
What we’re about
Looking forward to exploring Victoria's parks and forests, meeting new people, getting fit and having fun!
This group is for anyone who has an interest in hiking, bushwalking and unusual fun adventures around Melbourne and surrounding areas. We may be adults, but that shouldn't exclude us from having fun and rediscovering our inner child at times!
All ages and skill levels are welcome (with the level of difficulty posted for each activity). I enjoy being immersed in nature and exploring new places and experiences. It's not a race, and time to appreciate surroundings, respect for the environment, support each-other and cater for everyone's ability level is paramount.
Most walks will be within two hours of Melbourne on the weekends, beginning between 9-11am. There will be occasional walk-in and camp hikes and if the location is further away an option of camping beforehand.
You can use this group's page as a forum to suggest and organise your own walks or activities if that is something that interests you. At this stage most walks will not be above a medium grade, however everyone is encouraged to suggest/run other walks or activities; as part of the joys of bushwalking/life lie in exploring new places and experiences, it's also sometimes easier and more enjoyable to do this with others.
I'll also be adding some other activities which might include things like such as Zero Latency (3D games), kayaking, murder mystery on the puffing billy express, escape rooms, urban challenges, board game events etc.
Some activities will involve a small fee to cover site costs and other associated fees. Please note that I am not a qualified guide or expert, and as such, those opting to join this group should only do so by recognising and accepting responsibility for their own personal safety during events.
If the weather looks bad the day before keep an eye on the board; if the forecast predicts high winds and heavy rain walks may be cancelled. If you need to contact me about an event please email me directly as opposed to posting on the event page.
Before joining, please ensure that your profile picture clearly shows your face. Things may come up that will prevent you from attending - if so, please change your RSVP to reflect this. This will allow others the opportunity to take your place with sufficient notice. No shows who give no notification will be removed from the group.
Jaye.
WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMERS
Melbourne Bushwalking and other fun stuff! makes no statements, representations, or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the content presented and for this reason you should not rely on any information contained in this publication.
Melbourne Bushwalking and other fun stuff! disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way and for any reason.
You agree to exclude the trip organiser from any liability for negligence. Also you accept the organizers have no duty of care to you - we owe you no obligation to provide safety, rescue in an emergency or guarantee arrival/departure times. This is because we have no training or qualifications in leading walks.
Bushwalking is an inherently dangerous activity. By participating in this event you acknowledge that you could be:
Subject to danger from animal attack including but not limited to: dogs, cats, feral goats, camels, wombats, panthers, bulls, water buffalo, feral pigs, horses, deer, spiders, snakes, ticks, bees, wasps, birds, people and leeches that could cause short term or permanent injury or death to you.
Injured, necessitating an air ambulance rescue costing you $20,000 plus climbing in dangerous environments without safety gear where an accident could mean serious or permanent injury or even death.
Creek/river crossings can result in slipping, injury, damaged clothes & equipment, getting soaked, drowning or hypothermia.
In contact with poisonous vegetation; thorns; sharp branches; spikey/prickly vegetation; bits of metal; teeth; horns; hooves.
Tripped by fallen trees or limbs or rocks, struck by falling trees or limbs or rocks injured or killed by creeks, rivers, swamps, cliffs, mine shafts, wombat holes, rabbit burrows, trail bike riders, agricultural machinery, bushfires, lightning, tsunami, earthquake.
You must have ambulance insurance to cover the costs of treatment and/or rescue. If an evacuation is needed and you do not have insurance then you will be responsible for the costs which could exceed tens of thousands of dollars.
By joining any event you acknowledge that you understand these risks and will not make the trip organiser responsible for any outcome or costs that you may face. You also exclude any liability for negligence on behalf of the trip organiser.
Leaders in this group are not professionally trained in hiking or outdoor activities and do not have the equipment to handle dangerous situations adequately. It is recommended you carry an PLB (Personal Locator Beacon), appropriate first-aid equipment and undertake a relevant outdoor training course in remote area first aid and remote area navigation so you can make informed decisions in the event of fire, flood, injury, snake/spider/animal bite, lack of water, poor route choices that may delay you or cause danger or any other incidents that may occur in the outdoors. These services will not be provided for you by this group and you agree to exclude the trip organisers from any liability for negligence for any outcome you may experience on this walk.
Individuals interested in carpooling may voluntarily do so. You are advised that the use of carpool system is voluntary and entirely at the discretion of participants. This hiking group or the organizers assumes no responsibility. It is the responsibility of individuals participating in a carpool to notify their insurance provider of their intent to carry non-family passengers and to ensure that they have adequate coverage to protect both themselves and their passengers. It is the responsibility of the individual accepting a ride in a carpool to ensure that the driver of the vehicle has an acceptable driving record, is licensed accordingly and has adequate insurance to protect both driver and passengers. This group and organizers are no way responsible for verifying or certifying the reliability, driving ability or insurance status of drivers and participants using the system. You agree to exclude any liability for negligence on behalf of the trip organiser and other drivers for the items mentioned above.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Great Ocean Walk - Part 2 of 2Twelve Apostles Visitor Centre, Princetown
Hi Bushwalkers
I'm planning on walking the second half of the Great Ocean Walk on the Grand Final Weekend in Late September and would love company to complete this iconic walk. Note I did the first part Apollo bay to Johanna Beach on the Melbourne Cup weekend last year, so looking now to complete the second part - Johanna Beach to the 12 Apostles.
For more information on the walk check out the Parks Victoria information page here:
Part 2 of 2. (26th - 28th Sept)
Johanna Beach to Ryans Den (15 km 5.5 hr)
Ryans Den to Devils Kitchen (15 km 5 hr)
Devils Kitchen to Twelve Apostles (16 km 5 hr)
46 km TotalSpots are limited as bookings are required at the GOW campsites. Please only sign up for this event if you are serious on coming. Bookings for the GOW campsites open on the 5th June and being a long weekend and small sites these campsites will book out! So please do book campsites promptly.
Cost of the campsites is $7.50 per night, so it's not a huge investment. If you do sign-up and change your mind then depending on interest we will likely be able to transfer your sites to someone else and reimburse you the cost. If sites do book out, then we may also be able to organize to share a site, but only with the prior agreement with someone who did manage to book a site.
Please note a good level of fitness is required for these hikes as you will need to carry all of your own gear, tents, sleeping gear, food water, etc. There will be water at each of the campsites. Distances on these days will be challenging for some 15 - 16km per day. Please consider this when signing up for the hike.
Closer to the time we will organize car pooling and a car shuffle so that we leave cars at the beginning and end of each hike and we can do a transfer back to the start.
I would recommend heading up on the Thursday night and staying overnight before the hike starts, although if you are up for an early start you could also come down on the morning before the hike.
To facilitate the car shuffle and group discussions I will invite those that sign up to a private whatsapp group to help organize the hike and enable group discussion.
In summary if you want to come:
- Sign-up to the event in meetup.
- Book campsites under the Parts Vic website here: https://bookings.parks.vic.gov.au/great-ocean-walk#/accom/33304 for the following dates. Friday 26th Sept Ryan's Den and Saturday 27th Sept Devils Kitchen.
- Join the what's app group using the link that I will provide to you.
Hope this is all clear. If you do want to ask some questions before signing up then feel free to post to the event chat and I will answer there.
Think that's it. Looking forward to completing this hike and I hope to see you there!
Disclaimer: By signing up to this event you accept that you are solely responsible for yourselves and your guests. You agree that you are responsible for assessing your health and fitness level before deciding to attend the event. You also agree to hold free from liability the organizers and event hosts of this group for any accident, incident, event cancellation or resulting physical, health or emotional consequences for you and your guests from participating in the event.
At the end of the day, we are just like minded people getting together for a fun shared activity and are each solely responsible for ourselves and our guests.
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