We all know how scenic the Great Ocean Road is, right? We know about its beaches and its mountains. We know about the pockets of temperate rainforest. We know it possesses some of the best surf breaks in the country. We know it’s home to iconic landmarks like the Twelve Apostles and Loch Ard Gorge. And we know that seaside towns like Lorne, Apollo Bay or Anglesea are some of the cutest imaginable.

But wait, there’s more! Did you know that there are myriad picturesque waterfalls just off the Great Ocean Road? Call them the steak knives in the deal, if you will. And let me tell you, they are simply stunning.

Now, how much would you expect to pay for this magnificent offer? Nothing. That’s right. Nada. Not a cent. There are no entry fees, no national parks charges. It’s not a limited time offer either. And there’s no urgency, no need to call now. They’ll be there next time you visit.

Most of the waterfalls are found in the stretch of coastline between Lorne and Beech Forest, inland from Cape Otway. Some require decent hikes to reach them; others require no effort at all.

No shortage of surf spots along the Great Ocean Road

FLOW TIME

It’s mid-winter when I travel southwest from Melbourne towards Beech Forest. It’s a journey that would normally take around 2.5 hours, but I’m driving a KEA River M721, stopping along the way for photo shoots and cups of coffee in Winchelsea, Colac, and Gellibrand. I’ve invited my 80-year-old mother to accompany me, allowing her to break free from at the time COVID-19 lockdowns. It’s 4pm when we reach our first waterfall.

I’ve timed our journey to coincide with the waterfalls being in peak flow. I can’t see all of them in the time we’ve got so I’ve compiled a list that varies from mighty horsetail falls to multi-tiered cascades.

Triplet Falls is our first stop. Part of Young Creek, it is fed by  an average of 235 days of rain each year — the state’s highest — and fans out into three distinct segments. Viewing platforms allow multiple perspectives.

A cave undercuts Lower Kalimna Falls

It is located down Phillips Track, a narrow road that passes through rolling dairy country. There’s a spacious parking area with room for larger vehicles and it contains good bathroom facilities. Camping is not allowed.

The falls are accessed via a steep, slippery descent on a stairway that defeats Mum, forcing her to return to the van. It’s just as well; fallen branches from a storm a few days earlier obstruct the trail halfway down. They would have prevented her from continuing. It’s a 2km-long circuitous trail and a fallen tree that looks like it’s been there for years blocks the trail back to the parking area as well.

Signs alongside the trail tell the history and story of this rainforest. Some of the mountain ash trees are believed to be more than 200 years old and are some of the highest in the state. A rusting boiler that would have been used to cut timber close to one hundred years ago rests beside the trail, alongside an abandoned cart loaded with mossy planks.

Search for koalas at Kennett River

ROCKY ROADS

I had hoped to free camp at Beauchamp Falls on our first night, but the parking area for Beauchamp and its campground are closed while Parks Victoria undertakes maintenance works. They are scheduled to reopen ahead of the peak summer period. Back at Ferguson, where the Colac Road intersects with the road from Apollo Bay, on our way to Triplet Falls, we’d stopped to see if a free camping area at the junction would be suitable. But it was too wet; we’d almost certainly get bogged. My backup is a free campground at Stevensons Falls. Otherwise, Dandos Camping Spot would suffice. Both are close to an hour’s drive away.

Stop for incredible coastal views at Cape Patton

TALL TREES

Just down the road is an experimental California redwood plantation that was planted between 1929 and 1936 to meet timber needs for housing and other construction. They grew slowly at first, averaging just five metres tall after 15 years. But as they matured, they grew much taller — some now reach heights exceeding 60m.

The rising sun warms the tree canopy as we explore the forest on foot. Pine needles absorb our footsteps and the only sound I can hear is the gentle flow of the Aire River. The forest is home to many animals and at one point, I think I spot a platypus in the water.

Although sightings are rare, it is not beyond the realm of possibility.

A singularly unique type of serenity

They are found around these parts, most notably in Lake Elizabeth, near the town of Forrest.

Hopetoun Falls is just upriver from The Redwoods. A road sign warns drivers of trucks, buses, caravans, and trailers against entering. The road is in good condition, but turning circles in the parking area are tight for large vehicles.

A 500m stairway descends through glades of ferns to a Tolkienesque waterfall that plunges over a rock ledge dripping with mosses and epiphytes. Tree ferns frame a pool that eventually flows into the ocean at Hordern Vale, west of Cape Otway. It’s simply beautiful.

The road east towards the coast winds through a forest filled with towering mountain ash and fern trees. Bark strips litter the road from the storm a few nights earlier. It’s untidy, but still a lovely road through pretty scenery.

The surf is pumping as we travel between Skenes Creek and Carisbrook Falls. If I’d brought my board with me I’d have paddled out, but it flattens out by the time we reach Kennett River. I’ve never seen the ocean change so quickly.

Views over the St. George River mouth from Teddy’s Lookout

Carisbrook Falls is the highest waterfall along this coastline, tumbling down bare rock just inland from the sea. The car park is just off the Great Ocean Road and it’s a steep 10-minute walk up a gravel path to a lookout point over the falls. No trails lead to the foot of the falls.

Kafe Koala in Kennett River makes an ideal place for us to stop for lunch. The owners bake their own pastries and cakes, and they offer a Moroccan lamb shepherd’s pie with soup combo for take home dinners. From our outdoor seats, we can see a hiking trail that’s nearing completion. It will eventually link Kennett River with Wye River, 6km away. Koalas nestle in the manna gums behind the caravan park.

Hopetoun Falls, near Beech Forest

LORNE’S GREEN

After lunch, we continue east along the Great Ocean Road towards the upmarket holiday town of Lorne. We pass turnoffs to several waterfalls — Cumberland, Sheoak — then drive through town until we reach the Sheoak Picnic Area.

Walking trails fan out in all directions from here and waterfalls are the prime attractions. The trail to Lower Kalimna Falls passes through the Little Sheoak Creek Valley, following the course of a disused timber tramway that was built to cart logs on horse-drawn trolleys to a nearby sawmill. Before the last tramway was abandoned in 1935, this region contained more than 50km of tramlines.

Muddy puddles regularly impede my progress and I quickly work out that there’s not much point trying to keep my boots clean. Mum has  chosen to stay back in the van. I’d asked her if she brought walking shoes before we left home and she assured me she did.

“These are comfortable for walking in,” she’d said, holding up a pair of leather slippers with a slight heel. They’re good for street walking, but definitely aren’t suitable for hiking along muddy paths. I suspect it’s been a while since she hiked anywhere other than a city park.

Lower Kalimna Falls topples over a rock overhang into a pool fringed by green fernery. The water has burrowed into the hard rock behind the falls, leaving behind a cave that you can walk into.

Henderson Falls

Around the corner up a steep incline is Sharps Track Campground, where there’s space for three motorhomes or caravans on a first-come, first-served basis. After a rough night’s sleep previously, I didn’t stir this time, lulled to sleep by croaking frogs in the pond next to our campsite.

I’ve got time to see one more waterfall before we return to Melbourne. I opt for Henderson Falls. Along the way, I pass Won Wondah Falls, and had I continued along the same trail, I’d have walked through a canyon to reach Phantom Falls — next time, maybe.

I’m lucky I have Henderson Falls to myself, and I’m close enough to touch the water as it cascades from a height of around 10m. Man ferns arc over the top of me and I wonder whether sunlight ever reaches the valley floor.

Wattle bushes are in full bloom as we return to Melbourne via Deans Marsh, climbing over the Otway Ranges until we can travel across the vast volcanic plains that stretch beyond the South Australian border. From water to fire — the theme for my next trip, perhaps?

Category: Destinations
Written: Wed 01 Dec 2021
Printed: December, 2021
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