South Cape Bay
Desperate to disconnect for a few days, Brodie and I packed our gear on Saturday morning and headed towards the coast. To get to the beginning of this walk, we drove to the end of Australia’s southern most road. Crossing the bridge over Cockle Creek feels like the final gate shutting you off from the demands of every day life. We laced up our boots, threw on our packs and headed for the sign-in hut, passing some chatty ravens tree hopping above us.
The beginning of the walk weaves through coastal bushland before opening out in to beautiful grassy plains. One of my favourite things about this track is listening to the distant roar of waves in the bay fading in and out as you move through the hills, building anticipation in first laying eyes on the breathtaking view that stuns you as you walk out on to the cliffs.
We sat up on the cliffs for a while, admiring the surf and eating a late lunch. The winter light was already starting to turn golden as we descended down in to South Cape Bay and made our way to the end of the beach to set up camp in behind the dunes.
The calm breeze made for perfect weather and we counted ourselves lucky. We decided to enjoy the ocean and watch the sun go down while this beautiful stillness surrounded us. After a quick dinner by torchlight and a long star-gaze, we snuggled in for an early night.
During the night the wind picked up and I dreamt that I could hear a woman yelling for help over the sound of the ocean. I woke up in a panic and lay awake for a while, ears strained. I knew we were the only people camped for the night, but the sound of imaginary voices carried on the wind. Exhaustion finally took over and I drifted off again.
Brodie and I woke up before the sun - the best symptom of sleeping in a tent! Feeling fresh and keen to get going, we packed up in the dark and headed out, guided by our head torches.
As we walked back on to the beach, we were met with the beginnings of the most stunning sunrise. The tide was low so we put down our packs and wandered as far as we could past Lion Rock, exploring the alcoves and rugged rock sculptures along the shore.
Storm clouds rolled in behind us as we walked back along South Cape Bay and we reached the car just as the rain started… thank you Mother Nature!
Where - The track is located in the southern most part of the Southwest National park, beginning at Cockle Creek
Difficulty - Easy to Medium. Wet, windy coastal weather and muddy parts of the track could add a level of difficulty to this walk, especially during winter. Make sure you’re always prepared for the worst.
Distance - 16km return
Time - 5 hours return
Important end note: I’ve never seen so much plastic somewhere remote like this. My heart sinks to see that this is occurring in a National Park - an onslaught of combined mistakes from around the world washing in from the ocean. Tiny, colourful bits of plastic line the entire beach and larger objects like rope and containers have tangled themselves up in the seaweed. Bottle lids, ear buds, pieces of shopping baskets - so many things we think we need in our daily lives end up here. There are less harmful alternatives for a lot of these things and it’s our responsibility to start discovering and adopting them, even if it’s a gradual and daunting process. Here are a few stores and products I love and swear by that have helped me begin the transition…
https://teros.eco/ https://zerowastestore.com.au/ https://www.biome.com.au
https://au.whogivesacrap.org/ https://www.nopong.com/ - This deodorant is the bees knees, especially for hiking!!
