Story by Teneille
Into the Wilderness
Adventure in Glen Wills, High Country, VIC, AU
Now I can assure you – if you had told a group of 8 early twenties girls they were heading to a completely no service, (not even a landline,) wilderness retreat in advance, I probably wouldn’t have convinced even one of my friends to come along.
Now imagine those eight girls digesting the information they had no contact with the outside world… and being completely okay and not immediately packing up and going home!
We quickly discovered the beauty in being fully present in our surrounds. With the help and guidance of Gordan the owner of the retreat (affectionately nicknamed Gordy by the end of our trip), we triumphed over adventures like cutting our own firewood and tending to our fires to keep us warm in the winter chill.
Glen Wills Wilderness Retreat, as we learned, was built partially by Gordy himself, and one of the biggest highlights of our trip was being taken on a tour of his eco-house and woodworking studio complete with a grassed rooftop. It was at a gorgeous twelve-seater dining room table he’d crafted we had some of our best times eating big home cooked breakfasts and dinners together and playing games. The wilderness retreat has a warmth to it that’s much more than what comes from its wood fires!
Driving through the mountainous and winding roads leading into the nearest town Mitta Mitta left us in awe, stopping off along the way to explore the nearby rapids which we declared we’d come back to tackle by boat in summer. Mitta Mitta itself boasted more than we could ever expect-
Firstly, the cuisine at the Mitta Mitta Pub could rival many a Melbourne restaurant with vegan options to boot. Secondly, there’s a town dog called Sox who WILL greet you and demand attention and of course is too adorable to turn down. (Thirdly, Telstra does get reception here to update your loved ones you made it alive.)
The first day of our trip Gordan had mentioned to us the Glen Wills hiking trail – one I hadn’t heard of or come across despite my thorough online searching. We asked the intensity as none of the group were avid hikers and after Gordy mentioned it was “a hard walk but worth it,” we deemed that easy enough.
Now, saying it was a ‘hard walk’ definitely didn’t do the steep incline we trekked, enough justice. However as we climbed and discovered snow, stopping for snowball fights and finally reached the top to overlook mountain range after mountain range – it was the final and greatest triumph of our trip. We had survived no reception and tackled this mountain and left our mark forever in the guestbook at the top. A breathtaking finish to our wilderness adventures....
Now imagine those eight girls digesting the information they had no contact with the outside world… and being completely okay and not immediately packing up and going home!
We quickly discovered the beauty in being fully present in our surrounds. With the help and guidance of Gordan the owner of the retreat (affectionately nicknamed Gordy by the end of our trip), we triumphed over adventures like cutting our own firewood and tending to our fires to keep us warm in the winter chill.
Glen Wills Wilderness Retreat, as we learned, was built partially by Gordy himself, and one of the biggest highlights of our trip was being taken on a tour of his eco-house and woodworking studio complete with a grassed rooftop. It was at a gorgeous twelve-seater dining room table he’d crafted we had some of our best times eating big home cooked breakfasts and dinners together and playing games. The wilderness retreat has a warmth to it that’s much more than what comes from its wood fires!
Driving through the mountainous and winding roads leading into the nearest town Mitta Mitta left us in awe, stopping off along the way to explore the nearby rapids which we declared we’d come back to tackle by boat in summer. Mitta Mitta itself boasted more than we could ever expect-
Firstly, the cuisine at the Mitta Mitta Pub could rival many a Melbourne restaurant with vegan options to boot. Secondly, there’s a town dog called Sox who WILL greet you and demand attention and of course is too adorable to turn down. (Thirdly, Telstra does get reception here to update your loved ones you made it alive.)
The first day of our trip Gordan had mentioned to us the Glen Wills hiking trail – one I hadn’t heard of or come across despite my thorough online searching. We asked the intensity as none of the group were avid hikers and after Gordy mentioned it was “a hard walk but worth it,” we deemed that easy enough.
Now, saying it was a ‘hard walk’ definitely didn’t do the steep incline we trekked, enough justice. However as we climbed and discovered snow, stopping for snowball fights and finally reached the top to overlook mountain range after mountain range – it was the final and greatest triumph of our trip. We had survived no reception and tackled this mountain and left our mark forever in the guestbook at the top. A breathtaking finish to our wilderness adventures....
Things We Did
- River
- Experience
- Hike
- Mountain
- Food & Drink
Our Adventure Map
Where we stayed
Things we did
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