Day: 7 (11th November 2024) 16km
More beautiful skies, and another early start is how our final day on our first thru-hike began, and there’s a sense of sadness the grips you (well it did me, in any case), but we’ll get to that later.
It was a really good trail to start the day. Either hard packed earth, stretches of solid boardwalk, or slightly softer grassy pads through fields of bracken fern.
If we had the cliffs to our right, we were usually shaded, the morning sun not yet high enough to reach us, which made for pleasantly cool walking.
Just us, and the sounds of the crashing waves.
Soon, we got our first distant views down the coast towards the 12 Apostles, and the end of our hike!
It was still hours away, and all along the coast, the shore looked hazy, we could only assume a result of the ocean spray.
From sweeping coastal views, we were soon back in the shade as the trail again dipped, our gentle path reverting back to a soft bed of fern and bracken once again.
Most of the trees we passed were gnarly Melaleuca (Tea Tree) and the like, but there was a small copse of skeletal, bare larger trunks
Eventually, cresting another rise, we could now clearly spy our first goal for the morning, the Gellibrand River.
It was still a ways off, and the path, rather than take us to the river mouth, veered inland via the occasional series of wooden steps, but most a soft, sandy trail which made for tough going.
The sandy trail eventually became something of a 4WD track that skirted the river, which became less sandy at a small carpark, and finally gave way to a gravel road, which we continued to follow.
The GOW markers that had brightly guided our way the whole journey (thanks to the yellow directional arrows), continued to do so here, and it was a lovely stroll along the gorgeous river.
Rounding a corner, we spied a Kangaroo, quietly grazing on the side of the road.
We slowly approached, but it was still surprised by our presence, darting towards the shelter of the reeds that fringed the bank.
It could still be seen staring at us as we sauntered past.
The Princetown Recreation Reserve is apparently a popular place for people to park their vehicles near the end of the GOW, but as we passed, it looked to be a place that was popular with your average car camper as well, with several people lounging around their campervans in the sun.
A brand new steel and concrete bridge allowed us to cross the river, where we decided to take a break for morning tea before getting back off the road and onto the exclusively walking trail.
The Parks Victoria signage suggested there were only 7 more kilometres to the 12 Apostles.
We were now finally on the home straight.
The trail was a mix of loose sand, or packed earth, with a plethora of wildflowers in bloom beside the path.
Our limited knowledge on what lay between us and the end suggested a relatively easy conclusion, however, reality was a somewhat different experience.
The scrub closed around us, forming something of a natural tunnel, and with the sun beating down, and the breeze only occasionally able to penetrate, it quickly became a hot affair!
Then, rounding a bend in the trail, there was almost a collision!
Not a band of other hikers hurtling towards us, rather, a large Kangaroo, as shocked as us, and quick to turn, and bound back the way it came!
Fresh from that shock, the trail began to climb again, and soon we emerged above the trees, and were afforded more of those gorgeous views along the coast.
It was our clearest view yet of the distant Twelve Apostles, and from here on, the path (and view) was relatively clear.
The terrain was undulating, and the trail fluctuated between hard packed gravel, to full blown dune walking, soft enough that on occasion there were even slotted boardwalks constructed to assist with the ascents.
Above, the buzzing of helicopters began to become more pronounced, as sightseers splurging got birds eye views of the natural wonders ahead.
We were also now walking parallel once again to the Great Ocean Road itself, the road not always visible, but the tops of tour buses certainly so.
Cresting a steep rise, we suddenly found ourselves at the originally end point of the GOW, and the stunning viewpoint it provided.
It was a great place for a breather, and to absorb the incredible views ahead, devoid of the inevitable crowds.
Without too much further to walk, it was a very casual amble towards the finish, and it was almost with some trepidation that we approached the carpark near the Gibson Steps (it’s amazing how a few days, not even that removed from the world, makes you reticent to return to it).
Reaching that carpark, felt like the end of the trail proper, emerging as we did into a crammed space full of jostling cars, campervans and a bevvy of tour buses, the narrow sandy path, giving way to hard bitumen.
We were never going to not descend down to the beach, reached via the 86 steps carved into the cliff face (erroneously attributed to pioneer Hugh Gibson, the steps were actually carved by the local people of the Kirrae Whurrong tribe) down to the beach 70 metres below.
Getting down, certainly required patience.
Happy to allow those climbing to pass us at every opportunity, the courtesy was rarely returned, so we had to await several waves of tour groups, families and school kids to ascend the narrow stair, before we could ourselves descend.
Despite the hordes of people, it was still worth it.
We dumped our packs against the cliff face, then went for a little beach walk to get a better view of Gog and Magog, the two large stacks that are the first of the huge stacks we’d been seeing for hours now as we walked along the coast.
The cliffs above, the looked high indeed!
It certainly was a good dose of perspective and an impressive way to better appreciate the size of Gog and Magog!
Back atop the cliffs, the trail, in its new, hard packed, wide and manicured gravel form led us the final kilometre or so in around 15 minutes, complete with a pedestrian underpass that took us beneath the Great Ocean Road itself.
To our right, through a temporary fence and across what looked to be a large paddock, we could see a myriad of helicopters in a steady stream of take off and landing.
Then, quite suddenly, we passed a sign that we’d reached the visitors centre, and our official walk was over.
Without any signage acknowledging the GOW, without a restaurant or cafe that even served a beer, we were there.
There wasn’t even any facility where we might be able to leave our bags!
So, we settled for a couple of ice-creams, and the chance to switch our boots for our thongs (flip-flops).
After a bit of a breather, bathroom breaks and the like, we shouldered our packs once again (only because there was nowhere we could leave them) and went to enjoy the viewing areas near the visitors centre.
Unsurprisingly, given their convenience in relation to the Visitors Centre, it was even busier than the Gibson Steps!
This brand new viewing are known as “Saddle Lookout” only opened in June of 2024 (at a cost of $9.2 million), but personally, we didn’t think it was very attractive, complementary or sympathetic to the landscape in which it sat…
As you’d expect though, the views remain pretty epic!
We had time to kill (our bus to Warrnambool was not scheduled to depart until 3:25pm), so lounged around, admired the views and soaked up a bit of sun.
Getting a bit peckish, we had limited options from the cafe, especially when it comes to hot food, so a pie and a sausage roll had to do (which in fairness, we’re tasty, especially after a week on trail).
Asking for directions to where the bus stop was, got us a little more than a point towards the carpark, and where we’d need to stand was not immediately clear (I did wander back out and eventually found it right near the entrance to the carpark, but not actually in the carpark).
We’d pre-booked our tickets, so when the bus turned up (it had about a 10-15 minute stop at the Apostles) we had no need to purchase, but we were happy to find a seat on board whilst most of the remaining passengers took the opportunity for a quick dash to view the Apostles themselves before we journeyed on.
It’s good to note, the bus also had scheduled stops at the other landmarks along the coast as well, making it a great option for people looking to travel and not miss out (it’s also more affordable too), although at the time we travelled, Loch Ard Gorge was closed to visitors.
Around the time we were leaving London Bridge, the weather took a turn, and by the time our bus was pulling into Warrnambool station, we’d been sitting under cloudy skies, and even a bit of light drizzle.
My Nan met us at the station, and we enjoyed a night staying with her, showering off our dirt, sweat and I’m sure horrendous smell after a week on trail!
Now… I mentioned earlier the malaise as we neared the end of the hike. Apparently, it’s a genuine thing (PTD, Post Trail Depression) experienced by many.
There was a sadness already. A missing of not just the physical endeavour, but also the simplicity of life on the trail, and it had certainly left me pining for more similar adventures!
* Our bus to Warrnambool from the Twelve Apostles was pre-booked with V/Line and cost us $11.40 each
Jump back to Day 6 of our Great Ocean Walk Adventure HERE
theworldwithchrisandsarah 