Great Otway NP: waterfalls & rainforest along the Great Ocean Road

Extend your road trip along the Great Ocean Road with a visit to the rainforest of Great Otway National Park! When you think that the coastline of Victoria cannot become any more impressive, you will find this rainforest paradise there to extend your Great Ocean Road road trip with waterfalls, centuries-old trees and walks through the rainforest. We dove into the hinterland for a day and are happy to tell you more about this unknown part of the Great Ocean Road!

The way there: a challenge in itself!

From Apollo Bay, we turn off the Great Ocean Road towards the hinterland. A warning sign soon appears: “Not suitable for caravans and large buses”. Hmm, that promises something with our camper! And indeed, what follows is a real test for my driving skills. Twisting mountain passes with narrow roads and constantly hoping that we won’t encounter any oncoming traffic. It was sometimes a bit tight, by the way… especially to the east of the Beauchamp Falls.

As if that weren’t enough, we later switch to gravel roads that shake us up pretty good. Our camper shakes, and with every pothole in the road, our stuff flies through the vehicle. It is an adventure in itself – not always very comfortable, but it is doable, even with a (small) camper.

Do you have a camper or caravan? Then consider carefully whether you want to take this route. In our case, it worked out, but it was quite exciting at times. A normal car is much more convenient here. I would leave a caravan at the campsite. Our camper was 6.7 meters long.

Beauchamp Falls: jungle walk with the most beautiful waterfall of Great Otway

Our first stop is at the Beauchamp Falls. The walk starts at a small parking lot (or actually campsite) and is a long way down through a beautiful rainforest. All around us, we see gigantic Mountain Ash trees, surrounded by ferns and bird sounds. The path really gives you a tropical rainforest feeling, and we hadn’t expected that on the Great Ocean Road!

The walk is about 3 kilometers there and back and is rated as ‘moderate’. That is mainly because everything you descend… you also have to climb back up! Do pay attention to the temperature, though. It is quite a bit lower here than elsewhere. You get little sunlight through the tall treetops.

After about 30 minutes of walking, we reach the waterfall, and wow… what a reward! The Beauchamp waterfall may not be the biggest, but the picture is completely right in this rainforest! You can get close up and you can dive into the water if you feel like taking a refreshing dip.

The way back is, as you can expect, quite a bit tougher because you now have to climb up the slope. But even that has its charm, with new glimpses through the forest all the time. Only then you have to take that rotten gravel road again.

Hopetoun Falls: 200 steps down (and back up!)

After a short drive, we arrive at our second waterfall of the day: Hopetoun Falls. This waterfall is also beautiful and easier to visit. From the parking lot (which is very small, leave your camper at the top on busy days! There is also a sign) there is first a short path to a lookout platform at the top, where you actually have poor visibility of the 30-meter high Hopetoun Falls.

But we want more! We decide to take the route to the lower platform. That means descending about 200 steps. The steps are well constructed, but you have to climb them back up too. Along the way, we hear all kinds of bird sounds. The surroundings remind us a lot of our earlier walks in New Zealand!

After a descent of about 15 minutes, we reach the lower platform. Here, the Hopetoun Falls flows down into the Aire River. A nice waterfall in a nice setting that you can visit with relatively little effort! Only then you have to climb those steps again.

Triplet Falls: highest expectations vs. reality

All blogs and travel guides agreed: Triplet Falls is the must-see waterfall in Great Otway National Park. With such reviews, our expectations are naturally sky-high.

The walk itself is beautiful – a well-maintained path that runs in a loop through one of the oldest parts of the rainforest. Everywhere there are information boards about the history of this area, including its former use for the timber industry.

But then we arrive at the viewpoints for the waterfalls… and to be honest, that is a bit of a disappointment. The rainforest is so lush and densely overgrown that the view of the three different waterfalls is quite limited. Maybe we were also a bit spoiled by the earlier waterfalls we saw, but we found the Beauchamp Falls to be the most beautiful in Great Otway National Park.

Yet the walk itself is worth it. It is a beautiful piece of forest with an easy path. And you encounter incredibly many enormous large trees!

Maybe this waterfall is even more beautiful after a rainy period.

Wrapping up in Apollo Bay

After a day full of waterfalls and rainforest, we return to Apollo Bay, one of the coziest coastal towns along the Great Ocean Road. We park our camper and walk to the center, where we enjoy a well-deserved beer in a local pub.

Apollo Bay is, by Australian standards (I find the European culture in terms of coastal towns much cozier), a lively place with enough restaurants and cafes to spoil you culinarily after a day in nature.

Back at our campsite, we are surprised by our Australian neighbors. Even though we hardly spoke to them, they come by with a small souvenir as a memento of Australia. It just confirms what we have experienced throughout the trip: Aussies are friendly people!

Practical tips for Great Otway National Park:

• Bring good hiking shoes – many paths can be a bit slippery especially after rainfall.
• Download offline maps, because the coverage in the park is very limited. Plan your route in advance and read up on what you can park.
• Drive carefully on the narrow roads and take oncoming traffic into account. Especially to the east of the Beauchamp Falls, the road is very narrow. Take this route only once and drive the loop. Google Maps wanted to send us back, but I found that too stressful with a camper, haha!
• Plan enough time – the distances seem small on the map, but the roads are winding and the driving time is often longer than you expect.
• Are you traveling with a larger camper or caravan? Then consider whether it is a good idea and whether you feel comfortable with it. A 4×4 is not necessary. Do not go into the park with a caravan.

Was Great Otway National Park worth it? Absolutely! It forms a perfect contrast to the coastal route of the Great Ocean Road and shows a completely different side of Victoria. The combination of centuries-old rainforests, spectacular waterfalls and the challenging drive to get there makes this a beautiful adventure. Even if you have limited time, we recommend setting aside at least one day for this beautiful piece of Australian nature!