eyewitness
WALKING INTO VICTORIA'S SHIPWRECK PAST
A multi-day trek along the Great Ocean Walk uncovers intriguing tales from Victoria's maritime history and ends at one of its most iconic natural features
After inspecting the steep staircase, which tumbles down the golden cliff in fits and starts then disappears out of view, our small band of hikers is faced with a dilemma. Do we dare go down or do we commit to the narrow forest trail we’re already on?
Since striking out from Blanket Bay, a trailhead campground outside the town of Apollo Bay on Victoria’s southwest coast, our journey along the Great Ocean Walk has been uncomplicated. We’ve walked beneath crooked eucalypt forests where we’ve searched for koalas dozing in the canopy, listened to the flurry of crimson rosellas flitting between the trees and found shy wallabies munching on mushrooms. Now the winding trail has led to a dramatic fork above Wreck Beach. Below us, a century’s worth of tides have buried and exposed two shipwrecks, offering a tantalising glimpse into Victoria’s maritime past. But seeing the wrecks comes with a gamble.
The Twelve Apostles rock formations on the Great Ocean Walk;
“It’s 366 wooden steps down to Wreck Beach. We could get down there and find the tide has come too far in, which means a hard climb back to where we started with nothing to show for it,” says Joe Lionnet, while rubbing his salt-and-pepper beard. Despite our guide’s words of caution, the wry smile on his face and the glint in his bespectacled eyes hints that he hopes we’ll choose the steps.
Our group splits and just a handful of us descend, plunging down with no idea what lies ahead. But our gamble pays off and we’re soon standing on a wide sandy beach as the wind whistles along the imperious cliffs looming overhead.
Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra November 2024-utgaven av National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Dianne Whelan
THOUGH NOT A SEASONED HIKER TO BEGIN WITH, THE FILMMAKER BECAME THE FIRST PERSON TO COMPLETE THE WORLD'S LONGEST TRAIL NETWORK
NIGERIA
The country's many communities come together over hearty meals with plenty of heat
Katie Hale
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WILTSHIRE
BEYOND THE MAIN ATTRACTION OF STONEHENGE, WILTSHIRE HAS EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE ANCIENT SITES, GIANT CHALK HORSES AND COSY PUBS IN HISTORIC VILLAGES
BATH
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GRANADA
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FORGED BY FIRE
A SUBTROPICAL ISLAND IN THE ATLANTIC, MADEIRA HAS RUGGED VOLCANIC MOUNTAINS THAT RISE ABOVE THE CLOUDS, NATURAL SWIMMING POOLS DOWN AT SEA LEVEL AND MORE THAN 1,900 MILES OF HISTORIC AQUEDUCTS TRACING THE LANDSCAPES IN BETWEEN
ADRIFT IN THE ARCTIC CIRCLE
A KAYAKING EXPEDITION THROUGH NORWAY'S LOFOTEN ISLANDS OFFERS WHITE-SAND BEACHES, ROYAL ENCOUNTERS AND THE CHANCE TO CHANNEL YOUR INNER VIKING
the RETURN
ON A PRIVATE GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA'S KWAZULU-NATAL PROVINCE, AN UNLIKELY CREATURE IS MAKING A TENTATIVE COMEBACK - AND VISITORS ARE OFFERED A GLIMPSE INTO THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS TO SAVE IT AND OTHER NATIVE WILDLIFE