Returning to the southern hemisphere, my next long-distance hike is Australia’s Great South West Walk, a 262-kilometer trail located along the southern coast near Portland, Victoria.
After a somewhat chilly hike on the Massanutten Trail in the waning days of fall, my partner, CareFree, and I, are returning to New Zealand. Since we’ve already hiked New Zealand’s Te Araroa, and I haven’t been to Australia, we opted to take a detour to Australia on the way to hike somewhere new.
Introducing the Great South West Walk
The Great South West Walk is a 262 km loop trail, which starts in Portland and loops west though forest, beaches, and cliffs. From the Great South West Walk’s website:
On leaving Portland, walkers pass stunning scenic coastline before entering native forest, walking in peace and solitude through the Cobboboonee and Lower Glenelg National Parks.
The walk then meets the majestic Glenelg River, which meanders through the Lower Glenelg National Park, with spectacular views of gorges and limestone cliffs as the trail winds its way towards the coast.
Leaving the river mouth near Nelson, close to the South Australian border, the walk enters the seemingly endless white beaches and rolling sand dunes of Discovery Bay. Remoteness, wild seas, solitude – broken only by nature’s birdlife.
The walk returns around cliffs and capes. There are lookout views over the Blowholes, Petrified Forest and Seal Colonies at Cape Bridgewater. You can visit the Cape Nelson Lighthouse with rugged viewing points for whale watching. Pass through the Enchanted Forest, then view the Gannet Colony at Cape Grant. Bill’s Walk, and some popular surf breaks complete this section.
Since this is my first time in Australia (apart from a brief layover in Sydney when returning home from Te Araroa last year), it’ll also be my first chance to see Australia’s unique animals. Along the trail, we should be able to see kangaroo, koala, echidna, emu, and if we’re lucky, wallaby and platypus, among others. Along the coast, we might even be able to see whales.
There are less desirable animals, of course. Australia has a reputation for dangerous snakes, but those shouldn’t be much of an issue as we’re not expecting to be rummaging through bush. We will also have to contend with leeches. Apparently, leeches are not just aquatic, but also found in forests!
We plan to take 13 days to complete the Great South West Walk, with a zero day in Nelson, about halfway. This isn’t an especially arduous schedule, averaging just over 20 km (12.6 miles) per day, much of it very flat. But after our last hike, with over 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) of elevation gain nearly every day, this should be a nice proverbial walk in the park.
We’ll be starting the trail in Portland in just a couple of days, and I’m excited to get started!