Trip Overview

The Great Ocean Walk or The Great Ocean Rd Walk is a walking track located in South-West Victoria.  It stretches 104 kilometres from Apollo Bay to Glenample Homestead, located near the famous and iconic Twelve Apostles.

It offers a great variety of contrasting habitats, historical interest points, wildlife and beautiful remote beaches to explore – bounded by the wild Great Southern Ocean. Many people are familiar with the Great Ocean Road but the Great Ocean Walk offers completely different perspectives, far from the roads and people.

The total hike takes approximately 8 days to complete.

On this trip, we will cover the first 4 sections of the walk , from Apollo Bay to Cape Otway,  totalling around 33 kms over two days of hiking.

Friday 12 August to Sunday 14 August 2022.

Length: Total 33 kms approx. over 2 days.

 

Accommodation

This is an Accommodated Trip.

We will be staying at the Apollo Bay YHA:

https://www.yha.com.au/hostels/vic/great-ocean-road/apollo-bay/

 

You will need to book and pay for two nights accommodation (Friday and Saturday nights) for yourself.

The costs start at:

$35 per person per night in a shared room

To

$85 per person per night in a private room

 

Itinerary and Walk Descriptions

Friday 12 August 2022

Late afternoon check in.

Dinner for those who get there in time will be booked at one of the local restaurants at 7.30pm.

 

Saturday 13 August 2022

Hike: Apollo Bay to Blanket Bay

This covers the first three sections of The Great Ocean Walk:

Apollo Bay to Marengo: 3 kms

Marengo to Elliot Ridge Campsite: 7 kms

Elliot Ridge Campsite to Blanket Bay: 12 kms

Length: 22 kms

Duration: 6-7 hr approx.

Grade = Medium-Hard

Car shuffle

Start 8.30 am

We will leave the accommodation at 8.30 am

Saturday dinner: BBQ at the accommodation, Beer & Wine etc

BYO – there is a supermarket in Apollo Bay

 

Sunday 14 August 2022

Checkout: 9.00am

Hike: Blanket Bay to Cape Otway

This is the fourth section of The Great Ocean Walk.

Length: 11 kms

Grade = Easy-Medium

Car shuffle

We will leave the accommodation at 9.00 am

Upon the completion of the hike, our trip ends.

Return to Melbourne.

 

Transport

Transport to and from the walk location is by car. Please indicate your transport requirements and preferences on the booking request form when you book in.

If you don’t have a car, we can’t guarantee to provide you with a lift – this will depend on available drivers and their locations.

Drivers can choose whether they wish to take passengers or not.

Passengers must pay the driver their share of car-pooling costs as described on the Car-pooling page. Please discuss the preferred method of payment with your driver.

 

Booking

Booking is  required for this walk.

For harder-graded walks, the leader has the right not to accept bookings from anyone they consider is not sufficiently fit or experienced to undertake it, so please provide as much relevant information as you can when booking. Unless the leader knows you well, please indicate what similar walks you have done recently (i.e. in the past few months) to give the leader confidence that you are capable of doing this walk.

The Leader will confirm your acceptance on the walk, or not, via email.  The leader will provide details of where and when to meet.

Booking Fee:
Members: free.     Non-members: $10.

Payment:
To avoid handling cash, non-members are required to pre-pay their booking fee. Payment by Paypal or card is the quickest method, but if you choose to pay by EFT please follow the instruction to email the Treasurer with your payment details.

Cancellation:
If you need to cancel, please advise the leader as soon as possible, so that someone else has the opportunity. Unless there are exceptional circumstances (e.g. you need to cancel because you are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms), there will be no refunds.
So please do not book unless you are fully committed to walking.

 

What to Bring

• Hand Sanitiser
• Face Mask

• All the equipment, clothing, food and water you will need for the walks and overnight stays (refer Trip details above).

Refer to our Gear Checklist page for more details, or discuss with the leader.  If you are not properly equipped, the walk leader can decide not to let you participate on this walk.

 

COVID-19 Requirements

We need to follow all state government requirements regarding COVID-19 as explained here:   Coronavirus Victoria: How we live

• You should not be attending this walk if you are Covid-19 positive and/or are required to be in quarantine or isolation.
• If you have any Covid-19 symptoms, you should get tested and follow the instructions in the Coronavirus Victoria website.
• If you are a Household Contact (Close Contact) or a Social or Workplace Contact, you must follow the instructions in the Coronavirus Victoria website.

Check out our Covid-19 status.

 

Safety and Ambulance Insurance

We strongly recommend that you have Ambulance cover. For more details refer to: Joining a walk and your safety

 

Still have questions?

Check out What happens on a walk.

Check out Weekend and extended walks.

Contact the leader using the “Enquiry” button.

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