A later start today, which was good as cooking my own breakfast and preparing lunch took a little time in my limited little kitchen. I was dropped off at the spot where I finished yesterday, and began walking at about 9:15. It was sunny and bit warmer than yesterday, but I knew that the weather was meant to change with a big storm due in sometime in the afternoon. So I wanted to walk as fast as possible to avoid getting stuck in the rain.
It was a beautiful inland track which ran along side the ocean on the cliff above. There were incredibly views and the roar of the waves sometimes sounded like airplanes taking off. First stop, just over 5km on was the Cape Otway lighthouse, which was built in 1848 as the second lighthouse on the mainland, and is the only surviving one. It is perched on towering sea cliffs 80 meters above where the Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean collide. It was an area of many shipwrecks before the light station was built, and the light beacon was designed to be seen as far as 48 km away, so that mariners could have ample time to navigate. I climbed to the top and it’s possible to walk outside — the wind was blowing and the view was fantastic.
The plaque I found most interesting was the story of Frederick Valentich, a 20-year old pilot who disappeared over Bass Strait while flying from Melbourne to King Island on October 21, 1978. Frederick and his Cessna flew over Cape Otway before disappearing without a trace. In his last radio contact he explained “that strange aircraft is hovering on top of me again, and it is not an aircraft”. Many believe this to be Australia’s most credible UFO story.
Onward I went, again hoping to beat the rain. I did encounter about half an hour of annoying drizzle which meant I had to put rain gear on both me and my backpack and keep my head down as I continued to walk. When it stopped the sun came back out and it was lovely the remainder of my walking day. The trail however, was difficult. It was rated as an easy/medium day, but about half of the path was sand. And it was that 2” deep sand that’s hard to walk in when you’re barefoot and lugging chairs down the beach. You sink in and have to turn your foot and scrunch your toes to get any grip. Well, try that in hiking boots. I pulled my poles out of my pack hoping that using my arms some would help, and it did, but it still made walking with any speed very hard. And I’m wondering whether the word “undulating” means something else in Australian. Because this “easy/medium” day included a fair amount of ascents and descents; so that Silver Lake stair-climbing paid off!
In other areas the trail let through a forest of small trees with trunks that curved and bowed and almost squeaked in the wind. I kept humming “Into the woods…” because it seemed that these trees were enveloping the path, and speaking with the rustle. I knew I was to come to an inland river crossing, with a bridge this time, and it seemed much further than I thought it would be — the result of the time it took in that sandy part of the walk. At last, the Aire River, which is named after the one in Scotland. It is a Heritage River, a status that recognizes its its natural, scenic, recreational and cultural values. It was also the scene of the massacre of the Otway Tribe of native people in 1846.
Lovely campsite there, and a break for me and my new friend, an adorable bird, who was probably looking for food, but I decided he hung around because he liked me. Then, more steps up and more of that “undulating” track for another 5.5 km to get to Castle Cove. The last bit of every day’s walk is the most difficult… I thought I knew how long it takes me to walk a distance, but the trail difficulty, and stopping for photos of the unbelievable vista, seems to make me wonder if I’ve missed a turn.
At last, the spot where the Great Ocean Road meets the Great Ocean Walk, with a view of the Great Southern Ocean (Aussies don’t seem to suffer from a crises of ego when naming their places. Maybe that’s the solution for America. Instead of making it great again, maybe just name everything GREAT). My accommodation was just around the bend in the road, so I was able to walk to a lovely house, which I have the full run of. The owner stays in a flat out back, and so it’s sorta like renting an airbnb full house for the night. Walk 91 left food for dinner, breakfast and lunch in the fridge so it’s another self catering situation. And as soon as I got here the storm let loose — massive wind and rain and a chill in the air. I’m glad to have missed it on the walk!
Stunning photographs!