Eight days along the Otway coast from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles, east to west, camp to camp at the seven hike-in campgrounds you book night by night.
Best season: All year, booked night by night. The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority (GORCAPA), which runs the walk since 1 July 2026, publishes no seasonal closure: the campgrounds are booked up to 12 months ahead, and the summer peak (18 December to 28 February) opens for booking on its own day. Rain and rough seas can close the unbridged river crossings; in the fire season, check the fire danger and Total Fire Ban days. Whales pass from July to September. Before you go
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Plan your days
Your dates
Checking the seasons, closures and current conditions for today…
Eight sections from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles, each ending at a hike-in campground; you book each night separately, and the plan follows your bookings.
8-day plan
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Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%)
Each day in its own colour, numbered where it starts; the rest of the Great Ocean Walk in grey. Select a day for its elevation and 3D flyover.
Make your own plan
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Choose your nights (7 nights)
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
3 h 30Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority time; our estimate 2 h 39
Stage 1: From the Apollo Bay Visitor Centre past Marengo, along the sand towards the Elliot River, which has no bridge (heavy rain, a rough sea or a high tide can make it hard or impossible), then up the Elliot River Track to the campground on the ridge: about 10 km, 3 hours 30 minutes.
Overnight
Elliot Ridge
Camping spot · Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority
24 places in total Eight tent sites of about 3.5 by 3.5 m, up to 3 people each, and a group area of six sites for up to 18; a three-sided shelter with a table; two untreated rainwater tanks, water not guaranteed: carry enough; two composting toilets. No campfires.
Booking
Book onlineBooking is compulsory and is your permit to camp: book each night and each campground separately on GORCAPA's booking site, up to 12 months ahead; the summer peak (18 December to the end of February) opens on its own day: for 2027/28 at 10am on Wednesday 10 February 2027, and from then on the second Wednesday of February. Pay in full when you book; 100% refund 30 or more days before, 50% from 8 to 29 days, none within 7. Up to 3 people per site. No price is printed on GORCAPA's pages.
On a sheltered ridge top in tall eucalypt forest, above the Elliot River.
4 h 30Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority time; our estimate 2 h 50
Stage 2: Inland through tall forest and fern gullies, down to Blanket Bay: one of the shorter, more sheltered sections, about 12 km and 4 hours 30 minutes.
Overnight
Blanket Bay
Camping spot · Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority
24 places in total Eight tent sites of about 3.5 by 3.5 m, up to 3 people each, and a group area of six sites for up to 18; a three-sided shelter with a table; one untreated rainwater tank, water not guaranteed: carry enough; no toilet of its own: use the car-based campground about 50 m away, which has toilets and more untreated rainwater. No campfires.
Booking
Book onlineBooking is compulsory and is your permit to camp: book each night and each campground separately on GORCAPA's booking site, up to 12 months ahead; the summer peak (18 December to the end of February) opens on its own day: for 2027/28 at 10am on Wednesday 10 February 2027, and from then on the second Wednesday of February. Pay in full when you book; 100% refund 30 or more days before, 50% from 8 to 29 days, none within 7. Up to 3 people per site. No price is printed on GORCAPA's pages.
In coastal woodland facing a sheltered bay, about 50 m from the car-based Blanket Bay campground.
3 h 45Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority time; our estimate 2 h 44
Stage 3: Through coastal forest by Parker Inlet (no bridge) and the rock pools of Crayfish Bay to Cape Otway: about 11 km, 3 hours 45 minutes. The lightstation cafe is about 600 m from the campground (open Friday to Tuesday, its operator says; entry fees apply); the lighthouse tower is closed for works until about the end of 2026.
Overnight
Cape Otway
Camping spot · Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority
24 places in total Eight tent sites of about 3.5 by 3.5 m, up to 3 people each, and a group area of six sites for up to 18; a three-sided shelter with a table; two untreated rainwater tanks, water not guaranteed: carry enough; two composting toilets. No campfires.
Booking
Book onlineBooking is compulsory and is your permit to camp: book each night and each campground separately on GORCAPA's booking site, up to 12 months ahead; the summer peak (18 December to the end of February) opens on its own day: for 2027/28 at 10am on Wednesday 10 February 2027, and from then on the second Wednesday of February. Pay in full when you book; 100% refund 30 or more days before, 50% from 8 to 29 days, none within 7. Up to 3 people per site. No price is printed on GORCAPA's pages.
In coastal woodland about 600 m from the Cape Otway Lightstation, whose cafe sells light meals in its opening hours (Friday to Tuesday, its operator says; entry fees apply). The lighthouse tower is closed for works until about the end of 2026.
3 h 15Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority time; our estimate 2 h 11
Stage 4: Over dunes and calcified cliffs above Station Beach (the line here keeps to the main trail; the beach is an option) to the Aire River, with a side trip to Rainbow Falls: about 10 km, 3 hours 15 minutes.
Overnight
Aire River
Camping spot · Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority
18 places in total Six tent sites of about 3.5 by 3.5 m, up to 3 people each, and a group area of six sites for up to 18; a three-sided shelter with a table; one untreated rainwater tank, water not guaranteed: carry enough; no toilet of its own: use the car-based campground nearby, which has toilets and more untreated rainwater. No campfires.
Booking
Book onlineBooking is compulsory and is your permit to camp: book each night and each campground separately on GORCAPA's booking site, up to 12 months ahead; the summer peak (18 December to the end of February) opens on its own day: for 2027/28 at 10am on Wednesday 10 February 2027, and from then on the second Wednesday of February. Pay in full when you book; 100% refund 30 or more days before, 50% from 8 to 29 days, none within 7. Up to 3 people per site. No price is printed on GORCAPA's pages.
Above the Aire River. Its toilets are at the car-based campground nearby: Aire River East is closed until 30 October 2026, and at Aire River West sites 17 to 23 are closed until 29 September and 24 to 40 until 30 October. Which toilets stay open for walkers meanwhile is not published.
5 h 15Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority time; our estimate 3 h 22
Johanna Beach and the Johanna River (stage 5, km 10.4): About 2 km on the beach with no inland way round, and the Johanna River to cross without a bridge: generally passable at a normal tide in calm weather. Heavy rain, a rough sea or a high tide can make the crossing hard or impossible; the beach is not patrolled.
Stage 5: Over coastal heath and cliffs to Johanna Beach, more exposed: check the conditions before you set out. About 2 km on the beach with no inland way round, and the Johanna River to cross without a bridge; Hooded Plovers nest above the high-tide mark. About 14 km, 5 hours 15 minutes.
Overnight
Johanna Beach
Camping spot · Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority
24 places in total Eight tent sites of about 3.5 by 3.5 m, up to 3 people each; a three-sided shelter with a table; two untreated rainwater tanks, water not guaranteed: carry enough; two composting toilets. No campfires.
Booking
Book onlineBooking is compulsory and is your permit to camp: book each night and each campground separately on GORCAPA's booking site, up to 12 months ahead; the summer peak (18 December to the end of February) opens on its own day: for 2027/28 at 10am on Wednesday 10 February 2027, and from then on the second Wednesday of February. Pay in full when you book; 100% refund 30 or more days before, 50% from 8 to 29 days, none within 7. Up to 3 people per site. No price is printed on GORCAPA's pages.
Among casuarinas on a ridge above Johanna Beach, farmland on one side.
5 hGreat Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority time; our estimate 3 h 47
Milanesia Beach and the Milanesia River (stage 6, km 8.9): About 300 m on the beach with no inland way round, and the Milanesia River to cross without a bridge: generally passable at a normal tide in calm weather. Heavy rain, a rough sea or a high tide can make the crossing hard or impossible.
Stage 6: The wildest, most remote section: over the Johanna hills, down to Milanesia Beach (about 300 m on the sand with no way round, and a river with no bridge) and along the sea cliffs to Ryans Den. About 14 km, 5 hours.
Overnight
Ryans Den
Camping spot · Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority
24 places in total Eight tent sites of about 3.5 by 3.5 m, up to 3 people each; a three-sided shelter with a table; two untreated rainwater tanks, water not guaranteed: carry enough; two composting toilets. No campfires.
Booking
Book onlineBooking is compulsory and is your permit to camp: book each night and each campground separately on GORCAPA's booking site, up to 12 months ahead; the summer peak (18 December to the end of February) opens on its own day: for 2027/28 at 10am on Wednesday 10 February 2027, and from then on the second Wednesday of February. Pay in full when you book; 100% refund 30 or more days before, 50% from 8 to 29 days, none within 7. Up to 3 people per site. No price is printed on GORCAPA's pages.
A remote site in tall eucalypts, with views back to Cape Otway and west to Submarine Rock.
5 h 15Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority time; our estimate 3 h 25
Low-tide option, Wreck Beach, below Moonlight Head (stage 7, km 4.9): The line here keeps to the inland path. Wreck Beach below the cliffs, with its shipwreck anchors, is walked only at low tide: at high tide or in a big swell it is dangerous or impassable. Use the Port Campbell tide times west of Moonlight Head.
Stage 7: A demanding cliff-top day by Moonlight Head. Wreck Beach below, with its shipwreck anchors, is a detour to walk only at low tide. About 13 km, 5 hours 15 minutes.
Overnight
Devils Kitchen
Camping spot · Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority
24 places in total Eight tent sites of about 3.5 by 3.5 m, up to 3 people each; a three-sided shelter with a table; two untreated rainwater tanks, water not guaranteed: carry enough; one composting toilet. No campfires.
Booking
Book onlineBooking is compulsory and is your permit to camp: book each night and each campground separately on GORCAPA's booking site, up to 12 months ahead; the summer peak (18 December to the end of February) opens on its own day: for 2027/28 at 10am on Wednesday 10 February 2027, and from then on the second Wednesday of February. Pay in full when you book; 100% refund 30 or more days before, 50% from 8 to 29 days, none within 7. Up to 3 people per site. No price is printed on GORCAPA's pages.
A remote site in coastal woodland with wide views of the coast.
4 h 55Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority time; our estimate 3 h 32
Stage 8: Along limestone cliffs and dunes to the Gellibrand River, Gibson Steps and the Twelve Apostles: about 16 km, 4 hours 45 minutes to Gibson Steps. The walk is one way: plan the ride home before you arrive.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are the Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority's published times where it gives one, with our estimate beside it; a day that walks part of a stage gets a share of the stage's time by distance and climb. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.Tide times are our prediction from the tide gauges' harmonic constants in TICON-4 (Hart-Davis, Dettmering and Seitz, 2025, CC BY 4.0).
Huts and stays, stage by stage
Where each stage ends, the 2026 and 2027 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 28 September 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
Loading the forecast for low point (sea level) and high point (282 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (sea level) and the highest point (282 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
Weather
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Good
Stages rated good on typical weather
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
8/8
High point, day / night
20°/12°
21°/13°
19°/12°
17°/10°
14°/9°
12°/7°
11°/7°
12°/7°
14°/7°
16°/8°
17°/10°
19°/11°
Low point, day / night
22°/14°
22°/14°
21°/13°
19°/12°
16°/10°
14°/9°
14°/8°
14°/8°
16°/9°
17°/10°
19°/11°
20°/12°
Rain, mm
67
52
72
91
115
140
143
165
128
105
93
68
Snow at high point
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Daylight
14 h 35
13 h 34
12 h 24
11 h 07
10 h 03
9 h 28
9 h 41
10 h 35
11 h 47
13 h 02
14 h 13
14 h 51
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Prepare for the Great Ocean Walk
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
Book the campgrounds first
Walkers camp at the seven hike-in campgrounds (or stay off the walk in the car-based campgrounds and towns), and a booking is the permit to camp: camping without one can bring a fine. Book each night and campground separately, up to 12 months ahead; each has six or eight small sites for up to three people. Pay in full when you book: 100% back 30 or more days before, 50% from 8 to 29 days, nothing within 7.
Tides, beaches and rivers
Some beaches and river crossings become unsafe at high tide or in a rough sea; GORCAPA says there are inland alternatives in many places, but not all. Parks Victoria's day pages (archived before the handover) name the places with no way round: Storm Point, west of Bald Hill, Johanna Beach (about 2 km on the sand) and the first part of Milanesia Beach (about 300 m). The Elliot, Parker, Johanna and Milanesia rivers have no bridges, and after heavy rain you may have to wade. Check the tide times each morning: Apollo Bay's east of Moonlight Head, Port Campbell's west of it.
The campground tanks hold untreated rainwater and may run dry: carry enough and treat it. No campfires at the hike-in campgrounds; the campgrounds lie in bushfire-prone country, so check the fire danger rating and Total Fire Ban days. Watch for snakes and European wasps. No dogs.
The walk is designed to be walked from east to west, for the best views and more manageable gradients, and to reduce crowding and wear on the track and campgrounds. It ends far from its start: there is no long-term parking for walkers, and GORCAPA asks you to plan your transport and accommodation before you arrive.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
To Apollo Bay
V/Line runs every day from Melbourne's Southern Cross by train to Geelong and coach to the Apollo Bay Info Centre, near the start: on weekdays arriving 13.12, 17.27 and 20.44 (from Southern Cross 09.10, 13.30, 16.49), at weekends 13.12, 17.47 and 23.06. The summer holiday timetable (14 December to 27 January) runs every day too.
The V/Line coach stops at the Twelve Apostles on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays only: at 15.05 west to Port Campbell and Warrnambool (16.50) for the train to Melbourne, and at 10.40 east to Apollo Bay. Finish on one of those days, or arrange a ride: Parks Victoria listed commercial shuttles back to Apollo Bay.
Prepare every day while you still have a connection, and test it offline before you set out.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Open this trail in the app.Install TrailSplits, then open this trail there. On iPhone, downloads in a browser may not be available in the installed app.
Choose your route or stages. Choose Prepare offline above. Wait for the route and maps to finish downloading.
Try it before leaving coverage. Switch offline, close and reopen the app, then use My Hikes to start navigation. Repeat for every part you will need.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
About this map
GORCAPA gives "more than 100 kilometres" from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles (its booking site: just over 110 km), usually over eight days, walked east to west; its stage table adds up to about 100 km and its campground pages to 97 km to Gibson Steps. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 1951913, planet of 27 September 2026), 96.4 km from the Apollo Bay Visitor Centre to the Twelve Apostles, cut at the seven hike-in campgrounds; the times are GORCAPA's.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 28 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.