Great Ocean Walk in 6 days, Apollo Bay to The Twelve Apostles. I hadn’t really done much research on this one and kind of assumed it would just be a nice stroll along cliff tops like you see at the Twelve Apostles. Yeah it was nothing like that. Definitely some big hills and a diverse range of ecosystems to experience. I decided to smash this one out in 6 days, the map recommends 7 or 8 but I kind of know I’d be bored if it took that long. I’d rather do a few bigger days and get it done, I don’t regret it but I definitely felt it.

Day 1: Apollo Bay to Blanket Bay (21 km)

Firstly, I just need to say that Apollo Bay and Marengo are amazing, and the locals were incredibly friendly.

After a cancelled flight and a three-hour bus ride, I finally rolled into Apollo Bay. My motel was right across from the info centre, the official start of the trail. It rained all night, and the next morning looked pretty bleak. I figured there wasn’t much point waiting, so when I spotted the smallest glimpse of sunshine, I took my chance and left. It didn’t last, and I got absolutely flogged by rain between Apollo Bay and Marengo.

The lady at the Marengo caravan park was super helpful and pointed me toward the right access point where the trail dropped down onto the beach. The track began high above the waterline, past some grazing sheep, then descended onto the beach, alternating between sand and headland.

Eventually the trail climbed into eucalyptus forest past the Elliot Ridge campground. (I still don’t know how I managed to take a wrong turn and loop back to the beach, but it happened so try not to do that). The wind was wild, and being under tall gum trees was a bit unnerving, so I pushed on. The trail was really muddy and I have no regrets about my “always wear gaiters” policy. At last I reached the turnoff to Blanket Bay and, after slipping over twice, I was well and truly ready to stop.

The campground is lovely, small sites tucked up along the hill. No toilet though; I think that’s further along at the non-GOW campground. I was exhausted from carrying too much weight, so I set up my tent, had a snack, and curled up for a nap. FYI there IS a campground just up the trail with toilets.

Day 2: Blanket Bay to Aire River (20 km)

Up early for another 20 km day. My pack was definitely heavier than ideal, but it was mostly food, so I decided I’d feast tonight.

The walk heads away from the coast through some nice coastal bush, then swings back out toward Cape Otway Lightstation. I didn’t hang around long, still had distance to cover. The weather was windy again but at least the sun was trying to appear (except for when I tried to dry my tent, then it disappeared immediately).

This coastal section was rocky, and with the wild sea crashing below, it felt incredibly remote. I met a very confident echidna who walked right toward me, maybe I smelled like ants? I also came across a dying wallaby on the trail which was confronting. No reception, no skills, nothing I could do. Later I met other hikers who reckoned it was a snake bite. Circle of life, I guess.

A steep sandy descent led into Aire River and across the bridge to the campground. I didn’t realise I wasn’t in the GOW section and accidentally set up on someone else’s site, they were kind enough to help me relocate though. Turns out the GOW area was just 50 m up the hill (which, honestly, I probably wouldn’t have climbed anyway). Fell asleep listening to a cranky koala grunting to anyone who would listen. Fair enough I suppose considering he wasn’t even in a eucalypt tree.

Day 3: Aire River to Johanna Beach (13km)

I’m amazed at how quickly the landscape changes, beautiful eucalypt forests (that koala was definitely lost) followed by coastal cliffs and scrubby heathland. I made a quick stop at Glenaire but kept pushing on so I could catch low tide at the Johanna River crossing.

Turns out I arrived with heaps of time to spare, and in hindsight could have waited for the tide to drop even further. A group of us gathered by the river and decided to time a dash across near the river mouth between sets (just enough danger to be exciting). Another couple tried walking up river a bit but I don’t think there was any good options for crossing up there.

Another kilometre along the beach brought me to Johanna Beach campground, but I refused to be fooled again and kept walking to find the actual GOW campsite. It was about another kilometre up the road. Now I’m sitting at Site 6, overlooking the stretch of coastline I just walked. Honestly, one of the best campsite views I’ve ever had.

Day 4: Johanna Beach to Ryan’s Den (12km)

Holy leg day. If anyone thinks this track is just a nice stroll along coastal bluffs, absolutely not. Every time I thought I’d climbed the last hill, more uphill appeared. Somewhere along the road into Melanesia I met a couple walking their dog who were kind enough to walk back down with me to point out a pair of koalas in a tree (she was definitely a koala fan).

The descent into Melanesia was slippery, but I made it to the beach long before low tide and still managed to cross the stream. After that, the day just rolled into a constant rhythm of steep ups and downs. Saw a snake (no photo coz it looked scary and determined) and more echidnas! Looks like I’m the only one here at Ryan’s Den.

Day 5: Ryan’s Den to Devils Kitchen (12km)

Omg what a shit show last night was. I couldn’t sleep because the rain was so loud so I put earplugs in, they didn’t really help and at about midnight I took them out, that’s when I heard the tap tap of rain was now more of a drip drip of water into a pond, a pond I was camped in the middle of.

So yeah, I ended up dragging my tent to high ground in my underwear, there weren’t many options and where I ended up meant that I was now sleeping on the side of a hill which meant I didn’t really get any sleep at all. Anyway, it meant I was up for an early start to what was going to be my shortest day.

The track undulated through varying terrain with some spectacular glimpses of the coastline. I remember coming up to the top of a hill covered in kangaroos. Only saw one black snake, didn’t see a single person all the way to devils kitchen. Saw the 1 apostle?

Some more undulations and I rolled into devils kitchen campground, making sure to pick a spot that looked nice and dry.  Made some noodles and spent ages reading (and laughing at) the graffiti from previous hikers knowing exactly how they were feeling. One day to go and I’m ready for pizza.

Day 6: Devils Kitchen to The Twelve Apostles (14.3km)

The walk from Devils Kitchen was pretty cruisy eventually dropping down onto Princetown Beach and in to Princetown Recreation Reserve where it followed the road for a bit to cross a new bridge. After that it climbed back up onto the escarpment and followed the coastline. THIS is what I had imagined the walk would be like. Stopped in at Gibson Steps and an amazing lookout/photo opportunity that I would consider the end of the Great Ocean Walk. Obviously the Twelve Apostles is “the end” but this just had a nice feel to it and felt like a more fitting end than the mayhem that was waiting for me at the Twelve Apostles.

A short walk to the Twelve Apostles viewpoint will get you amazing views and an excuse to grab a post trek coffee but man, I was not prepared to see that many people in one place. A quick look around and a few photos later and I was ready to catch my ride to Camperdown train station.