Great Ocean Walk

The Great Ocean Walk is a 110-kilometre coastal trail in southern Victoria, running from the seaside town of Apollo Bay west to the Twelve Apostles, the celebrated limestone sea stacks of the Port Campbell coast. It follows the shoreline of the Great Otway and Port Campbell national parks, shadowing but rarely touching the famous Great Ocean Road.

Walkers usually take six to eight days, though the trail is designed so that day walkers and shorter itineraries can join and leave at multiple access points. The route alternates between clifftop heath, tall eucalypt forest, sheltered coves and long wild beaches. Wildlife is a highlight: koalas in the manna gums near Apollo Bay, fur seals hauled out on offshore rocks, and southern right whales passing close to shore in season.

Difficulty is moderate. Gradients are manageable, but soft sand, tidal sections and exposed clifftops demand attention, and some beach stretches are passable only at low tide. Designated hike-in campsites space the route, and walkers must book these in advance, though many use nearby lodges and shuttle transfers instead. The walk runs strictly one way, east to west, ending at the Apostles.

The best season is spring to autumn, roughly September to April, with whale-watching strongest in winter and early spring. Weather off the Southern Ocean is changeable in any month, bringing wind, rain and sudden cold, so layered clothing is essential. Finishing at dawn or dusk beneath the Twelve Apostles, with the surf hammering the ochre cliffs, gives the walk one of the most striking endings on the Australian coast.