Things to do in the Otways
The Otways is a beautiful part of Victoria that is well worth a detour along the Great Ocean Road tour. I think Otways is well worth a trip of its own as there is so much to see here, including amazing waterfalls, encounters with rare wildlife, and even the chance to see the tallest trees in the world (California Redwoods).
Here are my tips on the best things to do in the Otways to make your trip truly memorable.
Hopetoun Falls
Hopetown Waterfall is our favourite out of all the places on this list. This place makes me feel like I have entered a fairytale grotto. Surrounded by lush greenery and surrounded by gorgeous greenery, the waterfall looks very dramatic.
If you only want to look at it from above, it’s only a minute’s walk from the car park, but it’s not the best view (it’s very shaded). To get there, you have to climb down several hundred steps to the lower viewing platform. The climb back up is pretty tough, but it’s worth it.
Triplet Falls
Triplet Falls is a beautiful place that attracts less attention than Beauchamp Falls or Hopetoun Falls, which have become quite popular on social media – especially as Triplet is also worth a stop. To get to the falls, you’ll need to follow a 2-kilometer walking trail that leads through a stunning forest of tree ferns, where even in the middle of the day it’s semi-dark. If you want to see the falls as quickly as possible, you can take the anti-clockwise route, which is a 1.5-kilometer round trip.
Triplet Falls – What to do in Otways. Technically, there are three waterfalls here, hence the name, but due to the dense forest, only one is clearly visible, but even that one is beautiful enough to visit! Like many other waterfalls, they are best seen after rainfall.
Beauchamp Falls
Beauchamp Falls is a beautiful place that is a must-visit for waterfall lovers travelling to the area. The walk to the falls is through virgin forest and is 1.5 kilometres each way. The road to the waterfall is mostly downhill, although it’s not steep, and it’s an incredibly peaceful walk along a shady path lined with tree ferns.
There’s plenty of birdlife here, and despite the waterfall being very popular, it’s never too crowded. You’ll come to a viewing platform where you’ll get a great view of the waterfall. Technically, access to the foot of the waterfall is already closed.
Views from Cape Otway Lighthouse
Behold the majestic Cape Otway Lighthouse, a true survivor and witness to history, proudly standing as the oldest lighthouse on mainland Australia. Prepare to be captivated by its breathtaking views of the mighty Bass Strait.
There is a charge to enter the lighthouse, so it’s worth trying to time your visit to coincide with one of the talks included in the entrance fee.
If you visit between May and October, it’s also a fantastic place for whale watching, with over 23 species of whales passing through each year – the most likely to see humpbacks.
You can save a little on the lighthouse entrance fee, $19.50, by booking online – just $1.
If you want to explore the area after the crowds of tourists have left, you can stay at the lighthouse keeper’s cabin, but it sells out well in advance during peak season.
Have a coffee with the history of the early settlers
NouriShed is an interesting café in the Otways and a small museum with information and artefacts from the first European settlers in the area. It’s an interesting place to wander around the neighbourhood and offers the best coffee and toast I’ve tasted on the Great Ocean Road trip.
There are plenty of comfy couches and outdoor seating, so it’s the perfect place to relax from all that exploring!
If you are connoisseurs of vintage wine we would like to suggest Yarra Valley Wine Tours.
Otway Fly
The Otway Fly attraction is one of the region’s top attractions that most people visit. The treetop ride is 600 metres long and extends 25 metres above the rainforest canopy.
You can climb the 45-metre spiral tower that sways gently in the wind to get the best view! If you combine the treetop walk with the rainforest walk, the total route is 1.9 kilometres, taking about an hour if you stop frequently for photos!
If you fancy something a little more energetic, you can also take a zip line ride.
Our company also offers a one-day Great Ocean Road tour.
Go koala spotting
The Otways is a fantastic place to go koala spotting, with plenty of options. For a special experience, you can stay at Bimbi Park, where wild koalas live on the grounds.
If you’re not staying at Bimbi but planning to visit the Cape Otway Lighthouse, the best way is along Lighthouse Road. Here I have a very good chance of seeing them, especially if you arrive in the early morning when they are more active.
Another good place is Lake Elizabeth, so it can be combined with platypus watching. When looking for platypus at dusk, we were lucky enough to hear six vocal koalas making noise for 50 minutes. Normally we see them drowsy, but these guys were not like that!
If you’re going to other parts of Australia, I’ve got some more great options for wild koala sightings.
Platypuses in Lake Elizabeth
Lake Elizabeth is one of the best places in Victoria to see wild platypuses, plus it’s a wonderful place. The best way to see them is to go on one of the canoe tours, which allow you to explore most of the lake and get up close to the platypuses (sightings occur about 90% of the time).
Since I had a small budget, I decided to just look for platypuses on my own, and I got lucky, but since the lake is vast, I could only see them from a distance. But if you want to see the lake up close, you need luck or a boat.
If you travel around Australia, there are plenty of options to see the platypus without a boat trip, as the bodies of water are smaller.
If you like to walk, you can walk around the lake in just under 5 kilometres. Discover the hidden gem just a short stroll away – only 1km from the car park, you’ll find yourself at the breathtaking lakeshore!
The walk is labelled as steep, but there is only one short steep section in each direction, with plenty of flat ground in between.
Our company also offers Phillip Island tours from Melbourne.
Giant Redwood Forest
The forest is so quiet and peaceful, and a walk amongst these giants will leave you in awe. It’s hard to realise their size, and their location by the river, overgrown with tree ferns, makes this place even more special.
The grove starts just a few steps from the car park, or you can continue through the woods for 500m, which I highly recommend doing to get a feel for how special this place is. Many of the trees have fallen onto the river, and the brave can try to cross it.
Glow worms in Melba Gully
Here is no more magical place in nature than a glow worm pit, especially when the glow worm pit is in the middle of a beautiful stretch of rainforest. This was one of our favourite stops on the Great Ocean Road route.
From the car park to the end of the walking trail at Anna’s Cascades is only 500m, the trail is easy and almost completely flat. If you switch off your torch in some places, you will see hundreds of glow worms scattered along the embankment.
I have seen a huge number of glow worms flickering all over the gully, and it really is a wonderful sight, especially if you go late and are alone all the time. The number of glow worms varies from year to year depending on the weather conditions, and I will talk about all of this, as well as many tips for visiting Melba Gully in this article.
It is important to take care not to shine your light on the glow worms or make noise near them, as they will start to switch off their lights if you do.
If you don’t like the idea of walking through the forest at night, Melba Gully is a great place to visit in the middle of the day as well. It’s cool and shady even on a sunny day, and you’ll walk out to a bubbling cascade at the end. If you have time, I recommend visiting this place both during the day and at night for a completely different experience.
