Driving the Great Ocean Road between Melbourne and the South Australian border is on the “bucket list” of most travellers. Hugging the southern coast of the mainland the road delivers breathtaking views of the rugged coastline and tumultuous seas, with several places along the way to pull in and take a longer look.

There are now fabulous opportunities to tarry and view much that is not visible when driving.  Parks Victoria have developed  the Great Ocean Walk; designed in such a way that hikers can “step on and step off” the trail in short-walk, day-walk and overnight-walk options. These include sandy beaches where your footprints will often be the first of the day, thick forests and some of Australia’s highest mainland sea cliffs.

The entire Great Ocean Walk is approximately 104 kilometres, stretching from Apollo Bay to Glenample, adjacent to the Twelve Apostles, and passes through the Great Otway and Port Campbell National Parks. The complete linear walk can be completed between five to seven nights.

The walk ranges from “mild” in the east to “wild” in the west. As walkers hike west the terrain becomes more remote and challenging, with the final section offering spectacular views of the extraordinary limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles.

Ambitious walkers may wish to complete the whole walk and Parks Victoria have provided seven  eco-friendly, purpose-built, “hike-in” campsites along the walk in some of the most spectacular locations along the coast.

The Great Ocean Walk may also be traversed in sections, with a range of short walks and day walks.  The short walks are usually a circuit, around 2-3 hours in length and easily accessible from main park visitor nodes. Day walks are up to six hours’ duration, return walk or car shuffle, accessible from the parks’ main visitor nodes. The time, distance and terrain make these more challenging.

There is much about the Great Ocean Walk that will surprise and delight, with many places feeling very remote from the noise of civilisation.

Station Beach, which is rarely visited, is often studded with beautiful driftwood that has come in on the western currents from the Great Australian Bight, and Milanesia Beach is quite stunning, with a wide sandy shore and crystal-clear water that takes on extraordinary colours at different times of the day.

Some of the highest coastal cliffs of mainland Australia are found at Moonlight Head. Forested right to the coastal ridge, the cliffs drop steeply into the sea. At Wreck Beach, there are anchors from historic shipwrecks embedded in the rock shelf.

The wet fern and rainforest gullies contain gigantic specimens of the world’s tallest flowering tree, the Mountain Ash. You can also experience the sheltered coastal estuaries of the Aire and Gellibrand rivers, where there are reed beds and amazing birdlife, such as Sea and Wedge-tailed eagles. Koalas and wallabies are found along the walk, and if you are lucky, in the right seasons, you may spot whales and dolphins in the water.

There are great services and packages available for walkers to choose how they want to do the Great Ocean Walk. These include independent options for those freedom walkers right through to fully guided tours with transport from Melbourne, luxurious accommodation, tasty local food and wine and even a massage at the end of the day.

You can choose to end each day in a tent watching the sun set in one of the most beautiful parts of the world, or be pampered in a private cottage with a hot bath, massage and warm bed. Or perhaps a bit of both, camping for a few nights and then treating yourself to a night or two of absolute comfort.