Girls On the Great Ocean Walk
The striking blue feathers of a Superb Blue Wren are a bright contrast to the moody grey silhouettes of eucalypts in Great Otway National Park on Victoria’s coastline – he’s dashingly handsome and almost as friendly as our fantail. Birdlife is not something you generally associate with the Great Ocean Road, better known as one of the world’s most scenic drives. But I’ve left the highway, and its tourists, far behind and disappeared on foot towards the cliffs, through coastal heath and forests of mountain ash to really experience the natural beauty of the area. Looking down from a sheer cliff top across a sapphire Southern Ocean my senses are engulfed by the sights and sounds of nature. Welcome to the Great Ocean Walk, a 104km track that hugs Victoria’s iconic coastline starting at Apollo Bay, 200km southwest of Melbourne. It’s here that the Great Ocean Road heads, on average, between 5-10km inland. Opened in 2007 by Parks Victoria to the tune of $2.4 million, it’s the first of four wilderness walks planned for the state – the Grampians, East Gippsland and the Australian Alps will all feature multi-day hikes in the years ahead.
I’m sampling a 46km, three-day hike from Castle Cove to the Twelve Apostles with Bothfeet walking tours, which offers the perfect combination of adventure and indulgence with a guided walk and a luxurious fully catered stay in their eco lodge. My walkmates for the duration include squash champ Susan Devoy and the winners of a competition she put on in association with Bothfeet – mother and daughter duo Tracy and Barbara Walsh from Christchurch.
On our first day the track begins in scrubby cliff-top eucalypts before descending to the pristine white sand of Johanna Beach, famous for its surf breaks. Susan reaches the beach first and hides out in the bushes to ambush Tracy and Barbara – a headsup that we’re in for a fun few days! The dramatic eroded cliffs of this coastline are borne of a wild climate and the wind has got up for our 2km beach walk, scattering frothy sea foam across the beach and cleansing our senses. With my lack of fitness and flexibility I didn’t think I’d be able to say I have followed in the footsteps of a sporting great but today I did – battling the wind along Johanna Beach, I put my feet in Susan’s footprints!
In the afternoon we find shelter in coastal pastures that reveal Eastern Grey Kangaroos among the scrub. Wildlife spotting is a key feature of the walk. With a keen eye in the height of summer you may spot an echidna basking in a sunny sandy spot, or a rare tiger snake. Our guide Marie Killeen offers knowledgeable titbits about the flora and fauna but doesn’t interfere with the peaceful side of walking.
The second day, from Milenesia beach to Moonlight Head is our longest day as we follow goat tracks that skirt the coast, there’s a lot of down – and consequently lots of up. The walk is enough of a workout most but for Susan it’s a bit lightweight – she swaps her daypack with the guide’s big heavy pack with all the first aid gear and spare equipment in it – should I post the picture of her falling over with the big pack on?
For the rest of us, the climbs are enough of a challenge but there’s no hurry – we take our time, enjoy the ocean views and quiet coastal forest. When we start to tire a little, we sing some show tunes using our walking poles as microphones. I have to say – those Christchurch gals can sing!
Day three begins at Wreck Beach where if not for the high tide we would be able to see the anchors of the shipwrecked Marie Gabrielle (1880) and Fiji (1891) embedded in the sand. Sewn into the fabric of the coast they are reminders that the sheer beauty of what is now a marine park hides a dark past. More than 200 ships met their end here last century when they hugged the coast in search of the Cape Otway Light on their approach to the Bass Strait, then the main entrance to eastern Australia.
Our walk is pleasantly punctuated with morning tea and nutritious salad lunches – not your usual tramping fare and Bothfeet provide gear including waterproof jackets and daypacks. Evenings are spent in the luxury of our private eco suites at Johanna, just 2km from the coast and enveloped in rainforest – complete with a relaxing foot spa. Chef Ha Nguyen presents an innovative and ever-changing menu in the licensed dining room – standout dishes include a pear, walnut and blue cheese salsa and duck with an orange reduction and kumara mash.
The Twelve Apostles, giant lime stacks separated from the mainland and rising up to 45 metres out of the pounding ocean, finally come into view at the end of day three. The coast’s superstars are no less spectacular than the last time I saw them – five years ago when I drove the Great Ocean Road. But two feet have won out against rubber tyres and they are no longer the main event – simply a part of a stunning coastline that I now know far more intimately than those standing on the viewing platforms taking the same pictures as each other.
Josie Susan and Barbara and Tracey were guests of Tourism Victoria and Bothfeet walking tours.
The Cinque Terre, Contributed by member Robyn Schischka
An UNESCO world heritage site on Italy's Ligurian coast ( the Italian Riveria ) is well worth the walk. A group of five fishing villages that perilously cling to, and tumble down the steep cliffs above the clear blue Mediterranean Sea.
The Cinque Terre continued
The Manawatu Railway Walk (10th April)
Wonder Walker Jenny shares her walking adventure.
Jenny describes the Woodville Lions Annual Track and Tunnel Walk.
Woodville Lions Annual Track and Tunnel Walk continued
12 Do Tongariro Alpine Crossing on a Proper Ladies Walk
Member Tracey Harvey Recounts Her Walking Adventure
You know how it is when you accept an invite to something. You put it in the diary, make a mental note to prepare for it and then forget about it? Well I didn’t entirely forget about it due it being about the most exciting invite I had had all year. Unfortunately I did leave my preparations until the last minute. Not a great idea I found out later. By later I mean 4 or 5 days later and my legs and back were still moaning at me for not training with at least one more walk up Mt Maunganui!
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The Silent Walk
Member, Kathy Watson shares her experience of walking through Christchurch CBD for the first time after the quake
There are many reasons for going for a walk. Sometimes it's about the scenery, or the destination or the great company on the way. Some walks take hours, or days or even weeks.
My husband and I took a short but important walk yesterday. Like so many Christchurch residents we have spent the last 6 weeks trying to survive and be normal. The only experience of our central city was from media shots.
On Sunday we decided to walk to town. It took and hour to reach the city and we were joined by others of all ages and types. As we neared the city the mood became somber. No one spoke. We simply looked through the fence into our beloved city. Soldiers on guard, silence as there was no traffic, people no longer talking and joking, this was surreal. The small sections we saw were changed forever. Broken, jagged and fearsome.
We turned for home, joined by many who like us had seen enough. I know that we only glimpsed the destruction but it is an achievable chunk for now. The walk home was quiet.
This was a walk of mourning and loss. A walk for our city.
4 April 2011
The Whareama Coastal Walk
to the WHAREAMA COASTAL WALK!"A truly rural and coastal experience!"
The Whareama Coastal Walk is one of New Zealand's newest, most versatile, privately run 2-night / 2-day walking experiences, over private farmland and isolated coastline.
The walk has been designed with YOU in mind. It doesn't matter if you are a couple, in a group or a lone 'tramper', we can cater for you. Come and join like-minded people on this challenging and breath-taking walk. See our calendar for available dates and spaces.
Starting at Whareama, situated near the stunning East Coast of the Wairarapa, between the popular beach resorts of Castlepoint and Riversdale, be one of the first to enjoy our truly rural and coastal experience.
You will be walking on farm tracks, laneways or following fencelines on a one-way circular track over the Wairarapa countryside. Accommodated overnight in rustic cottages, where you will enjoy delicious, healthy, hearty meals. A minimum of 4 walkers is required to operate the walk.