Parking
Start at Point Franklin Carpark for this mapped loop, or at Parker Hill Campground at the other end of the circuit.
Overview
About Parker Hill Campground and Stringybark Loop Walk
Why go
- High views above Parker Inlet
- A compact loop combining forest and clifftop walking
Heads up
- The optional inlet descent uses a steep staircase of about 300 steps
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Ocean Road map
Full mapElevation24–86 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 Parker Hill Campground and Stringybark Loop 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 Ship That Became a House0:00 / 0:29
“One Torquay house began life on the deck of a sailing ship. In eighteen ninety-one, the Joseph H. Scammell struck the reef at Point Danger and broke up. Its deckhouse washed ashore intact.”
Plays on the road 1 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Ocean Road Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Crab Outgrows Its Shell
- Cape Otway Lightstation
- A Fairy-wren Without the Blue
- Salt Working Inside Rock
- 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 Parker Hill Campground and Stringybark Loop Walk
The coastal loopThis 3 km circuit takes about an hour, climbing inland from Point Franklin through Stringybark…
This 3 km circuit takes about an hour, climbing inland from Point Franklin through Stringybark forest to Parker Hill before returning on the clifftop Great Ocean Walk. The reward is a change from forest to high coastal views over Parker Inlet and the open water. Start from Point Franklin or Parker Hill Campground; this mapped line begins and ends at Point Franklin.
The inland climbStringybark Track rises through tall forest toward Parker Hill.
Stringybark Track rises through tall forest toward Parker Hill. Views open above the inlet as the route nears the hill, making this a short walk with a clear climb rather than a flat beach stroll.
Above Parker InletThe return follows the Great Ocean Walk along the clifftop toward Point Franklin, with distant…
The return follows the Great Ocean Walk along the clifftop toward Point Franklin, with distant views toward Cape Otway Lightstation. A separate steep staircase of about 300 steps descends to the sheltered inlet. That is an optional detour below the loop, not part of its 3 km distance.
Access and rulesUse Point Franklin Carpark for the mapped start, or begin at Parker Hill Campground, the other…
Use Point Franklin Carpark for the mapped start, or begin at Parker Hill Campground, the other access named for the circuit. Pets are not allowed in Great Otway National Park; assistance dogs are permitted under park entry requirements.
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.
