Walk The Line

The Twelve Apostles Lodge guided eco-walk is one of the world’s great back-to-nature experiences.

- John Mcdonald

Saturday, about 7am. It’s the second day of our Twelve Apostles Lodge Walk along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road. “Step into my clinic,” says Mitch, our guide. He motions me to sit upon a stool for the morning Blister Service. Mitch – a friendly Tasmanian fellow with a magnificent head of red dreadlocks – applies strips of a special tape to my “hot spots”, those of my toes that had begun to chafe on the previous day’s introductory walk. (New hiking boots that haven’t been sufficiently worn in will do that to you.) This is an experience that takes place over four days and three nights, and you can walk between 40km and 56km in total. I am apprehensive at first. Am I fit enough? Am I too old? Is my outfit cool enough? How will I handle all these early starts? I needn’t have worried…

Day 1 It’s a three-hour drive from Melbourne to the Lodge, near the town of Johanna, our accommodation for the duration. We stop for coffee in Winchelsea, the place where rabbits were introduced to Australia in 1895 – nice one! On checking in, we are greeted with the sight of architecturally designed timber cabins laid out along a network of boardwalks. There’s a central dining room/lounge area, and the whole place is surrounded by pristine bush. The rooms are comfortable and sweetly decorated, and can be configured for couples (a king bed) or for two singles.