Beach · Great Ocean Road
A long, windswept beach with big surf and a tide-timed walk.
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
Johanna Beach“Johanna Beach is coming up, a broad sweep of sand beneath green hills with long lines of surf rolling in. Stop for a shore walk or a picnic, rather than a swim: the exposed breaks are powerful and hazardous.”
Plays as you drive up to Johanna Beach 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
Johanna Beach is a 3.6 km, west-facing surf beach near Johanna, where the Great Ocean Walk reaches the coast. It’s a broad sweep of sand under green slopes, with long white lines of surf. Come to walk the shore or watch the waves; don’t treat it as a casual swimming beach. The exposed breaks are highly hazardous and best suited to experienced surfers.
The Great Ocean Walk crosses the beach and the Johanna River. The river crossing changes with the tide, so check the tide before committing to this part of the route. It’s a memorable stretch for walkers, but it takes more planning than a quick stroll by the water.
Johanna’s west-facing waves made it a championship venue: the World Surfing Championships came here in 1970, and the Rip Curl Pro was held here in 2007 and 2010 when Bells Beach conditions were average. That history fits the beach’s reputation for exposed, powerful surf.
The beach’s name is linked to a shipwreck at the mouth of the Johanna River on 22 September 1843. Accounts differ on the vessel’s name, so the date and location are firmer than the specific ship identification.
From July through September, humpback and southern right whales may pass offshore. Treat a sighting as a bonus; there’s no guarantee.
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
ModerateCastle Cove to Johanna Beach Walk7 km · 2.5 hr · 4.8 km awayFrom clifftop bush to Johanna’s beach and river crossing.
ChallengingMilanesia Gate to Moonlight Head Walk11.9 km · 5 hr · 5.2 km awayA rugged coast walk where the tide decides whether you can start.ModerateMilanesia Beach Walk4 km · 1.5 hr · 5.2 km awayA steep drop to a remote beach; a harder climb back.
ModerateMadsen’s Track Nature Walk1.4 km · 42 min · 7.2 km awayA shaded river loop through rainforest to Anne’s Cascades.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.
