Parking
Start at Sunnymead carpark. The 2.74 km section finishes at Split Point Lighthouse, so arrange a pickup or return on foot.
Overview
About Aireys Clifftops Walk
Why go
- Several named lookouts break up an easy coastal walk.
- The lighthouse gives the route a clear finish.
Heads up
- The route is one way; walking back to Sunnymead roughly doubles the distance.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Ocean Road map
Full mapElevation15–48 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active Great Ocean Road alerts
- ClosureLorne-area walking trails closed after flood and storm damageSeveral walking trails near Lorne remain closed; do not enter closed tracks. - Phantom Falls Walk is temporarily closed because flood and storm damage affected the trail and structures.Official details
- ClosureWye Road closed after storm and flood damageWye Road is closed until further notice for road maintenance and repairs following storm and flood damage; do not use the road. Check current Great Otway National Park conditions before travelling.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Ocean Road Tour Guide
Your drive to Aireys Clifftops Walk, narrated.
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 area
The Godfrey's Fatal Salvage0:00 / 0:30
“Everyone aboard the W. B. Godfrey survived when the ship wrecked near Wye River in March eighteen ninety-one. It had been carrying timber from San Francisco to Melbourne.”
Plays on the road 0.5 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Ocean Road Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A La Grecque: A Greek Meal Stop
- Urquhart Bluff Circuit
- Distillery Creek Picnic Area
- Split Point Lighthouse
- 181 audio storiesacross Great Ocean Road’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Koala, Kangaroo, Little Penguin, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 109 trails, 99 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Aireys Clifftops Walk
An easy one-way coastal walkAireys Clifftops Walk is the 2.
Aireys Clifftops Walk is the 2.74 km section of the Surf Coast Walk from Sunnymead carpark to Split Point Lighthouse. Allow about 45 to 60 minutes if you stop at the lookouts; walking straight through takes about 41 minutes. It is an easy, narrow, well-formed track with gentle hills. This is a point-to-point walk, not a loop, so walking back to Sunnymead turns it into roughly 5.5 km.
Follow the coast to the lighthouseFrom Sunnymead, the track reaches Eagle Nest Reef Lookout and Fitzpatrick Seat, then crosses…
From Sunnymead, the track reaches Eagle Nest Reef Lookout and Fitzpatrick Seat, then crosses the Sandy Gully carpark. It continues past Lands End Lookout, Smelly Beach, Horseshoe Rock and Step Beach, with stretches through low scrub and the edge of town before the final walk along Federal Street to the lighthouse. The steps down to Step Beach are a side trip; they are not part of the mapped through-route. Watch for vehicles where the path crosses the Sandy Gully carpark and along Federal Street.
The lighthouse and the rocksSplit Point Lighthouse has guided ships along this coast since 1891.
Split Point Lighthouse has guided ships along this coast since 1891. The orange rock stack of Eagle Rock rises from darker basalt below the cliff tops, a striking contrast at the reef lookouts. The lighthouse is the finish for this section; visiting inside is a separate stop.
Listen in the scrubRufous Bristlebirds call from the low coastal scrub, and small marsupials may be hidden there…
Rufous Bristlebirds call from the low coastal scrub, and small marsupials may be hidden there too. Winter can be cold and windy along the coast. Dogs are allowed on most sections of the Surf Coast Walk but must be on leash; check signs for any local beach restrictions.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Great Ocean Road
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.
