Osmiridium Beach to Granite Beach
South Coast Track
The Hike - After putting in the hard yards over the first four days, Day Five could almost be thought of as a rest day in comparison. With only 10.5km of walking to get through and a couple of beach sections, this would be the easiest day of the whole trip and a chance for us to spend some quality time at a campsite for once. With no real rush to get going, I enjoyed being a toasty burrito in my sleeping bag, thanks to the coolest night we had experienced so far. With a packed crowd at the Osmiridium Beach Campsite, we had a bit of a chat to a few people over the course of packing up our gear, with a lot of the focus being on the quality of the dark brown creek water we were all sourcing near camp (see the top of the first photo below).
With some Aquatabs to treat the water and Staminade powder to change the taste, it wasn't a problem for me, especially after I inserted the bladder into my pack and could no longer see the odd brown/green colour I was drinking. With everyone ready to go just before 9:30am, we left the cosy thickets of the Osmiridium Beach Campsite and set about crossing Tyler Creek to reach the spur trail back to the official South Coast Track route. We weren't that far behind a couple of groups that were on the same schedule as us and as we entered the muddy part of the spur trail, we could see them ahead. Reaching the sign pointing down to Osmiridium Beach, it would be all new track from here and with blue skies ahead, I was excited for the short and relaxing day ahead. After climbing up the hill to reach the track junction, we enjoyed a bit of flat walking through a mix of buttongrass plains and low scrub. It didn't take long before we reached some mud but compared with the following day, it was shallow and easy to navigate.
Coming across the upper part of Tyler Creek, this was the spot that the guidebook suggested walking to in order to fill up your water bottles, instead of the water near camp. Donovan went for a bit of an explore here to fill up his LifeStraw bottle and concluded that this part of the creek was no better than the campsite and it would have been an annoying walk to reach here and find this information out. The open plains walking was a lovely way to start the day and it was through here that we passed a large group that turned out to be one of the many companies that organise guided hikes along the South Coast Track. We also spotted more evidence of wombats in the form of square poop but unfortunately we weren't lucky enough to see one over the seven day trek. Savouring the last views of Pindars Peak to the north, we entered the start of a really nice forested section that would last all the way until Surprise Beach. It was a nice length of open walking to start the day but we were all excited to enter the forest as it typically provides better scenery.
We weren't disappointed, with plenty of ferns lining the trail, mature trees and a variety of greenery within a few hundred metres of exiting the buttongrass plains. This also marked the start of the first of two hills for the day, each getting over a headland between beaches along the coast. The gradients were relatively easy compared to previous days, so we meandered along the track admiring the fantastic scenery around us. As we headed deeper into the forest, we started spotting more fungi and the first bigger clumpings of the giant ferns along the South Coast Track. As we climbed higher, the muddier track disappeared and was replaced with something much easier to hike on thanks to the smoother surface that was akin to what you'd expect on a more tourist friendly trail. Reaching the end of the main climb, we were deposited onto the ridge line running through this area and one of the best sections of walking for the day. It started with the some bigger trees and then as we continued on, it felt more like dry sclerophyll forest on a scale we hadn't experienced so far.
I love seeing large trees up close and this was some of the best old growth forest I'd ever walked through. As I walked through here I was reflecting on the fact that most forests in Australia have been logged at some point in time and true old growth is a pretty rare thing. This was exactly the type of landscape I was hoping to experience on the South Coast Track and I count myself very fortunate to have walked through here. The talk amongst the group centred on how much this felt like walking in the Walpole Wilderness and I can see where the others were coming from. The size of some of the trees through here was breathtaking and can be compared with the Tingles you find around Walpole in terms of girth. There is one particular example that has been hollowed out and Bronwyn could quite easily stand inside, with a lot of room to spare. I was in awe as I wandered through here, staring up at the massive trunks extending skyward or admiring the heft of the limbs coming off some of the trees.
The ridge walking lasted for quite a while and I was quite happy about that as the quality of the forest continued to be excellent. I was at the back of the train through here, just plodding along and keeping an eye out for fungi, flowers and anything else that caught my attention. At one point we encountered some massive Soft-tree Ferns that towered over us and created a thick canopy above. With the lighting just right, it was a cool looking scene that I did my best to capture on the camera. Occasionally there would be a break in the forest and you would get a view looking down from the ridge. This served to confirm that yes, we were walking along the ridge, and to provide a photo opportunity looking down the edge of the slopes. The track does start to descend properly after two kilometres of ridge walking, as you head down towards a small creek crossing. With the sun coming out in full force, the photos were starting to get a little compromised as we reached the creek.
Having a break on the edge of the creek was Tim, a solo hiker from Queensland, and we had a little chat about the day so far and the Garmin GPS device he was using for navigation and communication. I was hoping he had an update on the cricket scores but he was having trouble getting signal today. Leaving the creek, we headed up a small incline before it leveled out, entering a more exposed section of forest with lots of ferns and more mallee style of vegetation. This increased the brightness a lot and my photos through here weren't good thanks to high contrast between light and dark. It isn't long before you get the first views overlooking Surprise Beach and this served to quicken the pace in order to get there sooner. It's a bit of a steep descent to get out onto the beach but once you're there, it was one of the most stunning spots along the whole track. The jagged cliffs to your right combined with the little rocky island on the beach to your left, and the wide vistas of the bay left an impression with me.
Some other hikers had stopped here to explore the rocky headland and have a swim, and we decided this would be a good spot for a break too. Dumping our packs and taking off our shoes, we admired the quality scenery, taking lots of photos and footage. While Donovan was filming me walking near the water, Bronwyn decided to strip down and ran straight into the ocean for a swim. This is not unexpected for a Bronwyn but it was funny the way it happened with the filming going on. This was one of the first proper opportunities to have a decent swim given the abundance of bluebottles at other beaches or the rough swells, and with plenty of time today, there was no rush. While Bronwyn had a swim, I continued to photograph the rocky island that has broken away from the main part of the hill bordering the beach, along with the diagonal cliffs at the end of the beach. After a decent stop here for a swim and relax, we grabbed our packs and started walking the one kilometre beach section to the end at Surprise Rivulet.
With hard sand underneath our feet and the sun shining, this was thoroughly enjoyable walking and one of the reasons why I rated this day as one of the best. The map in the guidebook suggested the Surprise Rivulet was a wide body of water that would be difficult to cross but looking at it from a distance, it would continue the trend we had of water crossings being quite low compared to their regular levels. The beach walking continued to be pleasant for the whole duration of Surprise Beach and as we reached Surprise Rivulet, we passed a group of four hikers that seemed to be having a good time too. The rivulet was no deeper than shin deep in most places so the crossing was super easy and I could concentrate on photographing the spectacular scenery all around. The views looking back along the beach were top notch and the rocky islands at the mouth of the rivulet were super photogenic in the sunshine. I stayed on the beach for a while longer than the others, just taking heaps of photographs and enjoying the last of the beach walking for a while.
The beach exit is a bit of a steep one, with a rope helping you navigate the rocky platform leading up towards the campsite. Still going bare foot, it was a little sharp on my sensitive soles but I managed and soon joined the others at the Surprise Rivulet Campsite. This is where we decided to have lunch, something others were also doing, so we found an empty space in the shade and settled in. While the terrain had not being challenging at all, it had still taken us over three hours to cover the first six kilometres of the day. With only four remaining until the end of the day, we had over nine hours to do that in before sunset, so time was on our side. As we were packing up to leave after lunch, a couple more hikers came into camp and we recognised them as the two guys we met after getting off the plane in Melaleuca. They had put in a long day already to reach here after being a day behind us on the schedule and were suitably puffed. Thinking we would see them again, we left camp and continued climbing as the track went over another headland.
The sun was causing issues for me and my photography, and as we reached the steeper parts of the climb (35% gradient at times), the sun was causing issues for Donovan. It was warm but not too warm (for me at least) but Donovan has the least amount of tolerance for heat out of anyone I know, so every time I looked back to see his face, it was slightly grumpy. Reaching a rocky section, my track instincts suggested to me that you went straight up the rock, so that's what I did. Speaking with others later that night, several people went around the rock and wandered a decent distance before having to double back. The views just past here are stunning as you look back at Surprise Beach, with the Ironbounds in the distance. Seeing the canopy of the trees starting to level out was a relief as you end up climbing about 200m vertically in just over a kilometre after leaving the beach. The descent was a sunny affair with slightly gentler gradients and it was nice to see the ocean views looking across to the fluted cliffs at the end of Shoemaker Bay. The final descent onto the beach was a bit slippery and I fell on my butt trying to navigate down the sand and steps.
This end of Granite Beach was not as spectacular as entering Surprise Beach but we knew what was waiting at the end for us. With the sandy section of the beach ending after a short distance, we kept the boots on and started the final beach walk of the day. It isn't long before you reach the reason why this beach is called Granite Beach, as you begin a mentally involving walk along the granite pebbles that cover the beach all the way to the end. Having to watch where you step for every step of the way, sometimes you pick right and the stone doesn't move, other times you have to step quickly off one that does move. It's not a fast process and given it was near high tide, we didn't really have an option but to walk on the pebbles. The one kilometre beach section seemed to take forever but we soldiered on and eventually reached one of the big highlights of the track, the waterfall onto Granite Beach. It was every bit as good as I was hoping but I was keen to drop my pack and come back when I had setup everything for the night. Getting off the beach requires a bit of a scramble to get up to the creek above, and the campsite is another 100m up the hill from the creek crossing. While we were waiting here, I spotted an Eastern Spotted Quoll, apparently a regular at camp that likes to steal hikers food that isn't properly stored away.
Eventually reaching camp, we started the process of selecting a site, setting up our sleeping gear and changing into camp clothes. Keen to head down for my first shower in five days, I was happy that the sun was shining and it was relatively warm still. I was the only one on the beach, so stripped down to my board shorts and hobbled over to take the plunge under the icy waters of the waterfall. Refreshing is probably the best way to describe the experience, so I wasn't amused when Donovan wandered down and asked if I wouldn't mind repeating the whole process for him to film. I obliged but was happy when it was over and I could sunbake on the warm rocks, thinking this must be what it's like on a pebbly Italian beach on the Amalfi Coast (just without all the people). Over the course of the afternoon, I wandered between the beach and the campsite, enjoyed chats with the other hikers and generally had a relaxing time. This is what I imagined the SCT would be like in summer with great beaches, lots of time at camp and plenty of stunning scenery. All three of us headed down to the creek to watch the sunset and while it didn't end up being an amazing sunset, it was really cool to watch the changing light and cap off one of the most enjoyable days on the track.
Final Thoughts – What a day that was. When we were planning out the itinerary for the South Coast Track, I was really worried about the short distances and being sat around camp for 7-10 hours each afternoon.
As it turns out, it took until Day Five for anything close to this to happen and it was the best place to spend an afternoon relaxing. We got perfect weather to enjoy Granite Beach, plus the sunny skies along Surprise Beach really made those photos pop.
Granite Beach is one of those places you never forget after visiting and it lived up to the hype surrounding it. It wasn't the only memorable part of the day, with the old growth forests before Surprise Beach being the real surprise (apologies for that), and the beach walking being high quality too.
Not a bad day to pick to have a "rest day" and with only ten kilometres to get through, it made for a nice recharge before tackling the second toughest day of the track.
Get out there and experience it!
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