Parking
Start at The Grotto Car Park in the day visitor area. Parking capacity and fees were not verified.
Overview
About The Grotto Walk
Why go
- A distinctive limestone window frames a sheltered pool and the Southern Ocean.
- A brief walk reaches both an upper panorama and a lower viewing platform.
Heads up
- The lower viewpoint involves stairs and can bottleneck during photo stops.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Ocean Road map
Full mapElevation20–34 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 The Grotto 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
The Grotto0:00 / 0:30
“Up ahead is The Grotto, a hollow in the coastal limestone with a rounded opening looking out to sea. Stop here if you want a closer look at the rock formations, rather than another broad panorama.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Ocean Road Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- London Bridge
- A Falcon’s Hunting Dive
- The Arch Lookout
- The Ripples Left in Sand
- 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 The Grotto Walk
A short coastal walkThe Grotto Walk is a 700 m out-and-back (0.43 mi round trip) in Port Campbell National Park.
The Grotto Walk is a 700 m out-and-back (0.43 mi round trip) in Port Campbell National Park. From The Grotto Car Park, follow the paved approach to an upper lookout, then continue down toward a lower viewing platform beside the rock opening. The walk takes about 20 minutes; allow closer to half an hour if you want to pause at both levels.
Go down to the lower platformThe upper lookout gives you a broad coastal view.
The upper lookout gives you a broad coastal view. Continue by the ramped path and stairs for the closer view into The Grotto, then return the same way. If the steps are not for you, the upper platform still gives you a good look at the coastline, though the rock window and pool are below. The lower viewing area can bottleneck while people take turns near the viewpoint.
A window in the limestoneThe Grotto combines a sinkhole, cave and arch-like opening in the coastal limestone.
The Grotto combines a sinkhole, cave and arch-like opening in the coastal limestone. From the lower platform, look through the rock window toward the Southern Ocean, with a sheltered pool inside the opening. For a photo, frame the arch so both the pool and the sea beyond are visible.
Keep to the platformsThe paths and rocks can be slippery, the cliffs unstable, and the water deep with strong…
The paths and rocks can be slippery, the cliffs unstable, and the water deep with strong currents and rough surf. Stay on the viewing platforms rather than climbing onto the rocks. Dogs are not allowed in Port Campbell National Park.
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.
