TRIP CANCELLED DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

 

This trip visits South West Victoria and the walks are sections of the Great South West Walk.

Trip leaders are Doug M (accommodation) & Sonya R (walks).

 

ACCOMMODATION & LOCATION

Accommodation for the 4 nights (Thursday to Sunday) is based at Portland.

Portland is located around 360 km from Melbourne and is a medium sized town with all the major supermarkets / petrol / conveniences.

Accommodation consists of 5 cabins at the Portland Holiday Village, 37 Percy Street, Portland.

Each cabin has 2 bedrooms, sleeping between 2 and 4 people in each cabin.  The first bedroom contains a double bed and the second contains a double and single bed in a bunk arrangement. Priority for allocation of bedrooms with double beds will be given to any couples, otherwise preference will be given to the trip leaders (volunteers), followed by those who paid the earliest.

All the cabins have a lounge / living area containing a large, comfortable leather sofa, and also have reverse cycle heating and air conditioning, and are fully self-contained with a fridge, microwave oven, electric stove and oven and LCD TV. The bathroom and toilets are well fitted out offering a high level of privacy and the cabins have a spacious balcony and outdoor setting.

 

ITINERARY:

There will be full day walks for the first 3 days and a shorter walk on the Monday prior to returning to Melbourne. Participation is optional, however if you have driven your car you may be required as transport to the walk .The walks are expected to be the following although they may change to accommodate group preferences, weather, etc.

Thursday 9th

 Arrival from Melbourne during the afternoon or evening. Check in time at the cabins is 2pm onwards (at least one of the trip leaders will be there by 6pm at the latest). Dinner is own arrangements for those who arrive by then.

 

Friday 10^th – Cape Bridgewater

 Couple of options:

1. Blowholes to Shelly Beach 12km

Optional:  Tarragal caves at Bridgewater Lakes + Mount Richmond National Park lookout walk 2km

2. Bridgewater Lakes to Cape Bridgewater 17km

Optional: Tarragal caves at Bridgewater Lakes

Both walks visit the cliffs around Cape Bridgewater including the Blowholes, Petrified Forest and Seal Cove.

Dinner: Eat in at our cabins, unless we can find something that is open on Easter Friday.

 

Saturday 11^th – Nelson/Glenelg River

 Gorge Picnic Area to Nelson 17km,

A spectacular walk that follow the path of lower Glenelg River to Nelson alongside towering cliffs.
When we are finished we’ll take a quick drive down to Discovery bay for a short stroll along the beach or do the 3km Livingston Island Nature Walk.

Dinner: Choice of eating in at our cabins, or eating out at a local pub or restaurant.

 

Sunday 12^{th –} Cape Nelson

 Murrels Beach to Yellow Rock 14km

A walk visiting Cape Nelson including the lighthouse, enchanted forest, small beaches and more lookouts.

Dinner: Pub or restaurant dinner for the whole group (you are welcome to eat in if you choose).

 

Monday 13^th – Port Fairy

Monday will be a more relaxed day for potential brunching and strolling and slowly driving back to Melbourne

Options include:

• Yambuk – Check out Yambuk Lake and slide down the big slide
• Port Fairy – Visit Griffiths Island and Port Fairy Lighthouse (3-7km walk)
• Port Fairy – Visit Tower Hill Reserve

Return to Melbourne late afternoon.

 

TRANSPORTATION:

Transportation will be via private car pooling.

Car-pooling groups will be organized 1-2 weeks before the trip based on location and permissible departure time. Each group will need to allocate a driver and arrange pickup locations and times. Email addresses / phone numbers will be released for this purpose.

Note that non-drivers need to be flexible with their car-pooling arrangements, i.e. make things as easy as possible for their driver. Also, while the intention is to allocate everyone to a car-pooling group, this may not be possible if there are insufficient drivers or departure times/locations differ significantly. In this case, some people may need to take public transport. There is a V/Line service (Train + Bus) to Portland.

 

Costs

Cost for the accommodation for 4 nights (arriving Thursday night) is $250 per person + booking fees.

Booking fees are an extra $0 (YHA Bushwalking Club Member), $10 (non-member).

There will also be car-pooling costs for passengers, payable to the driver (please bring cash for this purpose). This is determined by the clubs reimbursement policy: 30c/km plus any tolls incurred, divided by the number of people in the car (including the driver). This is the maximum amount, of course, drivers can charge less if they choose.

From Melbourne CBD to the accommodation it is around 360km, i.e. $108 one-way per car, excluding tolls.

From the accommodation to start of the walks it will be roughly the distance / cost per car as per below

• Cape Bridgewater walks 65km / $20
• Cape Bridgewater + Mount Richmond 80km / $24
• Cape Nelson walks 25km / $8
• Nelson 140km / $42

 

Booking and Payment

Please ensure that you have the required level of fitness and bushwalking experience to do the walks described above. If unsure, please contact the walk leader, via the “Enquiry” button below.

Booking is  required for this walk.  The Leader will confirm your acceptance onto the walk, or not, via email.  Payment in full is required once the leader accepts you onto the walk.   Payment details are provided on your acceptance pending payment email.    Once your payment has been confirmed by the Leader (please allow a few days for this) you will receive a confirmation email.

After payment is made, it is possible to cancel without penalty providing there is someone to replace you and the trip is full. Reimbursements are made by the club treasurer after trip completion.

If you are paying via EFT use Trip Code: 090420  {Include this + your name as payment description/reference. For a branch deposit, put the trip code in the Six Digit Aux Serial No.}

 

What to Bring (non-exhaustive)

At the accommodation:

• Breakfast
• Dinner for the nights you plan to eat in – remember the Friday is Good Friday anddon’t rely on supermarkets / restaurants being open
• Walk lunches & snacks/drinks as required
• Clothes, toiletries, etc.

(Note: yet to confirm whether linen is supplied, including towels, or whether we need to bring this)

 

For each days walk:

• Day pack
• Sufficient water (2 litres)
• Lunch and snacks
• Hat, sun screen
• Suitable outdoor clothing for walking
• Rainwear & warm jacket
• Proper walking shoes/boots
• Change of shoes / plastic bag to put walking boots in / spare towel to sit on in the car, particularly if it’s wet
• Optional walking pole(s)

 

Other useful items:

• Optional earplugs (in case of snorers)
• Games, book, etc. (in case of wet weather or rest day)
• Camera
• Torch

 

Refer to our Gear Checklist page for more details.   If you are not properly equipped, the walk leader can decide not to let you participate on this walk.

 

Still have questions?

Check out Joining a walk and your safety

Check out What happens on a walk.

Check out Weekend and extended walks.

Contact the leader using the “Enquiry” button.

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