The Great South West Walk

Our day starts with a 7:30am pick up from the Melbourne Arts Centre, St Kilda Road in Melbourne. We will travel via Colac and Camperdown – stopping for morning tea along the way, then onwards to Budj Bim and the Tae Rak aquaculture centre part of Lake Condah, where we walk as guests on Gunditjmara country. We will have our cafe lunch onsite before our 2-hour guided tour of UNESCO World Heritage listed Budj Bim Cultural Landscape site that allows us to experience the history and learn about the ancient aquaculture practices and eel traps through the eyes of expert Indigenous guides. The site is older than Egypt’s pyramids and the first site in Australia to be offered protection purely for its Aboriginal cultural importance; its aquaculture system dates back over 6,600 years. 

We arrive in Portland around 4pm to check into our historic hotel in the heart of town. Then after freshening up we will drive out to the nearby Point Danger Gannet Colony, which is the only mainland Gannet colony in Australia for these seabirds. It’s a fascinating visit and a local volunteer will grant us access to the enclosed colony and tell us about the lifecycle and habits of these beautiful birds.

Dinner is in town where we will give you a briefing and details of the next day’s walk.

Overnight: Portland

Meals: L, D

This morning we transfer out to the serene coastal hamlet of Nelson, sitting on the Glenelg river mouth and the border with South Australia. The Glenelg river at 350km is the third-largest in Victoria and where it meets the coast here at Nelson it carves out magnificent sweeping gorges through the limestone country. Our walk traces a narrow path above the river with excellent views of the gorges below, before venturing inland slightly and through growths of Grass tree forest and eucalpyt forest. At one point we venture into South Australia for a few kilometres on a bend of the river then return to Victoria again. Be on the lookout for the prolific native wildlife in this area as you will often see more animal tracks than human ones along this stretch of the Great South West Walk. We will take morning tea and lunch out on the trail before we eventually emerge into Nelson, where our driver awaits.  Weather and time permitting we will drive to the ocean beaches just south of Nelson to enjoy the fantastic scenery here before we return back to Portland. 

Overnight: Portland

Meals: B, L, D

We start the day with a short climb to the mouth of Tarragal Caves, a network of ancient limestone caves within the Discovery Bay Coastal Park overlooking Bridgewater Lakes. From here a gentle walk through sand hills brings us to the beginning of a remarkable day’s walk featuring an astounding display of diverse natural beauty. We will enjoy sensational cliff-top walking, two large seal colonies, a surreal petrified forest, ocean blowholes, kangaroos, pristine lakes and remote rugged coastline. We follow a rugged coastline where it seems you never put your camera away – the views are glorious! So have your cameras ready to capture the endless juggernaut of waves crashing onto the rocks below.

We arrive at a moonscape of petrified trees where we will break for lunch, allowing you time to appreciate the views and explore this fascinating area. The walk after lunch is just as remarkable with more glorious coastline and plenty of photo opportunities including the aptly named ‘Perilous Parapet’. As we walk towards Cape Bridgewater look out for a local mob of kangaroos who usually keep a close eye on things. The trail takes us to some of the highest coastal cliffs in Victoria (130m) past two seal colonies – Australian and New Zealand fur seals who interestingly do not mingle even though they live in close proximity to each other. With several viewing platforms you can search for seals and take advantage of the magnificent uninterrupted views over deep-blue water to the horizon. We end our day with a beautiful dinner just for us at the Cape Nelson Lighthouse.

Overnight: Portland

Meals: B, L, D

A gorgeous walk starting from Travella camp near Cape Bridgewater leads us along the beach and the hard flat wide open shores of Shelly Beach. The coastline is alive with birdlife including Pied Oystercatchers, Sandpipers, Hooded Plovers, Terns and Pacific gulls; there are shells galore to admire and name. The mostly pristine beach is subject to small patches of debris bought in by strong tides and coastal storms, so bring a bag if you’d like to beach-comb for litter along the way.

We keep on the beach for a long stretch of 5km where we pass a group of washed up shipping containers. The sand can be a little soft but the walking is pleasant, it is possible to take your shoes off and appreciate ‘grounding’ with the earth. ( We can also offer an option to skip this section with our driver and reduce the walking distance for those who prefer to)

After completing the beach walk we climb a sturdy wooden stairway to the start of the spectacular sea cliffs. There are dramatic views over the Southern Ocean and the open expanses of the bay, so you can see exactly how far you walk today. After a pretty grove of coastal Tea trees and crossing Murrells Rd, the trail winds across the cliff tops as we begin the next part of our walk to the now familar sight of Cape Nelson Lighthouse. The eroded rocky landscape, dotted with native coastal bushes is strkingly beautiful along this section with great views back along the sea cliffs. After stopping for a break at the lighthouse we continue for a few Km on the other side of the Cape; this has similar sea cliffs and dramatic views but this side has dense vegetation and forest. We then meet and jump on the bus to the last section of our walk today through the aptly named ‘ Enchanted Forest’ a grove of wonderfully tangled and atmospheric tea trees backed with limestone cliffs.

Overnight: Portland

Meals: B, L, D

Today’s itinerary follows a maritime theme as we depart Portland after breakfast and to the wonderful and historic town of Port Fairy for our last night. In Port Fairy we will take a stroll around Griffin island the Port Fairy Lighthouse along with a history walk through the wharf and nearby streets with a local guide who will inform us of the long and colourful history of this former whaling and sealing town. There are over 200 historic buildings in Port Fairy and we will learn about the most significant of these. (approx 6km walking total)

After taking lunch in Port Fairy we will drive to Tower Hill reserve, Victoria’s largest dormant volcano and Australia’s first national park. It is now a wildlife reserve and a great place to explore on foot, learning about the Indigenous history of the area, spotting koalas, emus and much birdlife inside this extraordinary geological formation. Tower Hill is believed to have erupted over 32,000 years ago, today you can still see the striated rock faces of the spectacular 11km crater rim, a rare geological site. We will take a walk through the boardwalk and forests, also climbing up the highest point inside the caldera (approx 2km).

Dinner tonight is at your own expense in Port Fairy.

Meals: B, L

IMPORTANT: All walking routes and local guide visits are subject to change based upon local conditions, extreme weather, group abilities, COVID closures and other factors beyond RAW Travel’s control. RAW Travel reserves the right to alter an itinerary or substitute an aspect of it in response to unforeseen changes or conditions with a group.

After breakfast, we will move on to nearby Warrnambool and the maritime museum at Flagstaff Hill. The museum is home to Australia’s richest collection of shipwreck artefacts from some of the 200 ships known to have been wrecked along this coast. From the everyday items of passengers to the famous Loch Ard Peacock statue valued at over $4 million, all have a tale to tell. You’ll have time to wander at your own pace through the museum and reconstruction outside of the 1860s port and town. Afterward we will resume our journey back to Melbourne and arrive back by mid-afternoon.

Meals: B

IMPORTANT: All walking routes and local guide visits are subject to change based upon local conditions, extreme weather, group abilities,COVID closures and other factors beyond RAW Travel’s control. RAW Travel reserves the right to alter an itinerary or substitute an aspect of it in response to unforeseen changes or conditions with a group.

• Twin-share accommodation with en-suite
• 4 nights accommodation in a historic hotel in Portland
• 1 night accommodation in Port Fairy Inn
• Most meals: 5 cooked Breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 restaurant dinners
• Return transfers to/from central Melbourne
• Refreshment stops during walks
• Experienced RAW hiking guide
• Driver and support vehicle for the duration of tour
• Walk with an Indigenous guide at UNESCO World Heritage-listed Budj Bim (or Tower Hill)
• Gannet colony private visit
• Exclusive RAW Travel Cape Nelson Lighthouse dinner and talk
• History walk around Port Fairy with local guide
• National Park fees

• Breakfast on day 1, dinner on day 5, lunch on day 6
• Travel insurance
• Alcoholic beverages