Home again

Me on the knoll - Cape Otway in the distance

The rest of Monday afternoon I took it easy around the campsite - read my book a bit and spent some time up on the grassy knoll above the camping area. From there, there were stunning views southwest to Cape Volney and, from another vantage point on the other side of the knoll, views all the way back to Cape Otway - the lighthouse was just visible in the distance. The wind had picked up and was blowing pretty hard - coupled with some lowering clouds it made the seascapes seem all the more intimidating. I felt glad I was on land and not trying to survive in a kayak on those huge swells!

From tent site

I had dinner around 6:30 pm, followed by a cup of tea and retired to the tent early, around 8.

So, to be able to make it to the Gables car park decision point by 11 am at the latest, I figured I'd need to be on the trail by 7:30, which would mean getting up at 6 to give me time to pack up, have breakfast etc. I set the alarm on my phone for 6 am and drifted off to sleep after reading my book for an hour or so.

Leaving Ryans Den behind...

I woke at about 5:50 am and looked outside - it still seemed as dark as the middle of the night, so I wasn't too motivated to get out of bed. Some light finally started showing in the sky nearer to 6:30, so I got up and started getting everything ready. Somehow, I managed to get it all done and scoff down some breakfast and hit the trail at 7:20 am. The first part of the walk, to Moonlight Head, was described on the map as the hardest part of the GOW, but it ended up not being that bad. Plenty of ups and downs - like a slow-motion rollercoaster - but not as tough, in my opinion, as the last part of the walk the day before.

Kangaroo and joey

The all-important decision point ...

The walk to Moonlight Head was really nice and the section from there through to The Gables car park was also great, mostly coastal forest but some farmland views as well. I arrived at The Gables at 10 am which was much quicker than I'd expected. Confusingly, there was no decision point sign there, so I thought I must've got things mixed up. As I was making good time, I decided I'd head for Wreck Beach from here. I continued on along the  path and found myself at the top of the Wreck Beach stairs at 10:15. By now there seemed to be a complete disconnect between what the map had said and what I was encountering, so I decided I should just charge on and get down to the beach as quickly as I could. The sign here had three options, I was only expecting one by this time (as I thought the decision point had been earlier, at The Gables car park). The GOW continued either via the beach, via the road in, or via another track to the Devils Kitchen campsite. What the ...? It was only later that I realised that the Devils Kitchen track was new, not marked on the map - and that I could've taken that without risking the beach and without having to double back inland at all - would've been an excellent, stress-free option!

Wreck Beach again, just quickly!

Never mind. Off I went, charging down the 366 steps to the beach, adrenaline eliminating any pain from blisters or knees. The tide was in quite a bit further than it had been when I had visited 5 days before, so I didn't muck around playing tourist and taking photos - I charged off down the beach as quick as I could. I managed to spare a couple of seconds to snap a quick photo of the anchor of the Marie Gabrielle on the way past. The beach narrowed beyond here and I only had a few metres of dry sand to sneak through between the waves and the cliffs. Beyond the anchor of the Fiji, standing upright in the sand, I had to scramble over some rocks to make it around a headland and, to my relief, saw that the final beach was much broader and I still had plenty of time to get through. I made it to the resumption of the track and began the slow ascent back up to the top of the cliffs. 

View west to 12 Apostles

Early lunch - not far to go!

I enjoyed the rest of the walk in unhurried fashion - once at the top of the cliffs, the track remained pretty flat all the way back to Princetown. Along the way, occasional lookout points revealed stunning views to the west - all the way along the coast to the 12 Apostles and beyond. At around 11:15, I stopped for an early lunch and thoroughly enjoyed the last of my nutella on corn flatbread. I guzzled a good half litre of water as I knew I had more than enough for the remaining walk. At Rivernook, the sign said 3.1 km to Princetown - I'd been expecting around 5, so that was an unexpected bonus. So, at around 1:15 pm, I walked into the Princetown Recreation Ground campsite, up to my parked car, dumped my pack on the ground and took off my boots, much to the relief of my worn-out feet. After a shower and fresh change of clothes, I headed off on the 4-hour drive home to Melbourne.

Point Ronald, Princetown

Finished!

The Great Ocean Walk. Sitting here now, at home, thinking about the days I've just spent along that coast, I feel such an affection for the places, the landscapes, the animals and birds, the light, the air, the space that I've encountered. It's been brilliant, even if it was tough at times.

Where's Ryan?

Old Coach Road

Milanesia Beach

Lion Headland and Milanesia Beach

Ryans Den. Decent night's sleep at Johanna, up at 6:40 am and on the trail at 8 am sharp - I'm getting quicker each day. I read my book again in bed from about 8 pm before falling asleep. The walk today was similar to yesterday except for the final 1/4 or so - much tougher with lots of steep ascents and descents. A foretaste of tomorrow! Initially walked along a gravel road through farmland - it was a really nice change from the forests, coastal cliffs and beaches. This walk certainly has plenty of variety. Then it was down to Milanesia beach - once again no problems getting along it. Heading up from the beach, the sides of the path were infested with blackberry bushes, laden with ripe fruit, so I well and truly made the most of it - just brilliant. In spite of the extra calories, I started getting some low-blood-sugar shakiness towards the end of the walk - an extra muesli bar didn't seem to help either.

The seas below this campsite are massive and intimidating, the winds are strong.

I got here at 12:30 pm, found a concrete-hard tent site then cooked 2 x 2-minute noodles for lunch. Have felt slowly better since.

Thankfully, the evolutionary process has enabled us humans to work out how to use tools when our limbs aren't suitable. I was able to put up my tent by using a large piece of wood as a hammer to drive in the tent pegs. Swearing at it seemed to help too.

My feet were sore again for the last 90 minutes today - it'll be a challenge tomorrow.

I saw wallabies and a juvenile grey kangaroo and a 60 cm-long tiger snake along the way.

View to Cape Volney from Ryans Den campsite

This area feels more remote than anywhere else so far, even though farmland is visible inland. The sea is green and blue and covered with whitecaps - all the way back to Cape Otway. The sun is coming out now but it's still cool.

Currently, I'm thinking I could try Wreck Beach tomorrow - because that way is around 2 km shorter than the inland route from The Gables. Just as long as I get to the decision point by 11 am. Low tide at Wreck Beach is 8:50 am, the next high tide at 2:15 pm. So half-way between "should" be OK. But I'm not going to kill myself rushing to get there.

This has been an awesome walk. A slog at times but really rewarding. I'm so fortunate to be able to fill my life and memories with these sorts of experiences.