GREAT OCEAN WALK - VICTORIA
Great Ocean Walk - Victoria - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Silenced Pilgrims | |||||
| By: Amanda Woodard, Issue 41 – Summer 2010 | |||||
| (Great Ocean Walk - Victoria, Australia) | |||||
| AMANDA WOODARD JOINED A WALKING TOUR THAT TOOK HER ALONG ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREAT SCENIC TRACKS, THE VICTORIAN COAST. THE GRANDEUR OF THE 12 APOSTLES, TOWARD THE END OF THE HIKE, MOVED EVERYONE TO SILENT CONTEMPLATION. | |||||
| Twenty minutes along the Great Ocean Walk, the soles of my old hiking boots parted company with the leather. I thought it spelled the end of my trip but Troy Clarke, our guide, knew better. Strong bonding tape appeared from his rucksack and in a few minutes my boots were back on track. Troy is typical of bothfeet walking tour’s approach: calm, cheerful and professional when it came to guests’ safety and wellbeing – and never having to worry about the route allows you to enjoy what you’ve come to see. And what a sight it is: the Great Ocean Walk is surely one of the world’s great scenic tracks, all 104 kilometres of it. Running between the Great Ocean Road and the sea, we started our tour at Castle Cove where our group of five collected backpacks, water and wet weather gear, supplied by bothfeet. A spectacular trail negotiates the cliff-tops (some of the highest in Australia) of the Otway National Park. Graded moderate, it’s suitable for anyone who is reasonably fit and there was plenty of time to stop and admire tiny purple orchids or ivy-leaf violets in bloom. At one vantage point, high above azure water, we stopped for afternoon tea. Laid out on a picnic rug, out came delicious homemade walnut and date bars and fresh fruit – a foretaste of what was to come. Descending through tranquil fern gullies, dappled light filtering through the gums, we emerged on an escarpment above Johanna Beach. As we contemplated the empty stretch of sand, a Scrub Wallaby raised its head from the bush. Sniffing us for a moment, it bounded away and we descended to the beach only to spot a much rarer sight: Troy pointed out the threatened Hooded Plover, a smallish white bird with a dark head. Awaiting us at journey’s end was Dana Ronan, the owner of the lodge, with cold glasses of sparkling wine and nibbles. A perfect way to watch the sun set. Bothfeet lodge, which is exclusively for walking tour guests, is nestled in a tranquil, woody amphitheatre with each of the five ecosuites looking out into forest. Once showered, we assembled in the glass-walled dining room with its long wooden table and comfy sofas. Meals are a high point and the Vietnamese chef is a genuine coup for bothfeet. We were all still talking about the spicy pumpkin and coconut soup at the end of the trip. The hike to Cape Otway light station the following day was memorable for the sheer number of koalas, many with their babies, along the route. Crossing Blanket Bay, Troy drew from his vast knowledge to tell us stories of the shipwreck of Red Eric, the remains of which still litters the beach. But for some sights there are no words and the grandeur of the 12 Apostles, as we come to the end of our hike, moved everyone to silent contemplation. Perhaps it’s their fragile monumentality that makes the trek seem more like a pilgrimage. | |||||
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