Campground · Great Otway National Park
Camp beneath stringybarks above Parker Inlet
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Otway Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Otway National Park. 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 Otway audio tourRecorded for this place
Parker Hill and Crayfish Bay: The Coastal Loop“You’re approaching the turnoff for Parker Hill and Crayfish Bay. For a short coastal outing, I’d choose the Crayfish Bay loop from Point Franklin car park, taking about forty minutes plus time on the shore.”
Plays as you drive up to Parker Hill Campground in the Parkwolf Great Otway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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!!!!”
Guide
Parker Hill is a small campground tucked into stringybark forest on the hill above Parker River estuary. It makes a useful coastal base for the short loop walk, though some campers find the pitches close together.
The Stringybark Loop is a 3 km, roughly one-hour circuit linking the campground, Point Franklin and the Great Ocean Walk, with high views over Parker Inlet. About 300 steep steps descend to the sheltered inlet beach; allow for the uphill climb back.
Drop toilets are reported. One recent visitor described a non-potable tank for washing, so bring your own drinking water. Accounts differ on whether vehicles can reach each pitch, so don't assume you'll park beside your tent. Dogs and campfires aren't allowed.
Wildlife
204 sightingsKoalaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
35 sightingsGrey KangarooMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
109 sightingsEchidnaMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
58 sightingsKookaburraMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
97 sightingsSwamp WallabyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
20 sightingsBrushtail PossumMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Otway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasyParker Hill Campground and Stringybark Loop Walk4 km · 1.5 hr · At the trailheadA forest and clifftop circuit above Parker Inlet.
ChallengingParker River Inlet Walk0.5 km · 36 min · 0.1 km awayA steep 300-step descent to a river-mouth beach.
ModeratePoint Franklin and Crayfish Bay Walk1.5 km · 40 min · 1.3 km awayA short Point Franklin loop to Crayfish Bay’s grottos and rock pools.EasyBlanket Bay to Parker Inlet Walk4.6 km · 1.8 hr · 2.9 km awayCoastal bush, an inlet crossing and steep steps to Parker Hill.
ModerateGreat Ocean Walk: Blanket Bay to Cape Otway11 km · 3.8 hr · 3 km awayAn 11 km one-way coastal stage from Blanket Bay to Cape Otway.
ModerateCape Otway to Aire River10 km · 3.8 hr · 3.9 km awayCoastal heath, cliff-top views and a river finish
ModerateElliot Ridge to Blanket Bay12 km · 4.5 hr · 8 km awayForest roads lead to a switchback descent and Blanket Bay's shore.
Campground · 3 km awayBlanket Bay CampgroundA small unpowered camp tucked behind Cape Otway’s sheltered beach.
Beach · 3.1 km awayBlanket BayA sheltered cove where low tide reveals patterned rock shelves.
Campground · 3.1 km awayBlanket Bay Hike-in CampgroundA booked overnight camp for Great Ocean Walk hikers.
Campground · 3.8 km awayCape Otway Hike-in CampgroundA booked, sheltered night among coastal scrub.
Sight · 3.9 km awayCape Otway LightstationA 1848 lighthouse with coastal views and a layered maritime story.
Sight · 4.1 km awayCape Otway CemeteryA cemetery walk puts the lightstation's isolation in view.
Campground · 4.3 km awayBimbi ParkCamp beneath manna gums for a chance at koalas overhead.
Sight · 5.6 km awayRainbow FallsA spring-fed cascade threads an algae-streaked cliff above Station Beach.Parkwolf’s Great Otway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
