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.
Go to top Interactive Route Map
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Otways 
From: Aireys Inlet
To: Forrest
This trek supports moving map, to take a virtual tour click on the Play button.
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.auEmail:
info@parks.vic.gov.au
Fuel Supplies & Usage
 | Aireys Inlet, Lorne |
Diesel | 4cyl 15 litres |
ULP | 4cyl 13 litres * |
LPG | 4cyl 21 litres |
|---|
| 6cyl 16 litres | 6cyl 19 litres | 6cyl 19 litres |
| 8cyl 16 litres | 8cyl 18 litres | |
There is NO fuel available in
Forrest, nearest fuel is in Barwon Downs, 8 km to the north. (Limited hours only)
Go to top Camp Sites & Accommodation
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.
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.
