This iconic multi-day walk begins in the seaside town of Apollo Bay and takes you, via majestic forests, rugged cliff tops and wild beaches, to the stunning conclusion at the Twelve Apostles. While you can choose selected shorter sections as a taste of what the Great Ocean Walk has to offer, it is a special experience to complete the entire 100kms.
There are many options when undertaking this Walk. It’s possible to hike as part of a guided group, to organise drop-offs and pick-ups via a shuttle service each day or to be self-sufficient, using the hike-in campsites booked on the Parks Victoria website.
There are seven designated campsites along the route allowing for an eight-day walk. However, you can choose to shorten the number of days and just select the campsites where you wish to stop overnight. Below is one tried and tested option regularly hiked by a staff member from the Apollo Bay Visitor Information Centre. The rationale for this option is to avoid the campsites that are adjacent to drive-in sites, allowing for a quieter hike experience, but it does entail a couple of longer days of hiking.
An easy first day, allowing for a relaxed start and suitable for those people catching public transport to Apollo Bay as the V-Line bus arrives just after 1.00pm. Purchase your map from the Visitor Centre, take a memorable photo by the sculpture marking the start of the Walk and you’re on your way through town, following the Great Ocean Road past beautiful Mounts Bay to the hamlet of Marengo where you begin your off-road journey. The track is well-marked with brilliant views of the ocean so keep a lookout for whales during the season May-October. After using the stepping stones to cross Elliot River, you finish the day with a steady climb to the Elliot Ridge campsite. Expect to spot koalas high in the eucalypts and enjoy listening to their grunts and the squeals of the sugar gliders overnight!
This is a longer day, but relatively flat and easy walking. Begin with a long stroll through the magnificent tall trees of the Great Otway National Park, following wide fire trails and winding down towards the coast at Blanket Bay. This is a delightful, sheltered bay, usually suitable for a refreshing swim. It can also be an overnight camp if you choose. Pressing on you reach Parker Inlet after a pleasant walk through coastal forest with tantalising glimpses of the ocean below. It’s a steep and slow climb up to Parker Hill, rewarded by brilliant views back over the Inlet. Follow the coast past Crayfish Bay, probably the last safe swimming option along the Walk, getting your first sight of the historic Cape Otway Lightstation. The Walk crosses the Lightstation carpark, giving you the option of entering the precinct to learn more about the fascinating history of the Cape Otway light. The secluded Cape Otway hike-in campsite is just 500m further.
Another longer day with the option of stopping at the Aire River hike-in campsite after 10kms. Shortly after leaving camp the track passes the entrance to the tiny cemetery aligned with the Lightstation. It’s worth a wander through the site, reading the inscriptions on some of the gravestones which reflect the hardships of life in such a remote location. Before long you will be high on the cliffs above Station Beach with magnificent views of the rugged coastline still to come. The path winds its way down the sand dunes to meet Aire River, an ideal lunch stop overlooking the estuary or taking a seat in the hike-in camp shelter. The next section takes you through beautiful coastal forest to reach the lookout at Castle Cove, where you briefly meet the Great Ocean Road once again. As you hike towards Johanna Beach admire the stands of superb grass trees along both sides of the track. The final stretch today takes you along 2kms of Johanna Beach and includes a crossing of the Johanna River. Try to time this for low tide and search out the shallowest point for a safe crossing. The River crossing is usually very manageable, unless there has been a lot of rain combined with storm surges from the ocean. The hike-in campsite is poised on a hill overlooking the beach you have just traversed. You can expect magnificent sunsets and sunrises if the weather is clear. There are some brilliant campsites right on the edge of the hill and more sheltered options among the trees if preferred.
This is a shorter day, but the terrain makes up for the lack of kilometres! Getting an early start will guarantee sightings of mobs of kangaroos right by the track as you hike uphill to meet unsealed roads leading to the locked gate above Milanesia Beach. Say hello to the sea Captain sheltering in his upright boat as you stroll past! It can be a slippery slide down the rough track to Milanesia after any rainfall, so care is needed. Milanesia is a magical, wild beach which needs to be crossed to reach the path leading uphill towards the stunning hike to Ryans Den. The narrow track skirts around the steep gullies and hills and you’ll climb a long set of wooden stairs as a final test before reaching the campsite. Ryans Den has a fabulous lookout at the ocean end of the site where you can enjoy looking back as far as the Lightstation on a clear day and congratulate yourself on how far you have travelled. Keep an eye out for wildlife throughout the hike as koalas, kangaroos and wallabies abound. Echidnas, snakes and lizards are seen in the warmer weather. The birdlife is often heard, but elusive. If you are still and quiet at the campsites many of the wrens and robins will approach very closely.
Another day of beautiful and diverse landscapes and some challenging terrain. If the weather has been wet, care is needed on the steep descent soon after leaving Ryans Den as it becomes a slippery downhill slide. After some ups and downs you skirt farmland at Parkers Access Road and reach a very pretty stretch of sheltered forest in Moonlight Valley, leading to the headland and the Gables Lookout. This is well worth a short detour to see the view over the cliffs and back to Moonlight Head. Your next stop will be the junction above Wreck Beach where a decision needs to be made. You can take the steps down to the beach to visit the anchors of the shipwrecks Marie Gabrielle and Fiji, or you can continue the main Walk route towards Devils Kitchen. The tide needs to be low to reach the anchors and safely traverse the beach and rocky platforms beyond to meet the track leading up to the intersection with the main trail. You will then need to turn right to walk back to Devils Kitchen. The inland route is also very beautiful through eucalypt forest and stands of grass trees to reach the campsite. Devils Kitchen is the last designated campsite on the Great Ocean Walk and an ideal location to enjoy a final sunset from your clifftop perch.
The final hike is another day of contrasts in landscape, terrain and views. Leaving Devils Kitchen you make your way basically downhill close to the coastline with some impressive ocean views at times, passing the access point to beautiful Rivernook Beach and finally getting glimpses of the Gellibrand River ahead. Now there are some more sandy soils to traverse as you follow the river inland, passing Princetown Recreation Reserve and crossing the Gellibrand River bridge as you near the Great Ocean Road. The final stretch of the Great Ocean Walk takes you up and down over sand dunes with tantalising glimpses of the high cliffs along the coast as you near the Apostles. After Gibson Steps you are back in civilisation, approaching the Twelve Apostles carpark where you can end the hike out on the boardwalks viewing the rock stacks and the mighty Southern Ocean.
The Great Ocean Walk is a hike that offers diverse terrain, vegetation and wildlife and provides a different experience every time you walk, depending on the season and the unpredictable weather conditions. Enjoy!
This iconic multi-day walk begins in the seaside town of Apollo Bay and takes you, via majestic forests, rugged cliff tops and wild beaches, to the stunning conclusion at the Twelve Apostles. While you can choose selected shorter sections as a taste of what the Great Ocean Walk has to offer, it is a special experience to complete the entire 100kms.
There are many options when undertaking this Walk. It’s possible to hike as part of a guided group, to organise drop-offs and pick-ups via a shuttle service each day or to be self-sufficient, using the hike-in campsites booked on the Parks Victoria website.
Sign up to get the latest deals, tours & events along the Great Ocean Road
Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Great Ocean Road region the Wadawurrung, Eastern Maar & Gunditjmara. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We recognise and respect their unique cultural heritage and the connection to their traditional lands. We commit to building genuine and lasting partnerships that recognise, embrace and support the spirit of reconciliation, working towards self-determination, equity of outcomes and an equal voice for Australia’s first people.
