Bushwalk Australia

My partner is not an avid bushwalker but he joined me for the 3 Capes recently and enjoyed it. Can anyone recommend similar difficulty grade 2-4 night walks in VIC? No more than $500
Per head.. Incan only find the Grampians Peak Trail 2 night guided walks and to utilise the cabins looks like a whopping $1800 per person

Not Victoria, but NSW has just opened the new Murramarang walk. You could walk essentially free just pay for bus return and camp sites.

As an aside, what gives with these walks that cost so much $$$$$?

Hi, I'm not familiar with 3 capes.
A quick search showed "assisted" 4 day trips, where you carry a day pack, and stay in huts/cabins with your sleeping gear and food for stay taken care of.
Is that the kind of thing you're looking for?
Guided walks are expensive, you're paying a for profit organization to provide someone with suitable (I guess) certification/experience and insurance, plus food, and maybe extra goodies.

If you do your own logistics (get yourself from A to B, carry gear, planning) you can do it for the price of the campsites.
There is a circuit on the GPT you can do Halls Gap to Bugiga via the Pinacle day 1. Bugiga to Burrough Huts via Mt Rosea day 2 and return to Halls Gap day 3 via the eastern side of Lake Bellfield.
That would only cost the campsite fees (which are expensive, probably around $100).
It does have the downside that it is steep in places, and with a heavy pack on it, might be a bit of an ask.

The Great Ocean Walk might be possible.
It's a point to point walk (I've not done it, so this may not be most accurate - so investigate for yourself), but I believe at several points on the way you can catch the bus that travels between Apollo bay and Port Campbell.
So, you can start drive your car to a place, catch bus back to another place and walk back to your car. Or start walking from your car, go for a few days, then catch bus back to car.
There are camping sites that you pay for along the way. You just need to carry your own gear and food an it would be not too expensive. (There are also paid supported or assisted walks on the GOW, but again, your paying someone else to do the work, and provide food/camp logistices, so $$$).

Anything guided and/or involving private huts is going to be expensive. By all accounts the guides themselves don't see a lot of the money, but PI insurance and building/maintaining compliant private infrastructure on Parks land is increasingly pricey. For better or worse the 'high end' of the tourism market is often the most profitable sector and are happy to pay up for these kinds of 'unique experiences'. Unfortunately it means that's where most of the attention and funding seems to go these days - both private and increasingly public.

The Three Capes Track actually offers quite a lot of value for $500 - boat ride, bus transfer, very fancy accommodation with almost everything you need - but again, for many people even that's more than they can afford. As someone who grew up in a family where "holiday" meant "free camping somewhere" because that's all the budget allowed, it's a rather sad state of affairs.

sandym wrote:As an aside, what gives with these walks that cost so much $$$$$?

The privatisation of public space.
Public funds are directed to projects that will be run by private for profit business to offer glamping, or "value-added" adventures for those who can't or don't want to do the work of carrying a pack, setting up, organising food.
It could be done much cheaper, which same or better quality, by a body like Parks Vic, but that would then not be "business friendly" or "nature positive".
Whoops, my argumentitive, political side is showing.

Thanks for the feedback all

There is a shuttle service available on the GOW as well. All of the campsites have a 3-sided shelter where you can hang out and cook meals etc. plus a toilet and water tank/s.