Winding along the southern Victorian coast just a few hours out of Melbourne, the Great Ocean Road is one of Australia's most popular attractions, a sea of tourists cluttered around every beautiful viewpoint and an alarming number of signs reminding visitors to drive on the left in Australia. It's popular for a reason; the wind-whipped sea cliffs, crescent coves, and flourishing koala population are enough to draw l[...]
After 4 long days on the trail, today's undemanding 16km stage will deliver me right to the grand finale and one of Victoria's premier coastal vistas, the Twelve Apostles. It's a spectacular way to wrap up what's been a real whirlwind adventure on the wild Great Ocean Walk, already my new favourite multi-day hike in Victoria. Trail stats: Devil's Kitchen to Twelve Apostles Distance: 16km Trail hou[...]
The most challenging day on the trail both in terms of terrain and kilometres, my 4th day along the Great Ocean Walk sees me navigating up and over countless steep headlands and sea cliffs between Johanna Beach, Ryan's Den, and eventually on to Devil's Kitchen. Limited daylight hours contribute to the 27km challenge, but in the end, it's a great day spent completing the penultimate stages of the hike. Trail stats[...]
Passing the Great Ocean Walk's halfway point today as I journey nearly 24km from Cape Otway out to Aire River and along popular Johanna Beach, I am well and truly into the swing of things. Being accustomed to the heavy rain and spontaneous sun-breaks that have characterised the trip thus far just means that I relish every clear moment along the coast, and there are some seriously wonderful ones today! Trail stats[...]
After a leisurely introduction to the Great Ocean Walk yesterday, the hike begins in earnest today with a slippery 12km from Elliot Ridge to Blanket Bay before lunch and a further 11km onwards to Cape Otway for the night. The wonderful winter weather hasn't quite held, but there are still plenty of beautiful views and magical moments to enjoy on today's mostly muddy journey. Trail stats: Elliot Ridge to Cap[...]
Stretching 105km from Apollo Bay to the famed Twelve Apostles through Victoria's Great Otway National Park, the Great Ocean Walk is one of Australia's most spectacular multi-day hikes, allowing for a slow-paced and more in-depth exploration of the Great Ocean Road coastal region long-beloved by roadtrippers. Unsurprisingly, the Great Ocean Walk has been on my list since the very first time I moved down to Melbour[...]
Grampians National Park, located just 3 hours northwest of Melbourne CBD, has long-since been one of my favourite places to explore, its dramatic rock features, sparkling waterfalls, and sweeping views over a patchwork of green valleys and blue lakes quite unlike anything else in the state. So when I heard that VicParks was building a long distance trail through the Grampians, I was obviously ecstatic. The Gramp[...]
In crafting a small section of the 13-day Grampians Peaks Trail into a 3-day loop, VicParks included the official trail between The Pinnacle and Mt Rosea as the first two days, but today's walk now takes us off the scenic, well-graded trail and onto fire trails whose only purpose is getting us back to Halls Gap where we begun. Our final day is pretty uneventful as a result, but the weather is fantastic and we're out[...]
After an incredibly scenic start to the Grampians Peaks Trail yesterday, our second day involves even more sweeping views, this time from the top of Mt Rosea over the Serra and Mt Williams Ranges. The distance covered is slightly longer at 14km, but it's still a comfortable day full of interesting rock features and fascinating trail characteristics. Trail stats: Bugiga Hiker Camp to Borough Huts Distance:[...]
About 250km NW of Melbourne, the Grampians Peaks Trail is set to be the state's newest "iconic walk", a 13-day journey along the peaks and through the forests of one of Victoria's most spectacular (and often overlooked) national parks. I absolutely can't wait for the project to be completed so I can hit the trail on what will be the longest hike I've ever done in Australia— but in the meantime, VicParks has opened[...]
Just walking through the streets of Melbourne, there's a tangible and almost infectious sense of excitement that most visitors experience instantly, drawn into the energy and vibrant culture of this dynamic Australian city. But there is still so much more to Victoria than its hip capital, and unfortunately many of the state's most beautiful and intriguing spots do not make it onto travel itineraries. Prepare to be bl[...]
Finally, the Queen's Birthday is here! And while I honestly couldn't care less about the Queen turning 140 years old, it means we get a 3 day weekend in Australia, so I always look forward to the occasion. (And before you go thinking I'm being insensitive towards the Queen, her actual birthday was last month, so I'm sure she's fine.) Our original plan for the long weekend was to travel north to Newcastle, whic[...]
It’s officially autumn in Australia now and New South Wales has wasted no time rolling in cloud cover to suit the changing seasons. It’s been disgustingly humid, grey, and way too damp for my liking (although the tropical storms have been fun). Luckily, Melbourne is still sunny and beautiful, so Cal and I plan an outdoorsy weekend away in Victoria. My initial vote is for Wilson’s Prom, a gorgeous National Park[...]
If you read my post on what to see & do in Sydney, you may have already heard my (positively inspired) analogy that Sydney is the girl you show off to your friends, but Melbourne is the one you settle down with. Melbourne doesn’t have the bright flash of Sydney’s Harbour or the obvious glam of the Northern Beaches, but it has a much richer culture and it is v hip. It’s harder to get under the skin of,[...]
Determined to do something outdoorsy despite the mediocre weather, Cal and I wake up this morning (not early, though.. it is Saturday, after all) and hop in the car. Three hours later (ugh), we get to Wilson’s Promontory National Park, situated southeast of Melbourne on the most southern part of mainland Australia. With unfortunately limited time, we choose a small 7km return hike up to Mt. Oberon, from which we ho[...]