LAST Tuesday afternoon, a group of 12 hikers marched into the Tarragal campsite after coming over the top of Mount Richmond 200km through the Great South West Walk (GSWW), looking a lot fresher than might be expected.

They put down their day packs, sat down on their chairs (already set up) around the fire (already lit), picked up the kettle (already boiled), and made themselves a cup of tea.

Guided by experienced local Sarah Sharp, the other 11 are living in as much luxury as any bushwalker would ask for as participants in this year’s Friends of the Great South West Walk’s annual supported walk.

Among the group are three locals, a Queenslander visiting family in the area, and hiking enthusiasts from across the state including Barry Golding, who has a particularly strong connection with the walk.

He is the nephew of Bill Golding, who along with local ranger Alan (Sam) Bruton came up with the idea of making the track in 1980, and has spent much of his time since dedicated to building and maintaining it.

With some inspiration from Bill, Barry Golding was among the group in 1992 that established the Great Dividing Trail Network through central Victoria.

While Mr Golding has done several sections of the walk that his uncle dedicated so much time to, and canoe trips down the Glenelg River with his family, this was the first time he has taken on the full two-week stretch.

“It's extraordinarily beautiful, I've tapped into it a few times, just visiting sections of it but the opportunity to do it the whole thing end to end with this level of support from the Friends Group is quite stunning,” Mr Golding said.

“If your pay for this commercially, it would be four or five thousand dollars, but they do it as a fundraiser for $700.

“So it's affordable, and it's also very safe in the sense that we've got a backup vehicle and a (safety beacon).

Mr Golding had his 73rd birthday along the way, complete with a banksia adorned cake and campsite celebrations, and said one of the great features of the GSWW is that it is accessible not just to the young and strong.

“I did the (Tasmanian) South Coast walk into a busy week beforehand, and that involves carrying a pack a long way but this is like a walk in the park compared to it, especially with the support we have had.

“The organisers make it extraordinarily safe and enjoyable, it’s not like some walks that are route match, where you just walk from end to end, this one is actually through quite stunning landscapes.”

Mr Golding along with the rest of the group spoke about the “four parts of the symphony” of the walk, the stringybark forest along the Glenelg River,  the sand dunes and beaches of Discovery Bay, the coastal vegetation and heathland through Mount Richmond and the last stretch of wild ocean scenes around the Capes to Portland.

They heaped praise on Ms Sharp for her knowledge of the track, and the natural environment and local history that it sits in.

“They’re angels, these two,” said Jann Barkman, from Swan Hill.

Ms Barkman and a friend two years ago did a stretch of about half of the total length, but were not able to carry the full two weeks’ worth of food and equipment.

 “When we got back to the information centre, we saw an advertisement for this, so we put our names down straight away.

“It is really fantastic, it’s not luxurious but you are incredibly comfortable, and you can really enjoy the bushwalking carrying just a day pack.

 “And there are all kinds of treats and surprises, tea and coffee never runs out, we get fresh bread, there’s a camp shower to use, everything is here when we come in each afternoon.”

This is a significant year in the history of the Friends group’s main fundraiser, with stalwart Gordon Page handing over the reins of running the support vehicle and setting up camps to Ms Sharp’s husband Peter, but has kept a watchful eye on his successor.

“He still visits us at a few points along the way, and we’re sort of following the same plan and routine of Gordon's that he set up, that’s mostly just spoiling our walkers and making sure that the kettles are boiling to his high standards.

“It’s all gone well though, Pete hasn’t had any problems.”

Ms Sharp, who was on her 11th trip as the guide of the walk said it was very important to keep the walk going.

“It’s a great fundraiser for the Friends to maintain the walk, and it's also a great opportunity for so many people who wouldn't be able to do the whole walk.”

Spots fill up quickly when they go on sale, but Ms Sharp said people who sign up as an annual member get first dibs at joining the supported walk.