Sealer's Cove Wilsons Promontory Hiking Camping

Australia Day weekend started at 5am on a Saturday morning. The children were in great spirits. The air was cool. It was to be a perfect day for hiking. Sealer's Cove - here we come!

Our fellow companions departed their homes at about the same time, and we aimed to convene at McDonalds in Leongatha. We had been preparing for this trip for a while now and we were all very excited.

When we arrived to our destination, we found a pretty metallic green Christmas beetle. As Ella Mae was admiring its beauty, it defecated on her palm.

After a much needed coffee and breakfast, we drove to Tidal River Visitor Centre to register our hike. On our way there, we spotted a pair of shaggy emus. They reminded me of Sheena Knowles’ beloved Edwina and Edward.

The campground on the opposite side of Tidal River Visitor Centre was very busy. There were people everywhere and children on their bikes. The tents were crowded together. We hoped that our campsite would be less crowded.

Once we registered, we parked our cars at the overnight car park. We applied sunscreen and did a last check. The free half-hourly shuttle bus came almost immediately and stopped at the shuttle bus stop just outside the car park gates. We loaded our bags in the belly of the bus and climbed on-board. 

The drive up to Telegraph Saddle took about 10 minutes. After the last toilet stop there (drop toilet), a snake safety briefing from Rebecca, we began our walk. 

Ella Mae was very enthusiastic. She ran up ahead down the path. She gradually slowed down as we went along further which I was glad about as the path became narrower. We were very noisy as a group. We had no doubt that we scared all the wild animals away. The slow pace gave me a chance to check out the flora in the area. I spotted red heath, and pink hyacinth orchid.

At one of the rest stops, one of the children was stung by a jack jumper. Luckily he was not allergic to its sting. Upon closer inspection of the colony, the jack jumpers performed a little hopping dance which delighted the children. The interesting fact about these enormous ants is that they grab their victim with their pincers and sting them with their tail. They are like wasps and can deliver multiple stings as their stings are not barbed. Apparently, they have amazing eyesight and can see you over a meter away.

Windy Saddle is a relatively large open flat grassed area blanketed with petite pink flowers like sporadic pink dots on a green canvas. We took the opportunity to rest as a group. We watered and fed ourselves with snacks. Some of us took a toilet stop behind the privacy of low lying vegetation. We also met ex-commandos whom Rebecca and Ronn had met from a different trip. These men were amazing. They were in their late 70s and continuously challenged themselves with difficult terrain and skydiving. Their sense of adventure inspired us.

We walked downhill for about 40 minutes and found the much needed waterfall.  We replenished our Lifestraw bottles and ate our packed lunch of bagels, salami and cheese. I really appreciated the design of the Lifestraws. They have inbuilt filters that made drinking safe. It was more suitable for individual rather than family though.The water from the waterfall was very sweet. Large canopied trees protected us from the sun. A bridge was made of huge flat boulders placed strategically across the creek. It was a great place for us sit and hang our feet over the creek. Kim befriended a swamp skink that shared his rock. It was so relaxed that he hunted for his own food in Kim’s presence. We were reluctant to leave as children were so happy there. The children were leaf-racing and were designing quite elaborate racing boats out of leaf.

Our immediate challenge after the waterfall was to climb up steep rock steps. At the top, we were welcomed into the ferny glade which offered us shade and coolness. Soft sunlight punctured through the canopies of the trees. I constantly reminded Ella Mae to keep to her left due to the narrowness of the path. Quite a few people passed us during the hike but it didn’t feel busy at all. 

We met the ex-commandos again at the mouth of a cave. We would have walked past the area oblivious to the cave’s location if they were not there to impart their knowledge. As they didn’t have the correct equipment, they didn’t explore the cave. During our conversations, one of the men showed us his skydiving photos! What an amazing guy. The children felt inspired and were keen to tackle caving until they realised there were discarded tissues at the entrance. They ran and squealed with laughter in disgust. 

The rest of the way was downhill. Ella Mae started to complain of sore legs and I told her about the wonderful beach at the end. The impeccable timing of the tree canopies parting revealed to us the sea. This fact powered up little mitochondria in her cells.  She started running! I distracted her when she was feeling flat again with discussions on what she planned to do when we reach the beach. 

The final descent came to a 90 degrees right turn onto a timber boardwalk covered with chicken wire at Sealers Swamp. The 2km walk across the boardwalk was surprisingly more arduous. It was still quite shady with stringybark and ferns. The vegetation seemed to be growing into and across the boardwalk. They were much taller than the children. Dragonflies and butterflies flit fluttered all around us. My feet, shoulders and back were feeling the load. The children were at the low end of their energy level. We gave them a landmark to look out for. The bridge would mark the end of the boardwalk. When they finally saw it, they started running again until they saw the beach! What an achievement by everyone. 

We were pleased to drop our packs onto the ground for another stop to catch of our breath. There is a drop toilet here. Suddenly, someone not from our group called out Ella Mae’s name. It was her kinder teacher from a couple of years back! She also happened to be one of our neighbours. 

We donned on our packs again to tackle on our final task, crossing of the Tidal River. The tide had started to come in already and we were keen to get across as soon as possible. It was a challenge to request for the children to hold off the water play until the river was crossed. However, those who lagged behind were rewarded with dolphins. It was such a treat.

Finally, we made it to the crossing. Three unknown campers formed a chain to catch anyone who would accidentally fall into the water. I took off Ella Mae’s and my shoes, socks and pants. I carried her across sans packs and shoes. The water was already up to my waist height. The water was really refreshing with beautiful temperature. I waded back for our items except for my big pack. In the next wade, the water was much deeper. I realised my pack would be partly submerged in water if I carried it. So, Kim came over to bring my pack across. 

Once we all were across, two adults supervised the children in their water play while the others found a good spot for all of us to pitch our tents. We managed to find one area that we could stay together. Other campers were kind enough to move their tents to a different area. Our tent spot couldn’t be any better as it was very close to the water source. This water source was constantly running. The water was brown from the leaf tannin but it tasted good.

Some parts of the ground where we pitched our tents on were very hard. As we left our heavy mallets at home, we employed a rock to hammer in the pegs. Kim had to hold the pegs quite high up so when he hammered them in, they wouldn’t bend from the force. I was glad I brought our ground sheet to protect our tent floor as there were sticks, tree roots, pebbles and gumnuts all over the ground. We were all busy setting up when someone shouted that there was a snake on the path. Most went to have a look, but I thought the better of it and kept positive that it would stay away from us because our children were so noisy. 

The children came back before we finished our tent pitching tasks and we tried to get them involved by letting them inflate the pillows. They found the giant granite rock that they christened “Sliding Rock”. This rock became their focus point and they spent hours on it for whole time we were at camp.

One of the first tasks was to have a reservoir of clean water for all the families. I thought of filling up a 6.5 litre bag with the water there and pop in chlorine tablets. Someone mentioned it would taste better if we used the gravity fed filter. So, with that sound advice we gravity fed our water into the bag. The chlorine tablets were for emergency only. 

Cooking dinner was an elaborate affair for our family. I have been researching for a while for the best food to bring. It would have been great to have dehydrated food as it would be the lightest. However, it would not guarantee that my children would eat it unless I tested the meals at home first. We found a relatively large flat rock near our tents and set up the kitchen there. The others cooked near their tents and had a log to sit on. That night, the menu was quinoa, broccolini and pan-fried Hungarian salami. As this took a little while to cook, our children were hanging around the other families like eager seagulls at the stern of a fishing boat. Once cooked, we ate it quite quickly. 

Our children evidently enjoyed the bush. Their faces, feet and clothes were covered with dirt. 

The two drop toilets at camp were pretty dire. The stinky fumes stung our eyes and made them water. I rather breathe through my nose rather than my mouth as that would have been more disgusting. I found breathing through my bandana offered me a false sense of security that I would not catch any unknown disease. Having pockets helped keep the toilet paper in a safe place. Thomas wanted to just wee in the bushes as he really didn’t like the toilet at all. But I discouraged him to that as otherwise; the whole campground would smell like pee if everyone decided to do the same. I assured him that the drop toilet was better than digging our own holes. Kim’s way of coping was copious amount of Vicks Vapourub under his nose and nostrils stuffed with toilet paper.

Once we cleaned up, we went to watch the sunset. It was divine. Replenished by the beautiful sunset, we dragged our tired bodies into our tents. We wanted to nurse our aching shoulders, legs, arms and backs. Longing for a great night sleep, we bid each other good night. 

During the night, I could hear animals walking around us. Previous stories of others battling marauding wombats conjured up images of sleeping full-bellied creatures inside torn tents. I was waiting for the wombats to tear a hole through our tent to get to the food. I could also hear the waves coming onto the shore in the distance. Suddenly, there were lights sporadically shining at our tents. Surely this was not an act of partying possums? I wasn’t keen to go out to inspect. So, I reached out for something to cover my eyes. It was my smelly t-shirt and I was too tired to rummage for something more suitable. Before I knew it, I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I was half listening out for the pirating wombat. I hoped my own concoction of tea tree and eucalyptus oil would mask the scent of food that was stored in our tent.

The next day, I woke to find some of the children were awake already. I climbed onto Sliding Rock and soaked in the beautiful spot we were in. I surveyed around and saw that other campers were also using the gravity fed water filter. It made the campsite appear like a hospital with IV drips hung on tree branches. 

Thomas and I went for a little walk to the beach that morning. Pink hyacinth orchids sprouted all around amongst the fern bracken. The tide was receeding. I found a skeleton of a dusky flathead. Upon our return, the children created a pebble balancing game and that challenged them while waiting for the others to emerge from the comfort of their tents.

Breakfast for our family was a long affair. Just before we started cooking, it started to drizzle. Kim and Ronn quickly made a shelter. Just as the rain suddenly appeared, it disappearance was almost immediate. It was as if the shelter drove it away. It became a shelter for our double pegless clothes line with colourful pegs. We continued making our pancakes. The first pancake was burnt. So, we scrubbed the pan and started again. The second one was much better. Kim turned down the fire and I added more rice bran oil. We experimented this premix with milk powder recipe at home. The patience definitely paid off. Eating the pancakes at the campsite tasted even better. Thomas had 7 pancakes for breakfast while I was full on just a couple. It was either the pancake or the Nutella that he was very fond of. Either case, it was great to see him eat so well.

After breakfast, the ranger came around to say hello. He was stationed there for four days in the cabin nearby. A ranger normally staffs the site during busy periods. This knowledge gave me a sense of security. He informed us that sometimes, boats come in the cove in the evening and shine torches through the campsite for fun. 

One of the campers whom helped us cross the river told us a likely tall story. He witnessed a sophisticated possum lounge on a tree with a croissant in its left paw and perhaps a mug of coffee in its right paw. 

Some of the adults left earlier for the beach with the children. Thomas left for the beach without telling us. But he was sensible enough to change into his flip flops. By the time we were at the beach, the children had already dug a massive hole. It was so big that they hit water at the bottom. It was quite elaborate. They made steps so one can walk down it easier. I looked around the rock pool and found some tiny crabs. I also found a skull that was wedged between some rocks. Kim reckoned it looked like a kangaroo skull. The granite rocks were covered with baby mussels and barnacles. There were also limpets and sea snails. 

 

Some adults were enjoying a shady spot under a tree on the beach and watched the children dig their now giant abyss. Ed was sharing Cherry’s book and they took turns reading on a folding chair. Ee found the rock pools as intriguing as I did. The children were happy digging, running on the vast beach and paddling in the water.

Kim went for a walk to the other side. As the others started to return to camp as it was lunchtime, I was happy to watch the children dig. Then the sun just got too hot and we also retreated back to camp. I fed the children leftover pancakes to hold off their sudden hunger pangs. 

Not long after, Kim returned and we started with the business of making lunch. The ingredient list was quite long winded: rice vermicelli, tofu, dried shitake mushrooms, dried seaweed, dried lily flower, sesame oil, soy sauce, black and white sesame seeds and miso soup mix. After we enjoyed our meal, we went for a little walk towards Refuge Cove. There were different types of flora here. I found a very different looking fern. There were some termite mounds dotted around. The views from our walk were quite spectacular. We could see the ranger’s cabin from here. What a wonderful spot. Our ranger used to be a cabinet maker and he felt the outdoors suited his character better. It was quite a warm day and the children wished to return to the beach to inspect their massive abyss. It was abyss vs tide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say, the tide won. The children tried to save the shadow of the abyss but we explained that it was best to let nature takes it course. We encouraged them to build a different one. The adults started to wade in the beautiful water. Even the waves here were chilled out. Then someone spotted a banjo shark. It swam very slowly near the group. As it was so friendly, we asked the children to wade in as well. Even before they arrived, the group realised that it was floating seaweed. It was such a memorable moment. 

 

The children returned to their digging. Suddenly, Thomas screamed and ran into the water. I tried to check what bit him. The culprit, a jack jumper, floated by. Luckily, he was not allergic to the bite. Rebecca kindly gave him a special ointment and he was good to go again. As it was getting quite late, some of us went back to camp. Thomas retreated into the tent and read The Hobbit. I was glad that he read it multiple times during camp as he insisted that we needed to bring it with us.

Dinner was cous cous, lentils, freekeh, beans and tuna. The children scoffed that down quite quickly and were back on Sliding Rock. Someone brought wine and we sat and chatted. We also started the water filtering to ensure that everyone had enough water for their packs for the hike back the next day as well as for breakfast. Even before I went inside the tent, Thomas was already fast asleep. 

That evening, I was awoken by a woman screaming. I sat up. The partying possums returned as there were flickering lights. In my mind, I imagined a wombat had broken into someone’s tent, munching away their breakfast of carrots and cucumbers. I whispered to Kim but he didn’t hear me. My heart and mind were racing. Then like the wind, the light and voices disappeared. All was quiet again except for animal footfall and rustling. I fell asleep to Thomas’s soft breathing.

By the time I emerged out of my tent, our fellow campers were already eating breakfast. A simple breakfast of flat bread, pan-fried Hungarian salami, sliced cucumber and soft boiled eggs was sufficient to sustain our energy to return to the waterfall. My pack was considerably lighter as we have already eaten the food I carried. I lessened Thomas’ bag by placing one of the inflatable mattress into my pack. 

The tide was really low at midday. I carried Ella Mae across the water while I still had my back and front packs on. The water was shallow enough for my shoes to cope. In hindsight, I should have taken my shoes off just in case the water was deep in some places. Ultimately, I took my shoes off anyway at the end as I went back to carry Thomas across. The day was already getting quite warm. The children didn’t want to leave the beautiful beach. Secretly, the adults didn’t either. We have had such a wonderful time together.

 

 

 

When we were near the bridge, Ella Mae decided that she was tired already. She slept terribly the night before. I tried numerous tricks to coax her into walking such as story-telling, food bribing, and getting annoyed. Ultimately, I clipped her pack to my front pack. She demanded for a story. I was quite hot and bothered by then and I informed her that I couldn’t possibly do that as well. She started crying and I stopped in my tracks and said, “Turn around and look at me. What can you see?” She responded, “Mama” “What am I carrying?” “Our bags” “Do you still need a story?” With a quiet response, “No” she turned back around a walked without further fuss.

When we finally met up with the group, they all applauded Ella Mae to give her a morale boost. Cherry offered me her seat which I was very thankful for. Rebecca offered Ella Mae special Rainbow Magic sweets which helped encourage her for the rest of the hike. We felt relieved when Ronn offered to carry Ella Mae’s pack. He was right to point out that we have to plan our packs in such a way that at any point of our walk, we may have to carry the children’s pack. We will bear that in mind in our next hike.

Ella Mae and I headed off first. As if powered by Rainbow Magic lollies, her little legs carried her up the unrelenting mountain. She just kept on going. We stopped and recharged with Hydralyte. The children liked the sweet and salty taste. We welcomed the shady and cool fern gullies. We stopped again to catch our breath at the mouth of the cave. Ella Mae imparted her knowledge as the Fairy Queen of all her Fairy children. At the back of my mind, I was pondering what I should do first in our next destination, the waterfall. Hot cross buns? Water? Jump into the water? As I day-dreamed of the waterfall, I was on the lookout for the steep descent of stone steps. Ella Mae was so relieved to see the stone steps. She practically flew down the steps as soon as she saw them. 

 

I drank, ate and then sat in the cool water. I soaked my bandana into the water and plastered it onto my head and back. The glorious water sizzled off. It was refreshing.

The children contentedly played at the creek. We ate as much as we could in order to lighten our load. Ronn cooked ramen lunch to share. After washing up, we continued with our goal of reaching Telegraph Saddle before the last bus departed. Our next destination was Windy Saddle. In no time at all, we were sitting in the shade at Windy Saddle. We were attacked by the march flies. These blood sucking insects were relentless. My home concoction seemed to work well. But I needed to apply more often as it was not long lasting. Maybe mix the oil into a Vaseline jar?

 

The last part of the journey was not as shady. The air was drier and the vegetation had more grass and trees with thin canopies. We found a succulent purple berry of a flax lily. I normally see the flowers but not the berries, so it was a real treat. The final climb to Telegraph Saddle was exhilarating. It was congratulations all around. 

 

Alas! We caught the second to last bus. Ella Mae perked up with George Ezra’s Shotgun that was playing on the bus’ radio. The bus trip to the car was a happy one. We bid farewell to our fellow campers and we hope that we repeat this pilgrimage at the same time in years to come.

 

Additional notes:

We had been preparing for this trip for a while. I have been researching on blogs and Youtube in order to refine our packing. I have also been researching on the menu for the hike and camp. The packs were packed two nights prior to the day. The night before camping day, we unpacked, culled and repacked. I only managed to cull 3 items: a wooden spoon, an extra tea towel, and an extra knife. There were some items that were bought for the trip that didn’t even make into the first pack ie condensed milk, wine, long-life milk, muesli bar, corn chips, coffee hand grinder, mallet, stools.

There were some items that I was glad that I bought but were total luxury. These were collapsible bucket, sieve, lanterns (two), and 4 towels instead of 2. We didn’t need that many clothes.

There were some items that I thought could be better if they were lighter or less bulky such as collapsible bucket, children’s sleeping bag.

The best cooking equipment was the chopsticks.

We left food and water in the car too for our journey back.

I need learn the Chinese way of stir-frying fiddlehead ferns. That can be one of our meals.