Beach · Great Ocean Road
A sheltered beach for rockpools, coastal walks and a slower stop.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Ocean Road Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Ocean Road. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Great Ocean Road audio tourRecorded for this place
Blanket Bay“Blanket Bay is ahead, a small bay where I'd stop for rockpools and a picnic. Low tide exposes the rock shelves and pools that make the shoreline worth exploring.”
Plays as you drive up to Blanket Bay in the Parkwolf Great Ocean Road Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Blanket Bay is a small coastal bay and beach at Cape Otway, with day-use and camping areas beside it. Stop for a quiet shoreline wander, rockpools at low tide or a picnic. The beach shifts between sand and exposed rock, so it suits exploring the coast better than counting on an easy swim.
Low tide exposes the bay's intertidal rock shelves and rockpools, the details that make this shoreline more interesting than a quick look from the sand. Give yourself time to wander the edge of the water, and frame the rock pools or flat reef in the foreground to show the coast's texture.
The cutter Rover was wrecked on Blanket Bay's rocks during a gale on 6 January 1892. It was carrying cargo, much of it bound for Glen Aire station; people salvaged some supplies, but the wreck itself has never been located. It's a small, vivid reminder that this beautiful shore was once part of a difficult coastal supply route.
Wildlife
900 sightingsKoalaMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
358 sightingsKangarooMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
49 sightingsLittle PenguinMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
155 sightingsEchidnaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
33 sightingsFur SealMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
59 sightingsRed-necked WallabyMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Ocean Road. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateKatabanut Loop3.1 km · 1.3 hr · 0.7 km awayA forest loop climbs to Upper Blanket Bay Falls.
ModerateBlanket Bay to Cape Otway Walk11 km · 3.8 hr · 0.7 km awayA coastal stage with a tidal inlet and a steep stair alternative.
ModerateBlanket Bay to Parker Hill Walk4.5 km · 2 hr · 0.8 km awayCoastal forest, two lookouts, and a finish at Parker Inlet.
ModerateElliot River Loop Walk4.5 km · 2 hr · 4.6 km awayA 4.5 km loop with river rocks, steep steps and lush forest
ModerateShelly Beach Walk1.8 km · 45 min · 4.7 km awayFern gullies and coastal scrub descend to Shelly Beach.
EasyParker Hill Campground and Stringybark Loop Walk3 km · 1 hr · 4.8 km awayA short forest climb opens onto sweeping views of Parker Inlet.
ModerateCape Otway to Aire River Walk9.6 km · 3.8 hr · 7.2 km awayFollow coastal heath and cliff tops from the Lightstation to Aire River.
ModerateStation Beach and Rainbow Falls Walk11.5 km · 5 hr · 7.2 km awayA long sandy walk to a spring-fed waterfall above the surf.
Campground · 3.7 km awayParker Hill CampgroundA shady tent camp above a wild inlet and ocean beach
Sight · 6 km awayWildlife WondersA guided Otways walk among free-roaming wildlife and ocean views.
Campground · 6.6 km awayBimbi ParkCamp beneath the gums beside the Great Ocean Walk.
Sight · 7.3 km awayCape Otway LightstationSea cliffs, lighthouse history, a telegraph station and WWII bunker.Parkwolf’s Great Ocean Road ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
