Great South West Walk: Springs to Trewalla (Petrified Forest & Seal Colony)

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A point-to-point section of the multi-day Great South West Walk between the Springs and Trewalla camping areas, documented on parks.vic.gov.au as taking in Victoria's highest coastal cliffs above the Southern Ocean, the Petrified Forest rock formations, and the Cape Bridgewater fur seal colony.

☰ Trail details

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Distance

52.8 km

Est. time

12 hr 53 min

Elevation gain

109 m

Route type

Point to point

Steepest stretch: +20m over ~300m (around the 1.0km mark)

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In an emergency

Call 000 for police, fire or ambulance — Australia's emergency number works even with a weak signal, and without a SIM if any carrier has coverage.

You're in Discovery Bay Coastal Park, Portland, VIC. Mobile reception in this area is not guaranteed — this is exactly why the offline map and GPS position on this page work without signal.

Tell someone your plan and expected return time before you set off. A PLB is the most reliable backup where there's no reception at all.

Tracks & plans

+ Add to tracks / plans

Species to look for on this trail

Ancient trees and rare flora confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Coast Banksia

Banksia integrifolia

Coastal flagship species▾

Coastal flagship species

One of the four original Banksia species collected by Sir Joseph Banks in 1770, and the dominant flowering tree along much of the Victorian coast. Flowers year-round with a peak in autumn, making it a reliable food source for honeyeaters and other nectar-feeders.

How to spot it

A gnarled, often wind-sculpted tree to 25m with rough grey bark and dark green leaves that flash silvery-white on their undersides in the wind. Pale yellow cylindrical flower spikes 10-12cm tall stand upright at branch tips. Common on the dunes and headlands of Wilsons Promontory, Cape Conran, Croajingolong, Discovery Bay and the Mornington Peninsula.

Family Proteaceae · Source: Wikipedia: Banksia integrifolia

Photo: Krzysztof Golik (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia Commons

Wildlife you might see on this trail

Animals confirmed in this park. Spot one? Add it as a sighting pin below.

Wandering Albatross

Diomedea exulans

Critically Endangered — AUS: Vulnerable, NSW: Endangered, QLD: Vulnerable, VIC: Critically Endangered, TAS: Endangered, SA: Vulnerable, WA: Vulnerable, Bonn: Listed▾

Critically Endangered — AUS: Vulnerable, NSW: Endangered, QLD: Vulnerable, VIC: Critically Endangered, TAS: Endangered, SA: Vulnerable, WA: Vulnerable, Bonn: Listed

The snowy albatross, also known as the wandering albatross, white-winged albatross, or goonie, is a large seabird from the family Diomedeidae; they have a circumpolar range in the Southern Ocean. It is the largest species of albatross and was long considered to be the same species as the Tristan albatross and the Antipodean albatross. Together with the Amsterdam albatross, it forms the wandering albatross species complex, which some began referring to more recently as "snowy".

How to spot it

Real occurrence confirmed near Discovery Bay Coastal Park (Atlas of Living Australia, date unrecorded) — no separate physical description was available on Wikipedia for this species, see the source link for more.

Family Diomedeidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Wandering Albatross

Light-Mantled Sooty Albatross

Phoebetria palpebrata

Critically Endangered — VIC: Critically Endangered, TAS: Vulnerable, SA: Vulnerable, WA: Near-Threatened, Bonn: Listed▾

Critically Endangered — VIC: Critically Endangered, TAS: Vulnerable, SA: Vulnerable, WA: Near-Threatened, Bonn: Listed

The light-mantled albatross, also known as the grey-mantled albatross or the light-mantled sooty albatross, is a small albatross in the genus Phoebetria, which it shares with the sooty albatross. The light-mantled albatross was first described as Phoebetria palpebrata by Johann Reinhold Forster, in 1785, based on a specimen from south of the Cape of Good Hope.

How to spot it

The light-mantled albatross is largely sooty-brown or blackish, darker on the head, with paler upperparts from the nape to the upper tail-coverts which are grey to light grey, the palest on the mantle and back. The plumage has been described as being similar in appearance to the colouring of a Siamese cat.

Family Diomedeidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Phoebetria palpebrata

Common Bearded Dragon

Pogona barbata

Vulnerable — VIC: Vulnerable▾

Vulnerable — VIC: Vulnerable

The eastern bearded dragon, also known as common bearded dragon or simply bearded lizard, is an agamid lizard found in wooded parts of Australia. It is one of a group of species known commonly as bearded dragons. Other common names for this species include Jew lizard and frilly lizard, the latter being a confusion between this and another dragon, the frill-necked lizard. This species was originally described in 1829 by Georges Cuvier, who named it Amphibolurus barbatus.

How to spot it

P. barbata is one of the eight recognized species within the genus Pogona. Adult males can grow to about 60 cm (24 in) from the snout to the tip of the tail, while females may reach 50 cm (20 in) in overall length. The head is large and triangular in shape. The throat is covered with spiny, dark grey scales which can be raised to form an impressive "beard". Several groups of even longer spiny scales are located at the back of the head, the corners of the mouth, the external ear openings, and run

Family Agamidae · Source: Atlas of Living Australia + Wikipedia: Pogona barbata

Photo via iNaturalist Australia (CC-BY-NC 4.0 (Int)), collected by warren cameron

Orange-bellied Parrot

Neophema chrysogaster

Critically Endangered (EPBC Act)▾

Critically Endangered (EPBC Act)

One of the world's rarest parrots, breeding only near Melaleuca in Tasmania's south-west before migrating across Bass Strait to winter on the Victorian and South Australian coast. The wild population fell to just 14 birds in 2017 but has since recovered to roughly 90 through an intensive captive-breeding program.

How to spot it

Bright grass-green upperparts, yellow underparts and a distinctive orange belly patch (duller in females), with a two-toned blue frontal band. Look for it feeding low in coastal dunes and saltmarsh in autumn and winter.

Family Psittaculidae · Source: Wikipedia: Orange-bellied parrot

JJ Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Hooded Plover

Thinornis cucullatus

Vulnerable (national); Critically Endangered in NSW▾

Vulnerable (national); Critically Endangered in NSW

A stocky beach-nesting shorebird whose population has almost halved since 2000, largely from nest disturbance by people, dogs and vehicles on ocean beaches. Discovery Bay Coastal Park is recognised as an Important Bird Area for the species.

How to spot it

Black hood and throat with a white collar, red bill with a black tip, red eye-ring and orange legs. Nests are simple scrapes in open sand above the tideline — give roped-off nesting areas a wide berth in spring and summer.

Family Charadriidae · Source: Wikipedia: Hooded plover

JJ Harrison, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Rufous Bristlebird

Dasyornis broadbenti

Near Threatened (Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act)▾

Near Threatened (Victoria, Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act)

A skulking coastal songbird found along a narrow strip of western Victoria and south-east SA; its western subspecies is already extinct. Discovery Bay Coastal Park is one of ten monitored Victorian sites where recovery actions are being carried out.

How to spot it

Rufous head and ear coverts, a dark brown mantle with a reddish wash, red-brown rump, and reddish eyes. Runs rather than flies through dense coastal scrub — listen for its loud, ringing call more than expecting a clear sighting.

Family Dasyornithidae · Source: Wikipedia: Rufous bristlebird

Ron Knight, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons