenn's book (notice first name basis now? I can't be bothered writing his whole name any more) there's a blurb that tells me, although it's private land, walkers are currently allowed access. That's a bonus as I didn't want to get shot by an irate farmer whilst walking on 'his land'. Right, that's enough crapping on. Time to get walking.

Dark clouds looming...

I started from the 'Falcons Lookout' car park which was familiar to me from the previous weeks failed walk. I decided to take my walking sticks which would help my crap knees as I was a little concerned about anything that mentions 'steep descent'. It was a comfortable walk at the start, high above the gorge, but with the odd dark cloud looming nearby. It was quite warm though and I was working up a sweat quite quickly. Actually, getting out of the car got me sweating.

At one point I looked to my side and noticed a short furry thing. I was a little startled at first, as I'm constantly on the lookout for rogue Yowies. I'm not sure a Yowie is meant to be one metre tall though. It was actually one of a group of sheep who appeared to have not been shorn since about 1952. This dude was a member of 'Wool Central'. I remember once going to a shearing exhibition (I do get to some wild stuff in my spare time) and hearing from a farmer about the odd sheep that escapes to the hills and when they're found the wool is totally out of control. I'm wondering if this wool clan were escapees. Then again I don't have extensive wool knowledge, so it may be normal!

Furball...

I soon reached a point where the 'steep descent' began. There were some good lookouts on the way and Glenn was right in that it's 'unexpectedly spectacular'. The untouched gorge really stands out from the surrounding cleared land at the rim. It was now a matter of looking down the hill and just working out the best option. The sticks came in handy in bracing my walking as there were plenty of rocks and loose dirt to send me off balance. I did notice the odd orange triangle attached to trees by Parks Victoria on the way down which came in handy.

  

I was slowly inching my way down until I came to a point where the minimal path vanished. I had quite a vertical drop to my left which gave me a lovely view. Looking ahead though, the terrain was a little bit too rugged. A narrow ridge with drop offs on either side meant I had to find another way down. I found a dry creek bed which I thought would be as good as anything as it would take me down to the bottom of the gorge.

Narrow Ridge Ahead...

I was soon stomping over the standard fare of a rugged creek bed. Lots of rocks and branches that have been swept down at some stage. It was pretty slow going but I eventually reached the bottom where I now had to cross Werribee River to get to a rough foot track. The side I was on comes to a stop at a large pool of water a short distance ahead from where I was, so I began looking for a crossing point. The river is not very wide but it was hard to find the best spot to slip across. I couldn't find any rocks to rock hop across at first and there was plenty of long grass and bushes near the water edge blocking access. I was crashing away through bushes when I saw a large stick in front of me which then happened to move. It wasn't the rare 'moving stick' but a decent sized snake. It slithered off into the long grass which made me careful of my foot placement from then on! The walking sticks are handy for these occasions. A bit of probing here and there is easier with the stick than the alternative being my foot.

Werribee River

I found a spot where I could stumble across. Stumble I did, as I was reminded of what happens when one steps on black rocks in a river. They're slippery! I had a bit of foot slippage with my left foot sending my boot into the water. With my foot in the water I went for the full-steam-ahead approach and managed to get across without any further dampness. I now worked my way up to a spot called 'Needles Beach' which is a reasonable sized sand bank overlooking a large pool of water. It's popular on hot days apparently and it did look inviting for a swim.

The first people I had seen for the day were a couple sitting on the 'beach' having a snack. What I do find interesting is that I didn't take one photo of Needles Beach. What happened there?  I reckon anyone reading this would find the beach interesting and would want to see what it looks like. Well, sorry, I ballsed up. If you have a portable Hubble telescope at home you can see the beach in the first photo I posted at the start of this entry. I think the people munching away cramped my style a bit too much as I'm not one to take nature photos with a couple of mugs sitting right in the middle of the shot. I did take some water photos though to keep you happy.

Now, I had to look for my return leg of the walk which was Ironbark Gorge. This gorge is untracked but it's what I needed to follow to get back to my car. Guess what?  It's on the other side of the river again so I had to find a spot to re-cross. I walked up a rough track with vertical rock on one side and lots of trees and bushes on the other until I found a spot to rock hop across. Once across it was a matter of back tracking a bit until I came to the start of Ironbark Gorge. On the way though, I noticed a million butterflies flying about. I was trying to get a few photos of them but they didn't sit still for long. A couple of pictures are passable but they made a habit of sitting in grass which made the whole photo taking a little bit harder.

I found the entrance to Ironbark Gorge and now I had a long, steady walk back up to where the walk started. The gradient looked quite acceptable though compared to the steep descent I had to get to the bottom. It was a fairly uninspiring look to Ironbark Gorge though. I can imagine after rain it would be quite a sight with water rushing down to Werribee River, but right now it was dry and walking consisted of clambering over rocks and fallen trees again.

Ironbark Gorge Entrance

Well, I slowly began walking uphill. It was quite warm with light that was absolute crap for photo taking. Bright, white cloud overhead with no blue sky and just a constant annoying glare. Light like that absolutely washes any colour or detail out of photos. I do like winter walking just for the better light when taking pictures. I know when I got back from this walk I was pretty non-plussed with the photos taken. Anyway, I did notice the odd bone in the gorge. I guess anything from the surrounding hills would eventually make its way to the bottom and it was interesting checking out what was littered along the way. I was hoping to find some sign of D.B. Cooper but I wasn't that lucky. Not even part of his parachute.

Remains of a hiker who didn't make it...

There's no phone coverage within the gorge, but I must have hit reception at some stage as suddenly my phone in my backpack went nuts. It seemed as if I was suddenly the most popular bloke in the world as message after message came in. I thought I should stop and have a look and it appeared phone reception was only in a one metre radius. One step outside that magical one metre and reception vanished. It gave me a chance to have a breather though, as I was starting to huff and puff up the steady incline. Time to have a drink of water and ponder the Kivik three-seater sofa in the new 2011 IKEA catalogue. It seemed to be a pretty good price for $699 but I'm not sure about the light colour. What do you reckon?

Kivik is $699.  Not too bad a price I think.

The good times have to end at some stage, so I packed up and kept walking having one minor fall on the way. I stood on a rock which gave way leaving me falling backwards into a tree. Lucky the tree was there otherwise it could have been really ugly! A minor bruise on the back of the leg wasn't too bad a result. I eventually came across a path which leads to the elusive 'Falcons Lookout'. I considered going to have a look at it but I felt a bit too hot and tired so I put up the white flag. Head to the car big boy was the thought. I had a short steep climb uphill before hearing a train go by. Then I knew I had left wilderness. The train line from Melbourne to Ballarat goes past the start of the walk. I then saw my car and I was glad to disrobe a bit.

A check of the GPS told me that the length of the walk was 5.19 kilometres. Again, I'm not setting the world on fire here! The total elevation climbed was 227 metres. How can such a small amount of height climbed create so much sweat? Well, it was a short distance as a walk, but it was slow going due to the terrain. I think that sums up gorge walking. Lots of rocks and trees to stumble over with no real path. I did find it quite unexpectedly spectacular. Where have I heard that before? Anyway, I plan to come back and force Ben to do the long walk in Werribee Gorge, which is a complete circuit of about 10 kilometres in length. I want to share the pain with him on that one!  I was soon heading home with the iPod playing 'It's No Good (Club 69 Future Mix) by Depeche Mode. The 'Remixes 81 - 04' of course...

Djerriwarrh Creek Bridge, Bacchus Marsh. 18th December 2010

Djerriwarrh Creek Bridge

Yeah, okay, I know what you're thinking. "What sort of hiking blog has a write up on a bridge?" Well, this one I'm afraid. There's more to it though. The plan was to head out on a Saturday afternoon for a hike in the Werribee Gorge National Park. I picked out a walk in my trusty Glenn Tempest book which was a circuit walk in the gorge that was about 10 kilometres long and rated as moderate. I felt comfortable leaving in the afternoon as Werribee Gorge is not too far out of Melbourne. When we did leave I can't say I had examined the map too well though as to its exact location. Do you know where this write up is going? Well, I opened up the Glenn Tempest book on the Werribee Gorge page and gave it to Ben as we set out. I said, "Take me there. Follow those instructions." I vaguely waved over the page as we took off.

Colourful weed...

No worries I thought as we made good time and turned off at Bacchus Marsh which is the closest town to the gorge. Ben was nailing the instructions with skill. "Right at the roundabout. Right at this road, right again, dirt road coming up and first right over the railway line" Hey? How easy is this? As I was powering along a dirt road I began to think why there were no signs helping me out.  Where are all of the, 'This way to Werribee Gorge' signs? Well, I guess I should have wondered a little bit harder as without fail there had to be something wrong. It wasn't long before we saw a turn off to a small car park which Ben told me stop at. I was aimlessly looking out the window of the car at the first Parks sign I had seen and it said, 'Falcons Lookout'. It was at this point that Ben calmly said, "Hey, this is the spot for Falcons Lookout." I then knew what he meant. Falcons Lookout was a separate walk within the Werribee Gorge area but absolutely not in the spot I wanted to be. I needed to be quite a few kilometres away in another car park. What had gone wrong? I grabbed the book and realised when we set out I told him to give me the directions which were on the page I pointed out. Well, the page I showed to him was page 59 when in fact the walk I wanted was on page 61. Bloody hell!! Okay, attention to detail was lacking a little!

Love a gnarly tree...

What do we do now? The answer is go to the correct location! In distance terms the car park we needed was not far away, but there was a problem in that the gorge had to be negotiated. This meant roads went on a convoluted route all over the place before we found the right spot. When we did, I had a look at my watch and it was after 3 pm. Dark clouds were about and after a bit of hesitation we decided to abandon the walk. Why? Well, I didn't want to be rushing the walk and I had a roast to cook. If we had found the correct car park to start off with we could have done the walk and still had time to get home and put the roast on. The plan was to come back the next day and try again. What a fiasco! I really should have looked at that map properly...

Djerriwarrh Creek

  

So, we headed off home thinking that was a complete balls up. Oh well, most of my hikes are perfect, so one has to be a bit silly now and again. The drive back consisted of standard highway travel but I did have something left up my sleeve. I had always noticed an old bridge off the Western Highway which we were travelling on. It seemed to be something that had been left behind in time and was probably a bridge that was originally on the road before it was upgraded and now bypassed. Well, maybe on the original road back in 1900, as it's about 2 metres wide and it really does have that 'ye olde' look about it. I think the whole world including myself has probably glanced at it over the years whilst beetling along the Western Highway and thought, "That looks old. Keep the foot down." Well, today is different. I'm stopping to have a look!

I turned off at a track which I thought was the one that took me to the bridge, but found out I was wrong and I was actually in the drive way of 'Gavs' place. I had no interest in saying hello to Gav so I did a u-turn and headed back out on the highway and eventually found the right turn off. Yep, there it is. I wish I had read the blurb on the National Trust Register as I found out the following when I got back...

"...sandstone bridge constructed over the Djerriwarrh Creek in 1858-1859...single arched structure has piers framing the opening and substantial abutments constructed in a plinth, all in rusticated masonry. There is a string course at pavement level and the piers elaborate the balustrade. Djerriwarrh Creek Bridge, Western Highway, Bacchus Marsh, is an early surviving stone bridge distinctive for its single arched design and construction in sandstone..."

How's that then? You came here for hiking information, but instead you're now having a history lesson. This is one way I can keep this blog relevant when I've run out of ideas to bang on about. What I do know now is there's a bloody old bridge in Bacchus Marsh!  I'm thinking 1858 is pretty old and it's a lot older than I imagined. I didn't really take in the 'plinth in rusticated masonry' whilst looking at it, but Ben thinks that I'm the one with the substantial abutment. Tough world this one.

We climbed down to have a closer look and found that the locals don't seem to be happy with the piers elaborating the balustrade. So unhappy the locals are that they've decided to spray paint all over it. I couldn't get the 'old world' feel whilst staring at blue spray paint. I did consider that it would be quite entertaining finding the people who did the spray painting, and then introducing the front of their face to the unique sandstone. Preferably at high speed. Oh well, we had a look around and admired the debris of a small creek next to a major highway. Lots of litter consisting of fast food wrappers, beer bottles and whatever else that can be hurled out of a car at speed. I mean, why would one take rubbish home when it can be hurled at 100 kilometres per hour into the creek? Quite logical I would have thought. We both decided to get a little zany and try and navigate the centre of the bridge above the water on a small ledge. It reminded me of something out of 'Tomb Raider'.

A bit of ledge work...

Well, we looked at it as much as we could but there came a time to head home. I had to put the roast on remember. I did notice some final weird behaviour. A four wheel drive drove onto the bridge and then proceeded to drive down a heavily water rutted dirt track to the edge of the creek. The bloke hopped out for about 7.6 seconds and then got back in and drove all the way back up and headed out on the highway. I reckon he spent 20 minutes trying to negotiate the dirt track when he could have done what we did which was park the car and walk about 50 metres. I guess that 50 metres doesn't have to be walked if one can drive that distance though can it? Silly me. Then again he may have been about to dump a body and seeing us he decided to leave. Lastly, there's a spot on top of the bridge where a plaque had obviously sat. Well, no more. It had successfully being pried off and either chucked into bushes or taken home as a souvenir. I think we had seen enough. Time to go and get cooking and hopefully plan the next walk a little better. I guess the total distance walked on this 'hike' was about 250 metres. How easy is this hiking business...?

Check out the sandstone...

Kalimna Falls, Otway Ranges. 11th December 2010

Well, I was armed with the Glenn Tempest book of 'Daywalks Around Melbourne' again and I thought I might give walk number 10 in the book a go. It's a circuit walk of about 12 kilometres, rated as 'moderate' and it's named 'Currawong Falls'. Before walking though I had to get domestic. Remember, a hiker's life is not all beer and skittles as I had to get my ironing done before heading out. Besides hiking, ironing is important as well. I put on my ironing face complete with full hiking gear and got it done at a fearsome speed. My leather 'La Sportiva' leather boots with Vibram soles gave me good traction as I found the ironing spray starch was causing the floor to be a little slippery. Boots come in handy at all times, even during the housework. Anyway, now that was done I was ready to head towards the Otway Ranges where this walk is located and not far from the previous week's Cumberland River stroll.

I made pretty good time and found the starting place at 'Distillery Creek Picnic Area'. If I had any sort of flexibility I would have patted myself on the back for having plenty of hours left in the day to get this walk done without rushing. The most I can stretch though is to the top of my head which I patted a few times. Mm...hang on. I can see the start of the track, but there appears to be a fence put up in front of it with a notice attached. I wonder what this means? I strolled up and read a notice from Parks Victoria. "The Currawong Falls walk is closed due to burning peat". I stood there for a moment mildly dumbstruck. WTF??!! Burning  peat? What is this? Russia? There's been non stop rain in Victoria for the last few months so I'm not sure what set the peat off.  Is it dangerous? Would I catch on fire? I sat back in the car and thought of my options. Pretty easy really as I was holding a book with 100 walks in it.  Good work Glenn Tempest! I picked out a walk not too far away and it's called 'Kalimna Falls' but it's only about 8 kilometres long. Well, due to the fiasco of the closed track, I now had less time in the day so the shorter walk would have to do.

Theme of the day: Ferns

I drove to the start of the walk at the 'Sheoak Picnic Area'. It involved a bit of dirt road driving before coming to an expansive picnic area that was completely empty. The weather was a bit dodgy with dark clouds going by so it appeared rain may be on the menu. I parked the car and observed the start of the track. Guess what? Yes, there was a fence in front of it with a sign attached. Gee, I wonder who put that there?  I strolled up to read yet another Parks Victoria sign. "The Kalimna Falls walk is closed due to flood damage to a bridge and trees down on the track". Okay, now this is getting silly. I began to think it was a government conspiracy.  I looked up at the sky, put on my angst face and shook my fist a number of times yelling, "How am I ever going to write this stupid blog if all the walks I go to are closed??!!" It was now 2.30 pm and I decided that there would be no more driving to alternative walks. I was full of questions. Flood damage? Why don't the floods put out the burning peat? I began to think that nothing could be as bad as the sign said and it's really only there to keep knuckleheads safe. I pondered for a moment to consider how much of a knucklehead I am. Well, I decided to walk the track and if it was all too scary I could always come back.  I got my stuff together including the pack but I forgot to put my mandatory Jungle Jellies in. Hopefully I would survive the day without them.

I set off on a wet track lined with tree ferns.  It was pleasant walking and I was glad I had my boots on. Some spots were quite muddy and I had been walking about 38 seconds when a heavy shower of rain hit. Right, off with the pack and on with the 'Mont Tempest' raincoat. I had camera problems in that I have a DSLR and I like to have it slung over the shoulder. Now it was getting wet so I elected to put it in the case and carry it that way. A bit awkward but it would have to do. I spotted a juvenile bird on a branch and took a few photos of him. I'm not sure what sort of bird it is other than it has feathers. I need to invest in a bird book I think and I'm too busy writing this to Google what type of bird it is.

It was peaceful walking with no one around and it wasn't long before I came to the flood damaged bridge which was blocked with another Parks Victoria fence and sign. Yes, the bridge looked a little wonky but I considered my options. How about walking around it? This is what I did and it took me about 7 seconds to negotiate it. Right, that was easy. Now, my first aim after a 3 kilometre walk was Lower Kalimna Falls. I quite like a waterfall and I was hoping to get a few good photos. The track branched off and followed Sheoak Creek until I reached the waterfall.

Lower Kalimna Falls

Even though the waterfall doesn't have a long drop it's a fantastic spot. A pool of water lined with tree ferns and an interesting backdrop. Behind the waterfall is a semi-circle undercut in the rocks where it's possible to walk around and stand directly behind the waterfall. I took my time taking it all in and getting a few photos at different angles.

Undercut behind Lower Kalimna Falls...

I think I spent a good half hour enjoying what felt like a secluded spot which was nice and dry with the overhanging rock above me. It was time to head off again though and make my way further along the path to the next spot which was Upper Kalimna Falls. Wow, the guys making up the names of these waterfalls were struggling for some ideas I think. "Mm..names...Upper?  Lower? That'll do..."

I had taken a number of photos with the help of a lightweight 'Manfrotto' tripod. According to the map the next waterfall wasn't too far away so I didn't want to pack the tripod up and then have to get it out a short time later. The camera locks to the tripod so I thought I'd be pretty groovy and carry the camera whilst still attached to the tripod. I then put the tripod over my shoulder as if I was carrying a mortar tube. Hey, look at me! Getting it done out bush! Well, that was a great idea until I had to manoeuvre around some trees sticking out into the track. I took the tripod off my shoulder and I don't think the reader has to be Sherlock to work out what happened next. Yep, as I did so the camera came off the head of the tripod. I watched as the camera lazily rotated in the air and landed fair and square on my big toe. A Canon 7D with lens is 1.30 kilograms in weight and fell from just below my shoulder height. Ouch! Lucky I was wearing boots and also lucky that the camera was okay. I would prefer a broken toe to a broken camera and after dusting it off it appeared okay. I dispensed with my 'mortar tube' style of carriage though and other than a bit of mild sharp pain it appeared my toe was okay.

Rather large fallen tree on the track...

Now, I was again sloshing through some mud before I came to a very large tree which had fallen down on the track. I thought of the sign at the start of the walk warning me of fallen trees. It made me recall that I don't think I've walked on any track in my life that doesn't have fallen trees on it! It doesn't seem to be much of a problem as there's usually two options. Go around or over. I really think if one sticks to those principles then there will be no problem! I was feeling a bit athletic all of a sudden so I went for the over approach. I was working well until I got to the main trunk and I ended up in a position of my chest flat against the trunk with my legs spread either side in the air above the ground. Lucky I did '5BX' as a kid and have always been handy at push ups with hands together. I had to put some effort in with a solid push up combined with grunting to get over the tree. With all the work though I was feeling a bit pumped and was almost tempted to rip my shirt off and go into a pose down complete with a lat flare. I kept my shirt on though and reached a part of the track that branched off towards Upper Kalimna Falls.

Upper Kalimna Falls

The track at this point closed right in and I was pushing through ferns and my nemesis returned. Nettles. They were everywhere and I was again glad to be wearing long pants and a long sleeved shirt. I was cautious not to brush my hands against the nettles like I did the previous week. In the end I adopted a strange method of walking where I would lift my leg up high to either step over them or on top of them altogether. I was getting some serious knee lift going as if I was stepping over imaginary Swiss Balls. I continued with this freakish gait until I reached a dead end which was a lookout for Upper Kalimna Falls. The falls were a short distance away but were fenced off. The Upper has a bigger drop than the Lower but didn't seem as impressive. Where's the undercut rock?!  I was spoiled after seeing the Lower. The lookout has some impressive ferns overhead with a couple of wooden seats though. It was quite relaxing and I got to work taking a few more pictures.

I was casually taking pictures when I noticed a little black creature moving across my hand. I knew exactly what it was. A leech! I should have expected that the wet fern areas would have the odd leech. I sent him into orbit with a power packed flick and now became a little wary. I began to feel imaginary leeches in my hair! After rubbing my hands through my hair a million times I decided to head off. It was now a walk up a ridge line to a dirt road and then it was back to the car. I had to adopt the super leg lift again until I was away from the nettles. The track then began to climb and was quite open as I climbed the ridge. I noticed plenty of burnt trees in the area and I'm not sure when a fire occurred or maybe it was just a burn off a few years earlier.

I climbed the ridge until I reached Garvey Track. This was a wide vehicle track and as I reached it the rain really started to come down. I packed the camera away and now it was a matter of strolling back to the car. I continued back in the rain until I reached the car park.  I noted the GPS read out telling me I had walked 9.24 kilometres with elevation climbed of 270 metres. These day walks are getting shorter all the time! It wasn't really my fault as my intended walk was closed just like the one I just completed! I guess liability means Parks Victoria have to play it safe and not expect walkers to do any form of risk assessment themselves. It certainly wasn't the toughest challenge I've faced whilst walking!

I was back in the car but I wanted to stop by a lighthouse on the way back which I've never looked at. This is surprising as I have quite a lighthouse fetish. It's the 'Split Point Lighthouse' which is off the Great Ocean Road. By the way, this has absolutely nothing to do with hiking so go get a cup of tea if that's what you're looking for right now. The weather was a mix of heavy showers and sunshine which is quite fantastic for photo opportunities. Upon reaching the lighthouse I was happy to have a break in the rain and I was rewarded with a great rainbow.

Split Point Lighthouse

It's a great spot with some lovely lookouts across the ocean. I waited, hoping to catch a nice sunset but the rain began to sweep in which killed the light. I did get to take a few nice photos though before the rain again began to belt down. It was now a matter of packing up and heading home whilst munching on the Jungle Jellies. It wasn't what I planned for in the day but I enjoyed the walk to the waterfalls. It's a lovely walk that I would probably have overlooked due to its shorter length. Now, if the peat fire goes out on the Russian steppes I will come back to the planned walk at Currawong Falls...

Moon rising over Split Point Lighthouse

Sunset Killer.  Incoming Rain...

Cumberland River Walk, Otway Ranges, Victoria. 4th December 2010

Okay, this is the first walk in the Glenn Tempest book, 'Daywalks Around Melbourne'. The weather was a little warm but within my range of survival. I roughly knew where to go as it's off the Great Ocean Road on the coast where I've travelled a million times before. This bred the usual, 'she'll be right' thinking on my behalf. I figured it would take about an hour and a half to get there and with daylight saving it wouldn't be getting dark until 8.30 pm at least. Ben and I didn't leave until roughly 1.30 pm which may have been a little later than ideal. Oh well, no problem.

I planned to take my pack with me to keep me in the 'pack carrying' frame of mind. I didn't load it up but I took four litres of water for the both of us and various odds and ends. I had the GPS, Jungle Jellies, 2011 IKEA catalogue and the PLB (Personal Locating Beacon) as mandatory items. I thought about wearing runners and shorts, but in the end I went with my usual leather boots and long trousers.

We made good time driving down there and the aim was to start from wherever the book told us. Well, the book told us to start from the 'Cumberland River Reserve' which was outside the town of Lorne on the Great Ocean Road.  We stopped briefly as I was starving and I ended up getting a snack at some place called 'Jums'. I really just stopped as I was intrigued as to what sort of food a place called 'Jums' might sell. Well, it wasn't really earth shattering. It was a chicken shop. 

We were then on our way and I'm sure I'm getting dumber as I get older as I didn't think the 'Cumberland River Reserve' was a full on camping ground complete with caravans. Apparently as one gets older one gets wiser. Well, I feel like my brain is blancmange at times as I have no idea why I thought the start would be a track leading off into the river gorge. So, after seeing the full blown camping area I assumed we had missed the spot where we were meant to start. I then turned around and drove back the way we came until I saw a turn off to Sheoak Falls car park. This was the spot the walk was meant to finish. Feeling a little confused I elected to start from the finish and surely by the end we would find where we were meant to be at the start!  All a bit confusing but it was the plan...

The walk is listed in the book as 'moderate' and is about 11 kilometres long as it goes on a bit of a circuit through the bush. On went the pack and although it was feeling a little light it had enough in it to give me the idea. We walked up to the start of trail and were met by a Park's Victoria sign telling me the walk to Sheoak Falls was closed due to flood damage. Well, I consulted my trusty book and Sheoak Falls was the first stop. Yeah, well, I haven't driven all this way to not do the walk so I elected to go as far as we could. I was thinking nothing could be too dramatic to close a walk. We were soon powering along and found a turn off to Sheoak Falls fairly quickly. In the direction of the falls we could hear a woman constantly squealing so we were definitely going to have a look to see what the fuss was about.

Sheoak Falls

We didn't have a problem finding the falls with all the screaming going on. When we did, we found a girl was swimming in the pool under the waterfall which must have been freezing. Two blokes were sitting in the shade under some rocks watching her non-plussed. Well, I guess one person out of three having fun isn't too bad. We didn't stay long as the two blokes were staring at us as if we just arrived on a flying saucer. Give me nature, but don't give me an eyeballing.

Anyway, off we trudged and it was now uphill walking. Ben started motoring up the hill whilst I was shuffling behind. I was now on my own and I came to a turn off which was fenced off by Park's Victoria again. The turn-off led to a spot called 'Swallow Cave' which is a spot for migrating birds from South Africa in spring. Well, I wanted to have a look so I stepped over the fence and walked a short distance to see the cave. Yes, it was a cave but it was pretty low key. I guess it would be more entertaining with birds flying in and out.

Going off at Swallow Cave...

I back tracked and set off uphill to a look out called 'Castle Rock'. It was quite warm now and I was getting a bit of a sweat up. Ben wasn't anywhere to be seen but I did see his boot prints now and again so I knew he was up ahead of me. I was quite proud of my tracking skills as I came across him at the top of the hill which was a turn off to 'Castle Rock'. I was interested to see that someone had amended the sign to say, 'Castle Crock'. My interpretation to this was that someone thought the lookout was crap!  Well, drop the pack and let's have a look. We set off on a path until we reached a point where the track suddenly dropped off down a steep hill. Um... Where's the lookout? I guess it might have been further ahead, but it seemed strange to walk all the way uphill to go to a lookout which was down hill. We were surrounded by trees and although we could see the coast at a distance we elected not to go down hill. I was thinking it was 'Castle Crock' indeed!

Looking at the book it seemed to indicate there would be no more uphill sections so it's downhill all the way. We did come across a sign pointing to our destination of Cumberland River but it said it was for 'Experienced Walkers Only'. Ben and I looked at each other and thought the same thing. Is that us? What does experienced mean? The fact I was carrying a pack made me feel experienced so we followed the trail which was now a downhill zig-zagging number. I then became aware of some really prickly weeds as I brushed my hand across one and was left feeling as if I had pins and needles. Yep, it was nettle world. Truly, what an annoying plant. I was lucky I was wearing my long shirt and trousers as the nettles were everywhere. Ben had gone the wild-man approach with pants rolled up but after being assaulted by a number of nettles he was soon rolling the strides down.  After some good down hill walking we reached the Cumberland River. It's a lovely river as well as it's lined with ferns.

Rock hopping up Cumberland River...

We now had a walk up the river to reach Cumberland Falls. The path criss-crosses the river a number of times and I was concentrating as much as I could. Knowing my clumsiness I didn't want to slip on a rock and end up in the river just for my camera's sake! I was impressed by the feeling of remoteness and my balance. I was zipping across the river with no problem. I was noticing the time though and I began to think we should have started the walk earlier. I'm finding that 'late starting' is a constant theme of writing this blog! The sun was getting low in the sky and although it wasn't panic stations, we couldn't linger too long as I wasn't sure how far we still had to walk. It reached the point where we stopped and elected to go no further. Yep, we didn't make it to Cumberland Falls. Apparently they are great but we missed them! We did stop for a relax on some rocks in the river and take a few photos. It was very peaceful and I would have been quite happy to stay there for some time.

Well, we couldn't stay forever in this lovely spot so we had to head back along the river that eventually reaches the Great Ocean Road.  It was fairly simple walking with the odd crossing of the river to keep us entertained. I never really thought what the river would have looked like in the preceding years of drought. I can imagine there would be barely a trickle of water running, so I think we had the best of conditions. Plenty of water which would be refreshing to wade in if it was really hot.

I guess I was surprised to walk around a corner of the river gorge and suddenly see dozens of punters sitting in chairs with tents, 4WD's, beer and barbeques happening. We left wilderness and suddenly we were in the Gold Coast. Oh well, all good walks have to end somewhere. We strolled through the camp ground with people staring at us. Again, I guess it was a look as if we just hopped off a low flying UFO. We kept going until we reached the Great Ocean Road. I now realised this was the Cumberland River Reserve we were meant to start at! We now had a twenty minute walk next to the road to get back to the car. The sun was setting now and it was a chance to take a few more pictures as the light was fading. Whilst stopping at one look out along the road I noticed a pair of thongs on the ground.  Not just any thongs but a pair of 'UDL' ones. These ones were top shelf in a snappy pink colour. I always see thongs everywhere. Why aren't they on people's feet? Isn't that the idea?!

We then kept walking and I noted a certain frequency of strange behaviour. Apparently if one is walking along the Great Ocean Road, people in cars feel compelled to do strange things. A common thing is to toot the horn loudly and yell out something as the car flies past. It's always hard to work out what's said but it sounds like the noise a Yeti would make if he stubbed his toe. Another antic is to stick the arm and head out the window whilst holding something. I think it's an age old method of informing the world that, "Look!  I'm in a car! You don't realise it, but I'm a wanker!" Sure, no worries. I understand you're a wanker, as I caught a fleeting glimpse of your scone and you appear to have a head like a twisted sand-shoe. That's all I need to see, so you don't have to tell me by yelling out the window, okay? I love car culture!

We made it back and I was quite glad to see the car. I always carry lots of water in the car just for occasions like this one as it was hot and I felt puffed. It was nice to pour a bit of water over the head!  I checked the GPS and the distance walked was 12.4 kilometres with the total elevation climbed being 346 metres. Not exactly earth shattering but it was a solid walk and I loved every minute of it. I guess it was a bit of a fiasco as we didn't get to see the Cumberland waterfalls. Oh well, it gives me an excuse to come back...

Day Hiking Here I Come...

What do I do now? I did three long hikes over a three month period during my favourite hiking season which is winter. Summer is here now and I don't do the heat very well as I'm a very hot bloke.  No, not what you're thinking. Not sexy hot, but just bloody hot. The problem I have of being so hot means I'm at risk of spontaneous combustion if I overdo things. I don't have many holidays coming up but I'm planning to do some long hikes in winter 2011. I should stay walking fit though shouldn't I?  Yes, you should big boy, so do some day walking to keep the legs in.

So, I set out to find a book which lists day walks around Melbourne that will get me by over summer. I don't want anything out of the ordinary in length. Maybe up to 18 kilometres per walk would be perfect. A good balance of exercise and a sense of freedom as well. I will be careful with the weather as I don't want to look like 'Ghostrider' whilst walking with flames coming off the back of my head from overheating.

My hiking gear...

What book?  I found the book and it's in the picture above. It's called 'Daywalks Around Melbourne' by Glenn Tempest. Yes, there are plenty of walks inside complete with maps and all sorts of guff. It appears Glenn has walked everywhere that could conceivably have a track on it and I'm not sure how he has time to do that. He may utilize a stunt double at times, but I'm only surmising. 

The trouble with choice is it's hard to make a decision. Where do I start with so many walks? Well, Ben and I came up with an exciting method of dealing with the decision making dilemma. How about starting at walk number one in the book? Yeah, pretty radical I know but that will do for now...  

Great Ocean Walk, 2010. My Final Thoughts.

Well, that's another long hike over. I thought a 100 kilometre walk with a heavy pack and without any food drops would be quite tiring. I actually pulled up pretty well after I finished. Considering from the first day I was sleeping on the ground with no mat I was quite happy! I love the Great Ocean Walk so much I've done it twice. When I found out the end of the walk is going to be re-aligned I felt it's the perfect excuse to do it again sometime! If the 'roadside walking' can be reduced then it would be perfect. The previous year I did it in June and did not see another hiker in a week. This time with warmer weather there was a lot more traffic. It was interesting that harder sections of the hike at the end were empty though. There's nothing wrong with meeting fellow hikers but it's hard to take in when I was coming across groups of up to 20 people! I certainly prefer winter hiking where traffic is at a minimum. I had a link to a map of the walk, but that ended up dying on me. I do have a GPS map of each day from the trip which I hope to put together into a separate entry in the near future. Stay tuned! 

More koalas? Sure, why not!

Upon returning I had to sort out the debris of a hike. It was a trail of destruction as I emptied a pack of busted items. Starting off with the Exped Sim Light mat which was deflated from the first day. Mountain Designs inflatable pillow? Deflated. Mont sleeping bag? Great, if one likes to sleep in koala urine. Light My Fire Spork? Snapped in two but at least I have a lightweight cutlery set now.  Reading glasses case? Snapped in half by a simple movement of my guts. Sennheiser headphones for the iPod? Dead due to cord detaching from the earphone bud. Is that it? I think so....

What worked? Well, the Black Diamond Trail Ergo cork walking poles were a winner. The angled grip was comfortable and the cork seemed to soak up sweat effortlessly. The poles felt strong and the flick-lock adjusting system of length worked well. Plus, they seemed to stay locked which is the idea! I never had the problem of ploughing along and the pole suddenly unlocking. I had this problem with my previous Exped poles and one moment the pole would be at full length and the next it would be no longer than an average stick of pepperoni. My Lowe Alpine TFX pack was also a winner. I think it's the most comfortable pack I've worn and I love its narrow shape which made me feel more manoeuvrable. I didn't have any falls at all whilst walking which was a surprise and the only time I did bite the dust on Day 7 was when I wasn't even wearing the pack!  

I guess that's it for now for this hike and it's time to plan for new long distance walks. In the back of my mind I'd like to attempt the full distance of the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory in August 2011. I do know though that I would have to re-discover my former lean and mean shape rather than the fat and friendly ensemble I have now. Lots of walking will be done for the blog over the next six months...

       

Great Ocean Walk. Day 7. Devils Kitchen to Princetown. October 2010

Finishing GPS read-out... 

Hang on, didn't we have Day 7 of the hike on the 5th October already? Have you gone delirious and mixed up the days and dates? Well, no I didn't (I love these conversations with myself. It beats talking in the mirror) I had about 10 or so kilometres to the end of the hike which was where my car was parked at Princetown General Store. The end of the hike is officially a bit further down the road towards the 12 Apostles. I found out last year that the walk from Devils Kitchen to Princetown is quite remarkable for its crapness (Is that a word? I guess it's my blog so I can write what I want?) It consists of walking on a sandy road with absolutely no view of the ocean but plenty of nice views of barbed wire fences, cows and the odd 4WD. It's mind numbingly dull unless one has a particular interest in bovines and the latest model large car. Apparently in 2011 the end of the hike is being re-aligned and it can't come soon enough as it's a complete anticlimax right now.

Anyway, I went to bed after the sunset at Devils Kitchen. I had a bit of a melt down though in that I couldn't remotely sleep.  I guess the joints were starting to ache a little too much. Lying on the ground wasn't helping for recovery and I found myself boiling as if I was sunburnt. I was well covered when walking but my hands and face were a little burnt even though I live under a hat when the sun is out and sunscreen was applied. I also had the world's itchiest feet which were driving me insane. I guess taking only the one pair of socks for a week long hike was a little ambitious in the weight saving department? I was rolling around in the bivy bag moaning and groaning when a small snippet of an idea began to turn into a monster. How about I pack up and walk out now in the dark? I thought about it for half an hour weighing up the pros and cons. Pros...I won't see how lame the end of the walk is on the road as it's dark, I get to sleep in a bed, a shower, get out of clothes that felt as if they were attached to me due to their filth, a snack of something that is a little normal and some cream for the itchy feet. Okay, cons...I miss seeing cows, a road that snakes off into the distance so it feels as if it's a million miles long instead of 10 kilometres and another day with insanely itchy feet.  

Well, I considered my options for about 2.3 seconds and hopped out of the bivy. One aspect of the bivy lifestyle is it takes seconds to pack up. Within 10 minutes I was packed and ready to go with my headlamp on. I had bought a new headlamp before this trip which is a Petzl Tikka XP2 (Who comes up with these names?) It seemed great though in that it's light and it has a red light feature that's perfect for keeping the night vision whilst looking for something in the dark. Plus, as an added bonus I felt like I was a U-Boat commander when I had the red light switched on. Anyway, the lamp would get a try out over a 10 kilometre walk in the dark so it was a good time to see whether it was worth the $100+ price tag!

So, I set off at about 10 pm and the initial 400 metres felt like 400 kilometres. It took me a little while to adjust walking in the dark where depressions in the ground can be hard to see. The early part before the barbed wire lined road was on a winding path in the bush. I carefully negotiated that without falling over and then I was on the infamous sandy road. I must say I couldn't see anything on the outside of the beam of my headlamp and I have to admit the road never looked so good as a result. There was no moonlight either so it was pretty inky black walking. I could see a small light on a hill in the distance which I assumed was Princetown so I had a bit of an idea how far I had to go. I soon settled in a routine and to keep myself entertained I would switch my headlamp off now and again. I even tried the red lamp method which I thought would give me some night vision but while I found it was perfect for being under attack from depth charges it was not so good for walking. 

I was pretty happy with my plan as I began to make pretty good time. A couple of times I heard something big jump through the grass and bushes to my side. I assumed it was a kangaroo but every time I whirled my head in the direction of the noise I saw nothing in my light beam. I don't believe it was the little known 'Princetown Sasquatch' but you never know. I could hear dogs going mental, barking in the distance which gave a bit of a weird vibe. I felt pretty safe though in that I had my week long socks for protection.

After two or so hours I reached the target light and powered up the hill which Princetown sits on. I had called the general store to let them know I was on my way in the dark to get my car. They sounded a little surprised but I explained that I was a tool which helped them understand. Finally I saw the car! I find it a bit sad when I finish a good hike but I do enjoy sitting on the leather seats in my car. The luxury!



I took some final photos of the GPS noting it was almost to the kilometre in distance walked to the reading I had the previous year. It was interesting to see that my maximum speed was 17.8 kph at some stage. I don't think I'm that fast a walker but I surmised that the speed was actually my falling speed when I fell on my face onto rocks earlier in the day! I also noted the total height climbed for the week being 3199 metres. Wow, another 2000 metres and I would have made Everest Base Camp?! I was then into sandals and sitting on the leather seats driving away at about 1.30 am. Now, should I come back and do it again another year...?

Total height climbed for the week...

Great Ocean Walk. Day 7. Ryans Den to Devils Kitchen. October 2010

Sunrise at Ryans Den...

It was a good nights sleep. Well, as good as can be whilst lying on the ground and wishing I had a pillow. I got a bit sneaky and decided if I used my pack as a pillow, I might get some elevation on my head. I did this with high spirits wondering why I hadn't thought of it before. I set it up and lay on my back feeling chuffed, but found my chin was touching my chest. Slightly too much angle which put my throat in a position that almost folded it in half.  Perfect for origami but a little difficult for breathing. Anyway, I hoped to catch the sunrise as I had a great view over the ocean.  I missed it a little bit though and only started snapping photos when the sun had already reached the horizon. Oh well, I can always come back for the third time! Ryans Den is such a fantastic spot though, so I took my time at the lookouts enjoying the view.

  

I eventually got my things together and thought about the day to come. Again, this leg involved some lovely 'roadside walking'. The Great Ocean Walks hardest parts are near the end of the hike as I had another solid day of at least 15 kilometres and plenty of hills. One theory is I should be fitter after walking for a week, but I had an alternate theory. My legs were tired after walking for a week!

I sat down to inhale my standard porridge when an unusual thing happened. I use a 'spork' which is a spoon/fork combo to eat with. It's a fairly standard, plastic utensil for hiking made by a Swedish company 'Light My Fire'. Surely, if you have read about this hike from the start you can guess what happened? Yep, my spork snapped in half whilst eating porridge. I'm not sure if that's possible, as I think porridge is quite a soft meal. I could imagine it happening whilst hacking on a piece of boot leather steak complete with maximum use of the shoulder and full throated animal yelping. I was slightly stunned but it fitted the overall experience of the hike of walking and breaking things. I guess my 'spork' was no longer what it said it was and now became a spoon and fork. A lot less trendy and slightly more troublesome. The spoon I now had to eat with was so tiny it suited a pixies hand instead of my gorilla sized paw. It was getting near the end of the hike which was a good thing as I now had to make do with dolls-set sized eating utensils.  

Well, I packed up and said goodbye to campsite number eight and headed off into the hills. The first two hours of walking are generally straight up and down. It's hard going but at the top of each hill I was rewarded with expansive views of the coast line. At one point after climbing an annoyingly steep hill I could look back and see my lovely bench where I watched the previous nights sunrise.
  

Looking back at Ryans Den with the sunset table in the small clearing...

     

Although tough, this section of the walk is really rewarding. Besides the coastal views the path would lead down among a forest of trees and cross small creeks full of water. The previous year I saw the largest kangaroo I have ever seen in my life on this stretch. It was so large and so intimidating I almost began to blubber as it stood dead in front of me blocking the path. I remember waiting for it to go but it didn't for quite some time and we ended up in a full throttle stare-off. I adopted a standard Lee Marvin approach of squinting hard, screwing up my face and replicating his deep vocals, but going one step further. I imagined Lee with bricks suspended from his testicles which really bottomed out the voice in the hope it would scare off the mammoth marsupial. It didn't really work, but he eventually left which I think was more because of boredom than anything else. This year I had my eye out for 'old man kangaroo' but I didn't see him.

One of the many streams...

I was enjoying taking photos of the streams and the forest coverage as the sun was beginning to bite. It took me two hours to walk the initial five kilometres which wasn't exactly land speed record pace. The path eventually led to a disused dirt road and continued with the ups and downs until I came to an extended staircase constructed out of rocks. This is the final section of bush before the roadside walking begins. I was sad to leave the area behind as I was now walking on open dirt roads. It's amazing how much it hurts the feet to suddenly move from soft, winding paths to a constant hard, flat surface. I got into a good rhythm though and began to make good time.  

My next stop was 'Wreck Beach' and this spot has its own problems. Again, there's a decision point but the decision is made quite some distance from the beach. Wreck Beach is a history buffs delight as it contains old, rusted anchors from shipwrecks and is quite dramatic just for the 30 metre cliffs in which the high tide reaches. If one elects to go to the beach there's a staircase of 473 steps to get down from the high cliffs (No, I'm not so sick that I counted the stairs. I Googled that one!) I didn't want to walk all the way down the stairs to find I couldn't get across the beach. The other option is to follow the high tide route which is a casual kilometre walk on flat ground to the next campsite at Devils Kitchen. This is what I did the previous year as I didn't have the tide in my favour so my aim was to walk the beach this time. 

It's actually very easy when feeling stuffed to just take the high tide route. If the legs are weary the thought of a million stairs up and down plus a few kilometres of walking on sand doesn't really appeal. I was psyching myself up even though I didn't really have the tide in my favour again. I got clever though upon reaching the decision point. I checked my phone and finding mobile coverage I rang the Port Campbell Information Centre to get the tide time. It pays to put these numbers in the phone before the hike! I spoke to someone who said that, one, I had the wrong time. Apparently daylight saving had started and I missed it and two, "The swell is small, you'll be right". It was sort of convincing so I headed for the beach.

The Gables lookout.

I had a few kilometres walk on the road, dodging the odd car coming at me which was giving me the feeling I was no longer in the wild. A few day trippers were about driving to the various lookouts in the area. I had to pass the Moonlight Head Cemetery which I thought would be full of old pioneers graves. There wasn't much at all in the way of history though to take my fancy so I kept walking to a lookout marked on the map called 'The Gables'. This is a great spot with an expansive view over the ocean and I was hoping to glean some more information from the sign provided.  Well, that's if I could read the sign. I've seen weathered signs but this was getting silly. It was literally obliterated and it had me thinking if there had been some stray atomic blasts in the area over the years.

Very informative sign at the Gables

Well, it was now or never as I set off to the 473 steps to Wreck Beach. I reached the staircase and powered down with the thought I would have a hideous climb back up, as Devils Kitchen campsite sits at the top of the cliffs. Upon hitting the sand I noted the tide wasn't too bad. Waves weren't around my ears at all and I started the slow trudge on the sand to the first shipwreck anchor which lies in rock-pools. I reached it fairly quickly and was going to take some close up photos even though waves were still washing over it. I figured I'd drop my pack and just take it easy.

Well, that's until two people came wandering up the beach from the opposite direction carrying cameras on tripods complete with remote switches. Okay, this is a little hardcore I thought. I waited for them to pass, but they didn't as they set up their tripods in the water to take pictures of the first anchor which is from the Marie Gabrielle which wrecked here in 1869. I sat back on a rock to wait for them to finish and I noted they took photos at the same object for over 30 minutes. I truly hoped they got some good pictures as they certainly put the work in. There's so many good photos of this spot taken at dawn or dusk with a beautiful glow, but I had to put up with harsh midday light. Not exactly ideal from a photography point of view!
    

Marie Gabrielle anchor...

I did have quite a bizarre moment before taking the photos. I had dropped my pack for maximum mobility amongst the wet rocks. With camera in hand I casually walked up to a large flat rock and within a split second I found myself lying flat on my face with my fall broken by the camera and my guts. I was lucky my face wasn't driven into parts of the Marie Gabrielle. It could make for a good headline though, 'Man dies in shipwreck from 1869 in 2010'. After clambering to my feet and finding nothing worse than a scratch on the body of the camera and a bruise to the body of my guts I began to wonder how I fell over. Did I somehow miss putting my foot on the large rock? I examined the rock and found that somehow where I stepped had broken off. Yes, I stepped on a massive rock which snapped. What is this? I might be feeling a bit beefy but surely I haven't reached Bigfoot type weight? Ass man indeed. I took a photo for posterity and to really pad this blog out a little more.

Stop Press! Man Breaks Rock!!!

Feeling marginally sore I moved on to the next shipwreck anchor. All the waiting around for the Ansel Adams clones to take their photos was actually helpful. The tide had gone out a little more and I could comfortably walk up to the anchor of the 'Fiji' which was wrecked on the beach in 1878. This anchor had been wedged upright and looked a little incongruous in its location. It's another piece of unique history though and it's easy to forget how unforgiving this coastline was to the early settlers. I'd be pretty disappointed to sail for an eternity from England and then shipwreck at the last minute. I could imagine being swept off a ship getting dashed against rocks in the dark, with the foam of breaking waves smashing all around me thinking, "Bummer". I did think this whilst taking photos and being wary of standing on rogue rocks at the same time.
  

Anchor of the 'Fiji'...

It was then time to move on and I had one smaller obstacle to overcome. The map specified a rocky outcrop that's impassable at high tide. As I approached it, I could imagine that would be the case. The outcrop of boulder sized rocks with the cliff face directly behind it would be tough to negotiate with water coming in. As it is I took it very slowly.  The rocks were quite jagged and not remotely soft to touch. Knowing my clumsy antics from before I did not want to fall over at this spot. Wreck Beach is a great spot, but I don't like it that much I want to leave my teeth embedded there in a rock.  I slowly moved on and I was back on sand and in the clear.  I was now getting close to the climb back up the cliffs to reach the campsite. Before leaving the beach though I was intrigued by a very large blue barrel washed up. It's always quite interesting to see what ends up on a beach and the most common item I see is usually a shoe or a thong. What's going on there? Aren't they meant to be attached to someones foot?  

Big blue barrel...

Well, whilst examining big, blue barrels I did find time to look at more natural things. I took some more pictures but I was feeling the heat a bit. It had been a long days walking and I was getting no shade on the beach. A few more photos and I began to climb up the hillside.

I was under the impression a similar staircase to what I came down to the beach would be in place to get back up. It was a path though, which wasn't too bad. It zig-zagged up the hill to the top of the cliffs and was quite easy to negotiate. I took some photos on the way up looking back at the beach but really it was just an excuse to get my breath back. I was feeling the pinch again and was looking forward to finishing the day.

Leaving Wreck Beach...

Finally I reached the top of the cliffs and found a turn off with a 400 metre walk to the Devils Kitchen campsite. I powered along and was happy to reach the end. I did my standard method of ditch the pack and then pour water over my head as I was feeling very much wasted. I had not seen any other hikers during the day and it appears most people walk the initial stages of the Great Ocean Walk and give the end bit a miss. I checked the 'walkers' intentions' book and a lot of the entries detail how people had avoided Wreck Beach and used the 'high tide' route. I knew that would be the case, as it's a very inviting proposition upon reaching the decision point! How do I know? Well, because that's exactly what I did the previous year. I saw the 'high tide' signage and gave the beach a miss.

I was stuffed, but really glad I made the effort to walk the beach as it was fantastic. It had it all. History, breaking rocks, anchors and a big, blue barrel. I checked the campsite number I had been given and it was no surprise to see it was number 8 again. Guess what?  Number eight is the pick of the sites at Devils Kitchen. A short distance from the campsite is a small chair on the cliff top overlooking Wreck Beach. It was a fantastic view with the sun setting directly in front of me.
  

Sunset over Wreck Beach...

I decided to eat my tea whilst watching the sun set on the cliff top. Using my pixie 'spoon and fork' was bearable with the view I had and it was no problem placing my fist into my food to get anything on the actual spoon. I now had only one day to go which was a little sad but all good hikes have to end sooner or later. The total distance walked for the day was 16.80 kms with 790 metres of elevation climbed. Here are the GPS details which you click on and play with if you're feeling keen.



So, I now had a slight sea breeze on my face which seemed to blow the mosquitoes straight at me. I commenced my chemical wash down technique with DEET and finally relaxed to watch the sun descend in a blaze of red...

Last light at Wreck Beach...