Day 10 - The 12 Apostles

Date: 19/12

There wasn't much to see between Devil's Kitchen and the end of the trail at the 12 Apostles. About 7km from the end, I left most of my gear at the hostel I'd be staying at which made for light walking. There was also a nice little wetlands boardwalk between the track and the hostel.

Wetlands near Princetown, Victoria

My first glimpse of the Apostles

The Apostles were interesting, but even mid-afternoon on a Wednesday they are overrun with tourists. I managed a few photos, and then headed off to the visitor centre to get a coffee and something warm to eat for the first time in 5 days.

Well, that's me done then.

Two of the 8 remaining Apostles. There were never 12. 

A few more apostles. One collapsed a few years back.

While snacking on a sausage roll at the end of the trail, I chatted with a family from California and a German woman with a lot of walking under her boots. We talked about great hikes we'd done and I managed to show her an echidna just before she left Australia to return to Europe (no good pics, sadly).

The hostel (The 13th Apostle, in Princetown) was great. The hosts were incredibly helpful and friendly, and the whole thing reminded me a lot of the better hostels along the AT. After 5 days of walking, I wasn't all that social so I mostly just headed to the local tavern for a pizza and some beer and then crawled into bed. It was a busy hostel, and the young'uns were up to party though, so thank God for ear plugs. (Actually, they were loud right up to almost exactly 11pm and then immediately went silent, so it was one of the more considerate backpacker groups I've encountered.)

I did (finally) manage to get a sunset here. Not quite the rugged coastal setting I would have liked, but it will do.

Oh sure, NOW the sky lights up like a painting.

In the end, the Great Ocean Walk was terrifically rewarding. I'd recommend it for anyone looking to do 5-7 days. It's not too challenging, and there is tonnes of natural beauty to keep you going. Altogether a great way to kick off my holidays.

Tomorrow, I shuttle back to my car and head home.

Day 9 - Wreck Beach

Date: 18/12

Well they weren't kidding. The trail did get a lot more challenging today, and I did some damage to my Snickers supply at dinner.

As usual, my early start meant a lot of kangaroos:

Roos in the Mist

How many roos can you see?

At one point, I felt like I was back in Tennessee on the AT.

Déjà vu

The original roos.

Most of the walking was steep descents and then steep ascents. The rewards were non-stop though. Every point I climbed over offered stunning coastal views, and every descent yielded beautiful rainforest like growth and beaches.

Some of the wildlife was exciting, in the sense that I almost stepped on what appeared to be a mulga snake, which is odd because they aren't typical this far south. Just another Queenslander escaping the humidity for a holiday on the south coast I guess. Still, nothing gets your heart pumping faster than one of Australia's native people-killers rearing up into a strike position. I looked into its eyes and there was nothing but darkness there. I guess I backed off far enough to make it happy though, since it eventually just slithered its little soul-less self across the path and out of (my) harm's way.

"Please don't kill me please don't kill me please don't kill me"
(looking closer, I think it's an Eastern Brown)

There were also some more benign encounters.

The rest of the day was less eventful. I managed to hit Wreck Beach just after low tide which meant I could explore it a bit. The ruined anchors and machinery from destroyed ships are a nice reminder of why I don't fuck with the ocean. I made sure to get past any narrow bits long before the tides rolled in and made camp around 5pm.

Pretty sure this one didn't actually land like this.

I swear I'm not just downloading Google Images.

Devil's Kitchen Campground should be renamed Dunnyview, because the toilet block has an absolutely stunning view. If there had been a decent sunset, this is where I would have come to see it. Sadly the clouds ruined my sunset once again, but not before I snapped some beautiful shots of Wreck Beach in the golden light.

'Waiter, could you seat me near a window?"

"Will this do?"

Once again, looking away from the sunset paid off.

Final day tomorrow, which means both the 12 Apostles, and a meal that isn't made of wraps or ramen. To the finish!