Great South West Walk

Still on a high from our last hike in the Victorian Alps it was time again to come together for another adventure.
Kev and Paddles had already hiked a section of the Great South West Walk, (GSWW) and were eager to sink their teeth into another section.
It was late march, the weather in Victoria is perfect this time of the year and ideal for a coastal walk, so off we went to the South West corner of Victoria to the coastal town of Portland.

We needed to take two cars as it was a one way walk so Brent, Kell and I made the 4 hour journey from Melton to meet Kev and Paul at Bridgewater Lakes, where we would all cram into one car and drive to the start. 

We were all keen and excited as our last hike was a rippa and we were eager to make some more amazing memories.

Kells nerves were gone and I'm tipping the little Mallee girl will not want to miss another hike. She had a new pack, new haircut but the same stench that haunted Paul the last trip - but all good, everyone was ready.  

Tarragal Caves

Before meeting up with Kev and Paul we had a quick look through the pretty cool Tarragal Caves located at Bridgewater Lakes. It was a nice spot to stretch the legs after a few hours in the car. 

After meeting up with the lads, we drove the 30 minutes back through Portland to where we were to start the 3 day trek. 

Final gear checks. 

We parked Brents car at the car park just before the Mallee camp site on a clear and mild Autumn day, we were pumped and ready to begin the journey. 

It was a little after 1.30 pm and we were away for what was shaping up to be 15 km of beautiful coastal hiking. 

From the start the views were pretty cool as we made our way towards the southern most point of or walk, with the cool looking Cape Nelson Light House in the distance. 

The first section of the hike was along the cliff tops on a very well defined trail as we headed closer to the light house. The going was easy and the conditions were perfect - our next adventure was well under way.

We briefly checked out the light house then moved on as we had some ground to cover and ideally wanted to be at camp and set up before night fall

With the light house behind us we continued along the rocky cliff face over looking Bridgewater Bay to some stunning scenery and water that looked like it was from the tropics somewhere, it was beautiful.

We continued along a pretty cool single trail snaking its way along the coast, continuously stopping to take in the beauty of the bay and the ruggedness of the cliff faces 

 As we made our way further along the trail Kell was wrapped that the baron cliff faces were replaced with a trail surrounded by shrubs meaning she could de-pack for a long awaited wee.

This section was cool as we were starting to see some wild life, mainly an echidna and some large Roos rummaging around in the distance.

As we kept walking we were eager to hit the beach as we knew that hiking along sand with heavy packs can sometimes be very difficult and time consuming and I wasn't really keen setting up camp under torch light.

As we were making our way along the top of the cliff faces the shrubbery thickened a little with a pretty cool single trail hidden in the canopy of some coastal trees. It wasn't before long we started to drop down to reveal Bridgewater Bay and the long awaited beach. 

It was 4:45pm. We had been walking for a while now and decided to have a well deserved break on the soft white sand overlooking this beautiful bay.

I have learned there are a few certainties when hiking. If there is an opportunity to eat, Kell scoffs her face, and if there is sand, its off with the shoes for Kev.   

Was good to de-pack and chill for a bit. The sky was overcast and the cloud low but the bay had an eeriness about it that was cool and we were eager to continue as the sun was slowly setting.

As we continued on we could see a strange shape on the beach in the far distance that grew in size with every step. The betting started on what it was, had someone set up a huge tent in the beach, we just weren't sure. As we got closer it revealed itself.

Some old shipping containers had washed up, they were empty and would have made a good shelter to camp it the weather had turned nasty. Paul and Kev wanted to explore a little so Brent, Kell and I kept going and said we would meet up with them at the camp site.  

Brentos Da Vinci left the boys some art work as we made our way toward the ever dropping sunset, slowly getting closer to the long awaited night one camp sight.

By 6:30 we had left the beach and arrived at the Trewalla Camp site located a little in from the beach  amongst the trees.

There was plenty of tent spots and we made the most of the facilities as we set up camp. Fire lit, water boiled and tents pitched, it was time to sit up on the cool lookout platform while we await Kev and Paul to arrive.

The boys rocked up at a little after 7pm and were still having a chuckle at the large hairy woman we left for them on the beach and were appreciative of the boiled water for a hot drink.

As we reflected on the day the sun set over the bay and it was time to crank up the fire, cook some tea, heat the garlic bread and crack open the port.

We woke to a perfect morning. Light breeze, clear skies and a chill in the air. We all made our coffee and breakfast and sat up on the viewing platform to take in the amazing views over the bay toward Cape Bridgewater.

We had a cruisy morning as it was a great little camp spot and the fire was inviting. After Kevs usual big cook up of eggs and bacon we started to pack up.

Brent described how he heard some weird noises during the night that he though may have been a goat close to his tent. Bit surprising for that area but he was adamant he heard it.

By 9:45am we were loaded and on our way.

This section was up on the cliff tops in the thick coastal shrubs so the views were minimal but the walking easy as we crossed paths with a few other hikers taking advantage a the good weather on the weekend.

The shrubs cleared and the views returned as we made our way to Bishops Rock where we would stop for a break.

By 10:30 we had hit the rock. It was a section of the cliff face that jutted out into the ocean above the powerful and menacing waves below.

Paul was starting to feel some pain in his knees so it was out with the extra short shorts and the knee braces.

We decided to de-pack for a little and climb down the rocks to get a closer look at the crashing waves below as Kev and Paul decided that this was the perfect spot for a fish. Some fresh snapper would be great boys after a long day walking so we were hoping they had some luck.

Kell enjoying the view from Bishops Rock.

We said seeya to the boys as Kell, Brent and i headed on, keen to have a little dip in the ocean as it was warming up. We decided to meet Kev and Paul at Cape Bridgewater for lunch with the hope of good news on the fish catching front.

By 11:30 we had hit the beach and quickly took off the boots and changed into our bathers.

The water was cold but refreshing as we managed to go in completely. Brent was happy to stay in the water as being from Ballarat he is used to the cold.

After a frolic in the water we made our way to Cape Bridgewater to wash off the sand and put our boots back on.

We could see Kev and Paul in the distance slowly getting closer but as they neared the reality set in, no fish for dinner.

By 12:30 we were all sitting down having a burger at the café preparing for the next section of the walk.

By 1pm we were on our way slowly climbing up again, leaving the beach and heading south toward Seal Cave.

The views looking back over Bridgewater bay were stunning and the best I had seen so far on this hike. 

We dropped back down and hit the cool little jetty with the beautiful blue water that surrounded it. There were some other walkers there so perfect opportunity of a group shot on the end of the jetty. 

Water, jetty, what else was there to do, fish of course. So Paul and Kev had another little crack while we did a little exploring on the rocks while we waited for dinner to be caught. 

Brent giving some advice to the lads.

Brents advice didn't pay off and we were soon on our way once again empty handed. From here it was a little tough going as we climbed up and out of the bay onto the towering cliff faces above.

As we climbed higher for the first time on the hike the weather started to become a little crappy. The clouds rolled in and the wind picked up as the temperature dropped dramatically. We were still seeing some nice views looking back on the bay.

By 2:30 we were at the lookout platform for Seal Cave. Kell as always took the opportunity to have some food as we looked down on the hundreds of playful seals below putting on a show for us in the freezing water.

We didn't ponder there long as the day was catching up on us and we still had a little way to go. We were making good time as once up top the going was flat and the views had gone for the time being so we knuckled down and motored on.

We were lucky as the day went on the clouds lifted again and the rugged cliffs returned and this was by far the best part of the hike for me. The amazing cliff faces separated the rough treacherous ocean with the still tranquil sky, this was what hiking is about.   

We continued along the cliff faces making our way to a point on the map called Petrified Forest and we were very interested is what it was. 

We arrived at this strange looking place at 4pm, de-packed and had a little look around reading the info signs.

 Kell seeing if it is edible.

Little break and we were off again with our next stop being the camp for the night, The Springs.

We passed a popular tourist spot call the blow hole. There were a few people around taking in the nice views and we were told by some locals about some secret springs that are not sign posted and are a lot better than the ones that are sign posted just before the camp site. We were definitely going to check them out after we set up camp.

By 5pm we had hit camp. The tank was full and the shelter in good shape. We set up camp, collected some fire wood, made a well needed coffee and decided to search for the hidden springs.

It was a great spot, plenty of room and fire wood if you were willing to go into the shrubs a little. Two other hikers turned up and it was great chatting to them about their travels.

We decided before dinner to have a look at the secret springs so we all hopped into our bathers, and went down there, 10 minute walk from the camp spot.

The path down to the water was rocky and steep and a little difficult in crocs but worth it.

Paul being Paul didn't want to miss the opportunity to snag a fish while we were stuffing around he decided to wet a line. No luck again unfortunately.

There were a few nice little pools that were great to soak our sore tired feet in after a big day walking.

There was one last thing to do, we were in an amazing location, the sun was setting, we had walked all day, dirty, sweaty, sore, what better way to end the day with a nice soak in a beautiful spring overlooking the ocean while the sun set. Perfect. 

We all had a good night sleep after a big day and woke to a nice sunny morning. Brent once again was hearing noises during the night and was amused when he found out Kev was playing games with his animal noise app. Brent found himself scampering around in the bushes looking for wild pigs.

Not happy Jan.

We had a nice coffee and porridge overlooking the crashing waves before hitting the trail just after nine for the short walk to the car.

Once again the views were stunning on the last day as we made our way towards Bridgewater Lakes. The walking was easy going, our packs a lot lighter with no more food, meth or port left, just a little water and some snacks.

By lunch time we were back at the car after passing through the nice lakes area and a lot of day walkers and a few trail runners.
It was great to de-pack, crack a cold can of pepsi max and put some clean clothes on before squeezing into Brents car to head back to the start of the hike to pick up Kevs car.

This was another amazing adventure with some awesome friends. We had a ball and a lot of laughs. Who knows where our next journey will take us but I cant wait.