Updated on December 8, 2025
Along with the fantastic drive and touring options of the famous Great Ocean Road, there are also terrific river and ocean kayaking opportunities available.
Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary
Parking – Google Map Link Marengo Beach Car Park
Distance – Approximately 500m offshore
Apollo Bay Surf and Kayak offer kayak tours to see the seals. So if you are in the area and don’t have a kayak, canoe, or SUP, it’s a great option.
The Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary Seal Colony near Apollo Bay was a highlight of a recent Great Ocean Road camping trip. The weather was stunning and the sea calm. Ideal for kayaking out.
We counted well over 100 seals and saw fighting between a couple of the huge males, before a group of the Australian Fur Seals charged into the water and played.
Launching from the Marengo Beach car park, it’s a short paddle of about 500m out to Marengo Reefs, which are visible from the beach. Depending on weather and tide conditions, it is possible to circle the reef.
Barmah River, Apollo Bay
Parking – Google Map Link Apollo Bay Recreation Reserve or Apollo Bay Back Beach
Distance – Approximately 4 km return, depending on river levels or obstructions!
The Apollo Bay Recreation Reserve is set on the banks of the Barmah River and is an ideal spot to launch, if the water level is high enough, or down river closer to the beach. The Back Beach has relatively easy parking; if the tide is low, it may involve pulling the kayak/s up along the river a short way. It all adds to the amusement.
This is by no means a long paddle; it’s ideal for kids or those new to paddling.
It is quite an easy paddle upriver through farmland; however, some tree trunks and branches need to be paddled around carefully, and it does get clogged with branches after about 1km. There is nothing ‘epic’ about a paddle up the Barmah River, but it is a sweet little trip, ideal for kids, and sunsets can be lovely.
Kayaking on the Aire River
Parking – Google Map Link Sand Road Bridge, Aire River
Distance – Approximately 11km return
This is quite a fun paddle, involving three sections. We camped at the Aire River East campground, a terrific, low-cost site managed by Parks Victoria.
Launching from a small boat ramp beside the bridge over the Air River, it is approximately 5.5km each way, paddling upriver. Passing reeds and farmland on both sides of the river, watch for koalas once reaching the stretch where gum trees line the riverbank.
Depending on river levels, it is possible to kayak approximately 1km beyond the bridge where the Great Ocean Road crosses the Aire River.
It is an easy paddle; early morning or evening would be prime times to paddle, enjoying the birdlife.
1km or so up the Aire River, there is a lake off to the right, Lake Craven. We did this as a separate paddle, though it could easily be done at the same time as the paddle upriver.
Lake Craven is quite a large expanse of water and very shallow in parts. I didn’t think to raise the skeg (rudder) on my kayak, and it dragged through the mud a short way, presumably disturbing eels, as there was a bit of splashing behind me. A bit spooky on an early morning paddle in the drizzle.
The third paddle was downriver to the ocean beach. It is less than 2km each way. The day we went down, the river was high, and a machine was dredging the sandbank to release river water into the ocean. It made for a fun paddle, pulling up on the sandbank to watch the rush of water into the sea – not paddling through, though!
Gellibrand River Kayaking, Princetown
Parking – Google Map Link Old Coach Road, Princetown
- Approximately 1km each way to the ocean beach.
- Upriver – Approximately 14km return.
Just a short drive from the famous 12 Apostles, the Gellibrand River is a pleasant kayaking trip, sedate and not overly affected by tides.
Parking is near a newly constructed bridge on Old Coach Road, with a boat launch area easily accessible.
Paddling the short distance downriver, the remains of a 90-metre tunnel carved through the cliff in 1906 are a visual reminder of an innovative engineering feat designed to break through a seasonal sand bar that sometimes blocked the mouth of the Gellibrand River. The solid wooden gates were intended to open the river to the Southern Ocean. This method is managed manually nowadays when water levels reach a specific height.
The paddle up the Gellibrand River winds through the Princetown Wetlands, ideal for birdwatching and a leisurely paddle. There is a wetlands boardwalk to wander along, too.
