Great Ocean Walk 2018 - Day Two


Great Ocean Walk 2018 


Day 2:  Shelly Beach to Blanket Bay



By Gordon Talbett    

U3A Ballarat Hike No 50



After a long and very dusty drive to Blanket Bay to position half our cars, we finally gathered at the Shelly Beach car park for the start of our second day. Phill, our brand new U3A President spoke about the success of this group and made mention of this being our 50th hike. Andrew spoke about the day’s hike then pretended to walk along the track to the toilets; we were not deceived because he had tried the same trick the day before.



We walked steeply downhill through temperate rainforest and abundant White Daisy bushes to sea level and the crossing of the Elliott River. This was followed by an equally steep climb up the track to the Elliott Ridge GOW campsite where we stopped for morning tea. The only snake of the day was seen by someone who had thought to avoid the queue at the toilets by heading off into the bush.  She came back a lot quicker than she left.



More climbing brought us to the crest of the Elliott Ridge and a series of rarely used bush tracks passing through many different forest environments: rainforest and ferns in gullies, mountain ash on the ridges and eventually coastal scrubland of melaleucas and teatree. We were out of the sight and sound of the sea for most of the day so the coastal scrub was a welcome sign that we were nearing Blanket Bay. Soon the track descended gently, and then steeply, and we began to catch glimpses of turquoise sea through the branches. Suddenly we were out of the forest and on the sands of Blanket Bay.



Some paddled in the shallows, some took photos, and some sat and relaxed while a scouting party searched for the quickest way to the parked cars.  A short stroll around the beach and the rocks and one final short climb brought us back to the cars. Most of us drove straight back to Apollo Bay while one car returned with the drivers of the cars left at Shelly Beach car park. (Returning to Shelley Beach car park two days in a row set an unfortunate precedent for the third day!)

Photos by Mark Bevelander







































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