Great Otway National Park

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

Great Otway National Park takes in Erskine Falls behind Lorne, the Cape Otway headland and forest in the hinterland around Beech Forest. The park authority sums it up as rugged coastline giving way to tall forests, fern gullies, waterfalls and winding trails. Two agencies share it. The Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority looks after the coastal parts, including Erskine Falls, the Great Ocean Walk and the Cape Otway Lightstation precinct. Parks Victoria still manages areas in the hinterland such as Triplet Falls and Hopetoun Falls near Beech Forest.

Closures after the January 2026 flood

A flash flood in January 2026 washed away or badly damaged bridges and walkways in the park, and several popular walks were still closed in early November 2026: Erskine Falls, the Phantom Falls walk, Won Wondah and Henderson Falls, the St Georges River Loop and the Cora Lynn Cascades walk. The park authority gives no reopening dates. In the same period the road between Lorne and Skenes Creek was closed in both directions for a while after extreme weather and possible landslips. Check the park authority's pages, or call 1300 736 533, before you set your heart on a particular waterfall.

Erskine Falls, about 5 km inland from Lorne, drops 30 metres into a fern-filled gully. When it is open, a stepped path of 300 m return leads to the upper lookout in about 15 minutes, and a second path of 700 m return goes down more than 300 steps to the base, which gets slippery after rain. Sheoak Falls and the lower Kalimna Falls walk, both close to Lorne, were open; our Lorne page has the details.

Rainforest walks on a day tour

Most day tours from Melbourne cross the Otways between Apollo Bay and the Twelve Apostles and stop for one short walk in the forest. Go West and Bunyip Tours use Maits Rest. Other operators run a guided forest walk or a rainforest stop of about 20 minutes on the way back along the coast. These walks are brief, and they come in the middle of a 12- to 14-hour day.

For more time among the trees, the small-group tour by Hike & Seek goes straight to the Twelve Apostles first and then walks about 1 km to Beauchamp Falls before visiting a stand of Californian redwoods. It is for adults only and meets outside the National Gallery of Victoria on St Kilda Road, with no hotel pickup.

Koalas at Kennett River

Kennett River, a coastal reserve on the road between Lorne and Apollo Bay, is where the park authority describes koalas eating gum leaves in the trees of the national park. Many day tours stop here or at another koala spot nearby. Feeding wildlife is not allowed. The landslip repairs on the road between Kennett River and Grey River, which closed one lane at a time from late May 2026, were completed in August 2026, according to Transport Victoria.

Wildlife walks with a guide

Near Apollo Bay, Wildlife Wonders runs guided walks through Otways bushland with a conservationist guide. The daytime walk lasts 75 minutes on a gentle path of 1.4 km and stops at the research hub of the Conservation Ecology Centre; headsets and binoculars are provided and tours run in almost all weather. The dusk tour starts with a shared mezze plate and a drink, then spends about 90 minutes looking for nocturnal animals, with the start time set by sunset.

Cape Otway and the treetops

At the southern tip of the park, the Cape Otway Lightstation was built in 1848 and stands 90 m above Bass Strait. It describes its lighthouse as the oldest surviving one on mainland Australia. The tower is closed for conservation works, while the heritage precinct and café remain open; it opens Friday to Tuesday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, with last entry at 4 pm, and closes on Christmas Day.

Inland, Otway Fly Treetop Adventures has a 600 m walkway raised 25 to 30 m above the rainforest floor, with a 47 m spiral tower, and a zipline tour of about 2.5 hours.

The Great Ocean Walk

The Great Ocean Walk runs for more than 100 km from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles, east to west, and the full route usually takes eight days. Expect stairs, long climbs and descents and sections that turn wet and muddy. Beach and river crossings can become unsafe at high tide or in rough surf. Campsites are small, hold at most three people per site and must be booked ahead; the booking is your camping permit. Groups and operators have to register their plans at least 14 days before they set out.

Weather and fire danger

Cape Otway is wetter than Melbourne or Port Fairy, with about 890 mm of rain a year and 15 or more rain days a month in July and August. Even in January and February there are five or six. Forest paths and steps get slippery after rain, so wear shoes with grip. In summer the CFA asks travellers to check the Fire Danger Rating every day on the VicEmergency app or hotline (1800 226 226), and never to travel into a high-risk bushfire area on a day declared Catastrophic.