Week 542 · Mt. Oberon · Boat Tour · Skull Rock
Wilsons
Sharon headed back to the US for a bit as my end date keeps moving around. When I told a couple of co-workers she had to leave summer and come back to cold Melbourne, they asked "why" — and I said "to hang with me." They both said "I'd pick summer" simultaneously.
Holidays pop up on me unexpectedly — they pretty much have a Monday bank holiday once a month (like Labor Day or Memorial Day — but monthly). In June it was the "King's Birthday" — it wasn't their King and it wasn't his birthday, but every place in Melbourne had a drink special to celebrate. I found out Thursday that the following Monday was a holiday. After a weather check Friday night, I decided to go back to Wilsons Prom where Sharon, Mary, and I had gone in November (spring — not dead of winter).
Most travel guides and YouTube videos discuss which 2–3 day hike you should take and the best way to pack your tent and food rations. I dug a bit deeper to find "how do I get to the top of the mountain the fastest" and "best way to see remote beaches without food rations required." I ended up with a recommendation that on Australian holiday weekends a bus runs to a trailhead on the mountain — a 3-hour return hike with 1,500 ft elevation change (doable vs a 12-hour hike with 6,000 ft elevation change on day one) — and a recommendation for a boat ride, ironically from the same outfit we took in Tasmania.
After a 3-hour drive (for like 120 miles — remote roads) from Melbourne, I got to the bus stop and hopped on. The bus was good in that I was alone, but with 30 people getting off for the same hike, I wasn't really alone. An easy but steep gravel trail led to the top of Mt. Oberon where I had overlooks of all the beaches that Sharon, Mary, and I had seen up close.
As I was getting close to the end of my 1.5-hour ascent (which I was doing in 1:46) a group of Gen Zs passed me — they were on the bus that arrived 30 minutes after me and were carrying drones and alcohol, wearing tank tops in 50-degree cloudy weather, and had no idea the last bus returned at 6pm. But they were poor drone pilots — immediately after launch, the wind blew the drone into a cliff. Great views, then back to catch the bus down.
The next day I had to drive 1.25 hours back for the boat ride (literally 1 minute from the bus stop — Wilsons Prom is the size of Delaware). The boat ride was very similar to Tasmania — suited and booted and off we went — the difference is that this boat had wheels as they didn't have a pier. The trip was close to being cancelled as the waves were 10–15 feet.
I sat mid-boat and was glad I took my motion sickness meds — but most importantly the sun was out. For the first 30 minutes, a certain segment of the tour group at the front of the boat was thrilled and screaming like a roller coaster (we were told to put phones away as you would lose them). Then the tone of the screaming changed from thrill to horror as the vomiting commenced. After a couple of minutes, the captain steered along the crest of a wave — then took a 90-degree turn into the next wave. Literally 2–3 feet of water came over the bow and everyone was soaked. After the initial scream — everyone went quiet.
About 10 minutes later we arrived at a bay with a secluded beach, seals, and calm water. The captain mentioned that an old sailor trick was to get people who are seasick cold and miserable — they forget they are seasick. It definitely worked, as well as cleaning the deck and the outerwear. We then island hopped a bit and headed back.
"As a famous Marine Biologist/Architect once said — 'The sea was angry that day, my friends.'"
Of the places I have seen in Australia, Wilsons Prom is towards the top for me — most people disagree and think it is good but other places are better.