Day 1: Castle Cove to Johanna Beach
This morning you will be picked up from Travelodge in Southbank, meet your fellow walkers and travel 3 hours to the lodge in Johanna, where you will be based for next 3 nights.
On arrival, our lodge managers will greet you and we’ll enjoy morning tea together. After checking into your room, we’ll gather for the walk briefing and fit out of gear. Your scrumptious hiker lunch will be at the ready and it’s then a 10 minute transfer to Castle Cove to start your walk. Leaving the Great Ocean Road behind us, the afternoon begins amongst tea-tree with regular cliff top ocean vistas before entering an enchanting grass tree forest. Soon after, drop down onto Johanna Beach for two kilometres of soft sand walking with the ocean only metres from your feet. This is a prime opportunity to kick those boots off and enjoy barefoot – just don’t turn your back on those rolling waves! We’ll cross Johanna River (maybe with boots off) and continue to the beach’s end where a cool drink is waiting.
Day 2: Milanesia to Moonlight Head
We’ll drive 30 minutes this morning to the most challenging day no the trail. It comes with great reward – the most visually spectacular and isolated sections of the Great Ocean Walk – known as ‘the wild side.’ Take a winding path that leads from Milanesia Track down through the forest to beautiful Milanesia Beach.
After a gentle beach stroll, we turn upwards for a short, but steep climb that sets the tone for the trail ahead. The trail is dissected by gullies before a gradual climb, which delivers fabulous views back over Milanesia. Rough tree ferns and stands of remnant Eucalypts dot the path before an ascent of 138 steps. The trail continues in a westerly direction until a steady climb leads us out of the forest and into Ryans Den campsite.
From here, coastal views stretch to both Cape Volney and Cape Otway; an ideal place to reflect on your journey so far. The walk from here rises and falls many times as it parallels the coastline before cutting along the ridge behind Cape Volney, providing breathtaking views to the west. A final seated lookout delivers a magnificent vantage point, just metres from the walk’s end.
Day 3: Moonlight Head to Princetown
It’s a 30 minute transfer to Moonlight Head. The first four and half kilometres gently meander through native stringybark forest providing a contrast to the coast, concluding with a rise to the Gables, one of mainland Australia’s highest cliff top lookouts. Tide dependent, you will descend onto Wreck Beach and continue through to a lovely lunch spot past Devil’s Kitchen overlooking the distant Apostles. Wilder days will give an insight into the cauldron-like ocean at this part of the coast. A high tide option combines coastal scrub with forest and walks through Devil’s Kitchen campsite.
Stunning coastal views to the west this afternoon provide the incentive to keep moving forward. The topography and geology change from sandstone to limestone and its associated coastal flora. This afternoon is gentle walking that finishes at the Gellibrand River, nearby the sleepy hamlet of Princetown, a chance for a swim if weather permits (warmer months). We’ll then transfer you back to the lodge for a well-deserved dinner and relaxing final evening.
Day 4: Princetown to Twelve Apostles
Enjoy your final morning at Twelve Apostles Walking Lodge. After another wholesome breakfast, there’s a final pack up, check out and lodge farewell before a 45 minute drive back to Princetown. If you’re self-driving, we’ll help you relocate your car to the Twelve Apostles carpark before returning to Princetown to complete your final walk to the grand Apostles. These fabulous natural wonders emerge on slow reveal as the trail rises and falls along the coastline. There is a viewing lookout exclusively for walkers before our final stretch of trail into the Twelve Apostles Visitors Centre. You’ve made it! Now take to the skies with a thrilling Twelve Apostles Scenic Helicopter Flight for an unparalleled view of the coast. Ten minutes of leg resting, aerial wonder! We’ll then move on to the nearby town of Port Campbell for lunch and an opportunity to change (including an optional shower) before returning to Melbourne. We offer a drop off to the airport and Melbourne CBD after your walk.
