Lighthouse Discovery Walk

This is the final 2.14 km one-way section of the Surf Coast Walk, from Split Point Lighthouse to Fairhaven Surf Life Saving Club. It follows a narrow, well-formed coastal track with gentle hills. A direct walk takes about 32 minutes; allow around 45 minutes if you stop at the lookouts. If you need to get back to Aireys Inlet, arrange a pickup in Fairhaven or walk back the same way for about 4.3 km total.

You start among the Split Point Lighthouse lookouts, with Eagle Rock as the walk’s most recognizable sea-stack view. For a photo, keep a strip of the low coastal scrub or lookout path in the foreground to give the rock some scale. The route then dips through low coastal growth toward three named viewpoints around Painkalac Creek. Whale-sighting spots are noted along this coast, though a sighting is never guaranteed.

The route crosses Painkalac Creek along the Great Ocean Road, then finishes at the Fairhaven Surf Life Saving Club entrance. The lookout stops are the main reason to take your time; this is a short link between two coastal settlements rather than a long wilderness hike. The route interpretation describes this as a crossing of an ancient tribal boundary within Wadawurrung Country.

The track is described as easy, narrow and gently hilly. Published descriptions disagree on steps: one lists a few while another lists none. Check locally if you need a step-free path. Dogs are allowed on leash. Public toilets are listed at the Reserve Road toilet block and Aireys Inlet Reserve near the start; drinking water and seating are listed along the walk, but their exact locations aren't specified.