Australian Hiker

Start: 8:39am

Finish: 3:36pm

Today was another day spent on sand but this time the high tide was earlier and higher in addition to the beach being higher in some areas which meant a more rapid water rise.

In trying to walk on firm sand it meant that I was at risk of getting wet feet as the water rushed in, even when I was 20-30 metres away from the water. I had one instant where I had to jump up onto a 1 metre sand bank otherwise would have been wet to the knees. Another time I was looking at what was coming up and had to cut inland on the dunes as I would have gotten very wet. From where I cut down, this was obviously a popular option.

Today was  also a much slower day due to the softer sand so all up with my stop and smell the roses approach and the softer sand, it took me eight hours to cover the 16.5km.

Tomorrow the sand is supposed to be soft again and I have 22.5km to cover so it will be a long day and I’m going to beep to start earlier and push a bit harder.

Lots of birdlife again throughout the day of various types but no other wildlife.

My destination point was the Swan Lake Campsite and I needed to find the very obvious break in the sand which is where vehicles access and it took ages. This takes me through what is supposedly Victoria’s biggest sand dunes and if you do a Google Earth search of the Swan Lake Camp you’ll believe it. I had a 1.9km walk into the camp itself which is wonderful if you are taking the inland alternative the next day because you continue on from the camp. However, I will need to walk back through all this sand before I get to the beach again to continue on up the coast.

Another good night sleep and not as cold and not as much condensation.