Wilsons Prom- Overnight stay at Sealers Cove.
Posted: Tue 24 Nov, 2015 11:50 amTelegraph Saddle to Sealers Cove and Back Again.
As a beginner hiker on my first overnight hike with a child, and my second overnight hike I was dotting the i's and crossing the t's. I'd looked thoroughly through the forum, with the checklist of things to take close at hand. I'd taken the final leap, and booked into Sealers Cove via the parks Victoria web site. This hike was going to happen and we were excited.
A quick report, just to help others for their first hiking experience in Wilsons Prom especially those taking children.
The week before- everything packed! Well, except food and water. Well, I'd packed up the cooking gear and the dried food from Mountain Design that I brought. Thank you for the list!
The day before- A short shopping trip for lunch stuff.
6am - Start. Getting myself ready, and trying to make it as easy as possible for my 8 year old to wake up.. HAPPY! Bacon & Eggs kind of a morning.
6:58am- We started our journey down to Wilsons Prom. Through the townships of Churchill, Boolarra, Mirboo, Dunbulk, Meeinyan, Fish Creek & Yanakie, then onto the Prom.
Enter the Prom... 5minutes in........... EMU!!!! Mum, mum, mum... Emu
Brilliant. My daughter was in excellent spirits.
We arrived at the prom, signed in. Toilet stop & headed for coffee... Darn... the cafe wasn't open yet. So we headed back into the car to drive to the overnight car park, and catch the bus to Telegraph saddle. And begin our walk.
The walk itself took us just over 3 hours. Fruit tingles, were my motivator of choice. Every 10minutes or so, another fruit tingle would be popped out and we would enjoy the fizzy taste and marvel in the colors. Would the next one be multi-colored, green or pink... and did they actually taste different? Great for kids!
At around the 3km mark, we came across Windy Saddle. A nice little grassy spot, that was quite windy but a nice place to stop. At this juncture, my daughter decided that she no longer wanted to carry her pack. So I carried it for her, her pack out in front of me, and mine still on my back. We really, really wanted to see the board walk. But there was a nice little water fall, and plenty of gully's and the scenery was wonderful. We got to the boardwalk. Hurray!!! Then, it seemed like it would never end. Finally. the sign "Sealers Cove" was there. Along with a drop toilet, just before you get to the beach. It was now around 12pm and we were walking on the beach. It felt wonderful. The direction on the beach was a little unclear, but you just head towards the big rock that kind of looks like a whale. The tide was down when we got to the creek crossing, but we still got our feet wet and had stopped to take off shoes and socks. The water felt great on my legs.
Putting our shoes and socks back on, we wondered if we would have lunch on the beach or head up to camp. We decided to head up to the campsite. The track seemed to be marked by cans of baked beans and thongs! Someone obviously had dumped out some of their tucker that was too heavy.
Lunch- Sushi rolls. I had brought them the day before, refrigerated them and knew it was a special treat for my daughter and me. I figured, if you do these kind of things with kids the most important part is to ensure that are happy campers. They keep well, are compact and have very no packaging. Winning.
After heading into camp, my thoughts were grab the best camp site you can in the least amount of time possible. This was for a couple of reasons, but mainly, my daughter was getting a little over walking. And walking around all the camp sites debating about which one is better would not do us any good. We picked a fairly sheltered spot among ferns, quickly.
My tip- Make sure you grab some Bushman's. The mosquitoes could smell that we were new blood very quickly and we needed to lather it on fast. Otherwise, the trip could have been a disaster.
Water- Yes, they pipe water into the camp, and it's fine to drink. Yes, it does have a yellow tinge to it from the Tannins in the creek. We popped AquaPure tablets into the water, but some others didn't bother. It's recommended you treat the water.
Toilets. Smelly Drop toilet. Yes, that was not plural. There is one toilet at the camp site in a little wooden hut structure. Luxury compared to taking a dump in the bush, despite the smell.
We set up camp, looked at the beach. Took a walk with some other campers. Had a lie down in our tent. Explored the tracks. talked with other campers. It was quite a social place. If you are after somewhere secluded where you are by yourself in the wilderness, this is probably not the place. I liked the friendly atmosphere.
Dinner, and boiling water. Hot drinks are a pick me up. Hot chocolate is the BOMB. I boiled many billies of water on the Sea to Summit 360 degree burner. It works well. Dinner was one of the packet of Back country Lamb Fettuccine and Back Country Apple Pie, and made some custard. Yum! Well, the dessert was great, and the Lamb Fettuccine was filling but over all not that great.
Washing dishes- I figured that I could do that more easily down at the beach as the tide was high. Sand, is a natural scourer and salt water is fairly efficient at cleaning.
All our kit, held up well. The Kathmandu Larsen tent on it's first outing was great. I was quite impressed. Only issue was that the porch section was a tad bit small and we had to stumble out of the tent, over the pack on our midnight run to the toilet. My daughters smaller pack fitted at the base of the tent. The sleeping bags Kathmandu Pathfinders, were a little disappointing. We did get a little cold earlier in the night, and I grabbed a space blanket out to put over us to add warmth. It worked a treat.
I woke up, not well. Massive headache. Could not shake it. Panadol, loads of water. Just would not shift. We had breaki, and packed up. It was progressively getting worse so I decided that heading out sooner rather than later would be ideal. My daughter would have to carry her pack at least some of the way. We left camp around 10:45am.
Creek crossing. Walking on the sand bare foot, and my daughter got a bite from a bull ant. Reminder- put sting-goes or similar into the first aid kit!
Our walk back was massive, mostly uphill. We stopped frequently. Took it easy, had lunch on the track. Tried to keep our spirts high. But we did hit highs and lows. Quite a few lows, more Fruit tingles, chocolate. Stops. I carried my daughters pack for quite a while. But every step forward was a step closer. We got to Telegraph Saddle at 3:30pm. We had been walking that path for around 4hours and 45minutes. Which seems ridiculous for a 10km walk, but it was hard going with all the weight we had.
All our kit- did consist of too many unessential items. My daughters novel she read to me. My daughters teddy bears, that she sleeps with. And way too many clothes. My daughter refused to sleep in the silk liner. We ended up with quite a few empty containers. We had extra food, and loads of stuff to try to keep us comfortable. including sleeping pillows I made up. Which, my daughter rejected suggesting it was more comfortable to sleep with her jacket in the hood of the sleeping bag. We had headlamps, lanterns (that double as water bottles) and a torch. We had enough wraps left for another lunch. This was too much. I'd still take the teddies and the book, but we really didn't need a spare set of clothes at all. We will take less next time. I will need to pack smarter, and make sure that our weight is reduced so that I can carry everything for both of us with ease.
We got there in the end. I had serious coffee withdrawals. I got to Tidal river... and what do you know? They had just cleaned the coffee machine and I couldn't get a coffee or a hot chocolate for my daughter.
Best thing ever- FISH CREEK! Yes, I love Fishy Creek Service Station. Not only do they sell the best Hamburgers with the lot that you can ever imagine, and make great coffee. They are also a service station, meaning they sell pain relief! Hello Aspirin. I felt revived after a good meal and some coffee and Asprin. It wasn't that expensive either. $22, for 2x Hamburgers with the lot, 1X Cappuccino and 1X Hot Chocolate with marshmallows. It's a favorite stop of ours when we are down that way.
We had a fantastic time making memories that will last a life time. Despite finding the walking with packs hard, I am so proud of my daughter. She seems quite proud of herself too, and was proudly telling her Oma about her adventure. Building life skills, resilience & self confidence. Yep, winning.
I hope this helps information helps people making their first trip down to Sealers Cove.
As a beginner hiker on my first overnight hike with a child, and my second overnight hike I was dotting the i's and crossing the t's. I'd looked thoroughly through the forum, with the checklist of things to take close at hand. I'd taken the final leap, and booked into Sealers Cove via the parks Victoria web site. This hike was going to happen and we were excited.
A quick report, just to help others for their first hiking experience in Wilsons Prom especially those taking children.
The week before- everything packed! Well, except food and water. Well, I'd packed up the cooking gear and the dried food from Mountain Design that I brought. Thank you for the list!
The day before- A short shopping trip for lunch stuff.
6am - Start. Getting myself ready, and trying to make it as easy as possible for my 8 year old to wake up.. HAPPY! Bacon & Eggs kind of a morning.
6:58am- We started our journey down to Wilsons Prom. Through the townships of Churchill, Boolarra, Mirboo, Dunbulk, Meeinyan, Fish Creek & Yanakie, then onto the Prom.
Enter the Prom... 5minutes in........... EMU!!!! Mum, mum, mum... Emu
Brilliant. My daughter was in excellent spirits. We arrived at the prom, signed in. Toilet stop & headed for coffee... Darn... the cafe wasn't open yet. So we headed back into the car to drive to the overnight car park, and catch the bus to Telegraph saddle. And begin our walk.
The walk itself took us just over 3 hours. Fruit tingles, were my motivator of choice. Every 10minutes or so, another fruit tingle would be popped out and we would enjoy the fizzy taste and marvel in the colors. Would the next one be multi-colored, green or pink... and did they actually taste different? Great for kids!
At around the 3km mark, we came across Windy Saddle. A nice little grassy spot, that was quite windy but a nice place to stop. At this juncture, my daughter decided that she no longer wanted to carry her pack. So I carried it for her, her pack out in front of me, and mine still on my back. We really, really wanted to see the board walk. But there was a nice little water fall, and plenty of gully's and the scenery was wonderful. We got to the boardwalk. Hurray!!! Then, it seemed like it would never end. Finally. the sign "Sealers Cove" was there. Along with a drop toilet, just before you get to the beach. It was now around 12pm and we were walking on the beach. It felt wonderful. The direction on the beach was a little unclear, but you just head towards the big rock that kind of looks like a whale. The tide was down when we got to the creek crossing, but we still got our feet wet and had stopped to take off shoes and socks. The water felt great on my legs.
Putting our shoes and socks back on, we wondered if we would have lunch on the beach or head up to camp. We decided to head up to the campsite. The track seemed to be marked by cans of baked beans and thongs! Someone obviously had dumped out some of their tucker that was too heavy.
Lunch- Sushi rolls. I had brought them the day before, refrigerated them and knew it was a special treat for my daughter and me. I figured, if you do these kind of things with kids the most important part is to ensure that are happy campers. They keep well, are compact and have very no packaging. Winning.
After heading into camp, my thoughts were grab the best camp site you can in the least amount of time possible. This was for a couple of reasons, but mainly, my daughter was getting a little over walking. And walking around all the camp sites debating about which one is better would not do us any good. We picked a fairly sheltered spot among ferns, quickly.
My tip- Make sure you grab some Bushman's. The mosquitoes could smell that we were new blood very quickly and we needed to lather it on fast. Otherwise, the trip could have been a disaster.
Water- Yes, they pipe water into the camp, and it's fine to drink. Yes, it does have a yellow tinge to it from the Tannins in the creek. We popped AquaPure tablets into the water, but some others didn't bother. It's recommended you treat the water.
Toilets. Smelly Drop toilet. Yes, that was not plural. There is one toilet at the camp site in a little wooden hut structure. Luxury compared to taking a dump in the bush, despite the smell.
We set up camp, looked at the beach. Took a walk with some other campers. Had a lie down in our tent. Explored the tracks. talked with other campers. It was quite a social place. If you are after somewhere secluded where you are by yourself in the wilderness, this is probably not the place. I liked the friendly atmosphere.
Dinner, and boiling water. Hot drinks are a pick me up. Hot chocolate is the BOMB. I boiled many billies of water on the Sea to Summit 360 degree burner. It works well. Dinner was one of the packet of Back country Lamb Fettuccine and Back Country Apple Pie, and made some custard. Yum! Well, the dessert was great, and the Lamb Fettuccine was filling but over all not that great.
Washing dishes- I figured that I could do that more easily down at the beach as the tide was high. Sand, is a natural scourer and salt water is fairly efficient at cleaning.
All our kit, held up well. The Kathmandu Larsen tent on it's first outing was great. I was quite impressed. Only issue was that the porch section was a tad bit small and we had to stumble out of the tent, over the pack on our midnight run to the toilet. My daughters smaller pack fitted at the base of the tent. The sleeping bags Kathmandu Pathfinders, were a little disappointing. We did get a little cold earlier in the night, and I grabbed a space blanket out to put over us to add warmth. It worked a treat.
I woke up, not well. Massive headache. Could not shake it. Panadol, loads of water. Just would not shift. We had breaki, and packed up. It was progressively getting worse so I decided that heading out sooner rather than later would be ideal. My daughter would have to carry her pack at least some of the way. We left camp around 10:45am.
Creek crossing. Walking on the sand bare foot, and my daughter got a bite from a bull ant. Reminder- put sting-goes or similar into the first aid kit!
Our walk back was massive, mostly uphill. We stopped frequently. Took it easy, had lunch on the track. Tried to keep our spirts high. But we did hit highs and lows. Quite a few lows, more Fruit tingles, chocolate. Stops. I carried my daughters pack for quite a while. But every step forward was a step closer. We got to Telegraph Saddle at 3:30pm. We had been walking that path for around 4hours and 45minutes. Which seems ridiculous for a 10km walk, but it was hard going with all the weight we had.
All our kit- did consist of too many unessential items. My daughters novel she read to me. My daughters teddy bears, that she sleeps with. And way too many clothes. My daughter refused to sleep in the silk liner. We ended up with quite a few empty containers. We had extra food, and loads of stuff to try to keep us comfortable. including sleeping pillows I made up. Which, my daughter rejected suggesting it was more comfortable to sleep with her jacket in the hood of the sleeping bag. We had headlamps, lanterns (that double as water bottles) and a torch. We had enough wraps left for another lunch. This was too much. I'd still take the teddies and the book, but we really didn't need a spare set of clothes at all. We will take less next time. I will need to pack smarter, and make sure that our weight is reduced so that I can carry everything for both of us with ease.
We got there in the end. I had serious coffee withdrawals. I got to Tidal river... and what do you know? They had just cleaned the coffee machine and I couldn't get a coffee or a hot chocolate for my daughter.
Best thing ever- FISH CREEK! Yes, I love Fishy Creek Service Station. Not only do they sell the best Hamburgers with the lot that you can ever imagine, and make great coffee. They are also a service station, meaning they sell pain relief! Hello Aspirin. I felt revived after a good meal and some coffee and Asprin. It wasn't that expensive either. $22, for 2x Hamburgers with the lot, 1X Cappuccino and 1X Hot Chocolate with marshmallows. It's a favorite stop of ours when we are down that way.
We had a fantastic time making memories that will last a life time. Despite finding the walking with packs hard, I am so proud of my daughter. She seems quite proud of herself too, and was proudly telling her Oma about her adventure. Building life skills, resilience & self confidence. Yep, winning.
I hope this helps information helps people making their first trip down to Sealers Cove.
