A wide, empty sandy beach, dunes covered with green, low trees and an incredibly idyllic rolling landscape of forests and large, well-kept farms.

This is the area around Johanna Beach, one of our favourite spots on the Great Ocean Road.

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Over 3km of paradise

Johanna Beach will greet you with very fine white sand, large dunes that separate the beach from the surrounding landscape and photogenic hills at either end of the beach.

Although the entrance to the water is rocky in some places, large parts of the beach have a comfortable sandy entrance to the sea.

Discover this piece of paradise for yourself, you will most likely be almost alone. As the beach is outside the town, there are usually only a few people here at most.

Swimming in the sea is recommended only close to the shore or in small rocky coves because of the strong currents.

Facilities in the form of free clean toilets can be found at the car park about 100 metres from the beach. Bring your own refreshments, as there is no restaurant or shop far away.

Drive to the beach through idyllic countryside

There are two dirt but well-maintained roads leading to the beach that are passable for all types of cars.

• Red Johanna Road - connects to the main Great Ocean Road towards Apollo Bay (see map)
• Blue Johanna Road - a longer and much nicer road joins the main road near Lavers Hill towards 12 Apostles (see map)

We were particularly taken by the Blue Johanna Road. It leads through a truly beautiful landscape of woods, fields, pastures and farms.

Accommodation on the farms

Looking for a moment of absolute peace in the middle of nature? In the area around both the Red and Blue Johanna Road, you will find some well rated and very modern farm accommodation.

You will usually have a whole fully equipped cottage to yourself. We list the most luxurious and best deals:

• Johanna River Farm & Cottages
• The Roost
• Glen Tara

What to see around

Discover all the places to see in Great Ocean Road.