OBERON BAY
This is a great overnight hike to do with kids. It is 17km return and is not too strenuous. It is doable, even with younger children, as long as you don’t expect them to carry much. Our youngest was six when we did this, so kudos to her.
It was late January and thankfully not too hot. We stayed at Yanakie the night before, which is worth doing, then you can get an early start on the first day. The next morning we drove to Tidal River and parked our cars at the campground.
The trail starts inland through tea-tree scrub and then follows the coastline most of the way with superb ocean views.
Little Oberon Bay is a good place to take a break. It has large granite boulders and a beautiful beach. You can swim here, but the current is quite strong. It is safer to swim at Oberon Bay.
Finally we make it to Oberon Bay…….
…… and not a moment too soon.
Doing this hike in summer does have its ups and downs. It’s quite likely you’ll see snakes along the way – we saw three tiger snakes. There are horse flies at Little Oberon Bay, which like to bite, so take repellent. Thankfully neither of these were sighted near the campground at Oberon Bay. On the upside you can have a relaxing swim at the beach when you get there.
WHAT TO TAKE
You will need to carry everything in with you, all camping and cooking equipment, food, drinking water, sometimes the kids’ backpacks and occasionally a kid. That’s why I recommend you take a backpack like the one pictured here, then when the kids start shedding their packs you won’t have to look for yet another limb to hoist it onto, and if you need to, you can just toss the kid in there too.
CAMPGROUND FACILITIES
The camping area itself is really great. There are plenty of trees for shade (or climbing), and even a picnic table. There are also drop toilets nearby.
FOOD
The key here is to keep it simple. Hotdogs are definitely a crowd pleaser. Boil some water – throw in the dogs for 2 minutes – slap ‘em in a bun and you’re done. Don’t forget to take some tomato sauce or you’ll have a mutiny on your hands.
*There is a water tank at the campsite, but you will have to treat the water before drinking. Make sure to book a site through Parks Victoria.