I'll confess I fell behind on blog posts for the back half of the trip, so consider this my make-good — a quick recap of everything that followed the Great Ocean Walk. For those just joining us: we hiked the Great Ocean Walk in Victoria, Australia — 80 miles over 7 days along one of the most beautiful coastlines we've ever seen. The day-by-day posts for the hike are all linked below and the rest of this post covers the trip after the walk. Day 0 - Arrival Day 1 - Great Ocean

We did it — 80 miles in 7 days, finishing strong with a final 12-mile push to the 12 Apostles. We said goodbye to CHI Farms, our home for five nights. A full apartment, homemade meals three times a day, and the sound of waves crashing over the hill at night. Wonderful hosts, wonderful food. Our new driver dropped us early and we hit the trail at The Gables Most of the day wound through scrubby coastal bush with great coastline views and the occasional wallaby or kangaroo just

An 11-mile day. Our guidebook described today as “constant tiring uphill and downhill sections.” They weren’t wrong, especially about the “tiring” part! It was a chilly day with occasional rain. Lots of sliding along on the steep muddy trail, but it was still a gorgeous day. Most of today’s trail was riddled with kangaroo dung… yep, so much Roo Poo. It isn’t nearly as cute as koala excrement, so Bob didn’t think I should post a photo. On two separate occasions, we did cross

A nicely varied day on the trail — 10 miles total, and a great one at that! We walked straight out of our farmstay this morning and directly onto the trail — no driver needed this morning! Koala territory means slow going, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. It takes us a good 30+ minutes to cover a mile out here — hard to watch your footing when your eyes are constantly scanning the treetops! We only spotted one koala today, but it was the best sighting yet. He was wide

Another very nice day of walking and eating! Our host prepared a fantastic breakfast wrap for us this morning — everything they make is delicious and healthy. Just look at that green onion belt! We had an 11-mile day that was mostly on the cliffs overlooking the shore. Our outfitter provided tide charts, and today we definitely needed them. Our path could follow the cliffs or, if the tide was favorable, we could walk the beach. After consulting the charts and heading down for

A very nice, short day! We started the morning with a hearty breakfast — a ham and cheese bâtard and homemade granola. Delicious fuel for the trail ahead. Our drivers dropped us off at Blanket Bay, right where we’d finished yesterday, and we set off into a light drizzle that gradually turned to rain. Fortunately, it lasted only about an hour, and the trail more than made up for the grey skies. Though mostly tucked just inland from the shore, we were treated to breathtaking vi

Remember yesterday when I said it just wasn’t our day to see koalas? Well, today was our day. Our driver this morning coached us on what to watch for — green pellets on the trail and little furry blobs way up high in the canopy. She was right on both counts. Within minutes of hitting the trail, we spotted the telltale signs, and Bob picked out the first gray furry blob. Once you know what you’re looking for, they seem to appear everywhere. We spent most of the morning with ou

We kicked off the Great Ocean Walk with 10 miles in near-perfect conditions — 60–70°F and sunny. It will likely be the best weather we see on the trail, as clouds are forecast to roll in tomorrow. Breakfast was at a charming little café in Apollo Bay. Our outfitter had arranged for them to pack sack lunches for the trail — a lovely touch. Before hitting the main trail, we took a short side excursion to gain some elevation and catch a sweeping view of Apollo Bay from above. F

After 24 hrs of traveling, we made it to Melbourne! Adios Ohio! See you in a few weeks! We arrived in the early hours yesterday after a very long trip — but were greeted by a beautiful autumn day, which made everything better. We had a full day and a half to spend in the city before traveling south by train and bus to the trailhead for the Great Ocean Walk. Our hotel generously accommodated an 8 am check-in — a full eight hours earlier than typical — and fed us breakfast (a

Bags packed. Boots laced. Passports in hand. Bob and I are officially off on our next big adventure This one is extra special — we're celebrating our 15th anniversary with a trip to Australia! Our outfitter sent us custom guide books, tide charts and maps Here are the places we'll hit on this trip. We fly into Melbourne and start with the Great Ocean Walk, a 104-kilometre route along Victoria's stunning southern coastline. From there we fly north to Cairns to spend a few days