AUSTRALIA
in Johanna, near the trail’s midway point, in time for sundowners and meals of wild venison and grilled crayfish. The next day we do it all again, using the company’s
van to travel to the next trailhead on the route. Driving to these starting points means travelling along sections of the walk’s more famous counterpart, the Great Ocean Road, which runs alongside us for stretches before disappearing inland and coming back again. Ranked as one of the world’s most scenic driving routes, the 151-mile road ducks and weaves between sleepy coastal towns, passing epic surf breaks and waterfalls, en route to our shared destination, the Twelve Apostles. Before it was either a great walk or a great road, this
same section of coastline was known by a far more ominous moniker: the Shipwreck Coast. This treacherous strip, with its hidden reefs and changeable conditions, claimed an estimated 660 ships in the mid-19th century, when Victoria’s Gold Rush was in full swing. It’s not that these waters are more perilous than those
elsewhere. Melbourne’s sudden wealth in the 1850s made it one of the richest cities in the world, and thousands of ships set sail to it in search of wealth. Many found only disaster — their tales of tragedy, survival, loss and even love washing up on the shore with the survivors. “More ships mean more accidents,” as Joe puts it bluntly, while standing at the edge of a rockpool where the rusted anchor of the Marie Gabrielle juts out of the water. The Marie Gabrielle was one of the lucky ones. The ship smashed into Wreck Beach while attempting to
deliver tea in 1869. All the crew survived but the vessel was ripped to shreds. The Fiji, whose anchor we find just a few hundred metres away, was less fortunate when it ran into strife in 1891. Joe explains how a photographer documenting the unfolding calamity may have inadvertently caused the deaths of Fiji’s crew by delaying emergency services. On the cliff above us, we spot a sombre memorial overlooking the scene, a white tombstone honours the drowned sailors and the cook, ‘name unknown’, who died with them. There’s no time to dwell on their fate. The tide is coming
in fast and Joe leads us on a thrilling dash across the beach, clambering over small boulders and timing our run between the waves, to reach the ascending staircase on the far side of the beach. We rejoin the rest of the group and the trail, which now descends into coastal wetlands. Soon we’re traipsing along a boardwalk over the
Gellibrand River as hidden shorebirds cry out from the tall straw-coloured rushes. On the other side, we start climbing again through a maze-like network of coastal scrub when there’s an unexpected break in the foliage. There in the distance, I can make out the Twelve Apostles — like a jagged finish line shrouded in salty spray.
HOW TO DO IT: The Great Ocean Walk can be hiked independently. Book campsites ahead of time or stay in accommodation and book a shuttle to the trailheads. Australian Walking Company offers three- and four-day all-inclusive guided walks from A$1,995 (£1,050).
parks.vic.gov.au auswalkingco.com.au
NOVEMBER 2024
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