Parking
Start at the Blanket Bay Camping Area car park, where the Great Ocean Walk track begins. The route finishes at Parker Hill Camping Area; arrange a pickup or plan to return the same way.
Overview
About Blanket Bay to Parker Inlet Walk
Why go
- A compact Great Ocean Walk section with a real bush-to-coast change.
- The Parker River mouth is a memorable finish.
Heads up
- The inlet crossing depends on tide conditions.
- Point-to-point logistics; walking back makes it about 9 km.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Otway map
Full mapElevation11–109 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Great Otway alerts
- ClosureWye Road closed after storm and flood damageWye Road is closed until further notice because recent storm and flood damage requires road maintenance and repair works; plan around the closure.Official details
- ClosureLorne-area walking trails closed after flood damageSome walking trails near Lorne are closed for public safety after the January 2026 flash floods washed away or severely damaged bridges and walkways.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Otway Tour Guide
Your drive to Blanket Bay to Parker Inlet Walk, narrated.
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 trailhead
Blanket Bay: Sand and Rockpools0:00 / 0:29
“Blanket Bay is coming up, a sheltered cove for a shore wander or picnic. Head to the eastern end if you want sand; the western shore has broad rock shelves, with shallow pools and patterned stone exposed at low tide.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Otway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Sea Star's Hidden Feet
- Parker Hill and Crayfish Bay: The Coastal Loop
- The Gull That Drops Its Dinner
- A Daisy That Grows into a Tree
- 252 audio storiesacross Great Otway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Koala, Grey Kangaroo, Echidna, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 83 trails, 79 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 Blanket Bay to Parker Inlet Walk
A short stretch of the Great Ocean WalkThis is about 4.5 km (2.
This is about 4.5 km (2.85 miles) one way from Blanket Bay Camping Area to Parker Hill Camping Area. The Great Ocean Walk heads through coastal bush, drops to Parker Inlet, then climbs a steep flight of steps to the campground. Parks Victoria rates this section easy; allow about 1½ to 2 hours, including a stop at the inlet. It is point to point, so without a lift at Parker Hill you’ll walk back the same way for roughly 9 km total.
The inlet is the main decisionAt Parker Inlet, the route meets the Parker River where it reaches the beach.
At Parker Inlet, the route meets the Parker River where it reaches the beach. The crossing is usually shallow, but tide changes the water level; hikers sometimes take off their shoes, and high water can make the direct crossing impractical. Check the tide and current route advice before setting out rather than assuming the ford will be dry. After the inlet, a steep set of steps climbs toward Parker Hill.
From bush to river mouthThe first stretch turns slightly inland through dense native coastal bush before the walk opens…
The first stretch turns slightly inland through dense native coastal bush before the walk opens onto the inlet. That shift—from enclosed greenery to sand, weathered rock and water—is the payoff. Gang-gang cockatoos and wallabies are possible in the bush, though sightings are never a sure thing. At the inlet, the wooded headlands frame the river mouth; look back across the water for a photo that shows the full shape of the cove.
Access and rulesStart from the Blanket Bay Camping Area car park and finish at Parker Hill Camping Area.
Start from the Blanket Bay Camping Area car park and finish at Parker Hill Camping Area. Arrange a ride between the two ends, or make this an out-and-back and budget for the return crossing as well. Dogs are not permitted on the Great Ocean Walk.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Great Otway
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.
