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Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Cape Otway beach
Aus + NZ / Australia / Victoria

Great Ocean Walk (day 2): Elliot Ridge to Cape Otway via Blanket Bay

July 7, 2020

After a leisurely introduction to the Great Ocean Walk yesterday, the hike begins in earnest today with a slippery 12km from Elliot Ridge to Blanket Bay before lunch and a further 11km onwards to Cape Otway for the night. The wonderful winter weather hasn’t quite held, but there are still plenty of beautiful views and magical moments to enjoy on today’s mostly muddy journey.

Trail stats: Elliot Ridge to Cape Otway via Blanket Bay

Distance: 22.5km

Trail hours: 6h30m

Highlights: Beautiful forest scenery through Great Otway National Park; a muddy but very scenic descent to sunny Blanket Bay; wild coastal views out towards the cape; historic Cape Otway lighthouse; a night of wine and chocolate in my tent as the lone camper at Cape Otway

Campsite: Cape Otway GOW Hiker Camp

Read more: APOLLO BAY TO TWELVE APOSTLES: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO SOLO HIKING THE GREAT OCEAN WALK

Great Ocean Walk hike Australia solo female hiker rain
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Blanket Bay beach camp

Startling awake in what I originally believe to be the dead of night to the sound of wind practically ripping trees in half over my head, I’m alarmed to squint down at my Kindle in the dark and see that it’s 7am. Surely not. And yet…

It is with that level of resignation that I find myself crawling out of my saturated tent and into an equally wet forest, completely transformed from yesterday’s sun and clear skies by the intense events of last night’s storm.

Determined not to let the weather get the better of my day, I squelch my literally dripping tent into the outer pouch of my backpack (a too-late attempt at keeping the rest of my belongings dry, since basically everything is already soaked from being in a wet tent) and set off with a smile.

Great Ocean Walk hike Australia solo female hiker rain
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia solo female hiker rain
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia solo female hiker rain
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia solo female hiker rain

Most of the morning is spent navigating through enormous stretched of muddy trail that are either too gluggy, swallowing my boots up like quicksand and threatening to eat my trekking poles, or too slippery, leaving me to flail around like a spider on roller-skates. I can only imagine the scene from the outside, but at least I’m not too tired to laugh at myself.

For all the unpleasant trail conditions, I still find myself really enjoying the walk, entirely alone again this morning. That enjoyment only increases when the clouds suddenly break apart to reveal blue sky, just in time for my wet descent into sparkling Blanket Bay.

Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Blanket Bay beach
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia solo female hiker Blanket Bay
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Blanket Bay beach camp

Blanket Bay

I arrive to the campsite in Blanket Bay in under 3hrs, delighted by the pristine beach and sunny weather I find there. Having made good time and feeling in need of a little rest, I stretch out on one of the communal tables and sun myself for the better part of a half hour, not moving except to slide skittles slowly into my mouth and glance over at the little willie wagtails hopping excitedly through the grass. If not for my saturated boots and socks, it could almost be spring!

Buoyed on by the afternoon sun, I set off from Blanket Bay after lunch for the somewhat more challenging walk to Cape Otway. The rain returns sporadically over the next few hours as I navigate the steep trails up and over headlands, descending to the beach at Parker Inlet to cross the narrow river and then head straight back up into the trees on equally steep stone steps.

Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Parker Inlet
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia solo female hiker rain
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Parker Inlet
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Parker Inlet
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia rain steps

Although the path is anything but direct and I find myself (and my knee) getting a little bit frustrated by all the steep, slippery descents, there’s no denying the journey has been worth it as I approach the cape.

It’s sunny one moment and raining the next, leaving me to whip my hood on and off about 5 million times, but the rare moments of peace are worth the trouble.

Low shrub gives way to expansive views of the wild coastline, surf whipped into a frenzy by the wind and clouds swirling ominously overhead. Rugged and insanely beautiful and precisely the kind of drama I’ve been looking for.

Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Cape Otway beach
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Cape Otway lighthouse
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Cape Otway beach
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Cape Otway beach

Just when I feel my feet beginning to ache for camp, Cape Otway Lighthouse comes into view down the coast, a fitting beacon for the final leg of today’s walk. At first it seems impossibly far, but every minute brings me a little closer.

And I absolutely love having a fixed landmark to navigate against, being able to see the progress of each heavy step forward. It’s exactly the motivation I need to power ahead through the final kilometres, breeze past a few wet tourists checking out the Cape Otway Lighthouse, and continue on to my own camp amongst the trees.

Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Parker Inlet

Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Cape Otway

Approaching Cape Otway

Yet again, I find the entire campground unoccupied— and bloody lucky, too, because I’ve already decided that I’m pitching my tent under the communal shelter to let it dry out properly.

As if in answer, tonight brings even worse storms than last night, all of which I happily weather under the little plexiglass roof with a glass of wine and a good book. I’m dry in no time.

Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Cape Otway campsite moon
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Cape Otway campsite
Great Ocean Walk hike Australia Cape Otway campsite

Read more about the Great Ocean Walk

GREAT OCEAN WALK (DAY 1): APOLLO BAY TO ELLIOT RIDGE

GREAT OCEAN WALK (DAY 3): CAPE OTWAY TO JOHANNA BEACH VIA AIRE RIVER

GREAT OCEAN WALK (DAY 4): JOHANNA BEACH TO DEVIL’S KITCHEN VIA RYAN’S DEN

GREAT OCEAN WALK (DAY 5): DEVIL’S KITCHEN TO TWELVE APOSTLES

TAGS:great ocean walkmelbourne hikes
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brooke brisbine

I've spent the last decade exploring the world— everything from solo trekking in the Andes to overlanding in Zambia, all while completing a PhD in Biomechanics, teaching at a university & securing permanent residency in Australia. In 2020, I finally fulfilled my dream of becoming a full-time nomad! Whether it’s vanlife in Mexico, scuba diving in the Galápagos, ticking off incredible US National Parks, or climbing in the Dolomites, I hope this blog will inspire your future adventures & help you find wonder in every corner of the globe. xx bb

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The Comments

  • Linda Turnbull
    July 7, 2020

    Thanks Brooke,
    love your detailed account of your walking diary look forward to reading about the rest of your journey from cape Otway on.
    I have been wanting to do this walk for years but trying to wangle 10 days is hard..have thought if doing half the walk with the intention of returning to finish the other half later. If one could only wangle 4 days which part of the walk would you choose?

    Thanks for posting your story and love your photos too! 🙂
    How special to have had it all to yourself.

    Reply
    • brooke brisbine
      Linda Turnbull
      July 7, 2020

      Hi Linda, thank you so much for the lovely comment!

      I agree it’s certainly hard to set aside the time, but I think you can reasonably do the entire walk in 5-6 days (there are a few stages that are only 2-3hrs and therefore really not enough to fill an entire day).

      If you did want to take it easy and plan a slower hike, though, I’d probably suggest Apollo Bay to Johanna Beach. The Twelve Apostles at the end are stunning, but those first 5 stages were really the most spectacular in terms of coastal scenery!

      Hope you find time to do this walk sometime in the future, it’s incredibly special and sure to be a new favourite 🙂
      -Brooke

      Reply

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