Great Ocean Walk
Guided Walking Holiday
APOLLO BAY | SHELLEY BEACH | PARKER HILL | CASTLE COVE | MILANESIA BEACH | THE GABLES | GIBSON STEPS | TWELVE APOSTLES
One of Victoria’s most iconic walks, the Great Ocean Walk meanders through spectacular national parks full of tall forests, coastal heathlands, wild rocky shores, river estuaries and windswept cliff -tops presenting amazing coastal views. By walking the 104 km Great Ocean Walk as a series of day walks in graded stages, people with a moderate level of fitness can complete the walk.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Take a helicopter flight over the amazing Twelve Apostles
- Look for koalas, wallabies and other wildlife along the way
- Milanesia beach, unknown, private and secluded
- The Gables lookout, perched on the highest sea cliffs in mainland Australia
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Your Itinerary
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Day 1
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Day 2
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Day 3
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Day 4
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Day 5
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Day 6
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Day 7
Day 1 : Apollo Bay to Shelly Beach (8km walk)
Depart Melbourne at 8am, heading for the spectacular Great Ocean Road and Apollo Bay – the start of the Great Ocean Walk. The walk today is relatively easy with some short sections of beach walking and a few hills. Keep an eye out for Koalas near Shelly beach, from where you transfer by minibus to Cape Otway Lightstation.
Day 2 : Shelly Beach to Parker Hill (21km walk)
Today the walk starts off by heading away from the coast and into towering forest of Mountain Ash, a characteristic feature of this part of the Great Otway National Park. There are a few hills to negotiate before re-joining the coast at Blanket Bay. After a picnic lunch continue along cliff tops and through coastal forests to Parker Inlet. Look out for black wallabies, echidnas, black cockatoos and other wildlife along the way. We end your walk at the top of Parker Hill.
Day 3 : Parker Hill to Castle Cove (23km walk)
The path this morning will take you inland towards the Cape Otway Lightstation, through wind sculpted landscapes of sand dunes, coastal scrubland and magnificent calcified cliff s. Enjoy fantastic views down to the estuary where the Aire River meets the Southern Ocean and Glenaire Beach. We end the day at Castle Cove lookout, surrounded by towering cliffs.
Day 4 : Castle Cove to Milanesia Beach (17km walk)
A varied day today, walking from Castle Cove along cliff tops, through heath-lands and forests, occasionally emerging to give breathtaking coastal views. Watch for Peregrine Falcons along this section. At Johanna Beach walk along one of Australia’s best beaches with superb views and enormous crashing surf, then the path heads through rolling hills inland, where you can expect to see Eastern Grey Kangaroos, towards Milanesia Gate.
Day 5 : Milanesia Beach to the Gables (16km walk)
The first highlight today is secret and secluded Milanesia Beach. The track then alternates between farmland and isolated beach and sea cliffs to reach Ryan’s Den for breathtaking views all the way back to Cape Otway and west to Cape Volney. Continue through coastal forests over Cape Volney and a steep climb up to Moonlight Head where the track dips down into a valley leading to The Gables Lookout, perched on one of the highest sea cliffs in mainland Australia.
Day 6 : Gables to Gibson Steps (18km walk)
From the Gables head to Wreck Beach where at low tide you can see the anchors of two of the many shipwrecks that lie submerged along this coast. The high tide route hugs the wild coastal cliff s towards Princetown. A pleasant walk through coastal scrub and escarpment will start to reveal stunning views of the looming Apostles. End the day at Gibson’s steps, taking in the eastern Apostles from sea level for a unique perspective.
Day 7 : Gibson Steps to Twelve Apostles (1km walk)
It’s a short walk to the Twelve Apostles and a 15 minute helicopter flight to see the spectacular coastline and the Twelve Apostles from the air. Stop at Loch Ard Gorge and the quaint coastal town of Port Campbell before returning to Melbourne by late afternoon.
