Great South West Walk
# Great South West Walk

The Great South West Walk is a 251-kilometre (156 mi)/ 262-kilometer (163mi) walking track, established in 1981, located in South West Victoria, Australia. The track passes through the Lower Glenelg National Park, the Cobboboonee National Park, the Discovery Bay Coastal Park, the Mount Richmond National Park and the Cape Nelson State Park, and may be explored through shorter or overnight hikes, or the entire 12- to 14-day circular hike, starting and finishing in either Portland or Nelson. A short portion of the track is located with the Lower Glenelg River Conservation Park in South Australia, near Donovans.

The track is administered, maintained and promoted by The Friends of the Great South West Walk Inc., a volunteer organisation, in partnership with Parks Victoria.

## Track

The Great South West Walk track, which notionally begins and ends at the Visitor Information Centre in Portland, traverses forest, river gorge, high cliff tops and bays. It was designed as a long-distance walking track, with the option for short and day walks. It is accessed from roads in and near the towns of Portland and Nelson. The walk's difficulty is rated as moderate, and consists of fifteen sections of varying lengths. The walk contains 14 camp sites along the track; all supplied with fresh water, cleared tent sites and bush toilets. All overnight stays at 14 campsites require an online booking and a fee. Links to the online booking site can be accessed via the walk's website: www.greatsouthwestwalk.com

The entire length of the circuit is 251-kilometers if you proceed direct along the beach from Swan Lake Camp, or 262-kilometers (and an extra day) if you head inland from Swan Lake Camp to Tarragal Camp. After Tarragal Camp the inland route returns to the coast near the Bridgewater Lakes.

37°59′S 140°58′E﻿ / ﻿37.983°S 140.967°E﻿ / -37.983; 140.967

Part of the track follows the course of the Glenelg River, with other parts located adjacent to the Southern Ocean.

### Sections

The track consists of the following sections and points:

Sections and trackheads of the Great South West Walk :

| Section location | Start location | End location | Section distance | Section distance |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| Section location | Start location | End location | km | mile |
| rural fringe | Portland | Cubbys Camp | 18.5 | 11.5 |
| Cobboboonee National Park | Cubbys Camp | Cut-Out Camp | 13 | 8.1 |
| Cobboboonee National Park | Cut-Out Camp | Fitzroy Camp | 22 | 14 |
| Lower Glenelg National Park | Fitzroy Camp | Moleside Camp | 22 | 14 |
| Lower Glenelg National Park | Moleside Camp | Pritchards Camp | 10.5 | 6.5 |
| Lower Glenelg National Park | Pritchards Camp | Pattersons Camp | 21.5 | 13.4 |
| Lower Glenelg National Park | Pattersons Camp | Nelson | 19 | 12 |
| Discovery Day Coastal Park | Nelson | Monibeong | 23 | 14 |
| Discovery Day Coastal Park | Monibeong | Swan Lake | 16 | 9.9 |
| Mount Richmond National Park | Swan Lake | Tarragal Camp | 20 | 12 |
| Mount Richmond National Park | Tarragal Camp | Springs Camp | 12 | 7.5 |
| Cape Bridgewater | Springs Camp | Trewalla Camp | 15 | 9.3 |
| Cape Nelson State Park | Trewalla Camp | Mallee Camp | 17 | 11 |
| Cape Nelson State Park | Mallee Camp | Portland | 17 | 11 |
