Coles Track – Point Nepean NP – Born To Travel Australia

When at home and not travelling I volunteer once at week at the local Visitor Information Centre in Dromana. Before covid19 hit we had an associated walking group who would take a walk together once a month somewhere on the Mornington Peninsula. This enabled us to give accurate advice to visitors who came into the Visitor Information Centre who wanted to walk somewhere on the Peninsula. In the past I have posted some of these Mornington Peninsula walks on a previous blog. Posts about Victoria’s Great Ocean Walk can also be found there –

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Here’s another one walk – this time it’s the Coles Track down in Port Nepean National Park.

When you arrive at Point Nepean NP you drive in about a kilometre to the Information Centre and nearby Quarantine Station, which is no longer used. We headed off down what was a fairly wide sealed track in the beginning.To our left were some of the old quarantine station buildings.We had only walked about another minute when we spotted some of the local wildlife also to our left.As we came closer to Observation Point we spotted the Searoad Ferry crossing over the bottom of the bay from Sorrento to Queenscliff.By now the path had narrowed and we were walking on a gravel path through the bush.The track continued until reaching Cheviot Hill near the main sealed road, Defence Road. Here we began our return. Along the way we had the option to divert back via the Gunner’s Cottage but this would have meant walking on Defence Road a lot after the cottage so we returned the same way. Part way along we noted a large number of beehives in an open area to our right. As there weren’t many trees/shrubs in bloom, not sure where they would have been foraging.When the quarantine station buildings came into view we knew were nearly back at our starting point.Our return walk had taken about an hour and a half, including time for photo stops. Near the end of the track we checked out the Ticonderoga monument. It was erected in 2002 by Nepean Historical Society to mark where the original Quarantine Station cemetery was situated. The Ticonderoga was an ill-fated American clipper that arrived at Port Phillip in 1852, carrying passengers from Liverpool. During the journey 100 immigrants had died from typhus fever. Whilst quarantined a further 70 deaths occurred. Many were buried in this area.

Here’s a map of the Coles Track. The track is marked in red.After all our group had returned we drove back into Portsea and had a cuppa at the Portsea Hotel where we could admire another lovely view.