Parking
Start at Cape Otway Lightstation Carpark on Lighthouse Road. The route finishes at Aire River GOW Campground, so arrange a pickup or leave a second vehicle at the far end; it does not loop back.
Overview
About Cape Otway to Aire River
Why go
- Two distinct coastal lines: Escarpment Lookout or the Station Beach and Rainbow Falls option.
- Finishes at Aire River, with a bridge and day-use area nearby.
Heads up
- One-way logistics require a pickup or second vehicle.
- The beach option depends on tide, surf and river conditions.
This is a 10 km one-way stage of the Great Ocean Walk, from Cape Otway Lightstation Carpark to Aire River GOW Campground. Expect about 3¼ to 4 hours on foot over coastal heath, scrub and exposed coast, with roughly 230 m of ascent. Parks Victoria grades the stage medium. It suits you if you want a full coastal walk with a river-side finish; it is not a short loop.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the walk for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Otway map
Full mapElevation0–109 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Great Otway alerts
- ClosureSeasonal campsite closures at Aire RiverMentions Aire River, referenced in this guideSeasonal closures remain in effect at Aire River through 30 October 2026; do not use the closed sites. - Aire River East: all sites are closed from 29 May to 30 October 2026 and reopen 31 October.Official details
- 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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Otway Tour Guide
Your drive to Cape Otway to Aire River, 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
Cape Otway Lightstation0:00 / 0:36
“You’re approaching Cape Otway Lightstation, where the white lighthouse stands above the meeting of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. If maritime history interests you, give the ticketed precinct an hour or two.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Otway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Daisy That Grows into a Tree
- The Gull That Drops Its Dinner
- Bimbi Park: Camping Among Manna Gums
- Parker Hill and Crayfish Bay: The Coastal Loop
- 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 Cape Otway to Aire River
Choose your coastal lineThe walk has two ways through the Station Beach section.
The walk has two ways through the Station Beach section. The main cliff-top line reaches Escarpment Lookout for broad views along the coast. A separate beach-side line follows sand and coastal scrub toward Station Beach and Rainbow Falls, then rejoins the route farther on. The line mapped here follows the main Great Ocean Walk alignment; it does not include that beach alternative.
At Escarpment Lookout, frame the sweep of coast with a little heath in the foreground; it gives a phone photo a sense of the headland’s scale. On the beach line, Rainbow Falls is a spring-fed trickle over a rocky platform, best treated as a close-up stop rather than a big waterfall.
From Cape Otway to Aire RiverThe opening stretch leaves the Lightstation access and enters the coast and heathland.
The opening stretch leaves the Lightstation access and enters the coast and heathland. The walk alternates between scrubby track and open coastal sections, with the sea views opening more fully at the lookout. The optional beach route adds sand underfoot and a closer look at Station Beach and the falls.
Both lines rejoin for the approach to Aire River. A grassy track descends to the river, then a vehicle track leads to the bridge and Aire River Day Visitor Area. Hikers’ toilets are a short walk away at Aire River West’s car-based camping area.
Tide, water and footingParks Victoria warns that sections can be wet, muddy and slippery.
Parks Victoria warns that sections can be wet, muddy and slippery. The Station Beach option is especially sensitive to tide and surf; the park’s guidance says beach sections and any unbridged river crossings should be attempted only at low tide, in calm seas and with low river levels. The mapped main line reaches the Aire River at a bridge. Check current park alerts before setting out, since temporary changes can affect access.
Dogs and other pets are not allowed on this Great Otway National Park route.
A historic startCape Otway Lightstation was built in 1848 and became known as the “Beacon of Hope.”
Cape Otway Lightstation was built in 1848 and became known as the “Beacon of Hope.” It is the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia, a striking piece of coast history beside the walk’s starting access. If you plan to visit the Lightstation itself, check its visitor details separately.
Is this the walk for you?The route is point to point, so arrange a pickup or a second vehicle at Aire River before…
The route is point to point, so arrange a pickup or a second vehicle at Aire River before setting out. The stored line follows the main Great Ocean Walk route and continues to the Aire River campground area.
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.
