Cape Bridgewater :: Day 3 :: Seal Walk

The 2.5km Seal Walk journey started via the rear of the campsite property. This saved us about 15 minutes and a walk down and uphill. It was a peaceful walk with wind in our ears. My favourite part of the journey was the tunnel of casuarina trees which provided us a brief shelter from the wind. 

 

We passed the Kennedy private cemetery. It was as if we had the whole walk to ourselves, as once in a long while we saw another tourist. We reached the jetty and there were no seals here again. For a little we watched a little black cormorant dive in the sea. The children giggled as they guessed where he would surface again or when he was washed by the waves. We proceeded to walk uphill.

It was a relatively easy walk. The wind kept the flies away briefly. They would hitchhike on your back and patiently wait for the lull wind moment and they would launch an attack into the orifices of your face. I eradicated this annoyance by wrapping my muslin scarf over my head. I must have appeared quite frightful to other tourists.

The path meandered along the edge of the cliff. There was a constant reminder of the beautiful sea. The farms on the other side of the path were crisscrossed by low flying swallows, catching their meal for the day. The dried brown grass moved gracefully like waves when the wind blew across the landscape. The swishy sound was very meditative. 

As we climbed towards Stony Hill, the highest cliff top on the Victorian coastline, towering 130 metres above sea level, the wind was much wilder. There were no trees in sight and the sun bore down on us. Amazingly, this was once the western rim of a volcano, stretching between the Seal Caves and the springs. 

The first viewing platform jutted out of the landscape like a space ship. The wind was gale-like. Ella Mae and I peered through the timber slats as the slats blocked some of the cold wind. There were two colonies here, one being Australian and the other New Zealander seals. They playfully live side by side without mingling with each other. We watched them play in the water as well as waddle on the wave-cut platforms.

We walked a little further passed surprised kangaroos to the second viewing platform. This platform felt like a diving board that let one leap over into the welcoming sea. The view from here was breathtaking. The seals frolicked blissfully in the white foams of the waves. 

On our way back, we were finally graced by a lone seal by the jetty. As if out of thin air, a bunch of Chinese tourists burst into scene behind us with a sunshade and lots of food. They even bought food handling gloves to devour roast chicken with!

We spent the rest of the day chilling out and spending time with each other as well as by ourselves.

In the future, we should try the Great South Western Walk that links the Seal Walk with the Petrified Forest and beyond. I could imagine that every turn will be picture perfect.