2026 Great South West Walk
Day 14
Day 14 Mallee Camp to Portland Trailhead
Tim and the Trailhead
Start:7:31am
Finish:2:31am
Distance: 22.3km
Last day on the trail! Today was one of the longer days on-trail but overall not the hardest. After a good night sleep and a weird combination of wind turbine noise and ocean waves, I started packing up early and left camp just on 7:30am. This is my preferred time and after saying goodbye to my fellow campers, at least until they caught up with me again, I headed off.
Not unexpectedly the trail closest to the start and finish of walk is usually the best as they also tend to cater for the locals walking needs. Overall this was a flat and well formed trail at least until I hit the enchanted forest section about 90 minutes in. This section dropped down from the top of the cliff and went though and darkened first area that gives it its name. This did really slow down the pace but would be an excellent opportunity to take a break at anytime, particularly in the hot weather. But what comes down must also go up and up, and the stairs out were a bugger.
I continued mainly on top of the cliff line with the wind slowly starting to pick up. At this stage the rain forecast for later in the day hit but by the time I stopped and put my rain jacket on it ceased, twice!
Past the quarry, the aluminium smelter, the sewerage farm and the wind farm but in most cases in bushland so it wasn’t too intrusive. I did however learn not to stand underneath a wind turbine and watch the blades spin as my poor little brain couldn’t cope with the contradiction of movements and it made me feel queasy.
I was making good pace for my fitness at the moment and felt like I was moving well, but still have a way to go in preparation for the Heysen Trail later this year.
I had two animal encounters today. The first was another Tiger Snake stretched out on the trail sunning itself and thankfully I saw it in advance but not quickly enough to get the camera out and get a photo.
My second interaction was closer to Portland with an Echidna trundling down the trail towards me. I did manage to get a video this time before it headed into the bush.
As expected bushland gave way to town as I moved my way into Portland proper past the commercial port area and finally I hit the trailhead at the information area. Done and dusted.
This was great trip and my first long distance hike post hip replacement so am very happy with how I held up.
I will be releasing my second on-trail podcast early next week, my ‘expectations versus reality’ episode the week after and by next Saturday at the latest, the full trip right up with images and suggestions.
Thanks to everyone who followed and offered support, it was greatly appreciated!
And the planning commences for the next hike!
Start: 7:56 am
Finish: 2:31 pm
Distance: 15km
Second last day on-trail and according to the guidebook ‘perhaps the easiest day on the GSWW…’ general consensus of the four people travelling today was NOT! Don’t get me wrong this is a short day at 15km but it wasn’t easy.
The walk down to beach was easy and once reaching the beach I stripped off my rain jacket because I was starting to overheat.
The beach walk itself wasn’t a problem but with the incoming tide, the highest of the week, but also the latest, there was the occasional short run to keep my feet dry.
The guidebook talks about the marker post but it’s long gone. I had three people ahead of me and they managed to correctly identify an opening in the dune with some rubbish but no marker. This is a brutal part of coastline with hide tides often reaching, and decaying the dunes so it’s no wonder theses markers disappear.
Off the beach I go. Up, and up, and up, until I reach the top of the cliffs. I had already taken a break at this stage only to discover a seat at the top. Great views but the hardest slog of the day.
From here the walk consisted of cliff top walking on the whole with the occasional walk through undulating bushland. Some of the cliff walking came right to the edge of the cliff line and while not a direct drop off, but rather a steep slope following cliff, if you have a fear of heights then beware particularly on days like this one with strong offshore winds blowing.
The first anticipated stop was at the lighthouse and not so much for the tourism aspect but rather the cafe. Today’s hikers were all on a mission to get there but discovered that the current management has extended the opening hours from what’s in the guidebook. It’s worth phoning ahead to double check on the hours.
The food and drinks were much needed and my stop amounted to 70 minutes but given I only had another 30 minutes to go to reach Mallee Camp, I wasn’t in a hurry.
The last section of the trail was very well groomed as it also catered for day tourists as well as thru’ hikers. I reached camp and found my fellow travellers already set up and settled in.
This campsite was as far as the shelter went, back to normal with a rectangular table (but this one is much better). The main difference was the tent pads which were essentially sand boxes with shade cloth topping. Nice flat surface but it requires you to get creative with pegging to minimise any damage to the surface.
Supposedly there is an issue here at this campsite with possums but we’ll see – everyone is taking precautions by keeping their gear inside tents.
So was this the easiest day of the trip? Short answer no it wasn’t. I’ve had easier days in the northern section of the trail. It was however a good day!
Start: 8:21am
Finish: 3:14pm
Distance: 17km
Today was a shortish day with the guidebook saying 17km but the sign at Springs Camp saying less. In these cases I always work on the longer distance. I had a fairly late start this morning because I got into camp later than I hoped last night. The other hikers had gone to bed not long after I arrived so I didn’t follow my usual routine not wanting to disturb them and needed to play catch up this morning.
Today I was focused on getting to the Bridgewater Cafe for lunch. To get there I spent much of the morning walking along the cliff tops, getting views down to seal colonies, and learning about some amazing geological history of the area through the interpretive signage.
I have spent a lot of time both in a boat, on land, and in the water around seal colonies so it’s not a big deal to me. Even so, the best opportunity wasn’t from the main viewing platform but rather as I approached Bridgewater – I watched a large group of pups playing ‘chasey’ in the water. So much joy in their play.
I reached the Bridgewater Cafe at just on midday and departed after a very pleasant lunch consisting of a Cajun Spiced Salad which I would happily eat again. Being one hour in duration this was a long lunch for me but a chance to take advantage of the shorter day. It may sound strange to focus so much on food but after two weeks of eating hiking food and losing weight along the way, when I’m not thinking about hiking, I’m thinking about food.
After lunch it was another walk down the beach but this time it was a much less violent affair along a very wide and relatively calm body of water compared to the last few days.
The turn off the beach was obvious and one of the key things to keep an eye on is in looking for the trail markers but also keeping an eye on what’s coming up. If it looks like you can’t get around a headland due to the water then expect a turnoff. If there is no turnoff look for inland alternatives like I had to over the last few days.
Once I turned inland it was a matter of walking through the coastal bushland on an easy but undulating trail before arriving at Trawalla Campground.
This is a very similar campground compared to Springs, square table included! Where it was different was that the ground was very uneven and even with only three tents, it was a struggle to find a flat surface.
Like last night this is a fairly sheltered location and also warm so I opted to take advantage and wash my shirt which didn’t smell that great.
I was tired again today so nodded off to sleep fairly quickly which is why I’m writing this post in the middle of the night.
One more sleep to go, two more hiking days to go!
One conversation I had with my fellow hikers was on snakes and as a single and a couple, the others had four snake encounters so far where my tally is just one. Given that I’m at the back of the pack maybe they’re shooing them away for me!
Start: 8:00am
Finish: 5:45pm
Distance 23km
Today was the last of my beach days and boy was it a hard one! The guidebook says that this is a quicker option but don’t believe it. The difficulty is very dependent on the weather/sea conditions and while I had less impact than yesterday because of incoming tides, the sand was marginally softer and it was slow going.
Part of the reason for the trip duration was me doing social media. Once I hit the beach, I spent about 30 minutes posting before heading off, not something the typical hiker has to deal with.
Today was again dominated by birds on the beach including plovers, oyster catchers, and various gull species. I did also see a Black Wallaby once I turned inland.
The turnoff inland was almost right at the end of the beach before the bay wraps to the right on a very steep section of sand. I must admit to a false start that also cost me some time here.
The turn off from the beach is not vertical but it is steep. I found that using my poles to help drag me up and with using hikers previous footsteps did help but it was slow going. There was also a piece of rope hanging down but by the time you get there you were almost at a plateau. Note I didn’t say top here because there was another easier short ascent immediately after.
Now for the bad news! After achieving the summit which does provide good views to the ocean and to the nearby caves you then have to descend an equally steep section of sand to the pathway below. It’s easier but I know a lot of hikers don’t like the descents like this including me.
From there you are back onto normal coastal bushland trail as you weave your way towards your destination. Not long after exiting the beach you will reach a crossroads that directs you to your chosen destination and in my case Springs Camp another 6.5km on! The remainder of this walk takes you past a wind farm and initially through lower elevations dominated by wattle in a sandy but firm footpath.
You eventually ascend to the cliff top that provides scenic views of the ocean and beach below. In this upper section you will pass petrified trees (the image on this post was the best example). This upper section goes up a down and if you are energetic and it’s warm enough, there is even a route down to a very nice looking beach.
I arrived at Springs Camp before dark and was greeted by three other hikers I have been following. They chose the inland route which I was originally going to do but because I opted for the coastal route, it allowed me to catch up. This will mean a couple of nights of shared camping.
The Springs Campsite is very much on the end of the headland that you have been approaching all day and it’s tucked into a small gully that provides protection from the ocean winds although you can still hear the waves.
This campsite is typical of the others on this trail but for some reason the table in the shelter is square, not rectangular, and is also too far away from the benches to comfortably eat. The campsite is well surfaced with grass and being away from water bodies was nice and warm compared to the previous nights and with minimal condensation on the tent.
Supposedly we have a cafe on-trail tomorrow and given I have been thinking about food more than I usually do, I am looking forward to a non-camping meal. You will hear the scream if they aren’t open!
It makes for an easy start when you don’t have to pack up all your camping gear at the start of the morning so I left my cabin at 7:27pm.
It took me until 8:39am to walk from Casuarina Cabins at the top the town, through the town itself, along the beach access road and onto the beach. After doing some social media recording I was off.
At one point I realised that someone was walking behind me and it turned out to be a section hiker from Melbourne who was doing a piece of the trail and was returning to Monibeong Camp to collect his car and then head back home. This trail provides great opportunities to do section walks.
I eventually powered ahead and then continued on at a more leisurely pace, taking photos as I went. On the whole the beach walking was relatively easy with rare exceptions of having to avoid the water on an incoming tide. I did noice that there was a track at the top of the dune that would have been a harder option but necessary when the weather was rough and driving the sea onshore.
At one stage the signage directed me inland to avoid some dodgy rocky crossings that were occasionally underwater but the inland option was very hard to work out due to the overgrown track that needs a bit of TLC and some extra markers. After spending some time reading the guidebook I worked out where I was going. I did come across some aboriginal middens along the way though.
After a time I was back down on the beach after passing Noble Rocks. It was at this point I decided on a lunch break. For me the ocean is my happy place and combined with hiking, it doesn’t get much better so I just lay on my pack against some sloping sand and watched, listened to and smelt the ocean….aaahhh life is good!
Once I started up again I walked past the inland alternative route but as much as the guidebook says that this inland section is more interesting, I prefer the ocean so kept walking along the beach. With the occasional need to avoid the incoming tide I was walking on firm sand the whole way.
I got concerned at one stage that I may have gone past my turn off but in checking the guidebook, I realised I was still on-track. When I got to the turn, the landscape was very obvious as was the sign.
From here it was about a 1km walk on a sandy trail inland to Mombeong Camp (that’s the spelling on the shelter). Today took me just on eight hours due to confusion on the inland sections of this trail as well as me just taking in the view.
This camp site felt a bit weird at first and I realised that there were no eucalyptus trees that have been my companions at every other campground, it’s mainly wattles here. The ground is also very sloped and while there are some good tent sites if there is a large group, you’d want to claim your site quickly.
Apparently Lake Monibeong is only 200 metres away but I was so tired I didn’t take the opportunity to for a visit.
I set up my tent and had dinner and by this time the sun was going down. After doing this post and a podcast recording it was time for bed. I realised through the night that I am almost exclusively in REM sleep throughout the entire night on this trip and I am having some very weird dreams.
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.
Next post
Yesterday was a rest day in Nelson and I spent much of the morning catching up on social media before heading down to the BP service station to get food for lunch and dinner. It was also time to sort out my remaining food for the trail which really involved jettisoning thingsI know I won’t eat. I estimate this dropped around 1.3+kg out of my pack which is always a bonus.
My food tastes seem to change between every major trip and there’s no rhyme or reason as to why; I just seem to go through phases. The image attached to this post is actually apricot squares which have now been compressed in my bag to become apricot leather!
The rest of the day and into the evening was taken up with the podcast and making some changes to my accomodation, more on this later this week. My latest night of the trip so far.
Tomorrow I head off on the southern beach leg of the journey which will have me heading back towards Portland and the trail end this Saturday afternoon.
Next Post
Start 8:01am
Finish 4:01pm
20.9km (more on this later)
A longer day as I head into Nelson for my rest day. The day started out just like the previous day but in this case I am walking along the river cliff tops getting a view of the highest limestone cliff sections of this river. They are pretty impressive and even though I moved from river level up to the top of these cliffs apart from the odd small section, you don’t notice the elevation change. The trail organisation has placed a number of seats along the way at strategic points just to sit and take it all in.
At my morning tea break I decided to see if I had phone/internet signal and boy did I with my phone figuratively blowing up – I typically get about 400 emails a week! I thought I would call Gill and she indicated from the Garmin map that she was following me on, that if I made a short detour I was only around 1km from Nelson. Apparently some people doing this trail discover this as well and just skip this section. It’s an option, it’s your hike, so do your own thing.
At this stage I asked Gill to check out accommodation options for me in Nelson and we ended up choosing Casuarina Cabins – the owner Dave is friendly and the accomodation is comfortable. It also suited my need to hand wash my clothes and also hang them on the deck railings to dry. Off I go again!
One comment I would make here is that the guidebook has been very well done and you pretty much know where you are from the succinct descriptions. I strongly suggest you get the map and book package when planning and walking this trail. I’ll do a review of this resource the week after I get off trail.
Close on midday I crossed into South Australia for a distance of 4km and it was really obvious; not just the sign but the landscape changed almost instantly. Along this section of the trail there were a number of what are called huts but for any body else these are not huts and are very lavish!
When I stopped for lunch I decided to spend around 30 minutes catching up on my Instagram posts so another reason for my extended day but I felt very rested when I started up again.
There was no sign I could find to say that I was heading back into Victoria but there was a distinct change in vegetation again and when I got my Garmin Inreach map out, it told me I had just crossed the border. It was at this time I decided to check the weather and discovered why I was struggling today – the temperature had hit 28.5 degrees Celsius. I don’t do well in the heat and this is my main reason I prefer to hike in July-August, rain be dammed. It and would explain why I was taking so many breaks. I could have checked this on my Garmin but just didn’t even think about it, duh!
I passed Simon’s Camp which is just out of town. This campsite provides an opportunity to have a ‘full camping experience’ if you don’t want to have a town stay. The good thing here is that it meant I had around 1km to my chosen accommodation.
Accomodation wise there is so much choice in Nelson and I was happy to ‘wing it.’ However, next weekend is an event on and I would have been camping with everything booked up. Keep this in mind if you are planning this trip.
Now for the down side. While Nelson provides a large array of accommodation it lacks in the food department. The kiosk which is mentioned in the guidebook no longer exists. The locals typically travel the relatively short distance into Mount Gambier for their weekly shop because there is limited choice in Nelson. I ended up walking the round trip of 2.2km to the BP service station to get what I was hoping to be a pizza only to be informed that pizzas are off the menu at the moment. I did however manage to get my Weiss bar (two actually) and Coke No Sugar (1.25 litres) and two crab sticks that were actually quite nice. I then purchased something for breakfast. I need to head back down and get a frozen pizza for ‘Linner’ and something else to drink but I’ll do that around midday tomorrow.
Theres is an opportunity waiting for someone here for consistent good quality takeaway. Apparently the service station is looking at doing a bigger range of food staples but that hasn’t happened as yet so keep this in mind.
The rest of today was spent doing social media before having my latest night on track going to bed around 9:30pm.
Start 8:11am
Finish 12:52pm
Given I only had 15km to travel from Battersby Camp so today I set my alarm for 6:40am but still ended starting to pack at 6:20am after a mixed but very good night sleep. I had one period of solid sleep and most of it is REM sleep so I am dreaming multiple times a night. At one stage I woke up and it was dead silent, probably due to my snoring scaring off the wild life. It didn’t last long as nature reasserted itself.
Another cold and damp night being located next to a river but still not cold enough to have my arms or head covered by my sleeping bag.
After packing up, eating breakfast and recording social media for when I can finally access internet again, I left a few minutes later than the day before.
Today saw me parallel the Glenelg River for much of the day and again through dense forest but you can tell that the vegetation is becoming more coastal. I had lunch at around 11:45am and while I was sitting there a huge flock of black cockatoos flew over. Apparently this is a common sight, particularly near the pine plantations which were just across the river.
As I sit here writing this post I have four koalas vocalising in close proximity to my tent.
After arriving at Pattersons as early as I did, I had a hot drink, set up my tent to dry out from last night, and set up my sleeping mat inside the shelter for a rest. At some stage one of the trail volunteers turned up to replace the track log sheets and as you do, we spent time talking about the trail and hiking in general. They also pointed out the blaringly obvious koala sitting in the tree directly in front of the shelter that I had failed to notice. ☹️
This track is maintained mainly by volunteer staff and they do a great job. In addition, every local I have talked to was doing their best to talk up this trail so it’s great to see the community connection.
According to the guide book, Pattersons Camp is supposed to be the pick of the camps but in my mind it’s Battersby Camp so far and that’s because it has a nice feel and the amazing bird life.
When the volunteers left it was time for dinner and this post is the last task before I head to bed.
I am looking forward to having a shower tomorrow night, catching up on social media, catching up with Gill, and hoping for my snack of choice which for the past eight years has been a Weiss bar and a Coke No Sugar or Pepsi Max.
I will try to get away early as I can just so I can get to town early (around 2:00pm). Ciao!
19.4km
6 hours 48 minutes
Tried to get away at 7:30am but by the time I recorded my social media it was just after 8:00am when I left. I say record because both the internet and phone signal was so bad I couldn’t publish so everyone will have to wait for the posts as I get closer to Nelson.
I was hoping to see koalas today but as far as on-trail life went all I saw at a distance was some noisy black cockatoos. I couldn’t tell what type they were as they were too far away. (I spoke too soon about not seeing koalas as I just went to the toilet and came back to my tent and there is a koala vocalising at the rear of the shelter.)
When I stopped for a break around 90 minutes into the trip even though I felt I was moving well. However, my Garmin GPS was telling me I wasn’t going to get to Battersby Camp until around 3:30-4:00pm based on how much ground I had covered which was a worry as I was walking slower as the day went on.
I had forgotten that when you put a Garmin Inreach into expedition mode to save battery that it drops a pin less frequently and then draws a straight line between each pin. Works really well when you are travelling in a straight line but as I spent much of the day looping around the river bends the overall distance it indicated I had travelled was shorter. While I was expecting to get to camp at around 4:00pm based on my GPS I arrived at 2:51pm, taking on average 21 minutes per kilometre – not too bad given this is my first long distance hike since my hip replacement. My hip is fine, it’s my excess weight that is slowing me down at the moment!
At one point I thought I had run out of water with what I thought was about 4km to go. This surprised me as I’m pretty good at judging my bladder water levels even when I can’t see it. When I checked, the bladder hose had kinked and I still had over 1 litre which was what I thought I would have.
I spent much of today following the Glenelg River and in looking at tomorrow it’s more of the same although the route seems to be a bit straighter. Today was another day spent in the forest as well as taking in the river views. Immediately before lunch ‘something’ shot off from under a bush alongside the trail. It had legs (not a wallaby or kangaroo) and was large but apart from that it moved too quickly to se what it was.
Speaking of the river, when I arrived at the camp one of the local schools was there which I had seen yesterday exiting having just spent the day canoeing from the jetty located directly in front of the walk-in camp. After having a cuppa I decided I would head down the short distance to the jetty and dangle my feet in the river. Oh that was nice! My feet really appreciated it although the small crane I startled wasn’t happy and let me know about it on no uncertain terms.
Battersby is a lovely camp and purely because of the jetty and the birdlife, it’s my favourite camp so far.
Before I arrived I had a short rest at the main campground not realising my camp was immediately adjacent and watched someone with a serious 4WD trying to reverse park a caravan without success. I was so close to offering to help but opted not to because I thought that might be embarrassing. He gave up and left after more than a few additional attempts.
I spent to rest of the afternoon drying my tent from last night, sorting food, and watching the large group of fairy wrens and other assorted birds catching dinner before heading to bed for my latest night yet.
One thing I haven’t mentioned is when I got to the shelter there was a packet of water purification tablets and a note from one of our followers who read about my filter problem and decided to help out. I can’t say ‘thank you’ enough for this kind gesture, I was a bit overwhelmed at the generosity and can’t thank whoever did this enough. The more hiking I do the more I realise that there are some really special people in the hiking community.
Whoever it was, please flick me an email but if you wish to remain anonymous that is fine too. Just know that you made my day – your gesture was totally unexpected and greatly appreciated!
Previous Post 19.4km 6 hours 48 minutes Tried to get away at 7:30am but by the time I recorded my social media it was just after 8:00am when I left. I say record because both the internet and phone signal was so bad I couldn’t publish so everyone will have to wait for the posts […]