Parking
Start at the main Loch Ard Gorge car park off the Great Ocean Road. It serves several walks and is the designated parking area for long vehicles; an accessible space is listed there.
Overview
About Loch Ard Gorge Geology Walk
Why go
- Two landmark coastal lookouts on an easy, level path
- A short walk with a clear geology focus
Heads up
- Strong winter winds can make the exposed coast uncomfortable
- No on-site toilets
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Ocean Road map
Full mapElevation7–27 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
7 active Great Ocean Road alerts
- ClosureLoch Ard Gorge beach access steps closedMentions Loch Ard Gorge, referenced in this guideLoch Ard Gorge beach access steps are closed due to geological instability; do not use the steps. The closure remains in place until remediation works remove the hazards and ensure visitor safety.Official details
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Ocean Road Tour Guide
Your drive to Loch Ard Gorge Geology 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 trailhead
Loch Ard Gorge0:00 / 0:36
“You're approaching Loch Ard Gorge, where two limestone walls enclose a sandy inlet with a narrow opening to the sea. Give this precinct about an hour if you want more than a quick look.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Ocean Road Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Missing Years in the Cliffs
- The Heavy Grains in Beach Sand
- The Twelve Apostles
- A Barnacle’s Feeding Feet
- 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 Loch Ard Gorge Geology Walk
An easy walk to the cliff lookoutsThe Loch Ard Gorge Geology Walk is a level out-and-back from the main car park, about 0.
The Loch Ard Gorge Geology Walk is a level out-and-back from the main car park, about 0.56 miles (900 m) round trip. Published distances differ slightly, from 900 m to 1 km; allow about 40 minutes to walk and spend time at the views. It is a short way to see the coast from above without taking on one of the longer walks in the gorge.
Island Archway and the RazorbackFollow the formed path out from the car park.
Follow the formed path out from the car park. A short spur reaches the Island Archway lookout; rejoin the path and continue to The Razorback, where a narrow limestone ridge stands above the surf. Turn around there and retrace your steps. The separate Shipwreck Walk is a better choice if you want a longer route focused on the wreck story.
Read the coastlineThis walk is about the forces that shaped the coast.
This walk is about the forces that shaped the coast. Compare the broken offshore limestone forms at Island Archway with the long, narrow ridge at The Razorback. The lookouts make the changes in the cliff edge easy to see without a demanding hike. At The Razorback, keep part of the narrow ridge in frame with the surf beyond it; a water-only view loses the feature that makes this stop distinctive.
The name and the wreckLoch Ard Gorge takes its name from the shipwreck offshore of Muttonbird Island in 1878.
Loch Ard Gorge takes its name from the shipwreck offshore of Muttonbird Island in 1878. Of the 54 people aboard, teenagers Eva Carmichael and Tom Pearce survived and reached safety through the gorge. The Shipwreck Walk follows that story on a separate route.
Plan a short stopDogs are not permitted in Port Campbell National Park.
Dogs are not permitted in Port Campbell National Park. There are no toilets at the gorge site, and no food or drinking water was identified at the trailhead. The main car park has a designated accessible space. Southern Ocean winds can be strong in winter, especially along the exposed lookouts.
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.
