Located in the Mornington Peninsula of Victoria, the Bushrangers Bay and Cape Schanck trail is a fantastic day hike suitable for walkers of all abilities.
A History Lesson
Bushrangers Bay gets its name from two bushrangers – Henry Bradley and Patrick O’Connor – who landed near Cape Schanck on September 19th, 1853, and were rowed to shore to the place now known as Bushrangers Bay.
The Trail
Starting from the car park on Boneo Road, the trail itself is quite an easy one with very few obstacles to navigate and is wide enough for people to walk side-by-side.
This particular trail also forms part of the popular 28km Two Bays Walking Track in the Mornington Peninsula.
At the 2.5km mark, there is the option of continuing on the trail to Cape Schanck or taking a side trip down to Bushrangers Bay.
The stairs to the bottom are somewhat steep but very soon you come out into the bay and right onto the shore.
There is an option you can take to the nearby Elephant Rock where I am led to believe you can climb to the top. However, a deep stream was preventing us from crossing over.
The rock pools by the beach at Bushrangers Bay are really nice to explore during low tide as you can make your way easily across them and around Elephant Rock.
Take the stairs back to the t-intersection and continue on to the Cape Schanck car park.
There are several trails sprouting off from the car park, but we decided to take the boardwalk down to the rocks by the beach.
You get some great views of the ocean here, and despite the wind, it really was a great place to stop and have some lunch.
I think what I really liked about this walk was how green the area is and the views of the ocean. I also really loved exploring the various rock pools in Bushrangers Bay.
Furthermore, despite walking through an area somewhat crowded with trees, you are still able to get a good view of the ocean even before you reach the t-intersection or Cape Schanck.
I would recommend the Bushrangers Bay and Cape Schanck Trail for hikers of all abilities and even those who wish to bring their children along.
As always, if you would like to follow the trail I recorded, download it here via my WikiLoca account.
The Stats – Bushrangers Bay and Cape Schanck Trail
Length (km): 12.7km (according to WikiLoc)
Time: 3hr 15 mins (3hr 3 mins moving time)
Average Speed: 3.91 km/h
Difficulty: Easy
Maximum Elevation: 101m
Accum. elev. uphill: 205m
Accum. elev. downhill: 205m
Return/Circuit/One Way: Return
Location: Cape Schanck
