"Let's go on a walking holiday along Victoria's spectacular southern coast!" I was horrified at the idea but my best friend continued to apply pressure in a manner that only she was capable of!  

The mere thought of a walking holiday conjured up evil images of a school hiking weekend I had endured over 35 years ago. I can still feel the weight of the pack as it pressed its horrid frame into my back and threatened to lacerate my aching shoulders. I'll never forget sleeping in that cramped tent on wet, sloping ground and eating mushy food fabricated from tasteless soy protein. Lisa was nuts if she thought I'd actually take a week's leave and pay to re-live this nightmare! 

Nothing stops Lisa, though. She went on to assure me that the walking holiday she had in mind was more of a gluttonous crawl from one cozy B&B to the next and we wouldn't even need to carry our gear. My ears pricked up at the notion of finishing the day with a hot shower, gourmet meal, fine wine, good company and a luxurious bed to sleep in.

Forever on the defensive though, I was quick to remind my scheming friend of what happened the last time we went on a holiday – the guy who told bad jokes non-stop, the woman who complained incessantly about absolutely everything and the couple whose obnoxious kids were well on the way to delinquency! Lisa even had an answer for that. She said we could chose a "self-guided" walking holiday. There would be just the two of us and we would walk each day using a set of easy-to-follow walking notes.

Before I could exclaim that neither of us would even recognize a map if we tripped over one, let alone be able to navigate with it, she assured me that no special skills were required. The notes would be easy to follow and would also provide us with lots of information about the areas we were walking through.

So, fresh out of excuses, we chose a date to start our walking holiday and both looked forward to it -- Lisa with great eagerness and me with great trepidation. As the day drew nearer, though, I started to reflect upon that infamous school trip and began to remember the golden sunsets, the sight of kangaroos grazing in the wild, soaking my feet in a pristine stream, the elation of making it to the summit. Maybe even I could enjoy this holiday. . . .

Breakfast almost nips the trip in the bud

Our trip started in a small B&B in Torquay, a beach town southwest of Melbourne on the Bass Strait that is famous around the world for its outstanding surf. Our host had traveled the world extensively and we spent a very enjoyable evening with her chatting about past adventures. Breakfast the following morning had to be seen to be believed. How were we going to walk anywhere after all that scrumptious food? We weren't likely to lose too much weight on this trip!

We didn't start the day's walking until almost 10 o'clock. The day was just perfect, a deep blue sky, high surf and the tourists were out. We felt on top of the world with our first steps along the beach, and congratulated ourselves on our choice of holiday.

Our first navigation test came about half hour after starting. The walking notes indicated that we were to leave the beach and take a track southwest through the beautiful heathlands and ironbark forests, emerging at another spectacular beach in time for lunch. For lunch our host had prepared us a gourmet affair packed in an insulated carrier bag. With the sun beating down upon us, that icy cold drink was greatly appreciated.

The rest of the day was spent ambling along rugged cliff tops, sandy beaches and more colorful heathlands. Except for the surfies far out to sea, the only other people we saw were the occasional tourists who'd driven their cars to lookouts. It was as if the rest of the walking route was there for us alone.

We arrived at our destination at around 4 o'clock, leaving plenty of time for Lisa to enjoy a swim in the ocean whilst I enjoyed a pre-dinner drink at the bar of our guesthouse. Our luggage was already installed in our room and I figured I'd burnt up enough fat today to start drooling over the dinner menu. I'd start with "Smoked salmon & king prawn salad served with a horseradish and dill cream," followed by "Slivers of chicken fillet, cooked in a spicy satay sauce served with coconut rice and pappadams," and if I could still manage it I'd top it all off with "Homemade cassata." To wash it all down I'd start with some fine Australian sparkling wine followed by a quality Traminer Reisling and finish the evening with a liqueur Tokay.

I made a mental note to send my old Form 4 teacher a letter explaining how our lives could have been made much more comfortable on that awful trip. This was civilized walking and my mission was to tell everyone about it.

Bright and early next morning (well, around 10 o'clock actually) we dutifully consumed a hearty breakfast, collected our picnic lunches and headed off into the bush once again. The day's walking commenced in some wetlands teeming with native birds. The raised boardwalks provided an excellent vantage point for some bird watching. A little further on we came upon hundreds of kangaroos lazing about under shady trees. The day was shaping up to be hot and we pressed on, keen to arrive at the first beach for a dip and some lunch.

In the distance we could make out the lighthouse at Aireys Inlet, our destination for tonight. As we strolled barefooted along the beach we chatted, curious about what awaited us that night. The notes said we'd be the only guests at a snug B&B tucked away in the bush. Lisa was looking forward to the peace and tranquility such a place might afford. I was worried because it sounded like they didn't have a bar!

Neither of us were disappointed. Our hosts were charming and staying with them was a total experience. We felt like members of an extended family, which included a menagerie of domestic pets, farm animals and countless native creatures. We had dinner with the family and feasted on wholesome country fare. All the vegetables were home grown and we were assured of fresh eggs for breakfast. And there was plenty of quality local wine thrown in to boot.

We were to stay at this delightful B&B for two nights as the next day's walking was a circuit walk, returning us to the same starting point. We could have chosen to take the day off and just lounge about but we decided that would be a waste of a beautiful day. We made the right choice. The walking was superb and the route included several optional side trips to scenic lookouts and cascading waterfalls. I'm proud to say that we did them all.

The joy of going at your own pace 

What I was enjoying most was being able to set our own agenda. There was no-one shoving us on and off buses, no-one to tell us what time we had to have breakfast, no-one to make us feel we were walking too slowly or stopping too often to take photographs. 

We started the following day with our hosts driving us about 20 kilometers down the spectacular Great Ocean Road. They explained that it was impossible to walk along the coast here as the headlands were impassable. We were dropped off at the start of a walking track leading to the famous Erskine Falls whilst our luggage continued on to the next B&B.  

The walk to the falls was totally different to any of the walking we had already done. The track followed the river upstream all the way, crossing it on many occasions. The tall forests dwarfed us and the dense fern gullies kept us cool. We were all alone in this special place and I was now totally at peace with nature and myself. 

Emerging from the bush into the throng of tourists at Lorne was a bit of a shock but we were soon joining them in the craft galleries and fashion houses that the town is renowned for. Our little guesthouse was perched high up on the hill with sweeping views over the ocean. It would be home for two nights as tomorrow's walking was another circuit. Lorne is famous for it's seafood and we dined in style on prawns, lobster and crab. Watching the golden sunset over the water will live on in my memory for years to come. 

The last day's walking was the highlight for us. There were cascading waterfalls, many with deep pools to cool off in, some of the largest trees I'd ever seen, tall tree ferns over 100 years old and even and a mini “canyon” to explore. It was the perfect finale to the perfect holiday. 

Joanne Smith is a resident of Auckland, New Zealand.