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Length: 100km
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Duration: 8 days
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Grade: 2,3,4
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Style: One Way
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Start: Apollo Bay Visitor Centre
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End: Twelve Apostles
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Location: Otway National Park
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Closest Town: Apollo Bay
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Distance from CBD: 200km
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State: VIC
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Latitude: -38.7547232397
Longitude: 143.6693972535
Keep the Trail Access info current...
4WD Access
2WD Access
Public Transport
Bitumen Road
Select items to indicate conditions for access to the trail.
2WD Access
4WD Access
Public Transport
Bitumen Road
Gravel Road
Steep Road
Winding Road
Speed Bumps
Vehicle Ford
Entry Fee
Large Car Park
Small Car Park
Accessible Parking
Accessible Toilet
Public Toilets
Drinking Water
Untreated Water
Picnic Shelter
Picnic Table
BBQ Facilities
Campfire Pit
Camping Area
Keep the Trail Features current...
Rough Trail
Sandy Trail
Gravel Path
Timber Boardwalk
Concrete Path
Coast & Beach
Urban Walk
Historic Rail Trail
Historic Lighthouse
Waterfalls & Lakes
Rock Scrambling
River Crossings
Scenic Viewpoints
Overnight Campsites
Well Marked
Untreated Water
Select items to indicate features found along the trail.
Concrete Path
Timber Boardwalk
Gravel Path
Sandy Trail
Rough Trail
Undefined Trail
Prams & Strollers
Manual Wheelchair
Motorised Wheelchair
Bicycle Trail
Mountain Bike Trail
Historic Rail Trail
Dog Friendly
Urban Walk
Coast & Beach
Historic Lighthouse
Waterfalls & Lakes
Rainforest Walk
Goldfields & Mining
Heritage Walk
Aboriginal Art
Alpine Region
Alpine Huts
Exposed Ledges
Rock Scrambling
Steep Terrain
Bush Bashing
River Crossings
Scenic Viewpoints
Well Marked
Drinking Water
Untreated Water
Fishing Spots
Swimming Spots
Overnight Campsites
Trail Running
Horse Riding
The Great Ocean Walk is a 100km, mulit-grade, one way hike located in Otway National Park Victoria. The hike should take approximately 8 days to complete.
Summary
The Great Ocean Walk is a walking track, located 200 kilometres south-west of Melbourne, stretching approximately 100 kilometres from Apollo Bay to Glenample Homestead, located near The Twelve Apostles, Victoria.
The walk passes through the Otway National Park; with Parks Victoria providing seven hike-in camp-sites spaced at intervals of 10km to 15km along the track. Guided tours are offered by several operators, with the walk estimated to take approximately eight days to complete. All walkers are required to register with Parks Victoria, and must book for use of camp-sites.
The track hugs coastline which is not always visible from the Great Ocean Road; and traverses an area which hosts koalas, wallabies, echidnas, reptiles, bird species, snakes (including tiger, brown, and copperhead), ants, bees, European wasps and leeches. From June through September, whales can be spotted along the coastline. The track passes through several named areas; including Elliot Ridge, Blanket Bay, Cape Otway, Aire River, Johanna Beach, Ryans Den and Devils Kitchen.
The difficulty of the track increases along the walk; with the section between Apollo Bay and Cape Otway suitable for beginners, becoming more challenging when reaching the rugged terrain through Ryans Den. In addition, travellers need to note that sections of track can be dangerous or impassable at high tide.
Start from the resort town of Apollo Bay in the east and finish at the iconic Twelve Apostles near Princetown in the west. For a shorter walk you can step on and off the trail with convenience at car parks that link back to the Great Ocean Road.
Frequently asked questions for the walk are available here.(PDF)
The official Information Guide and Map to the Great Ocean Walk can be purchased from the Great Ocean Road Apollo Bay Visitor Information Centre in person or over the phone on 1300 689 297.
If you prefer to opt for comfort with accommodation nearby, visit www.visitgreatoceanroad.org.au/greatoceanwalk/walk-accommodation for details.
Walking Distances
| Starting Point | Finishing Point | Distance* | Approx Time^ | Grade |
| Apollo Bay Visitor Centre | Elliot Ridge Campground | 10km | 3hrs 30mins | 3 (Moderate) |
| Elliot Ridge Camp Ground | Blanket Bay Camp Ground | 12km | 4hrs 30mins | 2 (Easy) |
| Blanket Bay Camp Ground | Cape Otway Campground | 11km | 3hrs 45mins | 2-3 (Easy to Moderate) |
| Cape Otway Campground | Aire River Campground | 10km | 3hrs 15mins | 3 (Moderate) |
| Aire River Campground | Johanna Beach Campground | 14km | 5hrs 15mins | 3 (Moderate) |
| Johanna Beach Campground | Ryans Den Campground | 14km | 5hrs | 3-4 (Moderate to Hard) |
| Ryans Den Campground | Devils Kitchen Campground | 13km | 5hr 15mins | 3-4 (Moderate to Hard) |
| Devils Kitchen Campground | Twelve Apostles | 16km | 5hrs 15mins | 2-3 (Easy to Moderate) |
* Distances have been rounded up or down to nearest half kilometre.
^ Note that these times reflect a walking pace of around approximately 3 km per hour.
Hiker Camp Bookings
There are hike-in campsites at seven locations along the walk including Elliott Ridge, Blanket Bay, Cape Otway, Aire River, Johanna Beach, Ryans Den and Devils Kitchen. Each of the seven campgrounds has 8 campsites suitable for up to 3 people (1 x tent) per site. Book hiker camps.
Schools, Licensed Tour Operators and community groups
Small group camping areas are available at four of the seven campgrounds including Elliott Ridge, Blanket Bay, Cape Otway, Aire River. Each of the four locations has 6 campsites, suitable for up to 3 people (1 x tent) per site. Book small group camping.
Weather Condition Caution
You must be absolutely sure of tide, wave swell and river levels following high rainfall events on the walk. Visit the Bureau of Meteorology at www.bom.gov.au/marine/ to check severe weather event predictions. Beach, coastal walking and un-bridged river crossings should ONLY be attempted during low-tide, calm-sea and low water-level conditions. You may need to wait or turn back. www.bom.gov.au/marine/
Main Trail
Max elevation: 276 m
Min elevation: 1 m
Total climbing: 3331 m
Total descent: -3278 m
With Sections on Beach
Max elevation: 276 m
Min elevation: 1 m
Total climbing: 3379 m
Total descent: -3326 m
References
Parks Victoria website for Great Ocean Walk
18 thoughts on “The Great Ocean Walk (100km)”
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Hi Guys. Just letting you know the Great Ocean Walk is now 104 kilometres in length. This new website on the Great Ocean Walk is very detailed. http://www.thegreatoceanwalk.com
Thank you for letting me know. I have updated the page and have added a link to your website. Please let me know if any additional info needs updating. I love your site by the way. very clean, fresh and informative. Cheers, Darren
Cheers
Hi. Just wanting to know how old is this site is as some of the GOW information on it is inaccurate and some has not been updated in at least 8 years ? Cheers.
Hi Alan. The site is only around two years old. If you have updated information I would appreciate if you can share this so that I can update the information.
A lot of the information on this site is from my personal experiences and I only update it once I, or other people, have hiked the trail and provide updated info.
Tessa Pacitti Kate Hurse
Zara Fitzgerald Jessica Yuan
You know it!
Warren Steve Nick
Yes.
Warren Steve Nick
Yes.
Very interested
Keen!
Sounds awesome
My daughter and I did this walk last December. A wonderful week.
Did this walk the week before Christmas and managed to pick the hottest week on record in the region and record breaking heat across all of Aus – Go Me!! A few early starts up with the sun to make sure I was done before 10am and luckily I had nearby accommodation with aircon. I honestly doubt I could have finished had I been camping and carrying all my gear.
While officially the walk is now 104km I only managed to clock up 100.8km, makybe taking the beach option where I could was the shorter one, it certainly is at Wreck Beach which I wouldn’t have missed, one of my favourite parts.
I walked solo most days and found the solitude refreshing, it was almost a disappointment as I passed through The Gables and found my last couple of kilometres where in tourist central.
For the most part the trail was very well matked and signposted, there were only a couple of occasions I had to pull the map out to make sure I was on the right track, need to keep a keen eye out when on the beaches to make sure you don’t miss the exit points, at the exit of Wreck Beach someone has built a small cairn which is more noticable than the official sign which is partially hidden.
Love the water stop on Milanesia track and bought myself a jar of home made marmalade (yum).
Best day for me by far was the walk from the gate above Milanesia Beach through to Parkers Access track – hardest day by far but wow the views are worth it. This was also the hottest so got to see the sun rise and snapped my favourite pic of the whole walk, would share it but no way to upload.
Beatiful walk and a great experience, now to plan my next one ……..