Bushwalk Hurst Rd to Red Rocks Beach & Lookout 2km Return
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This is a nice short 2km return dog friendly coastal walk to a lookout over Red Rocks beach and access to the beach from the western end. If you just want the quickest way onto the beach, access it via Pt Addis Rd instead.
| Quick Fact Box The track makes up part of the surf coast walk which is dog friendly. Distance: About 2km return (1.8km return to the lookout then around a 100 metres extra to the beach), uphill on the return Getting there: Hurst Road is off the Anglesea Road between Torquay and Anglesea – after rain may not be 2wd accessible Dog Friendly: The walk to the lookout is dog friendly all year round (as is the rest of the Surf Coast Track). The red rocks beach is NOT dog friendly from around late spring to early autumn – they become a hooded plover* exclusion zone during this time. The nearby Point Addis (Addiscot) beach accessible by Point Addis Road is dog friendly on a lead alternative all year round. Safety: Cliffs keep collapsing along this section of coast – stay on track and away from the edges. *Hooded plovers are a tiny cute endangered little bird that unfortunately shares a common name with one of Australias most hated (although very cool) bird species. Unfortunately, they nest and breed in the sand along the most popular section of our coast and so are really vulnerable to dogs, horses and humans. Choosing to follow the rules is your chance to help a real-life endangered species 🙂 |
Track Notes
Entry Road and Carpark
Where you turn onto Hurst of the Anglesea road is the overflow parking for the MTB tracks. People are oblivious to their surroundings and stand on the rd and let there dogs wander off lead and kids will literally step in front of your car on busy weekends so be aware to go super slow for this first100m’s.
Follow the road all the way past the sharp bends to the carpark at the end. This is where the walk starts to Red Rock beach/loookout. Hurst road is windy and gravel and in wet weather low sections can become impassible to 2wd as there are some deepish ruts that fill up with the rain. I get my 2wd when it is mostly dry.
The road gets washed out and a little sandy in some spots. I have turned around after rain before because I wasn’t confident I would get through the ruts in my 2wd. It really needs a good grade. Towards the end the road is narrower but still more than 1 lane.
You follow the road around a few sharp bends to get to the dead-end which is the carpark for the walk to red rock beach/lookout.
The Track
Carpark to Great Ocean Walk
From the carpark you head along a short fenced track to a T intersection. Turn left here for this walk ( you can turn right to walk to Anglesea).
This section of the walk is fenced on both sides and a bit narrow for dogs to pass. If you have a dog reactive dog you may wish to bring a head halter for passing dogs. If I don’t have one with me and can’t step off the track I sometimes backtrack to somewhere I can give my dog a bit more space for others to pass.
Great Ocean Walk to lookout
A wide gravel track sometimes fenced and sometimes not meanders through scrubby coastal vegetation with filtered ocean views. It is downhill all the way to the lookout/beach.
The track is in good condition in some spots but had washed out ruts on some downhill sections as there doesn’t seem to be any drainage lines built to disperse water on the downhills. I know surfers walk it in bare feet but I found having my grippy Teva Tirra sandles (see prices and photos on Snowys) useful in some downhill sections. It’s not a hard track to the lookout, just a bit of loose gravel on the downhill.
Flora and Fauna
The vegetation on the drive along Hurst road and near the carpark is Heathy Woodland which is an open eucalyptus forest with lots of shrubs underneath.
On the walk, you pass through predominately Coastal Headland Scrub which is actually classified as vulnerable. It’s a mix of mostly lower scrubby bushes which is pretty typical of a lot of exposed coastal areas – its a tough place to grow with the wind and salt!
I was lucky enough to spot an Echidna about 1.5 metres off the path, which I would never have seen if my dog hadn’t been snuffling with interest at the fence! So definitely keep your eyes out for wildlife on this walk.
I could hear but not see most birds, dawn and dusk like everywhere is a better time for spotting them. A few honeyeaters were flying around.
There were a few native flowers out when I visited mid-summer, there is likely more spring bloomers as I know there are lots of wildflowers on nearby tracks in spring (in fact the Moggs Creek Lookout walk from town has some of the best wildflowers in the area in springtime).
Lookout
The lookout has coast views east onto red rocks beach and west towards Anglesea. There is a small interpretative sign with some information about the Point Addis Marine National Park which this section of coastline is part of.
From here you can continue down on the beach to explore or return back to the carpark the same way.
Fun Things to do nearby
Point Addis & Iron Bark Basin
Point Addis/Addiscott beach nearby is one of the most picturesque and dramatic beaches on the coast because of the high cliffs. Its a lovely place to go for a big long walk along the beach and dogs are allowed on lead.
There are also a heap of dog-friendly walks through the nearby Iron Bark Basin.
Hurst Road/Anglesea Mountain Bike Tracks
A huge network of tracks through the Anglesea Heathland. Check out the trail forks app or find pdfs maps on the SurfCoast MTB website.
Great Ocean Road Chocolate Factory
Delicious icecreams and chocolate, including vegan options. However, be aware dogs are not allowed technically not even in the carpark!
Gelato Gelato Anglesea
My favourite is Mango Gelato (vegan) and you can go for a walk along the river with your icecream (and dogs are welcome on lead )