Walker above the Twelve Apostles
Twelve Apostles at sunset
Koala in the Otways
Path through coastal scrub at Cape Otway
Eucalyptus forest in the Otways
Boardwalk to the Twelve Apostles at sunrise
Green coast near Milanesia
Path to the Castle Cove lookout
Walker on the Port Campbell Discovery Walk
Sunset over the hills at Johanna
Rocky coast near Milanesia Beach
Gellibrand River mouth at Princetown
Sunrise over Cape Otway
Raised path through ferns at Cape Otway
Evening sky over the coast at Glenaire
Coastal cliffs from Cape Otway Lightstation
Great Ocean Walk above Milanesia Beach
Footbridge in a gully near Milanesia
The lightkeepers' cottage at Cape Otway
1/19

The Great Ocean Walk Highlights

5 days / 4 nights

|

Australia

|

Cliff-top tracks and empty beaches from the Cape Otway Lightstation to the Twelve Apostles: the wild western half of the Great Ocean Walk in four days.

Starting Point

Apollo Bay

Finish Point

Twelve Apostles

Fitness Level

3/5

Technical Level

2/5

Season

From September to May

Accommodation Level

Comfort

Tour Type

Inn-to-Inn

Daily Distance

9 – 12 mi

Daily Elevation

1312 – 2559 ft

Highlights

  • Start at the Cape Otway Lightstation, a stone tower lit since 1848
  • Look for black swans and egrets where the Aire River meets the sea
  • Walk two kilometres along Johanna Beach, a backup venue for pro surfing contests
  • Drop to Milanesia Beach, a quiet cove that no road reaches
  • Look down from Moonlight Head, one of the highest sea cliffs on the mainland
  • Find two shipwrecks' anchors on Wreck Beach at low tide, then finish at the Twelve Apostles

What’s included in the price?

Self-guided

Are you looking for a good adventure and limitless flexibility? Then you should try out a self-guided tour, perfect for independent explorers who want to set their own pace. Without the need to stick to a group schedule, you’re free to linger at scenic viewpoints while the logistics are taken care of in advance.

INCLUDED

4 nights in two motels and a self-contained cottage, each room with its own bathroom
Breakfast, where your stay serves it
Trailhead shuttles
Final-day transfer to Camperdown station for the Melbourne train
Cape Otway Lightstation ticket
Digital guidebook with itinerary, route instructions, and practical information
GPS navigation with an easy-to-use app
Tour design and organization
Service and support during your walk

NOT INCLUDED

Lunches and dinners
V/Line train and coach tickets

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

Airport transfer
on request
Extra nights
on request
Hotel upgrades
on request
Single supplement
+800 €/person
Accommodation levelComfort

Carefully selected motels and a self-contained cottage, all with private en-suite rooms and breakfast where the property serves it. Expect comfortable, well-appointed rooms with attentive hospitality, typically in convenient and scenic locations — some properties also offer on-site dining.

These are examples of the type and standard you can expect. Actual properties may vary depending on availability.

What to bring to the tour

  • Hiking shoes/boots
  • 25 to 45-liter backpack
  • Base layer
  • Sports T-shirts
  • Hiking shorts
  • Hiking water-repellent pants
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Midlayer
  • Sports socks and underwear
  • Leisurewear for evenings
  • Down jacket
  • Gloves
  • Shade hat/cap
  • Warm headwear
  • Sunscreen
  • Sunglasses
  • Headlamp
  • Hiking poles
  • ID card or passport
  • Snacks
  • Cash
  • Water bottles or hydration pack
  • Sleeping liner
  • Toiletries
  • Toilet paper
  • Small first aid kit

The Great Ocean Walk runs for more than 100 kilometres along Victoria's southern coast, from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles. Its western half is the wild one: beaches with no road behind them, high cliffs over the Southern Ocean and long runs of timber stairs. This walk covers that half in four days.

There are no lodges on this stretch of coast, and several stage ends have no road at all, so the walk is built around shuttles. A driver drops you at a car park in the morning and collects you at another in the afternoon, and you carry only a day pack.

Nights are spent in Apollo Bay, in a cottage at Glenaire above Castle Cove, and in Port Campbell, close to the Twelve Apostles. The cottage has a kitchen and there is no shop nearby, so the evenings there are quiet ones.

The tide matters: Johanna Beach needs a low tide; Wreck Beach is a low-tide extra below the clifftop track. We send you the times for each day. If the surf is running high, you finish early at a car park and the shuttle meets you there.

Each day is 15 to 19 kilometres, and day 4, with Milanesia Beach and Moonlight Head, has the most climbing. The track is well made and signposted, with no scrambling, but you need the legs for four long days in a row.

Distances and climbs on this page are approximate and rounded; official figures for the walk's sections differ by a kilometre or two from one source to the next.

The finish is the reason most people come: the Twelve Apostles' limestone stacks, reached on foot along the clifftops rather than from a coach park.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you can walk six or seven hours with a day pack, four days in a row, you will manage. The days run 15 to 19 km, and day 4 has the longest stairs.

Any day can end early at a car park instead: tell the driver in the morning. Fitness 3 of 5, technical 2 of 5.

Only a day pack while you walk. When you move on to the next town, your bag travels with you in the shuttle.

Johanna Beach on day 3 needs the tide on your side. On day 5 the track stays on the clifftop above Wreck Beach, and the beach below is a low-tide extra. We send the day's low-tide time the evening before. On a high tide or a big swell at Johanna, the shuttle collects you before the beach, at the car park, and the day ends there.

Both Apollo Bay and Port Campbell have restaurants and a supermarket. At Glenaire there is nothing within walking distance, but the cottage has a full kitchen, so buy food for two dinners in Apollo Bay.

Breakfast is included where your stay serves it. Not every stay on this walk does: we tell you which ones before you book, and they are marked in your guidebook. Where breakfast is not served, we try to arrange a packed lunch for you instead, if the stay or a café nearby can make one.

By public transport. A V/Line train and coach leaves Melbourne's Southern Cross station at 09:10 and arrives in Apollo Bay at 13:12, seven days a week.

When the walk is done, our driver takes you on to Camperdown station for the evening train, back in Melbourne around 9 pm.

Any day from September to May. Thursday to Monday starts work best: day 2 passes the Cape Otway Lightstation, and its precinct is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

In places. It comes and goes on the cliffs and drops out in the valleys, so download the route in the app before you set off and agree a check-in time with the driver.

Yes. Port Campbell is ten minutes from the Twelve Apostles, which are at their best at sunset. We add a night at the motel and move your train to the next day.

HANDPICKED ADVENTURES

Only the best adventures across the world, cherry-picked by our team with an in-depth knowledge of the regions.

VALUE YOUR TIME

With everything on your plate, let us handle the vacation planning, so your valuable time stays exactly where you need it.

SELF-GUIDED TRAVEL

Explore independently and with confidence while we keep everything running from behind the scenes.

TRUSTED BY MANY

Since 2014, we have taken care of thousands of happy customers, making it our mission to put your satisfaction first.

OUTDOOR SPECIALISTS

We are a team of outdoor specialists equipped with the knowledge and insight to bring you the best hiking experiences.

from 1.750 € /person