This 15 Km walk towards Bushrangers Bay wild beach and of course the views at Cape Schanck Lighthouse has got to be one of the best scenic routes in Victoria. Because of it's popularity, we decided to give it a go. So joined by a set of very enthusiastic hikers from our hiking group, we started the hike from Baldrys Crossing picnic area as planned. Since this wasn't a circuit walk, we had to do a car shuffle. So seven cars went off to the light house car park and the drives returned in one car so that once we end up at the destination, we will all have rides back.
We set off around 10.30 in the morning and the weather was beautiful. We entered the forest which was covered by shady trees and a thick undergrowth of ferns.
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| View along the trail |
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| Fern undergrowth |
We saw a snake by the side of the walk and it was gone before I even finish zooming my lens out. I bet there were more in those bushes. We didn't get tired as we were chit chatting all the way, one advantage of having a group to walk. There were a few clear areas with just the fern growth, and we could see some wild kangaroos, running away from us to the thickets and then peeping at us from a distance. It was such a difficult thing to capture them, so I gave up the idea and enjoyed the moment.
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| Through the Ferns |
The view was changing quite rapidly from that point onward and we could see the farm lands and meadows thought the clearing.
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| First glimpse of farms |
The farther we go , the prettier the view got. I just couldn't resist but stop at every few steps to admire the nice view.
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| Cattle |
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| More cattle |
It was time to take a break, so we gathered up at one mile stone and had a quick snack before starting back towards the Bushrangers Bay wild beach.
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| Map showing we were halfway through |
Along the walk we had more scenery and more kangaroos in packs galloping away over the hills.
There were a few places with steep steps to climb but as as a whole the terrine was flat and so less tiring. When the bushes cleared away, we could see deep blue stretch of the sea from a distance. That was lovely.
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| First glimpse of the sea |
As we grew nearer, we could hear the sound of the breaking waves and feel the nice sea breeze.
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| What a beauty |
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| Bushrangers bay beach |
Finally we arrived at the beach right on lunch time. There were lots of people enjoying the day. We sat on the rocks in a shade and had our lunch. Few set off to explore a reef close by while others enjoyed each other company while chit chatting. After about an hour of nice rest, we set off for the light house. Time to hit the bushes again.
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| Natural arches |
About an hours walk brought us to a nice look out, where we could see the ocean with a great view and the light house from a distance.
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| Light house |
Another few more minutes with that nice view and we were there at the light house and that ended our day hike. Everyone seemed to have thoroughly enjoyed the walk and the scenery along the way.
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| Path to light house |
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| Cape Schanck light house |
So we jumped into our cars and drove back to Baldrys Crossing, where everyone said their goodbyes before heading to homes. This place is definitely worth a re-visit due to it's diverse flora and fauna and the breathtaking scenery.
