Day trip to Cape Woolamai

Requirements: General fitness, no bushwalking experience required.

I’ve been looking to go bushwalking on Philip Island for quite some time and from the information available online, Cape Woolamai sounds like the perfect day trip! "Walk along the sheer cliff tops of Phillip Island's most southerly point and be rewarded with superb panoramas of the island. Cape Woolamai is the highest point on Phillip Island and is also the largest shearwater rookery (mutton birds). Watch the daring surfers in action down on nearby Woolamai Surf Beach and keep an eye out for the burrows of the short-tailed shearwaters.” Dependent on weather, the exact route may be subject to change but we will most likely be doing the circuit track of 8 km. However, there is an option of dividing it into smaller circuit walks if we like. Walking the Cape Woolamai Circuit is estimated to take roughly 4 hours. The grade is level 2, which means only gentle hill section(s) and the pace will be relaxed, making this walk suitable for beginners. We will leave the MUMC club rooms relatively early Saturday morning, expecting to return to the city around 6 pm. Everyone is expected to bring a day pack with packed lunch and plenty of snacks - you get hungry on a hike, as well as 2-3 liters of water (also dependent on how much you drink and if it’s sunny and warm you will definitely need it!), sunscreen, good walking shoes, warm clothes and possibly rain jacket. And don’t forget to bring cash for car costs and petrol. It is a bit of a drive - probably 1 hour and 40 minutes to get there. Most important of all, make sure you attend the trip meeting on Tuesday the 23rd if you want to come along to the trip. The number of people who can come is limited by the number of cars, but a maximum of 20 is reasonable for this type of walk.