The incredible Great Ocean Road is well travelled for its sweeping coastline and stunning natural beauty. What’s less traversed is the Great Ocean Walk – more than 100 kilometres of coast-hugging track running from Apollo Bay all the way to The Twelve Apostles. However, thanks to Great Walks Australia, that is swiftly changing.

I’m heading out on the group’s Twelve Apostles Lodge Walk, and on arrival at the lodge, it’s pretty clear this is not your average trail campsite. Designed with its environment in mind, the award-winning development has low-consumption water and electricity fittings, on-site composting and a self-sufficient water supply. But with foot spas, rainforest showers and super-comfortable rooms, this is eco-chic at its best.

After dropping my bag, it’s off to the lounge for a briefing – and the most delicious Wagon Wheels (see below for recipe). Enter Lizzy Payne, the live-in chef who crafts all the food our group enjoys each day. Whether that’s homemade crumpets to kick-start the morning, lamingtons and caramelised nuts for sustenance, chicken salad or prawn noodles for lunch, or the meals she spins out every evening – think kangaroo served with produce foraged or grown in the kitchen garden – the food is the great surprise of the trip.

But this time, we’re not here to sit around and eat. The walk is split over four days and covers about 50 kilometres of the trail in total. We get to it right after briefing – first up, a gentle trek with our knowledgeable guide, Mitch. During the next few days, Mitch points out sites where dinosaur remains have been discovered, shipwrecks, plants (edible and not) and trees. And whenever we hit a beach, he pulls out a bag to collect any rubbish that’s washed up on shore to send off for documenting. Legend.

On days two and three, we have the opportunity of an endurance option that requires an earlier start and a longer trek. Never one to shy away from extra steps for the FitBit, I’m up at dawn for the challenge, and for the first magical hour we are joined by kangaroos hopping along the trail with us. I’m just about tripping over myself with joy.

Wild terrain, forest, deep gullies and too many views to mention are to follow, as well as a much-needed swim in an ice-cold lake after more than one great-for-the-glutes incline. And we quickly find ourselves in a happy routine each evening, sipping locally sourced beers and wines at the foot spas before dinner, and gathering around the fire pit after dessert. It is a truly blissful experience from dawn through to dusk.

Of course, it’d be remiss of me to neglect day four. Bidding farewell to the lodge, we embark on the final leg of our journey. As we progress, the Apostles slowly reveal themselves in the distance. Standing proud at seven (there were never 12; it’s thought the number was tagged on as a biblical reference – thanks, Mitch), we stare in stunned silence contemplating the outstanding achievements of nature. Hot-footing it to the finish, the crowning glory is a helicopter trip over the formations. As we glide across glistening blue ocean, I don’t even reach for my phone to take a picture. If there was ever a sight to see with your own eyes, this is it.

Visit: twelveapostleslodgewalk.com.au