Great Ocean Walk Day 5: Castle Cove to Melanesia Gate

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 awake, watching us calmly from his makeshift branch hammock while lazily munching on leaves. What a ham!

Unlike yesterday, the tides were in our favor and we were able to walk a couple of miles along the beach — which our calf muscles will no doubt be reminding us of tomorrow!

At one point we had to ford a river that turned out to be shockingly cold.

Kangaroos were plentiful along the second half of the trail today. They didn’t seem bothered that we were sharing their space.

Our trail led us past some gorgeous grazing fields. We stopped to check out the sheep with our binoculars and noticed there were literally hundreds of kangaroos lounging in the fields with the sheep.

One highlight we can’t show you: the Laughing Kookaburra. We heard several before we ever saw them — a wild, cackling call that sounds like crazed monkeys let loose in the forest. They’re a much-loved bird in southern Australia, and once you hear one, you understand why they’re so memorable. Seriously, Google it — you won’t regret it!

Kangaroo… check. Koala… check. Wallaby… check. Laughing Kookaburra… check. Echidna… nope!

Back at the farmstay, dinner was a feast: enchiladas, garden-fresh salsa, taco salad, and a churro cake for dessert. Another spectacular meal from our gracious hosts at CHI Farm— so good, in fact, that we completely forgot to photograph it before diving in.

Tomorrow is reportedly our toughest day yet, with rain in the forecast and the temperatures dropping a little more each day. Onward!

G’night!