Shelly Beach to Apollo Bay - Day Two of Apollo Bay Camp

 U3A Hike No 273


Hike Report by Anne

11 walkers gathered for the short drive to Shelly Beach Car Park. Three koalas were spotted as we scanned the tall trees surrounding the car park. We set off through the beautiful forest and tree ferns down to Shelly Beach, where we spent some time exploring the beach and marvelling at the patterned rocks. Tina spotted 2 starfish sheltering under a rock in the sand.

We walked back up from the beach and rejoined the track heading to Marengo. Andrew told us Marengo was named after a ship that foundered on a reef off the coast of Marengo. Gordon told us that Marengo was a Napoleonic battle which was the origin of the dish Chicken Marengo. Geoff thought it possibly came from someone asking “Where did my meringue go”?

We continued through coastal forest until we came to Three Creeks Beach. We huddled on the rocky beachside in the lee of the wind and had our morning tea break. The walk continued along the beach until we came to the path that led steeply up Bald Hill. A wonderful view along the coastline greeted us as we puffed our way to the top of the hill.

From here the track alternated between coastal shrubs, rural farmland and beach walks. We saw many flowering shrubs along the walk, including white tea tree, snowy daisy bush, orange peas, creamy candles, pink pig face, yellow hop godenia, rice flowers, melaleuca and a spiky wattle. As we came closer to Marengo, holiday homes appeared alongside the path and then we were passing through the camping ground. The rest of the walk back to Star of the Sea was on a track between the Great Ocean Road and the coast. We made it back for lunch before serious showers set in for the afternoon.

The group broke into smaller numbers for the afternoon activities. Some went up to Marriners Lookout for panoramic coastal views. I joined a group of compulsive jigsaw enthusiasts as we attempted to put together a puzzle which had at least a tenth of the pieces missing. We came together for an evening meal of assorted takeaway, enlivened by me setting fire to a pizza box in the oven. Looking back on the walk, it was a taster of all that is “great” about The Great Ocean Walk – beautiful forests, wildflowers, beaches and scenic views. 

Thanks to Andrew and Gordon for organising it.

Photos by Alan, Andrew and Teena


































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