Great Ocean Walk

[oceanboy]

Hi,

Did this walk last week including the return journey. About 200 kms in 5 days 3 hrs. This was very very fast. Track is very very well prepared and you feel away from the roads for 95% of the journey. Track runs Apollo BAy to next to 12 Apostles. Excellent camp sites and tank water. Almost no drinkable stream water.

The only draw back was the massive amount of commercial groups, the leaders of which invariably said to me (while I was on the return journey), "...what are you doing walking in the "reverse direction." I was either nice to them and told them to "...go to hell...", or "...well how are you softies going to get back to the start...", or "...well yes, you are actually allowed to do this...and with experience and improved fitness you might be able to do this one day as well...".

IMO commercial groups in National Parks are as bad as uranium mining in National Parks. THey always seem to be run by people who think they have some sort of ownership of the public asset just because they are living off that asset. Share people, and don't invade other people's space !

Anyhow- do the walk- I had fun.

[ninjapuppet]

Sounds great! thats now on my to-do list before i die.

its been too long since ive done a road trip there. Does the walk also go through some rainforests or is it beach walking all the way?

[eddie the eagle]

HI All,

I'll be finishing off an aborted trip with a mate and three kids next month.

The reason why the tour operators may have gotten cranky at the reverse direction is that it's a fairly expensive camp site ($20 per site per night, plus admin fee,) and you're only allowed to walk from East to West. From dealing with the booking staff, I can't imagine that you'd be allowed to go in the other direction.

http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayobj ... wherestart

I'd imagine that, if I'd paid in advance for the sites, and had to then cramp up a campsite to fit in someone that hadn't paid, I'd be asking the same questions. As to how to get back, it's a short shuttle bus ride back - saves three days walking.

CHeers,

eddie

[bjc]

Hi oceanboy,

Can you give us any details about being allowed to walk West to East? The only material I've seen seems to be strict about walking East to West (as eddie says) so I'd be interested to know what the deal is.

Cheers

Benjamin

[eddie the eagle]

It's not allowed, Benjamin

If you want to confirm, the booking 'ranger' is Sue 03.52372511

I pulled out of this walk (again) in the wet weather this week with kids - one kid wasn't as fit as his father thought and had a poorly fitting pack, but, as we approached the camp site, we were passed by yet another walker without a booking, saying that they were going to camp overnight at the GOW site - when I did the maths and got 9 tents for the 8 spots, one out-of-condition kid and another night pitching camp (2 tents) at dusk/in the rain/cooking in a vestibule for three, I pulled the pin - mainly because I didn't want to disillusion the kids with another wet night and soggy dinner, but also because the spots I'd paid for were unlikely to be there any more, or it'd be a cramped night with all the people there and a small shelter.

Brings a question to mind - hut etiquette? If you're in a hut that's almost full with a pass, and someone shows up without one, what happens?

Cheers,

eddie

[bjc]

Thanks for confirming that, Eddie. It's extremely poor form on the part of those who occupy spots others have paid for.

Sorry to hear that your trip didn't work out again. Third time lucky perhaps?

Benjamin

[Earwig]

Brings a question to mind - hut etiquette? If you're in a hut that's almost full with a pass, and someone shows up without one, what happens?

Cheers,

eddie

I'm not aware of any huts in Victoria that use a pass - they are all open to everyone and if someone turns up and needs to bunk in the hut it's a matter of making room. Did you have somewhere in mind asking this question?

[eddie the eagle]

Brings a question to mind - campsite etiquette? If you're booked into a camp that's almost full with a pass, and someone shows up without one, what happens?

Cheers,

eddie

I'm not aware of any huts in Victoria that use a pass - they are all open to everyone and if someone turns up and needs to bunk in the hut it's a matter of making room. Did you have somewhere in mind asking this question?

Just looking to see how to behave next time - I'm easygoing and generally accommodate allcomers, but the tent sites on some of the GOW are flattened out pads, bounded by logs, in the middle of a ti-tree scrub, so there's nowhere near a pit toilet to camp if they're taken. Wondering what the etiquette is as I'm not used to camping where there's limited spots - you can't exactly kick someone out, but geez it was tempting if I continued.

Cheers,

eddie

[MartyGwynne]

OH my god.
Am doing the walk in May I am not impressed by this information you are giving me as it seems people are just rocking up and doing what they want when they want to.
Mmmm will see how it goes.
I wont mind camping on bare ground as I have done that a bit before. he he he
Looking to do it in 5 days with a car left at the finish to drive home in.
I do hope it is all OK or at the very least bucketing down with rain which should keep most people away.
I will report back as to what happens.
Martin.

[Out_Walking]

Oh yeah, I did it last year and in the first few days I found large groups coming through that didn't appear to have booked at all. I ran into a Parks Victoria bloke on the way and according to his info I should have been the only walker at that time, which definitely was not the case! As a consolation the large groups had pulled the pin about half-way, so I had the walk to myself for the last few days. It's still a lot of fun though and more so that the end of the walk has been re-aligned

[johnat]

Considering this one for later (possibly next year) - anyone have a detailed Garmin compatible track map/waypoints?

[eddie the eagle]

Follow the links here, John.

http://www.gang-gang.net/nomad/greatoceanwalk/gow04.htm

Cheers,

eddie

edit: some of the walk has been realigned since this was taken - it now follows the coast and not a fire trail/coach road.

[johnat]

Thanks, Eddie! Wow, that was a fast response! Wasn't expecting anything much until tomorrow.
Cheers

[MartyGwynne]

Hey John.
I have always found the coastal walks good to navigate, no need for GPS just keep the blue stuff to your left and you can't go wrong...

OK sorry for the smarty pants reply but I did purchase a map for $20 posted to my door which has a good detail on it and will suit my needs.

OK, now blue stuff on my right or was that the left or um was it the green bit, what happens when it turns grey/green/foamywhite.
um, maybe if I follow that guy.....

[johnat]

Marty,
Yeah, thanks for that! I do understand the basics of "seat of the pants navigation", but wanted to do a bit of forward planning by way of locating stops etc. I also use the GPS for photolocation so I can link my photos to a map location, hard to do with a paper map even if you are well versed in using bearings and map references to locate a position (with 15 years Army experience, I can do that easily!).
John

[MartyGwynne]

Just finished the walk on Thursday. I cut it short and walked the last two days out to Princtown where my car was left (all good car still there but the pub had no beer - what no beer? yes but maybe soon).
Was a tad dissapointed by the time spent on 2WD tracks and so sloshed up cut up muddy clay mud not peat mud 4wd (MVO) tracks which spoilt the experience somewhat.
Forgot my camera, oops too far to go back for it so do have some very good memories of the walk.
The map I got from PV does have some GPS nav points on it but are few and far between for what jonat would want.
More later so must go now will post trip report later.
Marty.

[Steven]

I have just looked at the booking form and cannot believe the price Parks want to charge per night to camp. Over 7 days it is more expensive than the Overland Track - and the OT has huts.

Can anyone tell me if the price is worth it. By the time you drive from Melbourne and arrange a shuttle at the end it becomes expensive.

Do you have to camp at the campsites and if not do you still have to pay?

[bjc]

Steven,

I also thought it was expensive, especially the shuttle if required. (BTW which company do you plan to use?)

You could save a bit by camping at the drive-in campsites where possible - i.e. Blanket Bay, Parker Hill, Aire River East and West, and Johanna Beach. They are standard campsites - not exclusively for hikers - but are free on a first-in-first-served basis.

Apart from that I think the dedicated GOW campsites are the only option.

Benjamin

[Out_Walking]

There are cheaper options than using a shuttle. I've done the walk twice and on both occasions I have left my car at the Princetown general store. They charge $10 to look after my car for the week and then I get the V/Line bus back to Apollo Bay. The bus stop is only a few hundred metres away and costs less than $10 for the trip. The bus driver will offer to drop you off at Marengo instead of having to do the roadside walk from Apollo Bay which is quite handy.

In answer to Steven's question of "...is the price worth it?..." I guess it comes down to what you look for in a walk? I found Johanna Beach, Ryans Den and Wreck Beach are all fantastic camp-sites which made it worthwhile for me. Then again, I'm a coastal bloke so I get enjoyment from those surroundings

There are certainly people which I found on my last walk that hadn't booked, but I'd prefer to do the right thing for the peace of mind. Park's staff do check the drive-in sites which I found on my last walk when a bloke asked for my receipt for the walk whilst I was at Aird River.

[MartyGwynne]

Yup, it is a bit expensive, I found the camp sites quite good though. Clean water in the tanks (no I did not treat it and did not get sick)
I also did not mind paying for the sites even though I did not use the last site (walked on through).
There were not too many people there either which probably made it even better, not sure if I woud have liked it crowded.
There are only a few places where you could pitch a tent along the way except the drive in sites as mentioned so to keep the place looking good I would have to recomend camping in the alloted sites rather than propping somewhere along the track.

[Nelse]

I have just looked at the booking form and cannot believe the price Parks want to charge per night to camp. Over 7 days it is more expensive than the Overland Track - and the OT has huts.

Can anyone tell me if the price is worth it. By the time you drive from Melbourne and arrange a shuttle at the end it becomes expensive.

Do you have to camp at the campsites and if not do you still have to pay?

Well ... yes. You are walking on a track which has received multiple millions of dollars in funding and requires substantial upkeep - otherwise the coastal wattle and other vegetation very quickly overgrows the track and all of this costs money to maintain - especially as it marketed as a world class walk. You are required to camp at the campsites provided to minimise damage - this is not true wilderness walking remember - such as the creation of sleeping pads, loss of habitat , firewood collection toileting issues, rubbish, etc etc

Is the price worth it? Well what price and how do you quantify worth?

It seems common for more experienced walkers on forums such as this to bemoan paying a few dollars for an experience that others travel half way around the world - and spend thousands of dollars - for. Now who really values the experience more do you think? Return driving from Melbourne plus shuttle expense - say from the end of the walk back to Apollo Bay - all up you're probably out of pocket $300 in addition to your other costs (campsites, food, etc). Now in terms of tourism $ that is chicken feed. However for some reason independent bushwalkers commonly do not perceive what they do as a form of tourism - in fact experienced walkers who are totally self sufficient as a general rule actually put very little in $ terms back into local communities [I can show you data which supports this] and as shown by this post bemoan what costs they are faced with but then complain about tour operators and 'tourists' spoiling their experience. This is the view from across the fence. end rant

[daytripper1970]

Hi,

The only draw back was the massive amount of commercial groups, the leaders of which invariably said to me (while I was on the return journey), "...what are you doing walking in the "reverse direction." I was either nice to them and told them to "...go to hell...", or "...well how are you softies going to get back to the start...", or "...well yes, you are actually allowed to do this...and with experience and improved fitness you might be able to do this one day as well...".

IMO commercial groups in National Parks are as bad as uranium mining in National Parks. THey always seem to be run by people who think they have some sort of ownership of the public asset just because they are living off that asset. Share people, and don't invade other people's space !

Well said.

[Mutley]

[quote="Steven"]I have just looked at the booking form and cannot believe the price Parks want to charge per night to camp. Over 7 days it is more expensive than the Overland Track - and the OT has huts.

Can anyone tell me if the price is worth it. By the time you drive from Melbourne and arrange a shuttle at the end it becomes expensive.

Do you have to camp at the campsites and if not do you still have to pay?[/quote



I have emailed parks Vic for an explanation of the charges for the GOW.

Yes, they are too high, especially if you are a solo walker. And not everyone pays.

When I did the walk, there were two walkers who didn't pay a cent, as they were confident they wouldn't get caught. The general attitude amongst the backpacker community is that park fees aren't really compulsory and the ramifications for
non payment are minimal.



For $ 23 per day I would expect tent platforms, better huts and a larger ranger presence to enforce fee payment.

[nina]

I did this walk last week. I took the recommended time (8 days) from Friday to Friday, stopping at all hike-in camp sites.
The trail is nicely done, I especially enjoyed the new bit towards the end. They should really finish the walk though, from Glenample Homestead to the 12 Apostles one must still walk on the GOR -> dangerous!!
The hike-in campsites are beautiful, thought through to give you privacy/silence even when fully booked. Unfortunately when close to a drive-in campsite they are quite a bit full of litter. Stupid car drivers

I had once the issue that the campsite was full and another person still showed up. We managed to squeeze the tent in somehow, but why does that happen at all? It's not like it's cheap to book in, so could they please not mess up? During the whole walk I never saw anyone patrolling and checking on permits.
The first 4-5 days of the walk there were quite a few people around. Also a group that had a support car (I did not say no to the free beer I got offered!), so if people can't/don't want to carry everything, it is definitely possible to have someone help you out with that. The last few days I did not see a single soul. I had the campsites all for myself, plus the area was in general more remote than the first part of the walk. So if someone wants to enjoy the solidity and the wildlife without annoying teenagers sharing the campsites, start at Johanna Beach (But don't tell anyone else, because then that area will be filled with people too )

All together I really, really enjoyed the walk. Beautiful scenery with ever changing landscapes. Nice beachwalks, only one river crossing where your feet got wet (that was on a sandbeach so I simply took my shoes off and walked barefeet through the knee-deep river). I have to admit though that I did not stay overnight at the last hike-in campsite, but rather continued to Princetown. The campsite there was only 10 bucks for me with my little tent, shower included That meant I could feel like a human again and didn't have to sit in the bus/train/tram with disgusting hair...

Doing it in 8 days gives you A LOT of time to linger around, go for a swim (rough waves though, but somehow you need to wash away the sweat), sit on the beach, enjoy the view, wait for a nice picture of the wildlife, ..... It can easily be done in half the time (well since half of the first day and half of the last day is lost for travelling, I'd say 5 days is a good time) without having to rush. But when doing it in 8 days you can take all the time you want. Just don't forget to look up the tide-times in order to time beach-walks (wreck beach is worth it).

[Robert 123]

I also used the V/Line bus from Melbourne to Apollo Bay walked the GOW to the end at Twelve Apostles then back from Princetown on V/Line bus it was good value and an excellent way to see the scenery high up in the bus.

I met the Park Ranger who said Yes he does fine people found in the walk-in campsites without a permit but gets sick of dealing with these selfish people.

The reason they have a high booking fee is so Europeans & other OS hikers can book & pay in advance during peak times and be guaranteed a tent site. If you know the number of the individual site you can pre-book the best eg No 7 at Ryans Den. If you don't want to pay you can camp along the track without facilities like I did.

It is a Rolls-Royce walk designed to get the best views and the campsites are at dead-ends and have each site with privacy away from the access track. The three sided cooking shelters are fantastic as anyone who knows the Otways know how bad the weather is there.

[Rupotty]

Have just finalised a group of 5 for the great ocean walk departing Avalon airport 24th November, could squeeze in a couple more friendly walkers if anyone wants to join us, transport all organised, did this walk last year simply amazing.

PM me for dates/times etc

[Kimbo]

I'm booked in for 2 nights Apollo Bay to Cape Otway in early Oct. Taking teenage daughter and pal for their first walk. They are really stoked and I can't work out why I haven't done this sooner. Anyway, the other dad is a bit wary of drinking the tank water untreated. I'm thinking that it would be pretty good at that time of the year. Anyone else out there drunk the tank water at the GOW campsites straight with no probs?

[Kimbo]

Whoops....just realised that this has been answered already here....
viewtopic.php?f=37&t=4015&p=45639&hilit=gow+water#p45639

"Every Parks campsite has water tanks that are fine to drink from. There is a sign saying treat it but its collected rainwater so will be no problems. We didn't filter or treat at all."

Although this is from 2010 I imagine it still applies.

[madmacca]

Yes, I drank it untreated over Easter.

Drive-in sites where available can keep costs down - just avoid peak times.

[Moondog55]

Pay for something twice?
My taxes already paid for the track and upkeep. And for $23- a nite I expect hot running water and flush toilets.
its a nice enough area and walk but way overpriced.
Almost as bad as Wilsons Prom charges but there they have hot showers and a decent cafe for my breakfast latte