G2 SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2018 VANCOUVER SUN TRAVEL

Scenic flights by helicopter that take guests over the 12 Apostles show the power of the waves along this rugged Australian coastline. PHOTOS: SUZANNE MORPHET Great Ocean Walk full of natural beauty

SUZANNE MORPHET swells up to five metres, which ex- plains why it’s a back-up beach for In the 18th and 19th centuries, Rip Curl Pro, the longest continu- ’s southeast coast was ally running surfing competition known as the Shipwreck Coast. If in the world. you were a mariner, the shallow On the drive back to our lodge strait that separates our first day we stop at one of the from the rest of the continent was many waterfalls in Great Otway a wild and often deadly place. National Park, which surrounds Today, this stretch of coast is the Great Ocean Walk. Descend- dotted with names that conjure ing a steep staircase we enter a lush ever-present dangers; names like forest with ferns that tower over Devil’s Kitchen, Wreck Beach and our heads. I inhale deeply. It’s like Slippery Point. But aside from the breathing pure oxygen: fresh, cool strange appeal that danger holds and invigorating. for some of us, this coast attracts Returning to the lodge we enjoy people for something else — its ex- what becomes a familiar and wel- traordinary natural beauty. come routine. First, we soak our So here I am, listening to a ship- tired feet in hot, soapy footbaths wreck story on one of the most gor- on the outside deck while scarfing geous, windswept beaches I’ve ever down appetizers and drinks. Then seen. As waves crash at our side, our we relax until dinnertime when guide tells us about the Loch Ard, Ed brings out a map and shows us which already had a reputation as what’s in store for the next day. an unlucky ship when it entered “Tomorrow is going to be mas- these treacherous waters in 1878. sive,” he warns that first evening, “The ship’s owner offered the pointing at the changing elevation. captain and the second-in-com- “Lots of ups and downs, but it’s go- mand a bonus if they could get to The second half of the Great Ocean Walk begins near Johanna Beach, ing to be really rewarding.” safely,” says our guide which is named for the ship that sank here in 1848. We start early, enjoying a hearty Ed Croger. Alas the sailors hit a breakfast at 6:30, then driving by reef, bringing the ship’s journey van to where we finished walk- from England to a swift and fatal ing the previous day. At first, the end. One person, Tom Pearce, trail follows quiet country roads made it to shore, then swam back through a landscape of pastoral out and rescued Eva Carmichael perfection. Kookaburras and cock- who was crying for help. The two atoos call from treetops. Crimson teens were the only survivors of 54 IF YOU GO rosellas wing past in a red blur. people onboard. The story is more Cows graze on rolling hillsides. tragic still when we learn that Tom David and Chris Hobbs, the Aus- later proposed to Eva but she de- Great Walks of Australia: A sie guests, are quick to spot and clined, returning to Ireland with- collection of twelve (to date) point out and joke that out her family, who all went down multi-day guided walks in snakes are also here. But because with the ship. various parts of the country. the Hobbs walk fast and are always But even tragic stories can’t The 12 Apostles Lodge Walk in the lead, they’re the ones who lower your spirits here, not when operates between Septem- see the only two snakes we en- you’re hiking the Great Ocean ber and May. Rates for the counter. Walk, as we are. four-day, three- night tour I walk more slowly, not to avoid The wilderness trail begins at including accommodation, snakes, but because the surround- , 200 km southwest of guides, meals, a helicopter ings are so delightful. In the euca- Melbourne and ends 104 km later flight and transfers to and lyptus forests I keep an eye out for at the 12 Apostles, a group of enor- from Melbourne are from AUD bears in the canopies. There mous limestone stacks cut out of $2,125 (approximately CDN are more than 700 species of eu- the bottom of the continent. $2,089). The lodge focuses calypt trees in Australia. The ones You could drive this same stretch on serving local, sustainable called “gum” trees are smooth- in just a few hours on the Great food, including barked with branches sparse Ocean Road and most do, but we meat. The lodge was purpose- enough to let in the light and strong prefer to walk. We’ll take a leisure- built for hikers with a foot enough to hold a sleepy bear. ly four days to hike about 55 km spa, drying room and hiking When the trail returns to the — slow enough to feel the wind in equipment for rent, including coastal cliffs, we hear, then see, the our hair, smell the salt spray, and — day packs, all-weather coats surging blue and turquoise water yes — endure some pain at the end and walking poles. a couple hundred metres below. of one particularly long day when Getting there: Qantas flies And with every step we get closer we walked 22 km. twice daily from Los Angeles to the 12 Apostles, one of Austra- Seven campgrounds dot the to Melbourne, with a flight lia’s iconic landscapes. Great Ocean Walk, but if I had to operating six times per week When the giant limestone pil- pitch a tent every night and carry on its new Boeing Dreamliner, lars finally appear around a bend all my gear I wouldn’t be here. In- which began service in De- on our last morning, the sight is at stead, I’m on a guided tour with cember. The airline partners once familiar — from photos — and Great Walks of Australia, staying with WestJet to provide foreign. Like sentinels, they guard at an eco-lodge each night, and car- A pair of kangaroos peer from a hilltop along the Great Ocean Walk. convenient connections from the cliffs, yet they can’t prevent the rying only my daypack. The marsupials are commonly seen, along with the occasional wallaby. Vancouver. crashing waves from slowly erod- Our group is unusually small ing them. A spectacular helicopter with just three guests — me and walking, with temperatures in the first half, according to Ed. The in the soft, warm sand. flight caps our tour, the grand fi- an Aussie couple in their 40s. low 20s. first day is a gentle introduction The turquoise water here looks nale of a fun-filled four days. (Ten guests is more typical and 12 We’re walking the second half of including a couple kilometres on inviting, but these southern waters The writer was a guest is the maximum.) It’s early Decem- the Great Walk, which is ” slightly Johanna Beach, where we kick off are frigid and currents are strong. of Great Walks of Australia and ber and the weather is perfect for more wild and rugged” than the our hiking boots and walk barefoot On some days Johanna Beach gets Qantas Airlines.

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