Great South West Walk planning

[Wollemi]

Which direction - which way do most people walk this 250km loop?
Is it crowded over Christmas / New Year?

Are there supermarkets or general stores in Nelson? Dartmoor? Donovans (South Australia)?

I suspect walking east along the long beaches will see less chance of sand being blown up into my face.

What happen's if you pay the $6.20 pp pn camping fee, but have a good day and by-pass a camping area? Do Parks Victoria give you a refund?

If I go anti-clockwise, am I missing much by canoeing for 5 days from the Dartmoor region in NE down to Nelson in SW, instead of bushwalking that section.

What's the fishing like? Will Celta lures work on an extendable rod
- and strictly speaking, am I supposed to buy a second fishing permit for that 6km of the Glenelg River inside South Australia?

I am considering flying with QantasLink; Sydney - Adelaide - Mount Gambier - taxi/uber to start in Nelson. Is there a bus service Mt Gambier to Nelson?

About me;
Have recently walked the Larapinta. Have canoe qualifications. Have kayaked Bass Strait solo. Live in Blue Mts, NSW. I don't know western Victoria or SA at all.

Other resource;
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=41140&p=448715&hilit=great+south+west+walk#p448715

[ChrisJHC]

Some answers below…

Which direction - which way do most people walk this 250km loop?
Winds are mostly westerly so walking anti-clockwise will mean the sand is blowing on your back not your face

Is it crowded over Christmas / New Year?
Busier but I wouldn’t call it crowded.
You’ll find some place by yourself whereas others will be busy.

Are there supermarkets or general stores in Nelson? Dartmoor? Donovans (South Australia)?
Most people have Nelson as their half-way point and stay at the pub (for a counter meal and shower).
Post your food resupply to the pub and they’ll hold it for you.

I suspect walking east along the long beaches will see less chance of sand being blown up into my face.
Yep

What happen's if you pay the $6.20 pp pn camping fee, but have a good day and by-pass a camping area? Do Parks Victoria give you a refund?
They won’t give you a refund but they’re pretty relaxed about the exact dates you’ve booked. They understand that things change once you start your hike.
It’s also pretty (very?) unlikely you’ll see anyone from Parks Victoria. More likely to see the Friends of the Walk around.

If I go anti-clockwise, am I missing much by canoeing for 5 days from the Dartmoor region in NE down to Nelson in SW, instead of bushwalking that section.
Can’t comment. The walk is nice but so is canoeing.

What's the fishing like? Will Celta lures work on an extendable rod
- and strictly speaking, am I supposed to buy a second fishing permit for that 6km of the Glenelg River inside South Australia?
Can’t comment.

I am considering flying with QantasLink; Sydney - Adelaide - Mount Gambier - taxi/uber to start in Nelson. Is there a bus service Mt Gambier to Nelson?
Much easier to take the V-Line train from Melbourne to Warrnambool then the bus to Portland.
Then walk the inland route to Nelson, refresh and resupply at the Nelson Hotel then walk the coastal route back to Portland.

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[peregrinator]

I agree with Chris that it's better to go via Portland. If you decide on a clockwise travel direction, there is a local Portland bus service which will get you out of town a bit. I don't believe there is a bus from Mt Gambier. It couldn't possibly attract enough customers. Sand blowing in face more than likely not an issue no matter which direction you're walking.

[Eremophila]

There is a small general store in Nelson and I believe the servo has some basic supplies. Meals available at the pub as others have mentioned. Definitely no shops at Donovans, it’s just a small settlement of fishing/holiday shacks.
There’s a lovely little kiosk at Cape Bridgewater beach, a welcome sight as you’re walking along the clifftop. They have hot meals and cold beer.
Victorian regional train fares are now capped at $10 each way which makes the Melbourne-Portland journey very affordable. Book a first-class seat from Melbourne to Warrnambool.
The Glenelg River section will be the busiest people -wise as there are car camping areas, can’t remember whether they are shared with any of the hiking campsites or not. Moleside definitely is.
Other than that I don’t think it ever gets really “busy”.
Contact the Friends of the GSWW for more up to date information. They can also assist with transfers and are most helpful.

[ggorgeman]

I'd heard recently that the General Store in Nelson had closed, but the servo in Nelson (from memory, fairly close to the bridge on the highway through town) remains open and has some provisions. Could be worth checking what the servo stocks if you're relying on them.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

My friend walked the whole route and sent a supply drop of provisions to the Post Office at Nelson. It worked really well for her.
I might have a go at doing some of this walk next month.I have the guide book.

[EGM]

Nelson is small, how ever small you expect it to be, it's smaller, same goes for all the 'towns' in that area.

I don't think wind will be a major concern.

Cape Bridgewater is one of the nicest places you'll ever visit, they've done a great job of adding some infrastructure without ruining the area, there's a change room with indoor open plan cold showers at the surf club.


Don't go to Mt Gambier unless you absolutely have to.

[CraigVIC]

I presume you are hiring a canoe? Nelson Canoe is run by a nice guy and the service is great but the boats themselves are basic and a bit tired. I believe the other one, Paestan??, has better canoes but I haven't used them.

Dartmoor, Donovan have nothing, no stores.

[Bill P]

Paddling from Fort O'Hare to Nelson is very pleasant and better than walking. (The middle and lower reaches however often has dipshits in power boats, esp on weekends, etc.) Prevailing winds are from the SW which is why eastbound is recommended for the beach section. Because of the flat, fast walking, on the sandy tracks there are retirements due to feet blisters. ABC Backroads did a nice show on the GSWW last year: https://iview.abc.net.au/video/RF2227V011S00

[Eremophila]

Cape Bridgewater is one of the nicest places you'll ever visit, they've done a great job of adding some infrastructure without ruining the area, there's a change room with indoor open plan cold showers at the surf club.

Yes one of the nicer beaches in the area. The kiosk can be pretty busy during the Christmas period.

[paidal_chalne_vala]

October won't be too hot, too busy or too plagued by annoying biting flying insects.

[LizTheHappyHiker]

This website is useful for your planning and their book is invaluable: https://greatsouthwestwalk.com/planning-your-walk/

Christmas/NY will be more hectic than usual, but not mental. If you want to avoid people completely, do it outside of this period. It's a pretty quiet track normally.

Take a water filter with you. Many of the tanks at the camps (Fitzroy in particular) have wrigglers in them.

Check out the tide times here for your days on the beach: http://www.bom.gov.au/australia/tides/#!/vic-portland Walking at low tide will be much easier, so you may wish to start at Nelson rather than Portland if it aligns with the tides better. I recommend walking from Nelson to Portland as the wind is more likely to be on your back.

I did 3 food drops - one at the Nelson info centre, and 2 via the Friends of the GSWW, who for a small fee dropped a box at Moleside and another at Terragul. They hung around at the camp until I got there to ensure that only *I* got the box too.

Along the beach section there is a decision point to either continue along the beach or go inland to Mt Richmond. Go inland. Great scenery and more wildlife encounters.

The pub at Nelson is good but gets busy. So either book ahead or go early/late so you can get a table.

The Mobil servo will have some provisions but not a lot. I think I saw in someone else's response that the little gen store had closed which is disappointing.

I stayed at an AirB&B in Nelson, which had luxuries like a washing machine and bath. Bliss! The caravan park has cabins if you want a bed for a night or two and it isn't badly priced. They have laundry facilities too.

If you have any questions, feel free to message me.

[Roadtonowhere]

Finished yesterday and yes, the kiosk at Nelson has definitely closed. We sent a food parcel to the Nelson Post Office to collect, which is now at the road house. The road house has VERY limited food apart from take away. The pub is ok for a room and meal, although nothing special. Would also agree to fly to Melbourne and get the train and bus. $7.60 each way on the weekend and $10.60 on a weekday. Check the canoe operators as I believe they will not rent canoes further upstream than Moleside, where we collected ours, due to river levels and snags

[Roadtonowhere]

100 percent agree. Go over Mt Richmond rather than the beach from Swan Lake.

[Eremophila]

Thanks for the update.