Sunday Bus: Jan Juc to Anglesea - 13km and 16km - 1 Mar

WALK DESCRIPTION:
The walk is part of the stunning Surf Coast Walk at the start of the Great Ocean Road. The Easy-Medium Walk starts from Jan Juc, a quiet coastal town near Torquay and follows the track that daring pioneer surfers carved through coastal scrub to reach the fearsome waves of Bells Beach. The section from Jan Juc to Bells is along a sandy track with high clifftops overlooking the gorgeous and at times wild Bass Strait which connects the Southern Ocean to the Tasman Sea.
Some previous walkers have seen peregrine falcons gliding in the region, but this is rare. Maybe we will be lucky this time.
At every lookout along the way there are stunning panoramic views up and down the coast and into the hinterland. This is the 'Golden Mile' of Victorian surfing with its reef breaks and brilliant surf relentlessly rolling in from the Southern Ocean.
The Easy Walk starts from Bells Beach carpark. Bells is where the 'Rip Curl Pro' international surfing event is held every Easter. It attracts elite surfers from around the world and many Australian surfers have made their careers by winning the event. The next section takes us from Bells Beach to Point Addis.
This beautiful section of the walk includes superb coastal and bush scenery. The walk passes Southside beach, another popular surfing beach and heads into the Ironbark Basin where there are the ruins of an old jarosite mine and provides stunning sea views through the bush. The walk continues through the ironbark forest and then heads back to the heathland along the cliff. A hill climb with great views precedes the walk to Point Addis. From Point Addis we go along the coast towards Anglesea with more gorgeous views and then inland to see lush heathland and maybe spot some Wallabies or Kangaroos. It has wide sandy beaches backed by crumbling limestone cliffs. We`ll be keeping a safe distance from the cliffs! Point Addis Marine National Park is the third largest of Victoria's Marine National Parks and provides a protected habitat for many sea birds and mammals including Blue Wales and Southern Right Whales.
The walk finishes in the Anglesea town centre where there are toilets and shops to buy snacks and ice-creams. A reminder to bring a change of footwear for the trip back, because dirty boots leave marks on the bus that our club pays to have cleaned.
Please note that at this time of year there is always a possibility of encountering snakes, and appropriate leg covering is recommended.
As the weather can be warm at this time of year, please carry at least 2 litres of water.
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DISTANCE(S): 13km and 16km
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TOTAL ASCENT(S): 450m Rise and 600m Rise
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GRADINGS: Easy and Easy/Medium
Easy (E): Walking mostly on tracks or in open country, with possibly some stretches of light scrub. Few hills and adequate rest stops. Distances may be up to 15km in flat open terrain but will be shorter if scrub or significant hills are involved.

Easy/Medium (E/M): More consistent walking, mostly on tracks or in open country, but with some significant hills, probably some stretches of light scrub. Possibility of some rock hopping. Distances up to 19km but may be much shorter depending on the difficulty of the terrain. Reasonable lunch and rest stops.
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PLEASE NOTE: Your RSVP on MeetUp lets us know who may be interested but does not add you to the booking list. To register and pay for the walk you must visit our clubrooms (details below).
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HOW TO BOOK AND PAY:
(a) Visit the Melbourne Bushwalkers' clubrooms on either of the two Wednesday evenings before the walk, speak to the leader and, if it is agreed to walk, make a payment to secure your place on the bus.
(b) To cancel a Sunday Walk booking before 4pm on the Thursday before the walk, send a note to sunday@mbw.org.au. A credit will be issued for a future walk.
(c) To cancel a Sunday Walk booking after 4pm on the Thursday before the walk contact the walk leader direct. You should be given the walk leader contact details at the time of booking.
(d) The costs for the walk are $30 bus fare plus $10 visitor fee if you are not a paid-up Member of Melbourne Bushwalkers.
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OUR CLUBROOMS: Our clubrooms are located at The Mission to Seafarers Victoria, 717 Flinders Street, Docklands. We are open Wednesday nights 6:30pm - 8.00pm.
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CONTACT US: To contact us regarding this walk send an email to sunday@mbw.org.au. We do not regularly check the MeetUp site for messages and the above address will get a faster response.
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CAN I MEET AT THE START OF THE WALK? No! Since Sunday Bus walks are generally walks starting and finishing at two widely separated locations we do not accept walkers meeting at the start of the walk. There is no way for them to get back to their transport. We can arrange for a pick-up and drop-off at a designated location along the route closer to Melbourne, however, the full bus fee is still payable since a seat has to be kept free on the bus.
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IMPORTANT TO KNOW: Registration (membership) on Meetup is not the same as paid-up Membership of MBW. To become a paid-up Member with online booking and other benefits see: https://mbw.org.au/MBW_membership.php
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WHAT TO BRING:
A day pack containing:
* Lunch, a morning and afternoon snack.
* Full water bottle - we recommend 2 litres, more in warmer weather.
* An unlined waterproof jacket or cape, waterproof over-trousers (if your jacket is short).
* Whistle, pencil and paper.
* Personal and first aid items, including sun screen, lip screen, toilet paper, identification, Club green Health Card, some money etc. Note: The leader always carries a first aid kit.
* A change of footwear for the trip back.
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DO YOU HAVE COMPREHENSIVE AMBULANCE COVER? The Club strongly recommends that all participants have comprehensive personal ambulance cover.
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MORE DETAILS:
The visit to the clubrooms on a Wednesday before a walk is to cover three things:
(a) Provide background on the club and ensure all walkers are familiar with the safety and courtesy guidelines we adopt;
(b) Meet with the leader of the walk who will be in the clubrooms to discuss any special features of the walk and ensure that adequate gear and fitness requirements are met.
(c) Sign an Acknowledgement of Risk form and pay the visitor fee ($10) and bus fee ($30) to reserve a seat on the bus. No booking is accepted until the payment is received.
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DAY WALKS BY BUS with Melbourne Bushwalkers:
https://mbw.org.au/mbw_activities/walks/MBW_bus_walks.php