After completing the Great South West Walk, my next hike is the Great Ocean Walk. Also in Victoria, Australia, it is a roughly 100 km hike along and near the coast, from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles, a formation of limestone stacks just off the coast.
The Great Ocean Walk parallels the Great Ocean Road. Built by returning World War I vets and dedicated to those killed during the war, the road is the world’s largest war memorial. The road starts near Torquay, on the outskirts of Geelong, and winds for 240 kilometers through Apollo Bay and Twelve Apostles to Allansford, on the outskirts of Warrnambool.
Traversing clifftops and beaches along Victoria’s “Shipwreck Coast”, the trail provides ocean views of one of the most dangerous stretches of coastline anywhere. Thanks to bad weather (in the form of strong winds blowing in from Antarctica, and fog) and the rough undersea environment as cliffs slowly erode, hundreds of ships have been lost in the area, making it historically (as well as nautically) significant.
Uniquely, amongst long trails I’ve hiked, the Great Ocean Walk is one-way, from east to west, to reduce the ecological impact of hikers by having them all travel in one direction.
Like the GSWW, the Great Ocean Walk has designated, pre-booked campsites with a shelter, water tank, and privy. There are also several boot hygiene stations to help prevent the spread of a disease similar to Kauri dieback in New Zealand.
With a six-day plan to complete this trail, let’s get started…