Otways

Otways A fantastic weekend trip from Melbourne. Great opportunities to engage 4WD, fish, swim, surf and walk. Features the Great Ocean Road, the Otways National Park and the Angahook-Lorne State Park.
StartClick to Reverse the Dynamic Map and Driving NotesAireys Inlet
FinishForrest
DifficultyDifficulty 2.5/5 Suitable for4WD AWD Bike 
Distance107.01 kmMinimum Days2
Average Speed43.98 km/hrDriving Time2 hrs 26 mins
Rating Be the first to rate this item0 Reviews
Article By: ExplorOz Team
Page Updated: 2 May 2012

Go to top Description

This trek is a great long weekender, particularly if you live in or around Melbourne. Our start and end point is only 120kms from Victoria's capital city and this trek is a wonderful introduction to the first time 4WDer with a good combination of tar and gravel roads. It is a 4WDer's dream - close to the city with plenty of tracks to explore.

The trek begins at Aireys Inlet on the famous Great Ocean Road and finishes in the township of Forrest. The Great Ocean Road follows the coast and there are numerous coastal towns, fantastic scenery and excellent fishing and surfing opportunities. At Aireys Inlet, there are a number of great walks and a particular favourite is before Lorne at the Cumberland River Reserve with walks to Jebbs Pool and Cumberland Falls. This is a great spot for camping if you can find a free space in the caravan park.

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The Otway Range Outback Travellers Guide
A must-have guide! Includes enlarged sections of the track, track notes, gps co-ords, distances to & from your origin, photos, landmarks, fuel-food-water, camping & accommodation & more, buy it here.
www.outbacktravellers.com.au

Go to top Interactive Route Map

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Otways Help

From: Aireys Inlet
To: Forrest

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Go to top Permits

Only required for camping in Otways National Park. The Otway Range Forests and the Angahook-Lorne State Park do not currently charge for camping. Camping fees do apply for the Otways National Park ranging from $3.50 per night/site for bush camping, to $8.30 per night/site where facilities are provided. Bookings are advised, particularly for school holidays and Blanket Bay camping area. Full details on facilities and fees are provided in Camping in Victoria by Boiling Billy.

Some tracks in the Otway Parks and Forests are closed between 1 June to 31 October. This trek travels on some seasonally closed tracks, so its best to contact Parks Victoria before finding you can't get through! For more information, call the Parks Victoria Information Line on 13 1963.

Go to top Things to See & Do

Other notable info. Large reservoir, river, state forest, mountain bike tracks. Lots of 4WD tracks in area, subject to winter closure.

For more information on the Great Otways National Park, call the Parks Victoria Information Line on 13 1963.

Parks Victoria

Level 10, 535 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Phone: 13 1963 (within Australia)
Website: www.parkweb.vic.gov.au
Email: info@parks.vic.gov.au

Go to top Preparation

Fuel Supplies & Usage

Fuel SymbolAireys Inlet, Lorne Diesel4cyl 15 litres ULP4cyl 13 litres * LPG4cyl 21 litres
6cyl 16 litres6cyl 19 litres6cyl 19 litres
8cyl 16 litres8cyl 18 litres
There is NO fuel available in Forrest, nearest fuel is in Barwon Downs, 8 km to the north. (Limited hours only)

Services & Supplies

The following locations have various services and supplies: Aireys Inlet, Lorne, Forrest

Go to top Camp Sites & Accommodation

Go to top Environment

There is a great variety of landscape in this region. The coastal heathlands and open woodlands contrast greatly with the rainforests which are hundreds of years old. There is a large amount of wild life that may be seen throughout your trip to the Otways.

Go to top History

At the turn of the century most of the villages along the coast such as Lorne were cut off by the Otway Ranges and the only way of communicating easily with the outside world was by sea. In 1916, during the middle of the war, it was suggested that returned servicemen be employed to build roads to cut off areas.

From this initiative the Great Ocean Road trust was founded to provide employment for returned service men, and to create the road as a memorial to those who had served in the war. The road was mainly hacked out of the earth by manual labour and was completed in 1932. It is a long and winding road that starts officially at Torquay and finishes at Warrnambool.

The Otways or Otway Ranges were formed 150 million years ago when Gondwana began to break up. Home to the Katabanut Aboriginal people, the steepness and tall forests of the ranges prevented European settlement until the 1870's when some land was cleared. The Otways National Park was created in the mid-1980's. The Angahook-Lorne State Park comprises the Eastern Otways.

Go to top Driving Directions

Time
Direction
Distance
Aireys Inlet to Gentle Annie Hill 10.67 km W 286° 19 min
Gentle Annie Hill to Benwerrin 10.13 km W 248° 15 min
Benwerrin to Big Hill Camping Area 0.84 km S 186°
Big Hill Camping Area to Mount Cowley 14.38 km SW 218° 17 min
Mount Cowley to Sharps Track Camping Area 7.43 km E 93° 12 min
Sharps Track Camping Area to Allenvale Mill Camp Ground 2.84 km E 86° 4 min
Allenvale Mill Camp Ground to Lorne 2.16 km NE 54° 3 min
Lorne to Point Grey 1.25 km SE 131° 1 min
Point Grey to The Spit 4.13 km SW 216° 4 min
The Spit to The Brothers 1.17 km SW 235° 1 min
The Brothers to Cumberland River Holiday Park 0.62 km NW 295°
Cumberland River Holiday Park to Mount Defiance Lookout 2.01 km SW 225° 2 min
Mount Defiance Lookout to Jamieson Track Camp Ground 2.66 km SW 221° 4 min
Jamieson Track Camp Ground to Lake Elizabeth Camp Ground 39.1 km W 290° 1 hr 18 min
Lake Elizabeth Camp Ground to Forrest 7.62 km NW 327° 13 min
Aireys Inlet to Forrest 107.01 km     2 hr 26 min
Distance is GPS recorded driving distance (not straight line), Direction is straight line from start to end, Time is calculated from actual GPS driving data.
Rob & Jo's Oz trip Blog 15 - Great Ocean Rd & beyond
Monday 22nd – Tuesday 23rd November 2010 6km from where we camped at Dry Creek reserve in SA we passed in to Victoria to Lower Glenelg National Park. Clocks went forward another 30 mins so we are now 3 hrs ahead of Perth and 11 hrs ahead of the UK. Camped on the north side of the river at Wilsons Hall (there is no hall at all). It was a lovely campsite but we thought we would be overlooking the river when we booked it.

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