Great Ocean Walk ends with great meals

A couple of weeks ago I managed to complete the Great Ocean Walk from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles.

It was more rewarding and spectacular than I expected. I planned to walk the hundred kilometres in four days at a brisk, but certainly manageable pace.

My wife intended to accompany me each afternoon at our lodgings, the Aire River Guest House.

She was as excited at the prospect of a few days peace and quiet as I was about the walk. Unfortunately for her, family matters intervened, which left me by myself and having only three days in which to complete the trek.

So instead of walking a comfortable 25 kilometres each day, I walked 44, 35 and just more than 20 kilometres in successive days.

It was definitely achievable, but meant I had to push a little harder than I had anticipated. This manifested itself in a few more blisters and seriously sore feet at day’s end.

Even more appreciation, then, for the comfortable surrounds and wonderful food of the Aire River Guest House. The owner/chef/ waitress/raconteur/mother of two/and all-round hostess extraordinaire is Susie.

She could not have looked after me better.

Not only did she collect me from the end of each day’s hiking, but she would have refreshments, stories to tell, information to share and last but by no means least, prepare the most magnificent evening meal.

This was only outdone by the morning tea/lunch/afternoon snack hamper she would hand me at the start of the following day’s walk, which consisted of a beautiful salad, dates, nuts, fruit, cake and chocolate.

It was simply perfect. The meal at night was incredibly hearty, country cooking at its finest.

Local everything (mostly direct from the garden) and presented with conviviality and true warmth.

It reminded me of what I enjoy about working in the hospitality industry.

There is so much hard slog sometimes you lose sight of the rewards which most often come from the people you meet and the ability to connect through food and wine.

The first night I was the only guest and relished the pork fillet with caramalised pear and autumnal vegetables followed by a gorgeous clafoutis; one of my favourite desserts.

The next night there were other guests from Brisbane and we enjoyed falafel, perfectly cooked beef and a superb salad from the garden.

I know I should probably have described the towering rain forest, sparkling sea views and unique flora and fauna of the region, all of which I did experience, but these I was totally expecting.

To find a jewel such as the Guest House near the peaceful Aire River was an unanticipated revelation.

The following is a recipe for calamari I made after the walk. We were staying at a beach house with limited supplies, so I improvised to say the least. It turned out exquisitely.