Cape Otway to Aire River
The Queens Birthday long weekend was a great chance to escape to the outdoors for 3 straight days......but the big decision was, where do we go. Looking over the Parks Victoria website, there are so many national parks and overnight walks to choose from, it all became a bit daunting. Our drive limit was 3 hrs in any direction so deciding that its too cold to go the Alpine Region, too black and burnt to go to the Prom, too familiar (for me) to head out towards the Grampians, we decided on heading south-west to the Great Ocean Road.
Starting at Cape Otway Lighthouse, we walked a 10km section of the Great Ocean Walk to Aire River. The shrubby, sandy start took us to our first view of the ocean on the rugged cliftops.
Seeing as it was not raining, we decided to take the 'low road' and walk along Station Beach. The waves were crashing loudly as we found that the sand was super soft under our feet (our sinking may have also been due to the fact that we were carrying large backpacks that contained non-practical hiking items such as a jar of pasta sauce, two large books and a bottle of wine)! Continuing up the track, we again went to the cliff tops for the walk to the start of Aire River. The view down the inlet was gorgeous as there was not a breath of wind to disturb the water.
Choosing to set up camp at the Aire River East campground (where there were fires allowed) wasn't our best decision of the weekend. Just as we had our tent set up complete with sleeping bags and thermarests inflated, we realised that camping in a location that has vehicle access just doesn't have the same serenity as we had hoped on the Great Ocean Walk. Within 5 minutes of set up, 3 mini vans full of 20 year olds jumped out carrying their many slabs and already open bottles to set up camp 5 meters from our tent. As much as are keen for a good party, our bags were repacked and carried over to the West campground 400m down the road to find our own little spot away from the crowds.
The next morning we set out for a 4 hour return day walk to Castle Cove (further up the Great Ocean Walk). Again we were taken through various terrains and as we reached our destination, the clouds started rolling in and the rain that had held off for so long was looming above. A fast paced walk back to camp was called for as we had not brought along our rain jackets.
A lazy afternoon reading, sleeping and playing cards in the tent was a must as the rain did not stop for 17 hours! Cooking dinner in the vestibule was a very cautious affair as we were conscious to not breath in the fumes from our trusty Trangia.
Starting the 10km walk back to the lighthouse around 9am on Monday brought a bit of sunshine for our path on the high road this time (skipping the beach section), but soon enough we were enjoying a walk in the rain back to the car to finish of an amazing 3 day weekend.
----------------------------------------
How to Climb into this Adventure
The Queens Birthday long weekend was a great chance to escape to the outdoors for 3 straight days......but the big decision was, where do we go. Looking over the Parks Victoria website, there are so many national parks and overnight walks to choose from, it all became a bit daunting. Our drive limit was 3 hrs in any direction so deciding that its too cold to go the Alpine Region, too black and burnt to go to the Prom, too familiar (for me) to head out towards the Grampians, we decided on heading south-west to the Great Ocean Road.
Starting at Cape Otway Lighthouse, we walked a 10km section of the Great Ocean Walk to Aire River. The shrubby, sandy start took us to our first view of the ocean on the rugged cliftops.
Seeing as it was not raining, we decided to take the 'low road' and walk along Station Beach. The waves were crashing loudly as we found that the sand was super soft under our feet (our sinking may have also been due to the fact that we were carrying large backpacks that contained non-practical hiking items such as a jar of pasta sauce, two large books and a bottle of wine)! Continuing up the track, we again went to the cliff tops for the walk to the start of Aire River. The view down the inlet was gorgeous as there was not a breath of wind to disturb the water.
Choosing to set up camp at the Aire River East campground (where there were fires allowed) wasn't our best decision of the weekend. Just as we had our tent set up complete with sleeping bags and thermarests inflated, we realised that camping in a location that has vehicle access just doesn't have the same serenity as we had hoped on the Great Ocean Walk. Within 5 minutes of set up, 3 mini vans full of 20 year olds jumped out carrying their many slabs and already open bottles to set up camp 5 meters from our tent. As much as are keen for a good party, our bags were repacked and carried over to the West campground 400m down the road to find our own little spot away from the crowds.The next morning we set out for a 4 hour return day walk to Castle Cove (further up the Great Ocean Walk). Again we were taken through various terrains and as we reached our destination, the clouds started rolling in and the rain that had held off for so long was looming above. A fast paced walk back to camp was called for as we had not brought along our rain jackets.
A lazy afternoon reading, sleeping and playing cards in the tent was a must as the rain did not stop for 17 hours! Cooking dinner in the vestibule was a very cautious affair as we were conscious to not breath in the fumes from our trusty Trangia.
Starting the 10km walk back to the lighthouse around 9am on Monday brought a bit of sunshine for our path on the high road this time (skipping the beach section), but soon enough we were enjoying a walk in the rain back to the car to finish of an amazing 3 day weekend.
----------------------------------------
How to Climb into this Adventure
- visit Parks Victoria or Great Ocean Walk website for more information on various sections/camping locations of this walk
- make sure you bring enough wet weather gear for camping/walking
- if you want a more 'luxurios' campsite, obtain a permit from Parks Vic and stay in one of the Great Ocean Walk campsites (rather than the public sites)
