We shouldered our fully loaded packs and walked the two km to the train station. It was a bit of a slog carrying all our gear plus food for five days and we vowed to ditch a bunch of stuff before doing the hikes awaiting us further down the line. It turned out to be more than worth the effort to walk rather than taking a taxi though, because Kyra found a $100 bill while we were crossing the street. We asked the only person within sight if they had dropped it, but they said no so we happily pocketed it with plans to put it towards a celebratory meal at the end of our trek.
We liked what little we saw of Melbourne
but had no time to explore the city before hopping on our mid-day train and bus voyage. The train ride was great and the bus ride was incredibly scenic, but so twisty that both Kyra and I were too carsick to appreciate it. Three hours later we disembarked in Apollo Bay, bought a few more supplies and then stayed at the town's incredible youth hostel, with a great family room, a common room with a fireplace, a book exchange, the best WiFi in Australia, and a clean kitchen where we made fresh fruit and chocolate crepes for dinner.
The next morning we transferred our gear to a trailer in the parking lot of the hostel. A group called Walk 91 organizes self guided tours and shuttles for people doing the walk, and they offered a terrific package for campers on a budget that charged very little to store extra luggage as well as transport backpacks between the first three campgrounds. They also provided a shuttle back to Apollo Bay at the end of the walk. From the start of the trail
to our campsite in Blanket Bay we had to walk 22 km, a challenge for all of us. The scenery along the way was spectacular,
and frequent koala sightings excited the kids and kept them going.
The many snakes we saw were exciting in a different way, especially when a park ranger later informed us that the tiger snake we had spotted coiled alongside us was the fifth most venomous in the world, and the black copperhead snake that slithered across the path in front of us was also, well, deadly.
We pulled our socks up and stuck even more closely to the middle of the path after that, except when we reached the beach
where we stripped everything off and took a bracing swim in the ocean along an empty stretch of golden sand. The waves are fairly treacherous along that whole section of coast so swimming consists mostly of standing in shin deep water and then plunging into the waves before quickly standing back up to escape the pull of the current.
When we reached our campground there was no one there except for a large black wallaby that was taller than Tom, but we were soon joined by a group of young German men who were fairly exhausted having carried their whole packs. They had brought no water purification system, and shortly thereafter a young German woman arrived who had brought no food, thinking that there would be stores and fresh water along the way. We filtered some water for them and gave Julia some trail mix that night and bowl of oatmeal the next morning, and told them they could ask our guides if they could also transport the backpacks for them when they came to collect ours the next morning, a suggestion they took us up on with much relief.
That night the koalas in the trees around us growled loudly, a sound we had heard throughout the day too - I first thought it was a pack of wild boars, and the Germans had been afraid it was a puma, so all were reassured when Paul told us it was actually the mating call of the koalas - surprising that these fluffy cute creatures emit such a fearsome cry. We went to sleep as a blood red moon rose over the ocean, our aching legs glad for the rest.
Our second day was again twenty plus km, but emboldened by our success the day before and still with no packs to carry we found it much easier going, though no less spectacular.
The kids used walking sticks that they had sharpened so they doubled as spears.
The terrain alternated between meandering paths up the hills and along the ridges,
and coastal sections along the beach that needed to be timed with low tide.
Our campsite that night was along the Aire River, and besides the now familiar koalas we were joined briefly by an echidna rustling through the grasses. We were getting to know our sole campsite neighbours Daniel, Kai, Lewis and Julia a bit better as we passed them back and forth along the trail, and they helped us find Kyra when unbeknownst to us she impatiently set off on her own on the trail as the rest of us were lounging after lunch.
and sunshine continued, enabling a clear view ahead towards our destination down the coast.
With less distance to cover on day three we enjoyed more rest breaks and took extra time on the beach to relax and swim. The campsite at Joanna Beach was atop the cliffs, and when the pouring rain that reached us that night stopped we had our breakfast on a platform looking over the sea. It was Hallowe'en, and while the kids were disappointed not to have doors to knock on and get candy, they were consoled by our promise that we would get them a chocolate bar at the end of the trail, and went back to happily eating their delicious oatmeal (ha ha).
The rolling hills we walked up that morning
made us feel as if we were in England or Scotland, but instead of sheep grazing on the green pastures below,
we saw countless Eastern grey kangaroos nibbling on the grass. A pack of them bounded directly across our path, delighting us all and more importantly cutting off Tom's regular morning complaints about how stupid hiking was. Later on, we passed by a dwelling where the thoughtful resident had put out an ice water station for hikers to help themselves to, along with a pirate and treasure chest tableau, coincidentally just like a non scary Hallowe'en display.
That evening's campsite drew quite a crowd in comparison to the nights previous, as local Melbourners joined the trail just for the week-end. The lookout spot at sunset
turned into a mini cocktail party (except no cocktails) where the hikers all chatted and Jacob, Kyra and Thomas were thrilled to meet a young group of cousins ages 9 to 16 doing the trail with their dads, Peter and Duncan.
This encounter meant that, despite having to carry our full packs for the remaining time, the final two days of the hike were easy as pie for us. While some amount of physical energy is needed for the exertions of hiking, more difficult is the emotional and mental energy we need to marshall, particularly Paul and I since we have to keep the kids relatively happy and forward moving during our trails. So when we have companionship for the kids that emotional weight is completely lifted, and we move twice as fast - sometimes it's even hard for us to keep up with them. 
It was nice for Paul and I to have other parents to talk to as well, and we chatted with Peter and Duncan about everything from international travel with kids to urban bicycle infrastructure to the similarities between Canadian and Australian politics.
Every lookout we came to gave a new perspective on the coastal landscape.
We passed through eucalyptus forests,
smelling the peppery tang of formic acid whenever we passed near a colony of black ants, then ended up at the beach, where Paul, Duncan and the kids braved a dip in the cold sea under cloudy skies.
After the swim we walked down Wreck Beach to see the remains of two ships that had sunk off the coast long before (in the second half of the 19th century). A giant anchor was embedded in the sand, but even more interesting were the deep rock pools studding the shore, filled with clear seawater and a variety of marine life.
Back at the campground, after a dinner of ramen noodles with a lone zucchini (all that remained of the fresh food), the kids roasted marshmallows over a gas stove,
while Paul and I played Texas Hold 'Em, using gumnuts as currency, with a group of gals from nearby Geelong, who had hiked in for an outdoorsy girls night out - what a luxury to have this area as a week-end recreational playground.
The campground that night won the award for most scenic outhouse - it was set on the edge of the hill with this view out the window.
The kids continued bonding with their new friends during our final day of hiking,
and the sun broke through the cool cloudy weather that we started the day with.
We celebrated near the finish line within sight of the first Apostle,
then had lunch together before parting ways as we raced to meet our shuttle.
We arrived at the Twelve Apostles in time for a celebratory ice cream,
and a walk out to the viewpoint of the famous sandstone cliffs. The Great Ocean Walk had been very quiet, but there were hordes of people who had come to see the Twelve, and one look at the spectacle of them rising from the sea along the coastline explained why.
It's hard to know which was better, the amazing journey or the incredible feeling as we reached our destination, having hiked over 100 km. Any doubt the kids had about the value of doing such a trek were erased as they too felt the exultation of their accomplishment. We felt a bond with everyone we'd met along the trail, but especially with the Germans: Daniel, Kai, Lewis and Julia, who had done the entire journey as we had, and we finished our time together camped side by side back in Apollo Bay where our shuttle dropped us.
The pleasures of civilization awaited us back in the city,
where we were greeted by my friend Kim, who I had not seen in over twenty-five years. We had played violin together in high school but lost touch after I went away my final year and she moved out to British Columbia, beginning an excitingly peripatetic life that eventually led her to practicing as a doctor in Melbourne and living in a gorgeous Victorian house with her partner Richard and his three boys Tristan, Jonathan and Samuel (plus two awesomely toilet trained cats). Though I don't entirely love Facebook (forgive me Big Brother), there is no denying that it is a great tool for connecting people, and when I found out Kim was in Australia and contacted her via fb, she offered to host us and we were more than happy to take her up on her generous offer. We didn't realize the extent of her tremendous generosity until we met. It started out with her picking us up at Southern Cross train station, driving us to her home and installing Paul and I in the master bedroom while Jacob Kyra and Thomas were given a room kindly lent to them by Jonathan and Tristan. We were treated like visiting royalty for the next few days, with a full barbecue (good-bye Ramen noodles!) one night and Indian takeaway the next,
all accompanied by liberal amounts of champagne and ice cream. Richard thrilled us all with rides in the Midget, taking us each for a ride,
zooming along the ocean with the wind in our hair, and the kids had fun go karting in the alley behind the house.
During the day, while Kim and her family were at work and school, we explored the wide promenades of South Bank,
one topped with wire sculptures,
to get to the central business district. We loved the alleyways lined with graffiti and cafes,
and had our celebratory lunch upstairs in Hell's Kitchen, looking down at the action while we toasted the end of our walk with beer and hipster entrees.
Being away from family, out of country and out of season we can't quite grasp that Christmas is on its way.
Melbourne seems like a great place to live, with quirky pop up cafes,
bakeries and a multitude of fun looking bars and eateries.
We went to the South Melbourne market, eyeing the delectable treats on offer,
ending up with haircuts, socks and oysters on the half shell when Kim joined us after finishing early at her clinic. Our final night we walked past the neighbourhood's Victorian houses
to the beach for a soccer game and a swim as the lights blinked on all around the harbour,
then finished off with some dancing (I mortified the children singing along to Pitch Perfect)
and a jam session in their music room.
Sam played a mean ragtime on the keyboards while Kim and I took turns on the electric violin. I felt a little tired the next morning but Kim and Richard were in great form.
Saying good-bye I hoped that we would all be able to meet again as any reunion with their family would be too much fun.
Reconnecting with old friends, meeting new friends and experiencing such utterly different environments from home meant Australia has left an indelible impression on us and the kids. We have learned not just to drive on the left side of the road, but also to walk on the left side of the sidewalk (the hardest was realizing we needed to walk right, stand left on the escalator). We had to ask for the toilet instead of the bathroom (when I went into the bathroom at one campsite I discovered a room with only an actual bath in it), watch out for drop bears and always check our shoes for poisonous spiders (and the toilets for poisonous snakes). We're not finished with this country yet, as we will return to explore Tasmania and spend a final few days in Sydney before our flight back, but our time exploring the mainland has come to a close. We will miss it!
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