THE GREAT OCEAN WALK
QUICK FACTS
Location Coastal Victoria
Activity Hiking
Duration Seven Days
Season Year Round, but best in Oct/Nov and Mar/Apr
Difficulty 3/5
Entry Fees None, but accommodation must be booked
Getting there 2½ hrs from Melbourne to Apollo Bay;
longer by public transport
Accommodation Official GOW campsites, booked
through www.greatoceanwalk.com.au
For up to date conditions Parks Victoria 131963
One of the most iconic road journeys in Australia has to be the Great Ocean Road, that ribbon of tarmac that winds along the gorgeous south coast of Victoria. Unfortunately, the GOR is often dominated by endless busloads of box-ticking tourists; everybody wants to experience the splendour of nature. But as hikers we are prepared to spend the time and effort to fully immerse ourselves in the landscape rather than just zooming past it in a vehicle, so fortunately there exists a way to enjoy the beauty of this coast in our own time and without the crowds.
The Great Ocean Walk is a long-distance walking track on the south coast of Victoria that runs from Apollo Bay west to the Twelve Apostles. At 97 kilometres (although some estimates put the distance as high as 104 kilometres) it takes roughly seven days to walk the GOW at a leisurely pace. Launched in 2006 after five years development, the track runs much closer to the coast than the GOR, with which it intersects at only one point. It passes through diverse environments including tall forests, coastal heath and sandy beaches, with some of the more remote stretches feeling like the ends of the earth.
Maintained by Parks Victoria, the track and associated campsites are well kept and built to high environmental standards. Most
