A few years ago, I embarrassed my husband by picking him up in a daisy-covered campervan from the airport. In his eyes, we might as well have stamped the word “kook” on our foreheads before paddling out to surf some of the waves found along Australia’s Great Ocean Road, a road weaving along the southern end of the state of Victoria.
Fortunately, we only encountered friendly locals on that road trip, and it gave me an urge to venture there again — this time on foot.
The Great Ocean Walk spans 110 kilometers long and starts at Apollo Bay and weaves through eucalypt coastal forests across two national parks, Great Otway National Park and Port Campbell National Park. Most hikers take eight days to complete the whole trek. Quiet surf towns with cafes serving delicious coffee and pastries, pubs, and small grocery stores are found along the way. It’s one of the best ways to reach the Twelve Apostles. Campers have plenty of walk-in campsites or boutique accommodations to rest their legs at all along the way.
With trips lined up to Melbourne and Sydney, I was desperate to spend some time in the wilderness — at least for a night or two. I texted my friends who lived in the area asking if they’d be keen for some camping and trekking near their house. In for the adventure, I spent the first night at their house and the next morning we loaded their car to the brim with tents, mattresses, sleeping bags, food, coffee, and strapped three surfboards to the top.
The thing about camping is, you usually need the same amount of gear for a single night as you do for a full week.
The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s most scenic drives — and its best enjoyed from the passenger’s seat. Sharp turns reveal views of a cobalt sea, and from May to October, you’ll often see puffs of spray and fin slaps from humpback whales migrating along the coastline.
After a few hours’ drive, we arrived at our campsite at Blanket Bay, walking in with the gamut of gear we’d brought with us. Rainbow feathered lorikeets flit about the campsite, showing off their beauty.
We trekked north along the Great Ocean Walk in search of koalas, wallabies, kangaroos and perhaps a sea creature or two. My friend found a gray tuft of hair on the trail and scanned her eyes up towards the treetops to spot a koala snoozing on a tree branch overhead.
A few hundred feet further, we startled a wallaby relaxing on the trail. It bounded into the scrubland, keeping a curious distance from us.
After seeing a small snake slither across the path, every vine and stick seemed to be suspiciously slinky.
Despite being a warm sunny weekend, there were few other trekkers on the trail–at least until we arrived at Parker Inlet, a sandy cove with calm water and plenty of space for a picnic. This was where day trippers, Great Ocean Walk trekkers, and car campers convened.
We returned back to our campsite and tucked into a bowl of soup for dinner, eavesdropping on the groups of fellow trekkers. A group of chatty moms set up a large tent next to ours; sleeping space for their gamut of kids. The kids forgot to zip their tent shut after crawling into bed. A few hours after bedtime, I heard one of the wee ones scream, “We’re sleeping on the nest!” followed by a series of loud shrieks. Ants everywhere.
Come morning, we made a decision to surf or keep hiking. The calm water beckoned, so we paddled out at a tiny wave and celebrated our weekend of success with a cold pint of beer at the local pub in Wye Creek.
By car or on foot, a trip along the Great Ocean Road is well worth the effort it takes to get there. Starting in Apollo Bay, many accommodations offer a shuttle service to get you from one end of the trail to the other. If you prefer to do a mix of camping, hiking, and road tripping, many of the Great Ocean Walk campsites have vehicle access.
