Great Ocean Road Walk

Day 1 - Friday 26 March 2021

Melbourne - Blanket Bay (L,D)

Welcome to Sisterhood Womens Travel.  Our day starts with an early departure from Melbourne City as we head towards our starting point of Blanket Bay, not far from Apollo Bay along the beautiful Great Ocean Road with a coffee stop along the way.

Our beach side lunch stop and the start of this walk is a beautiful location at Blanket Bay.

Our first walking section then starts from Blanket Bay. The track meanders along the cliff tops and through coastal forests to the quiet haven of Parker Inlet. Expect to see black wallabies, echidnas, black cockatoos and rosellas along our route. We’ll slow the pace right down as we get to hear some fascinating stories and are shown various natural features that make the Cape and Otway Ranges unique. Leaving Parker Inlet we walk around the foreshore and along the beach (tide permitting) to see some of the shipwreck relics in this area.

Time permitting we continue walking along the coast to Crayfish Bay and then up on top of the sea cliffs and dunes through open terrain to the Cape Otway Lightstation. Built in 1848, it is Australia’s oldest continuously operating lighthouse and marks the entrance to Bass Strait. We will then be transferred by minibus to our accommodation at the edge of the Great Otway National Park. We stay in walker’s ensuite cabins surrounded by Manna gum forest and you’ll have frequent sightings of koalas, kookaburras and other native wildlife.

Walking distance - 7km

Overnight - ensuite cabins 

Day 2 - Saturday 27 March 2021

Aire River - Moonlight Head (B,L,D)

After a hearty local breakfast we will have an early start as we have a challenging walk ahead of us along the magnificent stretch of coast between Aire River and Moonlight Head. If sea conditions allow we walk a few kilometres along a wild stretch of Station Beach before ascending back up to the escarpment to walk along a narrow coastal path overlooking Station Beach. The path winds along the cliff tops and wind-sculpted sand dunes before descending to the beautiful Aire River estuary and surrounding wetlands.

Castle Cove is a beautiful beach surrounded by towering cliffs which have high archaeological significance, 

Continuing on from Castle Cove we encounter some of the most spectacular coastal views of the entire walk. The track winds its way along the cliff tops, through heathland and forests, occasionally emerging to give breathtaking and extensive views along the coast. The forest here is an interesting mixture of grass trees and manna gums. Eventually we emerge onto the broad expanse of Johanna Beach which rates amongst the best in Australia for its views and crashing surf.

We descend into one of the coastlines hidden treasures and one of the weekend’s highlights; Milanesia Beach. It is an isolated and hidden beach that receives few visitors and is all the more special for it. From here the walk continues along the spectacular high sea cliffs to Ryans den with breathtaking views all the way back to Cape Otway and west towards Cape Volney. We finish our day walking into the evocatively named Moonlight Head before heading back to our accommodation for a well earned rest.

THE ABOVE ITINERARY MAY VARY DUE TO WEATHER AND TIDES.

Walking distance - 25km 

Overnight -  ensuite cabins

Day 3 - Sunday 28 March 2021

Wreck Beach - Gibsons Steps and Twelve Apostles (B,L)

This morning we set off on our final day of the Great Ocean Walk from Wreck Beach, where at low tide we can descend and see the anchors of two of the many shipwrecks that lie submerged along this coast. Our guide will relate the stories of the shipwrecked Fiji and Marie Gabrielle.

Passing the Devils Kitchen we follow a track that hugs the wild coastal cliffs towards Princetown and the Twelve Apostle Marine Park. The wetlands of the Gellibrand River, near our lunch stop, support a wide variety of birdlife and is a significant wetland habitat.

After lunch we embark on the last section of the Great Ocean Walk, which although quite short, presents us with tantalising glimpses of the Twelve Apostles as we approach the viewing platform near Gibson Steps. Time permitting we can descend the stone staircase down the cliff face. From here we will have a unique view of the amazing rock platforms of Gog and Mgog from the beach at Gibson Steps

After a brief stop at the Twelve Apostles Visitor Centre we commence our journey back to Melbourne by minivan, stopping for dinner (not included) en route at Colac arriving later in the evening.

Walking distance - 16km