Fittingly named after the schooner ‘Johanna’ that was wrecked at the mouth of the Johanna River on 22nd September 1843.
The area is steeped in history, from the discovery of dinosaur fossils in the Glenaire Valley to the Cape Otway Lightstation, the oldest of its type on mainland Australia.
This region is home to spectacular sections of the Great Ocean Walk which can be done independently or with the assistance of guides or tour operators, depending on your requirements. There are also many diverse choices of accommodation along the way from camping at designated sites to luxury homes and villas.
The surf beach at Johanna is a stretch of beach breaks, or beach and reef, noted for its power and reputation for rapid jumps in size. The Bells Beach Surf Classic competition has been moved from Bells Beach to Johanna on occasions as the westerly facing of Johanna Beach picks up swell that misses Bells and the Surf Coast.
Johanna beach is also a very popular fishing spot particularly for schools of salmon.
Sign up to get the latest deals, tours & events along the Great Ocean Road
Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Great Ocean Road region the Wadawurrung, Eastern Maar & Gunditjmara. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We recognise and respect their unique cultural heritage and the connection to their traditional lands. We commit to building genuine and lasting partnerships that recognise, embrace and support the spirit of reconciliation, working towards self-determination, equity of outcomes and an equal voice for Australia’s first people.
