Surf Coast Walk
Offering natural beauty and easy access, the Surf Coast Walking track on the Great Ocean Road lets you relax and enjoy a world-class walking destination at your own pace. Explore inspiring landscapes on foot or bike on the edge of Victoria’s beautiful Great Ocean Road.
The Surf Coast Walk is a 44.3 km point-to-point trail that runs from Torquay to Fairhaven along Victoria’s Surf Coast. the 12 sections offer a mix of coastal views, forest landscapes, and surf culture, it’s popular with hikers, birdwatchers, and campers.
With 718 metres of elevation gain, the trail is considered moderately challenging and takes about 10 hours and 17 minutes to complete in full. However, it’s divided into 12 sections, making it easy to enjoy shorter walks or spread the journey across several days.
The trail is dog-friendly (with dogs required to be on a leash) and open year-round, showcasing stunning scenery in every season. Whether you’re after a quick stroll or a full-day trek, the Surf Coast Walk offers a great way to experience nature, surf culture, and local heritage.
Trails of the Surf Coast Walk
The Surf Coast Trail is designed for flexibility, allowing you to take it in over an hour, a day, or even a week. The walk is conveniently segmented into 12 parts, each spanning about 2-3 km, making it manageable and enjoyable for everyone. Let’s dig into the various trails and some of our favourite spots to stop so you can plan your perfect walk.
Wadawurrung Country
Point Impossible – Yellow Bluff
Section Length
5.70 km
Section Grade
Grade 2
Explore traditional Wadawurrung Aboriginal country, windswept dunes and coastal vegetation on this easy walk. Tread where the Wadawurrung people camped each season for thousands of years, leaving behind clues to their culture and lifestyle.
Good To Know:
Mostly flat, no steps, well-formed path. Suitable for cycling. Access to the Pt. Impossible car park is possible by car from Blackgate Road.
Torquay Promenade
Yellow Bluff – Point Danger
Section Length
1.60 km
Section Grade
Grade 1
Enjoy the perfect Torquay promenade on this flat, kid-friendly, easy shared path. Contrast the creature comforts of Torquay with the wildness of treacherous offshore reefs and the ships’ graveyard off Point Danger. Connect to the history of this vibrant holiday town via the Torquay Historical Walk.
Good To Know:
Flat, no steps, concrete path. Suitable for cycling, prams and wheelchairs. Starting at Yellow Bluff.
Surf Coasting
Point Danger - Bird Rock
Section Length
3.30 km
Section Grade
Grade 2
See how the Surf Coast got its name on this clifftop trail linking lookouts over many famous surf breaks.
Explore surfing evolution and surf culture origins on this walk or cycle past Torquay and Jan Juc surf beaches. This is the ‘classroom’ for the next generation of surfers. Get a 360 degree view of the coastline from Rocky Point and stop for a coffee at the Jan Juc shops.
Good To Know:
Mostly flat, some steps, well-formed track, some sand.
Suitable for cycling. But turn after crossing Spring Creek, take the track to the right along the golf course to the Jan Juc Surf Club. The clifftop track is sandy.
The Bells Track
Bird Rock – Bells Beach
Section Length
3.20 km
Section Grade
Grade 2
Tread the track that daring pioneer surfers carved through coastal scrub to reach the fearsome waves of Bells Beach. Walk or cycle high along clifftops where peregrine falcons glide. At every lookout a stunning panorama: the “golden mile” of surfing with its reef breaks and brilliant surf relentlessly rolling in.
Good To Know:
Gentle hills, no steps, well formed track. Suitable for cycling.
Ironbark Basin
Bells Beach – Point Addis
Section Length
8.20 km
Section Grade
Grade 3
Venture inland through the sheltered forest of the Ironbark Basin in the Great Otway National Park. Tramp past grass trees and search for hidden treasures like rare orchids, echidnas and reptiles. Discover more about the traditional Aboriginal lifestyle on the Koorie Cultural Walk and check out the spectacular views from one of three Point Addis lookouts.
Good To Know:
Well formed track, short steep hills, steps and some sections are sand surface.
Angelsea Heath
Point Addis - Anglesea
Section Length
7.30 km
Section Grade
Grade 3
This trail takes in the colours of the coast: vivid ochre cliffs, brilliant blue ocean and dappled green heathland. Get up close with kangaroos, wallabies and spring wildflowers in a low, wind-stunted forest.
Good To Know:
Beach walking and formed track, short steep hills, rugged steps.
Angelsea Riverbank
Anglesea Riverbank - Anglesea Visitor Centre
Section Length
1.60 km
Section Grade
Grade 1
This easy and accessible riverside stroll is close to BBQs, playgrounds and cafes.
It’s a great way to access Anglesea’s paddleboats, canoes and public art.
Good To Know:
Flat, easy paths, no steps. Suitable for cycling, prams and wheelchairs.
Point Roadknight
Anglesea Riverbank - Anglesea Visitor Centre
Section Length
3.10 km
Section Grade
Grade 2
From the convenience of the Anglesea township, rise up to the bluff and back down to idyllic Point Roadknight Beach. Panoramic views back across the township, river and ocean make the climb worth your effort. Anglesea, at the mid-point of the Surf Coast Walk, is an ideal overnight stay.
Good To Know:
Well formed track, no steps. Suitable for cycling.
Beach Combing
Point Roadknight - Urquhart Bluff
Section Length
4.50 km
Section Grade
Grade 3
Relax, slip off your shoes and get some sand between your toes on this long, uncrowded beach walk. Keep an eye out for beach-nesting birds and curiosities washed up on the sand by relentless waves.
Good To Know:
Beach walking, best at low tide.
Sunnymead
Urquhart Bluff - Sunnymead
Section Length
3.00 km
Section Grade
Grade 4
Take a walk on the wild side through rugged coastal bushland in Great Otway National Park. Rediscover remnants of the original Great Ocean Road and find yourself in a secluded cove at Sunnymead.
Good To Know:
Rough track, rugged steps, beach sand surfaces.
Aireys Clifftops
Sunnymead - Aireys Lighthouse
Section Length
2.80 km
Section Grade
Grade 2
This easy walk, on a well-made track, is a favourite of locals to explore around the Lighthouse. Treat yourself to stunning land’s edge views as you transition between beach, bush and the Aireys Inlet township. Listen for the song of Rufous Bristlebirds and look for tiny marsupials as they scurry in the low coastal scrubland.
Good To Know:
Well formed, narrow track, gentle hills, no steps.
Lighthouse Discovery
Aireys Lighthouse – Fairhaven
Section Length
2.10 km
Section Grade
Grade 2
Discovery stroll from the Split Point Lighthouse and lookouts, past whale sighting spots, through traditional Wathaurung country. Cross an ancient tribal boundary to the western reach of the Surf Coast Walk. Learn as you go with the insights of the Lighthouse Discovery Trail and several well-signed viewing platforms.
Good To Know:
Well-formed, narrow track, gentle hills.
Planning to embark on the Surf Coast Walk?
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