The Complete Guide to the Great Ocean Road by Around The Sun

The Complete Guide to the

Great Ocean Road Walks, Beaches, Heritage, Ecology, Towns and Sustainable Tourism Through Southwest Victoria

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

A Warning & Request Although every effort has been made to ensure the book is up-to-date and correct, mistakes happen, things change, and improvements can always be made. Please send any suggestions, corrections or additions for the next edition to Richard Everist via gor@bestshot.com.au, or BestShot!, PO Box 850, Torquay 3228. All contributions will be acknowledged in the next edition, and the very best will be rewarded with a free copy of BestShot!’s Traveller’s Guide to the Goldfields. Excerpts from your correspondence may appear in new editions or in website updates. Please specify if you don’t want your letter published or your name acknowledged. The writers and the publisher have tried to make the information as accurate as possible, but they accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by any person using this book or by any business, organisation or individual featured in this book. Territory

Australia and New Zealand

UK, Europe, USA, Canada, ROW

Full Title

The Complete Guide to the Great Ocean Road – Walks, Beaches, Heritage, Ecology, Towns and Sustainable Tourism through Southwest Victoria

Australia’s Great Ocean Road – The Complete Guide to Southwest Victoria: Walks, Beaches, Heritage, Towns, Ecology and Sustainable Tourism

ISBN

978-0-9756023-4-8

978-1-905864-26-3

Publisher

Best Shot! Publications Pty Ltd

Trailblazer Publications

ACN 100 252 926

www.trailblazer-guides.com

Address

PO Box 850, Torquay 3228, Australia

The Old Manse, Tower Rd, Hindhead, Surrey GU26 6SU, UK

Cover Photos

Front: top, 12 Apostles, RB; bottom left, Big Hill, GOT; bottom centre, Mt Eccles Koala, RE; Beauchamp Falls, RE

Front: 12 Apostles, RB

Back, from top: Cape Bridgewater Seal, AV; Torquay to Pt Addis, GS; Port Fairy Lecture Hall, RE; Mt Defiance, RE

Back, from top: Big Hill, GOT; Mt Eccles Koala, RE; Beauchamp Falls, RE

Design

Paul Mah, Ascet Creative

Printer

Tingleman Print Media Group

Co-published in August 2009 by BestShot! and Trailblazer Publications Text © Best Shot! Publications Pty Ltd 2009 Photos © as indicated: Andrew Mathers (AM), Darren Stones (DS), Erik Holt (EH), Falls Music & Arts Festival (FM), Geelong Gallery (GG), Geelong Otway Tourism (GOT), George Stawicki (GS), Glenelg Shire Council (GSC), Joe Mortelliti (JM), Katherine Seppings (KS), Lis Bevan (LB), Parks Victoria (PV), Phil Thomson (PT), Raphael Everist (RaphE), Rapid Ascent (RA), Richard Everist (RE), Robert Bole (RB), Southern Grampians Shire Council (SGSC), Steve Ryan (SR), Tourism Victoria - Visions of Victoria Image Library (VofV), Vincent Antony (VA), Viridans Biological Databases (Viridans), Warrnambool Art Gallery (WAG), Wine Geelong (WG), Worn Gunditj Aboriginal Cooperative (WGAC) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purposes of review, without the written permission of the publisher and the copyright owner.

The Complete Guide to the

Great Ocean Road Walks, Beaches, Heritage, Ecology, Towns and Sustainable Tourism Through Southwest Victoria

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Contents Maps Map 1 – Southwest Victoria . . . . . . . Map 2 – Queenscliff to Lorne . . . . . Map 3 – Lorne to Princetown . . . . . Map 4 – Princetown to Warrnambool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Map 5 – Port Fairy to Portland . . . . . Map 6 – Portland to Nelson . . . . . . . Map 7 – Around Torquay . . . . . . . . . Map 8 – Around Anglesea . . . . . . . . Map 9 – Around Aireys Inlet . . . . . . Map 10 – Around Lorne . . . . . . . . .

10 12 14 16 18 20 22 23 24 25

Introduction Foreword . . . . . . . 30 How To Use This Book . . . . . . . 32 The Great Ocean Road Region . . . 32 Visitors to the Great Ocean Road Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Everyone Who Loves The Great Ocean Road Region . . . . . . . 34

PLANNING A TRIP . . . . . . . . . . . 34 HIGHLIGHTS . . . . 36 Great Ocean Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . Best Of The Bellarine . . . . . . . . . . . . Queenscliff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Rip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barwon Bluff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bancoora and Breamlea . . . . . . . . . Best Of The Great Ocean Road . . . . Surf City Plaza, Torquay . . . . . . . . Bells Beach & Winkipop . . . . . . . . Pt Addis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lorne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grey River Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maits Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cape Otway Lighthouse . . . . . . . . Moonlight Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johanna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

37 38 38 39 40 40 41 43 43 44 44 44 45 45 45 46

Twelve Apostles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bay of Martyrs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Logans Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Best Of The West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tower Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Fairy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cape Bridgewater . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Best Of The Hinterland . . . . . . . . . . Triplet Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Turtons Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kanawinka Geopark – Volcanoes . Red Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mt Eccles (Budj Bim) . . . . . . . . . . Budj Bim / Lake Condah . . . . . . . Dry Stone Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warrock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

46 46 47 48 49 49 49 50 51 52 52 52 53 53 54 54 54 55

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM & HOLIDAYS . . . . . . . 57 Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Minimising Your Impact . . . . . . . . . 60

CONTEXT

67 67 68 69

ABORIGINAL HERITAGE . . . . . . . 70 Social Organisation . . . . . . . . . . . . Way of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Middens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . European Impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Language-Culture Groups . . . . . . . Eels (kuuyang) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Explorers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Major Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Buckley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sealers & Whalers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Squatters & Settlers . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Hentys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Batman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Squatters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Settlers & Timber . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing & Couta Boats . . . . . . . . . Shipwrecks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coastal Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . Great Ocean Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . Avenues Of Honour . . . . . . . . . . . Surfing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Duke & His Pioneers . . . . . . Surf Life Saving Clubs . . . . . . . . . . From Timber to Fibreglass . . . . . . . Wayne Lynch – The Fish . . . . . . . . The Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

82 84 85 86 87 87 87 87 88 89 90 92 93 94 95 95 96 97 97 98 99

GEOLOGY . . . . . . . 101 Gondwanaland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES . . . . . . . . . . 66 Logging & Plantations . . . . . . . . . Invading Species . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Population Growth & Economic Development . . . . . . . . Climate Change & Wind Farms . .

EUROPEAN HERITAGE . . . . . . . 82

72 73 74 75 76 79 79

ECOYSTEMS, FLORA & FAUNA . . . . . . . 104 Temperate Rainforest . . . . . . . . . . . Flora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fauna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wet Sclerophyll Forest . . . . . . . . . . Flora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fauna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Damp Sclerophyll Forest . . . . . . . . Flora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dry Sclerophyll Forest . . . . . . . . . . Flora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fauna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heathlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fauna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fauna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grassland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fauna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

106 106 107 108 109 109 110 111 111 112 112 113 114 114 115 116 117 117

CONTENTS

Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bonney Upwelling . . . . . . . . . . . . Sealife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Birds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

118 118 119 120 120 123

Activities A – Z ACTIVITIES 128 Aboriginal Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . Budj Bim / Lake Condah . . . . . . Eumeralla Backpackers / Deen Maar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Narana Creations . . . . . . . . . . . . Tower Hill Game Reserve . . . . . . Arts – Performing & Visual . . . . . . Geelong Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hamilton Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . Warrnambool Art Gallery . . . . . . Beach Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Camping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Minimal impact camping . . . . . . Cycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diving & Snorkeling . . . . . . . . . . . Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Phillip & Corio Bays . . . . . . Estuaries & Piers . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Open Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Four-Wheel-Driving . . . . . . . . . . . Otways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mt Eccles and Mt Napier National Parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Discovery Bay National Park . . . . Flying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anglesea Golf Club . . . . . . . . . . . Barwon Heads Golf Club . . . . . . Port Fairy Golf Club . . . . . . . . . . The Sands Golf Club . . . . . . . . . Thirteenth Beach Golf Club . . . . Hang Gliding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Horse Riding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marathons & Endurance Events . . . Mountain Biking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Torquay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anglesea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You Yangs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

129 130 130 130 131 131 132 132 133 133 133 134 134 135 135 136 136 137 137 138 138 139 140 141 141 141 142 142 142 143 143 143 143 144 144 145 145 146 146 146 147 147

Music Festivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Apollo Bay Music Festival . . . . . . The Falls Music & Arts Festival . . National Celtic Festival . . . . . . . . Port Fairy Folk Festival . . . . . . . . Queenscliff Music Festival . . . . . . Tarerer Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Natural Environment . . . . . . . . . . . Open Water Swims & Fun Runs . . Parks & Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spectator Sports & Events . . . . . . . Airshow – Avalon . . . . . . . . . . . . Australian Rules Football . . . . . . . Cricket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Horse Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mountain Bike Races . . . . . . . . . Sailing – Skandia Geelong Week . Surf Life Saving Carnivals . . . . . . Surfing Competitions . . . . . . . . . Swimming with Seals & Dolphins . Surfing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Walking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Whale Watching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wildlife Watching . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heathlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Damp Sclerophyll Forest . . . . . . Cool Temperate Rainforest . . . . . Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Coast & Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

147 149 149 149 149 149 149 150 150 150 151 151 151 152 152 152 153 153 153 153 154 154 154 155 155 156 156 156 157 157 158 158

BEACHES & SURFING . . . . . . . 163 Beach Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geelong to Queenscliff . . . . . . . . . . Queenscliff to Torquay . . . . . . . . . Queenscliff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pt Lonsdale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ocean Grove & Raffs . . . . . . . . . Barwon Heads River & 13th Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bancoora . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Breamlea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pt Impossible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Torquay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jan Juc to Apollo Bay . . . . . . . . . . Jan Juc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . Pt Addis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anglesea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pt Roadknight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Guvvo’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

165 167 167 168 168 169 170 171 171 171 172 173 174 175 177 177 178 178

Urquhart Bluff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aireys Inlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fairhaven to Spout Creek . . . . . . Cathedral Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lorne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cumberland River . . . . . . . . . . . Wye River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kennett River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skenes Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Apollo Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Apollo Bay to Cape Bridgewater . . Glenaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Castle Cove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johanna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Princetown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gibson Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Campbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peterborough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warrnambool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Fairy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cape Bridgewater . . . . . . . . . . . .

179 179 180 181 181 182 182 182 183 183 184 184 184 185 185 186 186 187 187 188 189 190

DIVING & SNORKELING . . . 193 Charter Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . Diving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Phillip Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Campbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warrnambool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Fairy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shore dives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snorkeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

194 194 194 195 196 197 197 197 198

PARKS & RESERVES . . . . . . . 201 Map 11 – National Parks & Reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204 Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary . 205 Bay of Islands Coastal Park . . . . . 206 Cape Nelson State Park . . . . . . . 208 Cape Otway Lightstation . . . . . . 208 Cobboboonee National Park . . . . 210 Crawford River Regional Park . . . 210 Discovery Bay Coastal Park . . . . 211 Discovery Bay Marine National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary . . . 214 Great Otway National Park . . . . 214 Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Lower Glenelg National Park . . . 218 Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary . 219

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Melba Gully – Great Otway National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Merri Marine Sanctuary . . . . . . . Mt Eccles National Park . . . . . . . Mt Napier State Park . . . . . . . . . Mt Richmond National Park . . . . Mt Rothwell Conservation & Research Centre . . . . . . . . . . . Ocean Grove Nature Reserve . . . . Pt Addis Marine National Park . . Pt Danger Marine Sanctuary . . . Port Campbell National Park . . . Map 12 – Port Campbell National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Serendip Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . The Arches Marine Sanctuary . . Tower Hill State Game Reserve . . Twelve Apostles Marine National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You Yangs Regional Park . . . . . . .

220 220 221 222 222 223 224 224 224 225 226 231 234 235 235 236 236

WALK, RIDE, DRIVE . . . . . . . . . . 241 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Walk Groupings . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Difficulty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Safety & Annoyances . . . . . . . . . Caring for the Environment . . . . Useful Phone Numbers . . . . . . . . Information and Maps . . . . . . . . Walks & Rides Around the Bellarine Peninsula . . . . . . . . . Bellarine Rail Trail . . . . . . . . . . . Queenscliff to Pt Lonsdale . . . . . Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve . Ocean Grove Nature Reserve . . . . Barwon Bluff Walk . . . . . . . . . . . Walks Around Torquay . . . . . . . . . . Surf Coast Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Breamlea to Pt Impossible . . . . Pt Impossible to Pt Danger . . . . . Pt Danger to Jan Juc . . . . . . . . . . Jan Juc to Bells Beach . . . . . . . . . Bells Beach to Pt Addis . . . . . . . . Southside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ironbark Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pt Addis Koorie Cultural Walk . . Walks Around Anglesea . . . . . . . . . Pt Addis to Anglesea . . . . . . . . . .

241 242 242 242 242 242 243 243 243 244 244 244 245 246 247 247 248 248 248 249 250 251 251 251 252 252 253 253 253 254

Anglesea River Walk . . . . . . . . . . Anglesea to Aireys Inlet . . . . . . . . Anglesea to Pt Roadknight Clifftop Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pt Roadknight to Urquhart Bluff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Springtime Wildflower Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Walks Around Aireys Inlet . . . . . . . Aireys Inlet to Distillery Creek picnic area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aireys Inlet to Moggs Creek . . . . Aireys Inlet Cliff Walk . . . . . . . . Lighthouse Precinct . . . . . . . . . . Currawong Falls Circuit . . . . . . . Distillery Creek Nature Walk . . . Ironbark Gorge . . . . . . . . . . . . . Moggs Creek Nature Walk . . . . . Ocean View Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . Walks Around Lorne . . . . . . . . . . . Stony Creek, Lilypond Reserve . . Five Mile Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Erskine Falls, Lookouts 1 & 2 . . . Erskine River Track . . . . . . . . . . Lemonade Creek Track . . . . . . . . Cora Lynn Cascades Walk . . . . . . Blanket Leaf Picnic Area to Allenvale Mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teddy’s Lookout, Queens Park Lookout Loop . . . . . . . . . . . Tramway Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ocean Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St George River Walk . . . . . . . . . Allenvale Mill to Phantom Falls . . Sheoak Falls & Swallow Cave . . . Sheoak Picnic Area Nature Walk . Henderson Falls & The Canyon . Kalimna Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cumberland River Cascades . . . . Walks Around Wye & Kennett Rivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jamieson Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wye River Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kennett River Walk . . . . . . . . . . . Grey River Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . Walks Around Apollo Bay . . . . . . . Apollo Bay to Skenes Creek . . . . . Marriners Lookout . . . . . . . . . . . Marriners Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Apollo Bay to Marengo . . . . . . . Shelly Beach Circuit Walk . . . . . . Walks & Drives Around Cape Otway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forest & Waterfalls Drive . . . . . . Turtons Track Rainforest Drive . Lake Elizabeth Walks . . . . . . . . . .

255 255 255 256 256 256 257 257 258 258 259 259 259 260 260 260 261 261 262 262 262 263 263 265 265 265 266 266 266 267 267 268 268 269 269 269 269 270 271 271 271 272 272 272 273 274 274 275

Stevensons Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Sabine Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Beauchamp Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Hopetoun Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Triplet Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Little Aire Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Old Beechy Rail Trail Walk/Bike Ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Maits Rest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278 Parker River Inlet . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Parker River to Cape Otway . . . . 279 Cape Otway Lightstation Precinct . 279 Aire River Escarpment . . . . . . . . . 280 Castle Cove Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . 280 Johanna Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Melba Gully – Madsen’s Track Nature Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Moonlight Head & Wreck Beach 282 Great Ocean Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282 Apollo Bay to Shelly Beach . . . . . 283 Shelly Beach to Blanket Bay . . . . 284 Blanket Bay to Cape Otway . . . . 284 Cape Otway to Aire River – with side trip to Rainbow Falls . . 284 Aire River to Johanna Beach . . . . 285 Johanna Beach to Milanesia Beach Access Gate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285 Milanesia Beach to Moonlight Head . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Moonlight Head to Devil’s Kitchen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286 Devil’s Kitchen to Glenample . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287 Walks Around Port Campbell . . . . . 288 Princetown Beach & Pt Ronald . . 288 Gibson Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288 Loch Ard Gorge Walks . . . . . . . . 288 Port Campbell Discovery . . . . . . . 289 Bay of Martyrs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Volcano Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Tower Hill Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . 290 Mt Eccles National Park . . . . . . . 292 Mt Napier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Walks Around Portland & Cape Bridgewater . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Cape Nelson Walks . . . . . . . . . . . 294 Cape Bridgewater Walks . . . . . . . 294 Great South West Walk . . . . . . . . . 295

GUIDE TO THE COAST GEELONG . . . . . .

301

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Footy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302

CONTENTS

Steamers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights & Heritage . . . . . . . . . . Waterfront . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Museums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Notable Buildings & Constructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

303 304 304 307 308 312

BELLARINE PENINSULA . . . . . 313 Geelong To Queenscliff . . . . . . . . . Portarlington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . St Leonards & Indented Head . . . Queenscliff & Pt Lonsdale . . . . . . . Queenscliff History . . . . . . . . . . . Pt Lonsdale History . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights & Heritage . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

314 314 315 315 316 317 318 321

Queenscliff To Torquay . . . . 322 Ocean Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Barwon Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323 Breamlea/Bancoora . . . . . . . . . . . 325

TORQUAY TO LORNE . . . . . . 329 Torquay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Torquay to Anglesea . . . . . . . . . . . . Pt Addis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anglesea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aireys Inlet & Fairhaven . . . . . . . . . History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights & Heritage . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fairhaven to Lorne . . . . . . . . . . . . . Memorial Archway . . . . . . . . . . .

330 330 331 331 331 332 332 333 333 333 334 334 335 335 335

LORNE TO APOLLO BAY . 336 Lorne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights & Heritage . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Around Lorne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deans Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lorne to Apollo Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . Cumberland River . . . . . . . . . . . .

337 337 338 339 339 339 340 340

Artillery Rocks & Godfrey Creek . Wye River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kennett River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Skenes Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

340 340 341 341

APOLLO BAY TO WARRNAMBOOL . 342 Apollo Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights & Heritage . . . . . . . . Around Apollo Bay . . . . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Apollo Bay to Princetown . . . . . . . . Cape Otway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johanna & Lavers Hill . . . . . . . . . Moonlight Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . Princetown to Warrnambool . . . . . Princetown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Campbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peterborough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timboon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

343 344 344 345 346 346 346 347 348 348 349 349 350 351

WARRNAMBOOL TO PORTLAND . 354 Warrnambool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights & Heritage . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Around Warrnambool . . . . . . . . . . Tower Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Koroit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Port Fairy To Portland . . . . . . . . . . Port Fairy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights & Heritage . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Around Port Fairy . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lady Julia Percy Island (Deen Maar) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Crags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yambuk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape . . . . . . . . . . .

355 355 356 359 360 360 360 361 362 362 363 366 366 366 367 367 368

PORTLAND TO NELSON . . . . . 372 Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373 History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Highlights & Heritage . . . . . . . . 375 Around Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Gannet Colony, Lawrence Rocks . 377 Cape Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Cape Bridgewater . . . . . . . . . . . . 378 Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378

Around Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379 Princess Margaret Rose Cave . . . . 379

GUIDE TO THE HINTERLAND THE OTWAYS . . . . 383 Knott’s No. 3 Mill . . . . . . . . . . . Henry’s No. 1 Mill . . . . . . . . . . . Forrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Beech Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gellibrand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

384 384 384 385 385

THE VOLCANIC PLAINS . . . . . . . . . 386 Winchlesea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barwon River Bridge . . . . . . . . . . Around Winchlesea . . . . . . . . . . . Birregurra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Colac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Around Colac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Camperdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Highlights & Heritage . . . . . . . . Around Camperdown . . . . . . . . . Practicalities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Simpson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Noorat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I Can Jump Puddles . . . . . . . . . . Penshurst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Volcanoes Discovery Centre . . . . Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Casterton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kelpies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Around Casterton . . . . . . . . . . . .

387 388 388 388 389 390 391 391 391 392 392 393 393 393 394 394 394 396 396 396

PRACTICAL INFORMATION Visitor Information Centres . . . . . . Medical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When to Visit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dangers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . On the road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . At the beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bushfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dangerous Animals . . . . . . . . . . . Stings & Bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

400 402 403 405 406 406 406 406 407 407

Index . . . . . . . . . . 409

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

This Book

THIS BOOK This book is an initiative of Geelong Otway Tourism. It has been funded with contributions through a grant under the Australian Tourism Development Program, as well as funding assistance from Geelong Otway Tourism, Great Ocean Road Marketing, Parks Victoria, Heritage Council of Victoria and BestShot!. BestShot! is grateful for the assistance provided by Terry Hickey who oversaw the project on behalf of GOT, and for contributions and assistance from Alysia Brandenburg, Parks Victoria, and Anne Sedgley and Pauline Hitchins, Heritage Victoria. BestShot! also thanks the following people and businesses for their assistance: Joe & Cass Austin, Seals by Sea Tours, Cape Bridgewater; Bram & Jacqui Le Page, Heli-Explore, Portland; Damein Bell, Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation, Heywood; Liz Foreman, Discovery Bay Tourism, Portland; Carole Reid, Shipwreck Coast Tourism, Warrnambool; John and Maree Collyer, Worn Gunditj Aboriginal Cooperative, Tower Hill; Mantra Deep Blue, Warrnambool. CONTENT CREDITS Richard Everist, the co-founder of BestShot! was the project manager, principal author and photographer. Many people (brief biographies following) made important contributions to the text. In particular, Digby Williamson wrote the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter; Andrew Hanson wrote the surfing history section and the Beaches & Surfing chapter; Rebecca Gleeson (Squidink) wrote the articles about sustainable businesses and part of the Parks & Reserves chapter; Ralph Roob wrote the Diving & Snorkelling chapter; Ari Lingam (Trailhead Bike Co) wrote the Mountain Biking section; Brian Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien contributed material on the Kanawinka Geopark; and Lizzie Corke (Cape Otway Ecolodge) wrote the Wildlife Watching section. Tony Wheeler (Lonely Planet) provided the Foreword, which was reproduced and adapted with permission from Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime ÂŠ 2006 Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. Chris Crook (Country Cartographics) made the maps. Rebecca Gleeson (Squidink) contributed editorial and proofreading skills. Paul Mah (Ascet Creative) was responsible for design and layout. PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS A number of photographers contributed images (brief biographies following). A number of organisations also generously contributed images: Worn Gunditj Aboriginal Cooperative (for Tower Hill and wildlife); Tourism Victoria (through their Visions of Victoria Image Library); Geelong Otway Tourism; Glenelg Shire Council; Southern Grampians Shire Council; Geelong Gallery; Warrnambool Art Gallery; Parks Victoria, Wine Geelong and Rapid Ascent. Opposite: 12 Apostles, RE

10.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Andrew Mathers Darren Stones Erik Holt Falls Music & Arts Festival Geelong Gallery Geelong Otway Tourism George Stawicki Glenelg Shire Council Joe Mortelliti Katherine Seppings

LB PV PT RaphE RA RE RB SGSC SR

Lis Bevan Parks Victoria Phil Thomson Raphael Everist Rapid Ascent Richard Everist Robert Bole Southern Grampians Shire Council Steve Ryan

VofV VA Viridans WAG WG WGAC

Tourism Victoria (Visions of Victoria Image Library) Vincent Antony Viridans Biological Databases Warrnambool Art Gallery Wine Geelong Worn Gunditj Aboriginal Cooperative

CONTRIBUTORS Richard Everist – Writer, Editor, Photographer, Publisher

Ari Lingam (Trailhead Bike Co) – Writer

Richard has written and co-written a number of guidebooks for Lonely Planet Publications and, more recently, The Travellers Guide to the Goldfields for BestShot!. He was the Co-General Manager and Global Publisher for Lonely Planet from 1995 to 2000. In 2004 he co-founded Torquay-based BestShot! Publications with his partner Lucrezia Migliore. BestShot! focuses on Australian regions publishing books, web sites, calendars, cards and postcards.

Mountain Biking

Andrew Hanson – Writer

Darren is a journalist and photographer with a penchant for Australian travel, people, festivals and events. His photographs have been widely licensed, sold and published. Darren won the prestigious Grenfell Henry Lawson Festival of Arts Bronze Statuette for photography in 2008, and has been acknowledged by the National Library of Australia Picture Australia as an Outstanding Contributor.

Surfing history, Beaches & Surfing Andrew has surfed along the Great Ocean Road for 25 years, and still marvels at the beauty and power of this awe-inspiring coastline. He enjoys nothing more than sneaking quietly away from his Jan Juc home and paddling into an uncrowded line-up. His writing has appeared in various publications, and he is a keen observer of surf culture and history. Somewhat disturbingly, he owns more surfboards than shoes.

Ari opened the first bicycle shop on the Great Ocean Road in Anglesea in 2004. He is a passionate advocate for the development of sustainable mountain bike trails in Anglesea and is responsible for the development of the Anglesea Bike Park. Ari continues to pursue greater access for mountain bikers. www.trailhead.com.au

Darren Stones – Photographer

www.dgstonesphotography.blogspot.com

Digby Williamson – Writer

Andrew Mather – Photographer

Walk, Ride, Drive

Andrew’s interest in photography began with his dad, making pinhole cameras out of Milo tins. Since then he has recorded his extensive travels, and he is now a keen sports photographer, particularly of his kids’ sporting events and surf carnivals. He currently finds photography useful for soaking up any available cash.

Digby has always been passionate about travel and has managed to find jobs that have enabled him to travel with his work. From agricultural projects in the Middle East to aid and development programs in Africa, the Pacific and remote communities in Northern and Central Australia he has managed to get to many out of the way places. These days he enjoys living on the Surf Coast and getting to know his own backyard in the Otways.

11.

This Book

Erik Holt – Photographer

Phil Thomson – Photographer

The many attractions of the Great Ocean Road have inspired Erik’s photography, and he has developed a strong interest in landscape, surf and sport photography. Erik’s work can be seen in the Bell Street Printworks & Gallery, Torquay. erikholtphotography@yahoo.com.au

For some photography is a hobby, to others a job – but for Phil it is a passion. For as long as he can remember photography has been a key part of his life – driving him to rise early, to see the world differently, to capture smiles, to find meaning, sometimes to escape, and always to appreciate ever-changing landscapes. http://philt.redbubble.com

George Stawicki – Photographer George works with a variety of commercial, educational, industrial and individual clients, but has a particularly strong interest in architectural, art and landscape subjects. His intuitive portraits also feature in wedding photography. George specialises in aerial photography. www.stawickiphotos.com

Joe Mortelliti – Photographer Joe’s passion for photography began when his aunt gave him a darkroom kit for his 13th birthday – he was hooked from the first time he saw images coming up in the developer tray. Joe’s landscape photography is now digital, but he still aims to get it right in the camera and only makes minor adjustments in Photoshop. www.images-australia.com.au

Katherine Seppings – Artist, Writer, Photographer Katherine has been widely published and has had numerous exhibitions of the built and natural environment, depicting many countries where she has travelled, lived and worked. Publications featuring her work include Back Roads Australia and BestShot!’s The Heart of Victoria and The Travellers Guide to the Goldfields.

Lizzie Corke (Cape Otway Ecolodge) – Ecologist Wildlife Watching Lizzie and Shayne Neal co-founded the Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology and the Great Ocean Ecolodge. These ecotourism ventures have been acknowledged by many awards including the prestigious Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year in 2005. Lizzie and Shayne have now launched the Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology Public Fund – a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation and ecological research. www.greatoceanecolodge.com.au, www.capeotwaycentre.com.au

Ralph Roob – Divemaster, Writer Diving & Snorkelling Ralph’s passion for the coastal waters of Victoria has led him to study and work in the marine environment for over 15 years. His work has contributed to the knowledge of Victoria’s underwater habitats. Ralph has been involved in the promotion of Victoria’s coastal tourism industry, and he spends most weekends working in the dive industry as a charter boat skipper.

Rebecca Gleeson (Squidink) – Writer, Editor Sustainable tourism operators, Parks & Reserves Rebecca has been writing for the past ten years. Having lived for a number of years within walking distance of the Memorial Arch on the Great Ocean Road, she has a strong affinity with the region and delighted in exploring it further for this book. www.squidink.com.au

Robert Bole – Photographer Robert is one of the dying breed of photographers who believe in using traditional film-based photographic techniques. The vivid colours in his images are completely natural; he feels that filters and digital manipulations are not necessary – just patience and persistence. Robert’s love of the Australian landscape is clearly evident in his work. www.robertbolewildernessphotography.com

Steve Ryan – Photographer Steve is one of Australia’s most experienced and accomplished surf and landscape photographers. www.steveryan.com.au

Vincent Antony Vincent has a passion for wild places, wildlife, wild surfing and wild skiing – which he has managed to combine in a number of unusual ways. This book features Vincent’s photography from the Cape Bridgewater region, where he also worked as a boatman and guide for Seals by Sea’s whale and seal watching trips.

12.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Map 1 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Southwest Victoria Goroke

Horsham

Mitre

Natimuk Haven

Mt.Arapiles-Tooan State Park Y

Dadswells Bridge

Wombelano

Naracoorte

nel

HWY

B180

Wilkin Flora & Fauna Reserve

Tarrington

Tahara Digby

Mount Gambier

Crawford River Regional Park Hotspur

INC

Dartmoor Winnap Donovans Landing

Port MacDonnell

Greenwald

Glene

Glenelg Nelson Lower National Park

Condah

Discovery Bay Coastal Park

Discovery Bay Marine National Park

Chatsworth

Penshurst

Homerton

Caramut

PRIN

CES

Cape Bridgewater

Portland

Hawkesdale

Codrington

Yambuk

Ellerslie

Woolsthorpe B120 Orford Warrong Framlingham Winslow INS Kirkstall K Koroit HOP Panmure Tower Hill Wangoom Toolong

Point Danger Cape Nelson State Park

Mortlake Y

Tyrendarra Narrawong Allestree PORTLAND BAY

Hexham ns

pki

Broadwater

Bessiebelle

Heywood

Mt Richmond National Park

Macarthur

Mt Eccles National Park

Heathmere Gorae West

Woorndoo

Minhamite

Milltown

Drumborg

B140

106

Byaduk

Myamyn

Cobboboonee National Park DISCOVERY BAY

LTO N

Tabor Mt Napier State Park

HEN

GLEN

A200 Branxholme

Blue Lake

Wickliffe

Lake Bolac

HamiltonWarrayure

Merino

River

Mil lel

B160

Dunkeld

ELG

Strathdownie

Wannon

Paschendale

Glenthompson

HWY

Coleraine

B160 Sandford

LG NE

Maroona

Riv er

Casterton

Tarpeena

Cavendish

Wando Vale

Nangwarry Kalangadoo

B66

Dundas Range Reserve

Victoria

Tooloy - Lake Mundi Wildlife Reserve

Arar Regio Par

Moyston

Nareen

Dergholme

South Australia

Pomonal

Chetwynd

Dergholme State Park

Penola

Great Western

HENT

Coonawarra

Gle

Dergholme State Park

Balmoral

Stawell

Grampians National Park

Rocklands Reservoir

River

Poolaigelo

Deep Lead

Halls Gap

Harrow

A66

Wartook

A200

Black Range State Park

Langkoop

Wrattonbully

Reservoir

Edenhope

Struan

Apsley

HWY

Hynam

Glenorchy

C240

Callawadda

Lady Julia Percy Island

Cape Nelson

Killarney

Port Fairy

Noo

Garvo

Warrnambool

Allansford Naringal Nullawarre Bay of Islands Coastal Park

Bay of Islands

Curdie

Pet

L Th

Region covered by book

106

N 0

30km

Walk not shown on other maps

Key to map symbols on Map 6

Ballarat

The You Yangs Regional Park

Lara

Camperdown

Terang Garvoc

Pomborneit

Cobden

ool

ngal

Beeac

Lake Corangamite

HWY

Swan Marsh

NCE

PRI

Timboon

Elliminyt

Kawarren

Simpson

Curdie Vale

Forrest Gellibrand Carlisle River

Newfield

Peterborough

HWY

B100

Fairhaven

Barwon Downs

Great Otway National Park

Barramunga

PortG Campbell

B100

Lorne

OC EA

Beech Wye River Tanybryn Forest AT Loch Ard Gorge Kennet River OC Great Otway EAT EA Lavers The Twelve Apostles Cape Patton N R Wongarra Princetown B100 RD Hill National Park GSkenes Creek Paradise Johanna Apollo Bay Twelve Apostles RE

Marine National Park

Port Campbell Glenaire Hordern Vale National Park

Marengo

Blanket Bay

Cape Otway

BASS

STRAIT

Geelong

HWY

Ocean Grove

Barwon Heads

Birregurra

Irrewillipe

Scotts Creek

INC

CORIO BAY

on arw

Point Cook Y

PORT PHILLIP BAY

Portarlington Bellarine Peninsula St Leonards

Queenscliff

Point Lonsdale

Wurdiboluc Torquay Port Phillip Heads Bellbrae Jan Juc Marine National Park Bambra Bells Beach Deans Marsh Anglesea

Colac

Pirron Yallock

Riv er

Winchelsea

Coragulac Cororooke

Lake Colac

Barrabool

Little River

Point Addis Marine National Park

Aireys Inlet

TH E

CES

Glenormiston Noorat

Ceres

AVALON AIRPORT

HWY

Lake Murdeduke

MELBOURNE

RIP

ILTO N

Cressy

Lake Gnarpurt

M80

Werribee

Anakie

Teesdale Bannockburn Wingeel Hesse B140 Inverleigh Shelford

HAM

B140

MELBOURNE AIRPORT

Balliang East Balliang

Lethbridge

Bulla

Melton

Brisbane Ranges National Park

A300

Lismore

N LTO Darlington

I AM

ands

HWY

M31

Wallan

Sunbury

Diggers Rest

Derrinallum

Romsey

M79

Greendale

Meredith

Rokewood

ure

Mount Mercer

Mingay

gham

Lerderderg State Park

Bullarook

M8 Bungaree

Enfield Pura Pura

Kilmore

Trentham Mount Macedon Bullarto Range Macedon Dividing Great Riddells Blackwood Gisborne Creek

Creswick

Miners Rest

lac

Daylesford Woodend

Myrniong Mount Gordon Ballan B160 Helen Smythesdale Mount Egerton Yendon Scarsdale Buninyong Bacchus HWY Marsh Linton Skipton

Streatham

GLENELG

Macedon Regional Park

Lancefield

Lake Burrumbeet

Kyneton

HUM

HWY

Burrumbeet

B75

Malmsbury

Beaufort

Kingston

Learmonth

Trawalla

Taradale

Y HW

Waubra

Waterloo

RN HE RT

TERN

Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park

Hepburn Hepburn Clunes Regional Park Springs Glenlyon Tylden Smeaton D

Raglan

WES

Tooborac

Elphinstone

Campbelltown

Lexton

Mt Buangor State Park

A8 Buangor

B180

Redesdale

Chewton

Yandoit A300

Evansford HW

State Park

B220

Warrak

Ararat Langi Ghiran

ENE

Talbot

HWY

PYRENEES

PYR

A79

Castlemaine

Y HW

Ararat Regional Park

Harcourt

Carisbrook

Paddys Ranges State Park

B180

Heathcote

Mt Alexander Regional Park

Maldon

Maryborough

Avoca Elmhurst

Ravenswood DER CAL

Landsborough

Shelbourne

Bet Bet

Natte Yallock

B75

FW Y

Dunolly

Redbank Moonambel

Bendigo Axedale

Marong

Tarnagulla

B280

St.Arnaud Range

Navarre National Park

Crowlands

HWY

Bealiba

Stuart Mill

oona

iffe

WIMMER

Moliagul

SIA AY

at ern

B240

B220

NR SU

13.

MAPS

Ferry

Sorrento B110

Mornington Mornington Peninsula Peninsula National Park Cape Schanck

14.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Map 2 – Queenscliff to Lorne HAMIL TON n

Barwo

Inverleigh

RMBETE ST ATION RD

ELS WIN

GUM

FLA TS

Bambra

BRA

INLET

Fairhaven

Memorial Arch

Benwerrin

Eastern View 31 32

BIN E

Erskine

Erskine Falls Straw Falls C151

Blanket Leaf Picnic Area

Great Otway National Mt Cowley Park

EA T

Phantom Falls

Cathedral Rock 33

Lorne 34

B100

DEVON

MAIN

HUNTS RD

HENDY

See Map 10 Lorne & Around

MERRAWARP

Point Roadknight 25

Aireys Inlet

See Map 8 Anglesea & Around

28 Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary

Cinema Point

Loutit Bay

Riv er

23 24

Poin

Anglesea

Moggs Creek

Mt Ingoldsby RD

DEAN

Great Otway National Park E

Open Cut Mine AIREYS

LORN

BEN

C13

B100

Anglesea Heath (Alcoa Lease Area)

Deans Marsh

COOM

Power Station

Pennyroyal MA

RR WE

Bellbrae

OC E

MAIN

Wensleydale

DEANS MARSH

HENDY

BAM

C152

GRAYS RD

C151

DUNEED

Freshwater Creek

RIFLE BUTT S

MOUNT

C135

THIELEMAN

C13

BIR

Whoorel

Modewarre Thompson Paraparap BLACKGATE

Moriac

DEANS MA RSH

LA CONNS

OTWAY

Wurdiboluc WO

HWY

Barwon

KLEY BUC

CAP

C111

ANGLESEA

B LE

AY W OT

FOREST

C151

e Riv

Lake Modewarre

GHERANG

Wurdiboluc Reservoir

MATHISONS

Mount Moriac

Buckley

ATKINS

ARMY TAGE

BARRABOOL

Barrabool

Winchelsea

ONDIT

PRINCES STH

INVERLEIGH

BARWON PA RK

SSY

Gnarwarre

NOBLES

BARRABOO

Mt Pollock

MOUNT PO LLOCK

WINCHELSEA

WINGEEL

GNARWARRE

River

GNARWARRE

C145

CRE

B140

River

Lake Murdeduke

C111

HWY

Hesse

MID LAN D A30 HWY

Murgheboluc

B140

See Map 9 Aireys Inlet & Around

Point Richards

Mount Duneed

Lake Connewarre

Barwon Heads State Game Reserve Airport

C122

HORSESHO

E BEND

Connewarre Creek BLACKGATE

Torquay Airport

Barwon Heads

Ocean Grove

St Leonards RD

3 4 5

Swan Bay

B110

SHE

9 10 10 Point Impossible

Swan Island

Queenscliff

2 2

Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary

Breamlea

C125

C126

Point TH Lonsdale

RIP

Ferry

Point Nepean

Portsea

Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park

11 12 13 14

Torquay

C132

SWAN BAY

Indented Head

PORTARLINGT ON

HWY SURF COAST

ANGLESEA

COOMBES

C121

C129

Wallington

S AD HE

ATE

n wo

ter k

Geelong Airport B100

Riv er

C125

Drysdale

Leopold BELL AR Lake INE Connewarre

Bar

RW BA

C134

Whittington

MURRADOC

PORTARLINGT ON

B110

Belmont

Grovedale

Curlewis

SCOTCHMANS RD

C136

GEELONG

C123

Newcomb

Highton

QUEENSCLIFF

GEELONG

Fyansford

Clifton Springs

Point Henry

BA N

North Geelong

Portarlington

Outer Harbour

Corio Bay

GRUBB

GEELONG

RING ROAD

Norlane

ND A300 Y

15.

MAPS

Point Danger Marine Sanctuary 15 16 17 18 19

Jan Juc

Bells Beach 20 21 See Map 7 22 Torquay & Around Point Addis

sea

Point Addis Marine National Park

und

BASS

STRAIT

N 0

10km

Walks

Beaches

Key to map symbols on Map 6

16.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Map 3 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lorne to Princetown

SPEEDWAY

LL HI

CORADJIL

C161

TIMBOON

Creek

Simpson

R VE RI ND

Riv er

Great Otway National Park

81 87

81 88

Johanna 43

Cape Volney Pt Reginald

M R

T B100 OCE EA Lake AN Costin

78 81 86

Rotten Pt

77 81 86 SAND Castle Cove 42

Glenaire

Great Otway National Park

Hordern Vale

Craven Lake

Glenaire Beach 41 76 81 85 Station Beach

Rainbow Falls

N 0

10km

Walks Beaches

Key to map symbols on Map 6

Pt Flinders

75 81

Great Otway Lightstation

G O Na P

Parker

Moonlight Head

Johanna Falls

Wattle Hill

The Gables

Ho Fa Little Aire Falls

THOUSE LIGH RD

Wreck Beach

Aire

OCEAN

Yuulong

Lower Gellibrand

80 81 89

CREEK RD

Mt Chapple

Melba Gully

Wangerrip

Twelve Apostles Marine National Park

Triplet Falls

Lavers Hill Crossing Aire

B100

91 Port Campbell 81 90 National Park

Pebble Pt

C LA CO

Pt Ronald

GEL LIB

Wyelangta LAVERS

R AN

Princetown

BRA

RIVER

EA T

BEECH

C155 Otway Fly

OTWAY

FORD

C156

JIL

Ferguson

COBDEN

HIL

LE IR

LAT ROBE RD

L GE L ra llibMt Mackenzie Chapple Vale e G

L VA

Charleys Creek

River

HILL

ULE VA R

W ETO INC

EST

Kennedys Creek BO

Great Otway National Park

FOR

LAVERS

C155

C161

RAND GELLIB

BEE

C166

Carlisle River Carlisle

er Riv

ARLISLE

OLD

Mt Murry

RLE

Gellibrand

CEN

CHA

CAR

LISL

ys nned

L LU

rand

B CO

Gellib

C LA

N CE

PIPELIN

CREEK

TOMAHAWK

COOR EMU I

Burtons Lookout

C156

SOUTH

MAJESTIC RD

VE LA

C163

C LA

Jancourt Forest

IRRIWILLIPE

C163

C157 E

CAP

Cape Otway

17.

MAPS

( West

B ar w on

SEVEN BR IDGES RD

COLAC

RSH

CREAMER Y RD

C119

Lake AN Elizabeth

Great Otway National Park

G RD

CK SKENES

N RD

Carisbrook Falls

GRE

Marengo

Lorne 34

Sheoak Falls

Cumberland River

Mt Defiance Lookout

Artillery Rocks

Wye River

Kennett River

56 Cape Patton Lookout

Cape Patton

B100

T ES RR FO

River DOG

D WIL

Barham

Riv er

er R iv

Great Otway National Park

60 81 RD

RIV

Skenes Creek

Rest

Wongarra

Separation Creek River

River

Crows Nest Marriners Lookout Lookout

Killala Paradise Maits RD

Tanybryn

KIL

C119

54 55

YSIDE

Marriners Falls

Ell io

Tanybryn

ett

SUNN

Hopetoun Falls The Redwoods

Ken n

S TK) (TURTON

m Cu

e Wy

C159 Beauchamp RD Falls

Mt Defiance

RIN

65 Sabine Falls

Mt Sabine

FOREST

River

la ber

Beech Forest

River

Cumberland Falls

BIN

Barramunga

Mt Cowley

62 KA

B100

Riv e L r

FA L

Phantom Falls Henderson Falls Won Wondah Falls

EST

West Gellibrand Dam

ERSKI NE

O APOLL

Stevenson Falls

FOR

BAY

BEE

E LORN

St Georg

Upper Gellibrand

ECH

Erskine

Blanket Leaf Picnic Area

West Barwon Reservoir

Dandos

C151 Erskine Falls Straw Falls

Otway Forest Park

See Map 10 Lorne & Around

Riv er

Benwerrin

Barwon Downs

Forrest DN

Great Otway National Park

C154 LAR

Kawarren

Pennyroyal

Love Creek Park

DIVISION

RN LO

FORREST

Gerangamete

FORREST

a Br

(East Branch)

h nc

Barwon River

Kawarren Park

out

er Riv )

BIRREGUR RA

Barongarook C155

Apollo Bay

40 Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary

61 81 82 Storm Pt Shelly Beach

81 83

Blanket Bay

Pt Lewis 72 73 81 84

Pt Franklin

BASS

STRAIT

18.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Map 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Princetown to Warrnambool RD

TERANG

AM CAR

er Riv

KIN

P HO

Hopkins Falls

Lady 53

RD LA

COBDEN

C167

Naringal

EA T

MOREYS

OCEAN ERS

ILD

ROLLOS

KILLEENS

Marine Bay Sanctuary

Whale watching

COVE

Childers Cove

Nullawarre RD

Murname Bay Bettress Pt

Bay of Islands Coastal Park

N 0

10km

Walks

Beaches

BASS

Key to map symbols on Map 6

SWANS

Allansford

50 51

Pickering Pt Merri

STRAIT

Warrnambool

Tooram Stones

PA N

BARTONS

Armstrong Dennington Bay

Panmure

Wangoom

M Wa

Woodford

op PR kins IN CE S

Illowa

Tower Hill State Game A1 Killarney Reserve

WARRNAMBOO

98 to 101

GRASSMERE

RD RD SIMS

C183 HILL

B120

TOWER

OCCUPATIO N

OL WO

Koroit C177

C179

C174 IBBS

PANMURE

KOROIT

C175

Kirkstall

RSLIE ELLE

WAR R O

C178

HW Y

Winslow

STH

Framlingham

PE OR STH RD

L OO

TIM

19.

Terang

COBDEN

RD CEMETARY

CROSS

C164

C156

TIMBOON

C167

DINGEY

AYRESFORD

C163

ies

CAMPBELL

Timboon

d Cur

RD Nirranda

RD ARY BOUND

GH OU

Peterborough

COO RIEM

C166

Newfield CO BDEN

PE T

TER

AL IEV

Bay of Islands

UNGLE

C164

PE RD

CU PORT

RD NT

C162

Simpson

Curdie Vale

B100

LIAM

Scotts Creek

TIM

RD NULLAWARRE

C163

C COLA

Jancourt Forest

PORT

BARTONS

ROWANS

HIL

Lake Elingamite

WAR

TIMBOON

C149 STONEYFORD

TERANG

RD LAANG GARVOC

OOL RNAMB

South Ecklin

WIL

COBDEN

NC OU

B CO

Laang

CO B

C168

VE LA

R PE

Cobden

ECKL

Lake Purrumbete

Rive

RD RD

Mou

Mt Leura

C164

Emu

LAANG

TERANG

Mt Warrnambool

COBDEN

FOREST

Creek

Garvoc

Camperdown

Lake Bullen Merri

C156

TIMBOO N

OCCUPATIO N

FRAMLINGH

ROYC ROFT S RD

MAPS

CREEK

Port Campbell

96 48 46 47 The Arches Marine Sanctuary

Port Campbell National Park G

W TO CE

RIN

Loch Ard Gorge

93 94 95 The Twelve Apostles

45 92

OCE

AN B100

Princetown Twelve Apostles Marine National Park

Pt Ronald 44

91 81 90

20.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

HW Y

Map 5 – Port Fairy to Portland

A200

Drumborg

Lake Condah

WOOLSTHORPE

Heywood

HEYWOOD

HWY

Riv er

ET TRICK

SET TLERS

C191

Tyrendarra

PORTLAND

A200 A1

Heathmere 111113 AE GOR

Narrawong

CES

NEL

PRIN

SON

C192

Fitzroy River Coastal Reserve

Allestree

111 112

WESTLAKES RD HEATH

Portland Bay

Portland

C193

BRIDGE WATER

59 C194

NELS

Aluminium Smelter

107 111 127

CAPE

LSO

C176

102 to 105

Mt Eccles National Park

Homerton

Fitzr oy TYRENDARRA

C176

Mount Eckersley

Mt Eccles (Budj Bim)

WOOLSTHORPE

Lake Surprise

NT Y

C195

108

Cape Nelson State Park

Cape Nelson

TON

CONDAH

TER CAS

C186

ETTRICK

Myamyn

TLA POR

MACARTHUR

MYAMYN

Point Danger Lawrence Rocks

BASS

STRAIT

21.

GERRIGERRUP

C185

MINHAMITE

RRUP GERRI GE

Ripponhurst

Macarthur

C178

MA CA

KESDALE

AM WARR N

HAW

Eumeralla

HAWESD

ALE

C184

KANGERTONG

GLENGLEESON

Broadwater

Hawkesdale

RST

Bessiebelle

C176

TAR RO

River

HEYWOOD

WOOLSTH ORP

AT OO

PEN

RTH

AR W

BESSIEDALE

ON LT

ILL

SHU

Riv er

NG RD

TARRONE

SPENCER

NTH

Yambuk Y

R OA RB RD

C184

C177

C178 BADHAMS

Toolong

Rosebrook

Tower Hill State Game Reserve

Killarney

Port Fairy Bay

Port Fairy

Cape Reamur

Lady Julia Percy Island (Deen Maar) 0

to 101

Armstrong Bay 54

The Crags

C179

Yambuk Coastal Reserve

C183

Koroit

NG LO

O TO

FIN

Lake Yambuk

SPINKS

TOOLONG

FAULKNERS

Kirkstall

C183

PENSHURS PORT FAIRYT

Sha

TERKA

CES

PRIN

OL ST RD HOR

ORFORD

CODRINGTON

Codrington

PE OR STH OL RD WO

WAR R ON

C175

Warrong

Orford

KOROIT

FAIRY

CODRINGTON

ST HELENS

Mo yne

FA L

GORRIE

OL BO

er Riv

LAKE

Minhamite

To 106 Mt Napier

MAPS

N 2

10km

Griffiths Island

Walks

Beaches

Key to map symbols on Map 6

22.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Map 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Portland to Nelson

ELG

Victoria

South Australia

Princess Margaret Rose Caves

RIV

111120

Donovans

Ewens Ponds Conservation Park

Lower Glenelg National Park

111119 111118

Parks Victoria Office

Piccaninnie Ponds Conservation Park

Nelson PORTLAND

Glenelg

111 C192

NEL

SON

111121

Discovery Bay Coastal Park 111122

Lake Monibeong

Gr e

Discovery Bay Key to map symbols 11

Walks Major Walk

15 A200

Beaches Highway / Route number Main road Other road, sealed Other road, unsealed Track / Minor track

BASS

Walking track

STRAIT

Visitor information Car parking Caravan-Camping park Camping ground Golf Course Boat launching Marine park / sanctuary

Park or reserve State forest

10km

MAPS

23.

C195

R iv er

Greenwald

R PO

Drik Drik

TL A

INC

TON TER CAS

WINNAP

Y RD

g Gre

111116

NE LS

Drumborg A200 uth

Lower Glenelg National Park

HE NT HW Y Y

111117

Fit z

roy

111115 st We

Heywood

Riv er

Cobboboonee National Park HWY

Walk

111114

Gr ea

h PORT

LAND

Gorae West N ELSO

GOR

Mt Richmond National Park

A200 A1

WESTLAKES RD

SPINKS RD

HEATH

111112

Portland

C193

Trewalla C194

NELS

111126

Seal Colony

Aluminium Smelter

107 111 127

CAPE

Cape Bridgewater

Bridgewater Bay 109 111 125

CES

PRIN

HEATH

TER BRIDGEW A

110 111 125

Blow Holes Petrified Forest

Bridgewater Lakes

Cape Bridgewater

Cashmore LAKES

Discovery Bay Marine National Park

GEWATER

C192

AMORS

Mt Richmond

111124

Gorae

Discovery Bay Coastal Park

Descartes Bay 65

Heathmere

111113

Mount Richmond

Swan Lake

FOLE YS

W alk

OAKLEYS

W es

BR ID

111123

108

Cape Nelson State Park

Cape Nelson

24.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Map 7 – Around Torquay

GL A

R HE SC L GH

B100

Taylor Park AY

H AC

PR ST

Spr ing

16 17

ET SU

T EA

t Coas

OCEAN

C132

BASS

12 13

B100

STRAIT

lk Wa

AR EV

Bellbrae

Jan Juc

Surf

C134

Half Moon Bay Bird Rock

ESE

OR M TH RA DR

Walk, low tide only

STRIP

RO AD

ek Cre

KE RD YLA S HO VD BL AVE IELD FF AY DU QU

A CE

Rocky Point 11

R TO

Point Danger

Torquay Golf Club

Spring Creek VIE Reserve

BLVD

DS EL

E ID

Point Danger Marine Sanctuary

PO EE AZ

N SO

F DU

R DE T ST S E IC LL PR BE

BA IN

Torquay

E AD AN

ES CR

O CO

PL ES

Y LL

L AR PE T S

11 Yellow Bluff

E RI

W CO

THE

) RD

Y OD

I BR

Sundial

RD ST

eep

ek Cre

I RS

NG LO EE

MESSMATE

Zeally Bay

AN ST

D DR AR AVE CH A O L L UIL AQ

T AS CO RF WY SU H

Grasstree Park

N AV EUS E E

Whites Beach

CH BEA

EA T

Walks

Beaches

N BO

Key to map symbols on Map 6

15 22 DI AD

T OT SC

EA N

RD RD

S RY

B100

2 km

AD RO

12 14

C132

N 0

Bells Beach

Point Addis Marine National Park

Ironbark 12 14 16 Basin 12 14 17

MAPS

25.

Map 8 – Around Anglesea C132 AD T OT SC DI

12 14

YS DR

B100

Jarosite Headland

Ironbark Basin

2 km

Optional dress bathing beach

12 14 16 DR

Beaches

DIS RD

23 Steps

Point Addis

12 14

N TO

Walks

KI EL

12 14 17

POIN

AD RO

Great Otway National Park

Wa lk

Red Rocks

Surf

Co a

The Olives Reef

GREA T

FOREST

OCEA

Key to map symbols on Map 6

12 18

B100 COALMINE

Anglesea Heath (Alcoa Lease Area)

TA AT

CAM

Mar

Power Station

shy

Point Addis Marine National Park

Eumeralla Scout Camp

LIM

E TL

C M

Creek

L AL

Ang

lesea River Coogoorah

Y RA W ST

Anglesea

(Alcoa Lease Area)

Anglesea Surf Club ST

B100 IR

AVE

25 H

UE OH ON RD

lk Wa

Y VE

Soapy Rock

Point Roadknight

M AL CO

STRAIT

R PARK E

Anglesea Golf Course

HILLS

BALD

F LIN

BASS

EIG

Surf Coast

Anglesea Heath

GOL

L AN

12 20 RD

MURRAY

Mine Lookout

alt

E AV

FRASER

NOB LE

Open Cut Mine

MC M IL

Cree

Park

AV E

Anglesea Great Otway National The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road Park

26.

LDSB

INGO NT

Map 9 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Around Aireys Inlet

Walk

RO AD

Anglesea Heath

B100

(Alcoa Lease Area)

Surf

No 2

ERY

OCE A

Coa st

DISTILL

12 20

Urquharts Bluff

CREEK

GREA T

Currawong Falls Circuit

ery

till

Dis

Sunnymeade Beach RD

EYS

RTL

ETA

EST FOR

OLD

BOYD

AV E

Cree

Spion Kop

12 25

29 Fairhaven Beach Fairhaven Surf Club

BASS

B100

OC EAN

Moggs Creek

0 Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch

STRAIT

EAT

Eastern View

Eagle Rock Table Rock Split Point Eagle Rock Lighthouse

Marine Sanctuary

Moggs Creek Picnic Area

Key to map symbols on Map 6

Bark Hut

LIALE

H COAC

ggs

Step Beach

RO AD

ND S PO DUCK

12 25 32

Aireys Inlet

PDE

ANNIE

LE GENT

Beaches

BA D

Fairhaven

Painkalac Dam

Walks

Creek

BIM

28 Sandy Gully Beach

ALICE RD

ala ink

BRA

BAM

Lookout Hill

PEAR

BAMBRA

Ironbark Gorge

Distillery Creek Picnic Area

A ND

12 24

Great Otway National Park

Eagle Nest Reef

Creek

12 25 26 GL EA

IRONBARK

B100

2 km

MAPS

27.

Map 10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Around Lorne

Great Otway National Park Big Hill Camp Site DE

Kyles Falls

Ers k

ine

LO R

34 RD

Lyn

B100

ine River

Cora Lynn Cascades

Lorne Golf Club

er Riv

Great Otway National Park

Cree

LO R

EA N

LE MI

k Ers

Co ra

C151

Blanket Leaf Picnic Area

39 40

le Litt

Sto

Splitter Falls

FA L

ee Cr

Erskine Straw Falls Falls

EA T

Wanliss Falls

Beaches

48 Won Wondah Falls

Sheoak Picnic Area

Shelley Beach

Teddys Lookout

47 TK

VEY

Cumberland Falls

Creek

er Riv

rland

e Cumb

Langdale Pike

Cumberland River Reserve

Great Otway National Park

Allenvale Mill Site

Creek

ALLENVALE

Sharps Track Camping Area

Lower Kalimna Falls

Point Grey

40 45

The Canyon

Henderson Falls

Key to map symbols on Map 6 Upper Kalimna Falls

ers

Castle Rock

Sheoak Falls 46

Mount St George

Swallow Cave

Walks

RPS

Lorne

Phantom Falls

SHA

RD BR

Allen Dam

Loutit Bay

George

Saint

BASS

B100

STRAIT

Mount Defiance

E OC T EA

Mount Defiance Lookout

N 0

2 km

28.

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

THE TRAVELLERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GUIDE TO THE GOLDFIELDS

CHAPTER TITLE

29.

SECTION TITLE

INTRODUCTION

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

30.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Foreword Loved to death. These days, this scary phrase gets tagged on to more and more travel destinations around the world. It would be a tragedy if it were ever to be attached to the Great Ocean Road. Even now, people scratch their heads and wonder if or when their favourite holiday destination will morph from quiet surfer’s escape or laid-back fishing village into a holiday resort with streets lined with shops, cafés, apartments and hotels. Towns and regions worry about how they’re going to cope with ever increasing flows of people. Some will give up the struggle in the face of population growth and become undistinguished suburbs. Others will give up the struggle to maintain a real community and become full-time theme towns, not just dependent upon tourism but non-existent without it. Thirty years ago the words ‘sustainable’ and ‘responsible’ weren’t part of any travel checklists – but I have always believed in the importance of making an informed connection to the people and places where we holiday. The more knowledge we have, the more likely we are to have a positive experience, and the more likely it is we’ll make a positive impact. Today, more than ever, I’m utterly convinced of the incredible importance of tourism and travel. Tourism is a major industry – the world’s biggest economic activity according to many studies. In fact for many towns, not to mention countries, tourism is more than just a key part of their economies, it’s often the overwhelming part. But tourism is far more than food on tables and money in wallets. In recent years it has been underlined again and again that it’s only when we escape our day-today working lives, travel, meet people, explore and have time to think, that we begin to understand we’re all sharing this world and coming along for the ride, despite the barriers that governments, religions and political movements often seem to build up between us.

Previous page: Mt Defiance, RE Big Hill, GOT

Introduction

31.

Foreword

So how do we make that ride not just a quick fairground twirl, but something that’s going to last for the long run, something we can enjoy and pass on to our children and future generations? This book won’t try to tell you ‘this is what you must do.’ It will give you information about the Great Ocean Road region. And it will alert you to travel and holiday possibilities waiting to be explored. In some cases the possibilities will come with guidelines on how to tread softly, how to ensure your footprints are faint ones. Or it might be a case of accepting what you’re doing is going to have an impact, but at the same time finding a way to balance the negative with a positive. The most important possibilities, however, are those where sustainable and tourism don’t just go together – rather, the first word simply couldn’t be there without the second. In many cases – from national parks to whales – it’s tourism that is the ultimate guarantor of survival. National parks may be perceived as nothing more than untapped development opportunities – if people don’t visit them. Whales may be perceived as nothing more than heavyweight sea cattle – if we can’t manage to make them championship tourist attractions. In other cases tourism provides regional communities a more environmentally friendly income than anything else on offer. Income can come from turning forest into wood chips or farms into pine plantations, but it’s clear that catering for walkers and tourists can be a sustainable alternative. Today there’s no way of avoiding the importance of travelling and holidaying sustainably and responsibly. Tony Wheeler, Co-Founder Lonely Planet

Johanna Beach. PV

32.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK The best moments of any trip or holiday are those when you feel intensely alive – where for a time, you are refreshed, challenged and intrigued, where your surroundings cease being mere wallpaper and remind you of the mystery and power of the natural world. This is what the Great Ocean Road region offers. This book is a starting resource for those travellers, holidaymakers and locals who want to explore and understand Victoria’s southwest: the coast from Queenscliff to Nelson, near the South Australian border, and the nearby hinterland. It does not cover specific information about places to stay and eat, because prices and businesses change too quickly. Up-to-date information about places to stay and eat is best accessed through Visitor Information Centres (there is a full list in the Practical Information section) and the Internet. The Great Ocean Road Region Officially the Great Ocean Road runs between Torquay and Allansford near Warrnambool and, for most people, the road is the highlight and backbone of the region. From a practical point of view, however, either Geelong or Queenscliff will be the gateway to the region for visitors who start in Melbourne, and Nelson is likely to be the gateway for visitors who start in Adelaide. This book covers the entire Victorian coastline west of Melbourne. It also covers the major inland routes that connect with the coastline, and includes the countryside up to roughly 100 km from the coast. The northern border for the book follows the Princes Hwy (A1) from Geelong to Terang then, when the Princes Hwy turns southwest to Warrnambool, the northern boundary becomes the Hamilton Hwy (B140).

Red Rocks to Eumeralla, near Pt Addis, RE

This book does not include the full Great Southern Touring Route – a loop through western Victoria that, with many possible variations, includes the Great Ocean Road, the Grampians (a classic Australian landscape, largely protected by a national park), and the goldfields region (Australia’s most fascinating heritage region, with great wineries), which lies between the Grampians and Melbourne. The Grampians and the Goldfields are not covered in this book. For more information on the Goldfields, look for BestShot’s ‘The Traveller’s Guide to the Goldfields’.

Introduction

How to Use This Book

33.

Visitors to the Great Ocean Road Region Take a few minutes to familiarise yourself with the contents of this book and then dive in. It is not designed to be read from cover to cover, but to be dipped into according to need and interest. For many, the best place to start will be with the map section, which covers the region at a variety of scales and has keyed references to all the beaches and walks. The region is bursting with natural wonders and heritage sites, so the book can only point you towards a few of the highlights. In any event, your greatest highlight is likely to be a discovery you make yourself, by chance… Because of its excellent road network, day trips and weekend trips from Melbourne to much of the region are easy. However, the region’s rhythm and character start to make more sense if you can give yourself a minimum three days to explore – and a week or two is even better. Locals find themselves making new discoveries decades after starting their exploration. In this book, highlights have been identified (entirely subjectively). Depending on your own particular interests – whether they are Aboriginal culture, surfing, walking, architecture, geology, natural history, national parks, wineries, good food, whatever – you will no doubt create your own list. The Visitor Information Centres throughout the region are excellent resources. They have huge amounts of printed information and they are staffed by knowledgeable locals. They can help with accommodation (including bookings) and can give detailed, up-to-date information about reaching some of the sites we talk about in this book. Because some of the sites we recommend are reasonably well hidden and only accessible by dirt roads (the condition of which can vary from month to month) up-to-date directions are invaluable. The Visitor Information Centres are strongly recommended. The book has been structured to enable you to pick and choose according to your own interests, and to put together a touring route that meets your time constraints. We suggest you browse the Planning Your Trip and Highlights sections to get a sense of some of the possibilities – and cross reference with the maps. The Contexts section provides background information on the region’s history, flora and fauna. The Activities section gives information on beaches (including surfing, fishing, diving and snorkeling), walking, wineries, and more. The Guide section has been broken into two parts: a guide to the coast and a guide to the hinterland. Last, the Practicalities section covers basic information for the region, including the addresses and contact details for Visitor Information Centres. Within most sections, the information is arranged from east to west. Wreck Beach near Moonlight Head, PV

34.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Everyone Who Loves The Great Ocean Road Region This book was designed for everyone – locals, regular holidaymakers and visitors – who wants to explore and learn more about the Great Ocean Road region. There is some information that is specifically for visitors, but most of the book is information that will be useful to everyone – information that that can be dipped into and used whenever appropriate. The Context section gives background on the natural and human heritage, including geology, ecology, Aboriginal culture and European history. The Activities section gives detailed information on the amazing range of activities that can be pursued in the region. The A–Z Activities chapter includes a large number of activities from camping and fishing to mountain biking and whale watching. Because of their size and importance there are separate chapters for: •

Beaches & Surfing – with individual descriptions of 65 beaches, including their optimal surf conditions

•

Diving & Snorkelling – with information on dive sites

•

Parks & Reserves – with individual descriptions of 29 parks and reserves

•

Walk, Ride, Drive – with individual descriptions of over 120 walks, rides and drives

The Guide section has been broken into two sections – Guide to the Coast and Guide to the Hinterland – which give detailed background on the towns and major heritage sites in the region.

PLANNING A TRIP What makes the Great Ocean Road region special is the natural environment. Plan your trip to maximise time outside the towns and villages, preferably pursuing one of the many ecologically sustainable adventures, activities or interests the region is famous for, whether that’s walking, surfing, diving, golfing, biking, fishing, wildlife spotting, exploring volcanos, or hunting for fossils… Bear in mind that during summer and Easter school holidays, the coast is incredibly busy. The high season, however, only runs from Christmas through to the end of January; and again at Easter, especially around Torquay (which hosts the surfing competition, the Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro). During these times the caravan and camping grounds will be full, and most other accommodation options will be fully booked. If you do want to enjoy the region in high season – and the crowds do add a great holiday buzz – book well ahead. Geelong, Colac, Warrnambool, Portland and Hamilton are major regional centres with a broad range of services, but most importantly from a visitor’s point of view, they are ideal bases with top quality accommodation and restaurants.

Wicked van, RE Teddy’s Lookout, Lorne, RE

Most of the smaller coastal and country towns are fairly limited in terms of food and accommodation, but there are plenty of motels and country pubs that meet basic needs. The exceptions are the 19th century heritage townships of Queenscliff

Introduction

Planning a Trip

35.

and Port Fairy, and the busy resort towns of Lorne and Apollo Bay, which are endowed with plenty of fine food and accommodation options. There are an increasing number of luxury hotels and interesting boutique places to stay. For many people, however, the most realistic choice will be from the myriad of self-catering options that are now available. These range from spartan self-serviced apartments, to holiday homes available for short leases (usually a minimum of two nights), to luxurious purpose-built cottages in spectacular locations. These places tend to come and go, and rates change, so the Internet and the Visitor Information Centres are the best places to start your research. Sometimes, the cheapest is also the best… and those with camping equipment will find that some of the very best spots on the coast have been reserved for campers. There are well equipped, though crowded in summer, campgrounds in every township along the coast – often they’re at the mouth of a river and only a sand dune from the beach. There are also some brilliant (usually less crowded) campsites in the national parks and reserves. Speak to the Visitor Information Centres about both options. The region has become increasingly aware of its superb natural produce, and the best local restaurants feature local produce. There is a sprinkling of top-quality restaurants through the region. Once again these places tend to come and go, and recommendations are difficult because judgments are notoriously subjective. Be discerning about who you ask! The best people to ask about restaurants are often food/wine producers or specialist retailers – first, they’re likely to be passionate about food and/or wine and, second, they’ll know which of the good local restaurants are stocking their product. And if there’s no restaurant close by, you can still buy some superb local products and stay at a self-catering cottage where you can cook your own cordon bleu creation. Especially in the Geelong and Bellarine region, there are dozens of excellent wineries, some of which have their own top class restaurants. Further afield (Deans Marsh and the region around Timboon are hotspots) there are mussel farms, ice creameries, breweries, cheese makers, trout farms, berry farms, olive oil makers, chocolate makers, fishing co-ops, not to mention country butchers and farmyard gates where you can buy fresh, local produce. Public transport through the region is, unfortunately, limited. Trains run from Melbourne, through Geelong, to Warrnambool; and buses (sometimes infrequent) connect most towns. The reality is that to enjoy the region and to get off the beaten track (which is the whole point!) you’ll need a vehicle. Rented campervans are very popular, but any normal car (with a cheap tent in the boot) will do. Most places are easily accessible by two-wheel-drive vehicles, but it is also true to say that a four-wheel-drive opens up your options, especially in the Otways. See the Practical Information section for Visitor Information Centre contact details, and websites.

Mariners Falls walk, near Apollo Bay Sunnybrae Restaurant table, LB

36.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

HIGHLIGHTS Everyone who knows or visits the Great Ocean Road region will have their own personal view of the region’s highlights. The range of experiences and sights that are easily and cheaply accessed is extraordinary – even overwhelming. Some of the highlights listed below are very well known, some less so. It’s very likely your own highlight won’t be here… after all, finding your own special spot is part of what makes it special.

The most amazing heritage stories are written in the landscape, and they cry out to be read: from the remnants of Gondwanaland, to the stone walls marching across the plains. Much of the landscape of the region has changed enormously since the European invasion – even in the deep forest of the Otway Ranges there are few spots that have not been affected in some way. This is an extremely rich environment, so it supported very substantial Aboriginal populations. Not surprisingly, the places Europeans found congenial were very often the same places Aboriginals occupied and used for thousands of years. Despite changes and sometimes deliberate destruction, if you look carefully, there are many, many subtle signposts to the rich Aboriginal heritage of the region.

White Lady Lighthouse, Aireys Inlet, RE Opposite: Great Ocean Road, near Mt Defiance, VofV

It is often revealing to ask yourself where you would choose to build a campsite or a house if you could choose anywhere you liked. The answer may well be somewhere sheltered, with easy access to fresh water, good fishing and hunting, fertile soil, and with a view. Not surprisingly, these are exactly the criteria

Introduction

Highlights

Aboriginal communities used – and if you cast your eye around such places you may well see evidence of their presence. Every estuary along the coast was the site for long term Aboriginal occupation – and most now have camping grounds. The same is true of prime locations beside every river and creek, every lake, and every unusual geological formation. Much more commonly than is usually acknowledged, Aboriginals built substantial stone huts and deliberately modified the environment in many ways. The most ubiquitous sign of occupation along the coast are the many hundreds, if not thousands, of middens (sometimes vast mounds of empty shells that were a major food source). The vast grass plains of the Western District (so beloved by sheep graziers) would not have existed without Aboriginal firestick agriculture. As you explore the region, and the more overt European heritage, the knowledge that human occupation might stretch back as far as 70,000 years, maybe even more, is both humbling and exhilarating.

Great Ocean Road The Great Ocean Road not only links dozens of highlights, it’s a highlight in its own right. It is the world’s biggest war memorial, built by hand by returned WWI servicemen to honour their fallen comrades. In its most magnificent sections it is cut into the cliffs, more than 100 metres above the bluegreen sea, and the views of forested hills plunging into the Southern Ocean are unforgettable.

37.

38.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Best Of The Bellarine The Bellarine Peninsula lies to the east of Geelong. The original woodland has virtually all been cleared in favour of open farmland and sprawling townships. The land and sea is still generous, and fantastic local produce abounds: wine, olive oil, fish, and mussels to name the most famous. The bay beaches with their northern and eastern outlooks have their devotees among boating and fishing enthusiasts, and the view of Melbourneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skyscrapers seemingly rising out of the bay is one of the strangest in Australia. But the gems are Queenscliff, a 19th century town with a remarkable location; the Rip, which is the dramatic entrance to Port Phillip Bay; Barwon Heads, with its fascinating bluff, famous golf courses and surf breaks; and little known Bancoora and Breamlea.

Introduction

Highlights

39.

Queenscliff Queenscliff is virtually an island, only connected to the peninsula by a slender sand-dune isthmus. Overlooking the Rip, its business has been shipping, customs, military protection and fishing. It has also thrived as a tourist destination, originally serviced by bay steamers, which brought visitors from Melbourne. The town is still defined by its 19th century architecture – everything from fishing cottages to grand hotels and a major fort survive. Today, the grand hotels still pamper visitors, a fast and efficient ferry service links Queenscliff with Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, and an important marina is home to a significant professional fishing fleet as well as pleasure yachts and cruisers.

The Rip The Rip is the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, and is also known as the Port Phillip Heads. Here, the sheltered waters of the bay are funnelled through a 3½ km gap to meet the surging swells of Bass Strait. The bay covers almost 2000 sq km, and an outgoing tide, which pours out to meet a strong incoming swell, creates one of the most spectacular maritime views in the world. This is especially so when the orange pilot ship smashes its way through the waves to meet a ship outside the Heads, or when a big ship – seemingly close enough to touch – muscles its way through the swell along the narrow, navigable channel. The best viewpoints are from Shortland Bluff, behind the fort in Queenscliff, or from the Pt Lonsdale Pier, below the lighthouse. Opposite: Barwon Heads, RB Queenscliff, RB The Rip, GS

40.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Barwon Bluff The Bluff stands at the southern end of the Barwon River’s estuary, and has great views, north over the mouth of the river to Mt Duneed and the You Yangs, east to Port Phillip Heads and west along the Great Ocean Road. The Bluff brings together many fascinating stories: the story of the volcano at Mt Duneed, the story of Wathaurong Aboriginal people who camped in its shadow for thousands of years, and stories of shipwrecks. There’s great snorkeling off the tip of the Bluff; the famous Barwon Heads Golf Club is right beside it; and Beacon, one of Victoria’s best surf breaks, is just along the beach over the dunes.

Bancoora and Breamlea Almost marooned on sand-dunes between a marshy estuary and the surf, there’s nothing at Bancoora, other than a lifesaving club; and not much more at adjoining Breamlea, other than a jumble of houses. It might not look it, but it is an extraordinarily rich environment: the wetland, with its waterbirds, Thompsons (Bream) Creek estuary with its fish, and the black-rock coves with their piles of shells. The Aboriginal people knew it was special, and massive, extensive middens testify to their long and happy occupation. William Buckley lived here, and he knew it was special too…

13th Beach, JM Between Bancoora and Breamlea, RB Opposite: Near Port Campbell, RE

Introduction

Highlights

Best Of The Great Ocean Road Officially the Great Ocean Road runs 243 km between Spring Creek, at Torquay, and Allansford, just east of Warrnambool â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but this is somewhat arbitrary. To think of it as a coherent region is, in some ways, unrealistic. In reality there are at least three distinct zones: from Torquay to Apollo Bay, from Apollo Bay to Princetown (including Cape Otway), and from Princetown to Warrnambool (including the Twelve Apostles).

41.

42.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Torquay to Apollo Bay Almost all the way from Anglesea to Apollo Bay the Great Ocean Road closely follows the coast, which is sheltered from southwest storms by the main ridge of the Otway Ranges. This section can be further broken down into two sub-zones, with imposing red cliffs composed of marine sediments from Torquay to Fairhaven, and hard grey sedimentary rocks from Eastern View on. The softer red stone has been undercut to create spectacular cliffs at places like Bells Beach, Pt Addis and Split Point (Aireys Inlet). West of Eastern View as far as Apollo Bay, the harder, more resistant, grey sandstone has protected the foundations of the Otway Ranges, and prevented them from being undercut by wave action. Although you can still find unspoilt beaches, the road as far as Apollo Bay is weekend holiday territory for Melbournians. Apollo Bay to Princetown The Great Ocean Road turns inland at Apollo Bay and cuts across Cape Otway, through the beautiful Otway Ranges. It is possible to access this wilderness stretch of coast at a limited number of points, but the only way to see it all is to undertake the Great Ocean Walk, one of the world’s great treks. Once on the western side of Cape Otway, the coast is fully exposed to the southwesterly gales that roar up from the Southern Ocean – and the coast reflects this. Hard, grey sedimentary stone continues to provide a wave-battered platform for the hills rising behind. Many of the Otway Ranges’ most special places – like the rainforest at Maits Rest, Melba Gully and waterfalls like Triplet Falls – lie inland, and there are many roads, tracks and trails you can explore (see Best of the Hinterland following). Mt Defiance, RE Cat Bay near Moonlight Head, RE

Introduction

43.

Highlights

Princetown to Warrnambool The Great Ocean Road meets the coast again just past Princetown at the start of the famous Port Campbell National Park, with its extraordinary sea-sculpted cliffs, arches and stacks. The softer red sedimentary cliffs return and the forestcloaked hills of the Otways give way to wind-blasted heath and dairy farms. The Twelve Apostles, near Port Campbell, attract two million visitors a year – for good reason – but there are many places where you can escape the crowds. For many, the lesser-known Bay of Martyrs in the Bay of Islands Coastal Park is even more spectacular and there are even less well known coves and beaches waiting to be found. Whale watching at Logans Beach is unforgettable. Surf City Plaza, Torquay In the 1970s, the small town of Torquay gave birth to two companies that have become internationally famous: Quiksilver and Rip Curl. At Surf City Plaza they have been joined by other surf and lifestyle brands like Oakley, Billabong, Globe, Blunt, and Patagonia – plus a number of other major retailers. Together they constitute the largest and most impressive complex of surfing retailers anywhere in the world. Even if you haven’t the slightest interest in surfboards, visit to get an insight into a vibrant beach culture. Bells Beach & Winkipop There are few more impressive sights than lines of swell marching across Addiscott Bay to peel around the famous Bells and Winkipop headlands. Bells is one of the most famous surf breaks in the world, and the annual Easter surfing carnival, the Rip Curl Pro, is the oldest professional surfing contest in the world. Past winners are a roll call of surfing’s greatest. Big waves are surfed at Bells, but these are not an everyday event. There’s a good chance, however, that there’ll be a decent sprinkling of top-notch surfers to watch at the adjacent, more consistent, Winkipop break.

12 Apostles to the east, RB Surf City Plaza, Torquay, RE Bells Beach, RE

44.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Pt Addis To capture the view from Pt Addis you need a 360 degree camera: across Addiscott Bay back towards Bells Beach, east to Port Phillip Heads, out to sea, west past the impressive Eumeralla cliffs, and down the coast as far as Kennett River. There’s the possibility of seeing Australian fur seals below the cliffs and kangaroos on the paddocks beside the road. The section of the Surf Coast Walk that follows the coast from Bells to Anglesea is one of the best walks on the Great Ocean Road.

Lorne Lorne has one of the most perfect locations on the Great Ocean Road. Sheltered by forested hills from almost every wind direction, it overlooks a tranquil bay and is beautiful at any time of the year. Beyond the beach, Lorne has some of the best waterfalls and walks in the Otway Ranges. And when you’ve built up an appetite, Lorne has a wide range of places to eat, and a couple of busy pubs that can be enjoyably riotous in summer.

Grey River Rd Grey River Rd runs behind the Kennett River camping ground and has become famous as a guaranteed spot to see koalas. From the moment you’ve gained a little height behind the town and there are trees overhead, keep your eyes peeled. Keep driving for 15 minutes or so and you’ll reach the beautiful Grey River Picnic Reserve, which is surrounded by impressive mountain ash trees. There’s a short walk through tree ferns up the river, and, at night, you can see glow worms.

Jarosite Headland, near Point Addis, RE Lorne, RE Grey River Rd, GS

Introduction

45.

Highlights

Maits Rest Maits Rest is a relatively short, circuit walk virtually beside the Great Ocean Road about 15 minutes west of Apollo Bay. It is a great introduction to a true rainforest gully, with its Gondwanaland survivors. As it has been protected since the early 1900s it gives you an idea of what the pre-European Otways were once like. It is home to a couple of spectacular trees, including some towering mountain ash and a massive beech tree, estimated to be at least 300 years old.

Cape Otway Lighthouse For anyone who is a sucker for the romance of lighthouses, Cape Otway, perched on its lonely headland is irresistible. But the lighthouse is not even half the storyâ&#x20AC;Ś The surrounding coves are among the most beautiful on the coast and were highly significant to the original Aboriginal inhabitants. The manna gum forest just before you reach the open grassland around the tip of the cape is also a guaranteed spot to see koalas and, especially in the evening, eastern grey kangaroos.

Moonlight Head From the Gable Lookout, 130 metres above the Southern Ocean, you have commanding views towards Moonlight Head and over the reefs below. There are 366 steps down to the beach, where both the Marie Gabrielle and Fiji were wrecked. When the weather is fine and the tides have swept the sand off the reef the sight of Marie Gabrielleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anchors and winches embedded in the green reef with crashing waves in the background is stunning.

Maits Rest, RE Cape Otway, RE Gable Lookout to Moonlight Head, RE

46.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Johanna By the time you get to Johanna, you’ve left the world behind. One of the wildest, most beautiful beaches in Australia, Johanna, is backed by emerald-green hills that roll back to Weeaproinah, one of the wettest spots in Victoria. There’s a basic camping ground by the beach, and a surprising number of excellent selfcatering cottages hidden in the hills. Good or bad, the weather is one of Johanna’s star performers. It’s always dramatic.

Twelve Apostles The iconic Twelve Apostles are iconic because they are truly spectacular. In wild weather, this is one of the most awesome collision points between land and sea anywhere in the world. Millions of people visit each year, so it is worth making an effort to see them very early or very late in the day when the chances are you’ll have them to yourself. This is also when the light is invariably most interesting for photographers.

Bay of Martyrs The Bay of Martyrs, near Peterborough, is believed by many to have been the site of a horrific massacre of local Aboriginals. It is also argued by some to be more spectacular than the Twelve Apostles – perhaps not, but the surrounding area is unquestionably much less busy, with plenty of opportunities for short walks and to be alone with the sea, the sky and the rock.

Johanna Beach, PV Twelve Apostles, DS Bay of Martyrs, RE

Introduction

Highlights

47.

Logans Beach The first Europeans visitors came close to hunting seals and whales to extinction. Fortunately both have begun to recover. Every year a small number of southern right whales return to Loganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beach near Warrnambool to calve and suckle their young. They often come very close to the specially designed viewing platforms. They arrive as early as late May and stay until early October.

Logans Beach, RE Island Archway, near Loch Ard Gorge prior to June 2009 collapse, RB

48.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Best Of The West You don’t exactly leave civilisation behind when you pass Warrnambool, but you do at last leave the gravitational pull of Melbourne (a good 3.5 hours away), and you’re well beyond the reach of Adelaide (eight hours away). You are, at last, in a country region that exists solely on its own terms. In some ways it is like stepping back in time to an Australia that elsewhere is fast disappearing. The people are no-nonsense, hospitable country folk, often with a utilitarian attitude to the environment. When there’s not much money washing around and jobs are desperately needed, the environment can come second. Nonetheless, the air is bitingly clean, and the water is icy and clear. And if you’re up for a touch of adventure, you can go for hours without seeing another person. The west is a highlight in itself – hard to characterise in simple terms. The coast, with the striking exceptions of Cape Nelson and Cape Bridgewater, tends not to feature cliffs. More commonly, magnificent beaches are backed by sand dunes and rich agricultural land, although the Discovery Bay Coastal Park is another exception, where the coast is backed by lakes.

Introduction

Highlights

49.

Tower Hill Tower Hill is a massive volcanic crater between Warrnambool and Port Fairy. In wet years the crater is filled with water and the hills (old eruption points) within the crater become islands. European settlers cleared the original vegetation, but a revegetation project is in progress. There are some excellent short walks you can undertake yourself, and plenty of wildlife (including emus, kangaroos and koalas). If you book, Aboriginal guides are available to give guided walks.

Port Fairy Port Fairy is a remarkable town that has survived and, from time to time, flourished since the 1840s. In the 1850s it was briefly the second busiest port in Victoria but it soon became a backwater and was pretty much frozen in time for 100 years. Fortunately the construction material of choice was bluestone and scores of buildings survive. Port Fairy was always a quietly popular holiday resort for those in the know and it now hosts thriving boutique hotels, cafĂŠs and restaurants.

Cape Bridgewater Cape Bridgewater is the exclamation mark to a perfect crescent of white sand running from Cape Nelson, cupping the wicked inky-blue of the bay. The small town has a single shop/pub/post office/cafĂŠ and a limited range of accommodation. There are boat tours out to the seal colony at the base of the cliffs, and, at the right time of the year, you might just spot a blue whale. On the other side of the cape there are remarkable lakes and the brilliant Discovery Bay Coastal Park. Opposite: Cape Bridgwater, VA Tower Hill, WGAC Port Fairy, RB Cape Bridgewater, GSC

50.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Nelson Entering Nelson is a bit like stepping back in time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to about 1972. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a small town and, with the exception of a few weeks in January, very relaxed. Its greatest asset is the Glenelg River, with its limestone gorges and turquoise estuary. This is one of the most beautiful estuaries on the Australian coast, and a favourite with fish, pelicans and fishermen. Nelson is also the best starting point for an exploration of the Lower Glenelg National Park and the Discovery Bay Coastal Park.

Nelson, RE Whites Beach, Cape Bridgewater, VA

Introduction

51.

Highlights

Best Of The Hinterland South of the main ridge of the Otway Ranges, numerous creeks and rivers tumble down to the ocean and a number of picturesque winding roads follow the valleys. The hills catch the moisture-laden air rolling in from the Southern Ocean and are a rich green even in summer. The prized remnants of the Otway Range’s temperate rainforest are nearly all found in sheltered gullies on this southern flank. The rainforest is principally defined by the beautiful, sometimes massive and ancient, myrtle beech. The myrtle beech is instantly identifiable because of its clouds of tiny leaves. These trees once cloaked Gondwanaland, but because they cannot cope with fire, they have found one of their last refuges here. There are also a number of varieties of stunning ferns, some of which reach heights of three or more metres. Turtons Track, between Beech Forest and Tanbryn (on the Forrest–Skenes Creek Rd), is a sealed road through some magnificent forest. To the north, the rainfall quickly drops away (actually, there’s 25mm less rain for every kilometre you go north) and you quickly move from forest to the volcanic plains. Weeaproinah, at the top of the ridge near Lavers Hill, gets nearly 2000mm of rain per year; Colac, 50 km to the north, is lucky to get 700mm. The Kanawinka Geopark covers the plains that extend from Melbourne to Mt Gambier, and which are now recognised as among the largest and most complex volcanic plains in the world. There’s more than enough to keep aficionados busy for months, but for anyone with even the most casual interest in volcanoes, there are a number of sights that should not be missed (including Tower Hill featured in the Best of the West section earlier). Lake Gnotuk, near Camperdown, RE

52.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Triplet Falls The Triplet Falls are in the heart of the Otway Ranges, and getting there is half the fun. There are three cascades set amongst ferns, rainforest, and mountain ash, some of which are estimated to be 200 years old. The trees survived despite the fact that this was the site for one of the largest timber mills in the Otways. The nearby Otway Fly is a series of cantilevered walkways through mountain ash and myrtle beech rainforest, 25 metres above the forest floor.

Forrest Forrest was originally a timber town at the end of a rail line from Birregurra. From the rail-head, tramways were built into the bush. Some of these trails have now been adapted to mountain bike trails – considered to be Australia’s best. As a result Forrest hosts a number of premier mountain biking events. Forrest is also famous for nearby Lake Elizabeth – a beautiful drowned valley which is one of the few places on the planet where you are likely to see a platypus in the wild.

Turtons Track Turtons Track, between Beech Forest and Tanbryn (on the Forrest–Skenes Creek Rd), is a sealed road through some magnificent forest. There are unsealed roads that are more spectacular, but getting bogged can take the gloss off your discovery. Particularly at the eastern end, there are some superb stands of unlogged wet sclerophyll forest featuring tall, straight mountain ash and messmate, as well as two sections of rain forest.

Triplet Falls, RE Lake Elizabeth, PT Turtons Track, RE

Introduction

Highlights

53.

Kanawinka Geopark – Volcanoes In 2006 UNESCO recognised western Victoria’s basalt plains as the first Australian Geopark. The plains were formed from lava flows up to 60 metres thick, and are studded with over 400 volcanoes. The land is particularly rich and was home to large Aboriginal communities. The grassy plains also proved to be perfect for sheep grazing, and the invasion of European squatters was quick and brutal. Vast fortunes were made and spent on massive bluestone mansions now dotted across the plains. The most notable volcanoes covered in this book include Red Rock, Mt Leura, Lake Bullen Merri, Mt Eccles, Mt Napier, Tower Hill, Mt Rouse and Cape Bridgewater. There is a Volcanoes Discovery Trail, with accompanying information available from Visitor Information Centres, and a special interpretive centre at Penshurst. Red Rock Red Rock, 17 km to the north of Colac, features a concentrated cluster of volcanoes with well-preserved craters and cones. Over 40 eruption points have been counted in a 12 sq km area. There are nine craters up to 75 metres deep, some containing lakes, which are now sadly – but hopefully temporarily – dry. The landscape is still extraordinary and there are two lookouts from where, on a clear day, you can see a number of other significant volcanic features, including Mt Elephant, Mt Porndon and Mt Sugarloaf, as well as Victoria’s largest inland lake, Lake Corangamite. The eastern lookout overlooks Coragulac House, a 26-room bluestone mansion built in 1873 by George Pringle Robertson.

Mt Sugarloaf, near Camperdown, RE Red Rock, GS

54.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Mt Eccles (Budj Bim) Mt Eccles is the summit of a complex volcanic structure. With lava flows, caves, craters, lakes, scoria cones and basalt plains, Mt Eccles National Park and nearby Mt Napier State Park are the largest areas of public land remaining on the volcanic plains. There are good opportunities for walking in the Lake Surprise area. The lava flows from Mt Eccles created the environment that was developed by the Aboriginal communities around Lake Condah (see following).

Budj Bim / Lake Condah The landscape at Lake Condah landscape shows clear evidence of a large Aboriginal community living in villages of stone houses and systematically farming eels. The Gunditjmara people fought for their land for more than 20 years, in what is called the Eumerella War. Budj Bim Tours operates tours of the landscape, including the evocative ruins of the Lake Condah Mission and of Lake Condah itself (contact Budj Bim Tours, www.budjbim. com, 03 5527 1699).

Dry Stone Walls Anyone who travels through Camperdown and Colac will see remarkable dry stone walls snaking over the hills. Contrary to popular belief, they were built by skilled craftsmen, not by convicts. The walls in the Stony Rises, near Camperdown on the Pomborneit–Foxhow Rd, and around Noorat are stunning. A publication, ‘Dry Stone Walls in Corangamite Trail’ is available from the Camperdown Visitor Information Centre, and the Shire of Corangamite website. Lake Surprise, Mt Eccles, RE House foundations, Lake Condah, RE Dry stone walls, near Noorat, RE

Introduction

55.

Highlights

Warrock Warrock, near Casterton, is one of the most historically important homesteads in Australia. Set in a beautiful valley dominated by massive river red gums, the homestead consists up of 57 fascinating structures dating from the 1840s. There’s the original one room hut, a substantial homestead, a woolshed, a grainstore, a blacksmith’s shop, a dairy… Visitors are free to wander around, glimpsing the bits and pieces that were once part of the fabric of everyday life.

Warrock, RE Wild Dog Rd, RE

56.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Anaconda Adventure Race, Lorne is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Anaconda Adventure Race, Lorne Race leaves no trace

Most people are content to take in the spectacular scenery around Lorne in a fairly sedate fashion – a leisurely bushwalk or two, or perhaps a body surf. A small handful prefer to do it another way, returning year after year for the unforgiving Anaconda Adventure Race. To say the event is a physical challenge is an understatement. The four-leg race – comprising an ocean swim, paddle, crosscountry run and mountain bike ride – takes competitors through some of the most renowned landscapes of the area, from the pristine waters of Loutit Bay, to the green forests enveloping the Cumberland and Sheoak Rivers. In order to preserve the natural environments through which competitors pass, Anaconda has teamed up with Parks Victoria and Leave No Trace, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting and inspiring responsible outdoor recreation.

Anaconda Adventure Race, Lorne, RA

Year-round, the Anaconda website promotes the Leave No Trace ethos, educating competitors on the protocols of racing and even being a spectator in bushland settings. Given that the event relies on the natural topography of the local area, it is in their best interests to protect it. A ‘tail-end’ Charlie sweeps through after the event each year and ensures that the course is cleared of markings and race debris. “Adventure racing is tied to the local geography and natural environment, and we do all we can to promote an environmentally sustainable event.” John Jacoby www.rapidascent.com.au

Introduction

57.

Sustainable Tourism & Holidays

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM & HOLIDAYS Sustainability is a concept that has become central to daily life. Given most holidays, travel and tourism are discretionary luxuries, the responsibility for the tourism industry to be truly sustainable is even greater than it is for the essential industries on which our survival depends. Unfortunately, in a world that prefers magic puddings, technological bullets and simple solutions (preferably implemented painlessly by someone else) achieving sustainability is extremely complex. In the same way global environmental degradation is the net result of countless human activities, so the solution involves the transformation of thousands of human activities. Many of these activities are so habitual and so culturally engrained it can be shocking to find they cannot be sustained. The businesses featured in this book are all businesses that have begun the process of transforming themselves. Some of the changes are relatively small â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but each of these businesses is showing the way forward in at least one key area. Ideas and suggestions for the role individual travellers can play are in the section Minimising Your Impact. We have also included environmentally friendly travel tips throughout the book. But one key contribution travellers can make is to support businesses that are making an effort to achieve sustainability. This means researching the businesses you deal with when you go on holiday, and making sure the businesses you use understand how important sustainable practices are to you. When you notice worthwhile initiatives, make sure you acknowledge them. If businesses see customer support for the measures they take (especially where these measures add to costs) they will be encouraged to maintain and extend their effort. Every step, however small, will contribute to restoring balance to the environment.

Waterfall, PV Common dolphin, VA

58.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Businesses often perceive sustainability as an expensive, time consuming and complicated ideal, but there are many things that can be done in a business that will cost almost nothing and only take a few minutes to implement. And the rewards? Businesses can immediately slice 10 per cent off their running costs by addressing basic things like water conservation, chemical use, energy consumption, waste minimisation and recycling. For example, changing light globes to highefficiency varieties can slash up to 70 per cent off lighting costs. Depending on the size of the business, this act alone could save between hundreds and thousands of dollars a year. When they are prepared to invest a little more time and money the additional incentives really start to make financial – and environmental – sense. Businesses seeking a marketing advantage or product differentiation often need look no further than the ‘green’ alternative. People are much more environmentally aware than they have ever been, especially among the higher yielding markets. Adopting sound environmental practice can help businesses enhance their image and stand out from the competition. Conversely, those businesses that don’t adhere to basic environmental practices are likely to find themselves losing market share in the future. Regional tourism authorities and Tourism Victoria have specific information and advice for businesses on how to implement sustainable practices, ‘green’ government funding and certification programmes that are available. The result we are aiming for? Ten years from today, we plan to be able to appreciate and enjoy an unspoilt Great Ocean Road region. Forty years from today… Eighty years from today… The following list is – emphatically – not a comprehensive list of businesses that engage in sustainable practices on the Great Ocean Road. It highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Great Ocean Walk, PV Vegetable garden,

Introduction

59.

Sustainable Tourism & Holidays

Featured Businesses & Organisations

Business / Organisation

Brief Description

Location

For more details

Anaconda Adventure Race (Rapid Ascent)

Massive annual race on the Surf Coast

Surf Coast

See page 57

Bellarine Bayside & Portarlington Seaside Resort

Coastal management and caravan park

Portarlington

See page 312

Big 4 Holiday Park Anglesea

Family owned accommodation

Anglesea

See page 125

Both Feet

Group walking tours/holidays

Johanna

See page 161

Budj Bim Tours

Aboriginal heritage tours

Heywood

See page 148

Crowne Plaza Torquay

Luxury hotel

Torquay

See page 192

Eco-Logic Education & Environmental Services

Tours and educational programmes

Aireys Inlet

See page 297

Falls Festival

Music and cultural festival

Lorne

See page 199

Great Ocean Walk

Walking route

Cape Otway

See page 327

Great Ocean Road Coastal Committee

Coastal management

Torquay

See page 353

Geelong Otway Tourism

Regional tourism authority

Geelong

See page 264

Lemonade Creek Cottages

Cottage accommodation

Lorne

See page 371

Lighthouse Olive Oil & Loam

Olive oil and cafĂŠ

Drysdale

See page 239

Mantra Deep Blue

Luxury hotel

Warrnambool

See page 397

Marine Discovery Centre

Research and educational programmes

Queenscliff

See page 63

Rip Curl

Surf gear and clothing

Torquay

See page 81

Sunnybrae Restaurant

Restaurant

Birregurra

See page 100

60.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Minimising Your Impact All human activities must now be judged on whether they meet the needs of the present without unnecessarily compromising the needs of the future. And the future is not a vague, difficult-to-imagine mirage, but a very immediate reality featuring the horrendous results of climate change â&#x20AC;&#x201C; tomorrow, if not later today. Fortunately the environment and most ecological systems are resilient, but it is now clear that in order to pass on a reasonably healthy environment to the next generation a surprising proportion of human activities will need to be drastically modified to minimise their environmental impact. Minimising your personal impact will, most crucially, involve thinking. Environmental challenges are multi-faceted and often complex, and require a thoughtful response. In the same way that we habitually, virtually subconsciously, assess the dollar impact of every activity and purchase, it is now clear that we must assess environmental costs as well. Especially at first, making a realistic assessment of environmental costs takes hard work. Broad sustainability will only be achieved when the vast majority of businesses and people implement a myriad of relatively small changes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; hopefully before really large changes are suddenly imperative. There are no universal blue prints, because the circumstances of every business and every individual differ so radically. Put crudely however, every business and every individual must work hard at reducing all their inputs and all their outputs. In terms of inputs, for example, how many resources are consumed or wasted to provide our shelter, transport, lighting, food, water and entertainment; and how can this consumption be reduced? Sometimes massive reductions can be achieved through design and efficiency. At the simplest level, how many incandescent light globes are used, and what sort of showerhead is installed? Sometimes massive reductions can be achieved by making relatively small sacrifices (this can often mean saving money as well). The 4WD vehicle with fuel usage of 20 litres per 100 km might look impressive, but for two people on a day trip to Torquay, a coupĂŠ with fuel usage of eight litres per 100 km will do the job just as well.

Cyclist, Great Ocean Road, GOT Surfer, Portland, GSC

Sometimes reductions can be achieved by paying a little more, but paying more can also mean you enjoy a better quality product as well. Local fish from the co-op might cost a little more than an imported frozen equivalent from a supermarket, but the local fish came from a sustainable fishery, their purchase helps support a local community, they have not been frozen and transported thousands of kilometres, and they probably taste better too!

Introduction

Sustainable Tourism & Holidays

61.

Outputs like pollution and garbage are of course linked to inputs (the more inputs the more outputs!), but ensuring the unavoidable outputs are handled appropriately is crucial. At the simplest level, rubbish should be sorted and binned, composted or recycled. Other outputs like carbon dioxide are more complex. Many activities directly or indirectly create substantial quantities of carbon dioxide, and although the first and most important step is to minimise carbon consumption, it is also possible to purchase carbon credits that offset the carbon dioxide created. Some compensation is particularly appropriate for activities like longdistance flying, boat and helicopter charters and four-wheel-driving, as these are very heavy carbon consumers. Most companies who offer carbon offset services plant trees or develop green energy sources, but it is important to research their bona fides. Check with reputable environmental groups or government agencies before you sign up. One place to start is www. carbonoffsetguide.com.au, which is a website managed by the Australian Environmental Protection Agency and RMIT University. Public transport options might be limited, but it is possible to reduce the use of cars by sharing vehicles, walking and cycling where possible – and using the Internet. The Bureau of Meteorology website (www.bom.gov.au) gives up-tothe-minute information on weather and tides, and various webcams show beach conditions – which means there’s no reason to consume litres of petrol on the off chance you’ll find the conditions you want for your planned activity. Fortunately, many of the activities in the Great Ocean Road region have a very low impact, and tourism itself can be a relatively environmentally friendly industry – certainly by comparison to logging old growth forests. This book puts significant emphasis on activities that are, if pursued thoughtfully, environmentally sustainable: walking, surfing, biking, and camping. It is also important that natural assets that have been locked away in parks and reserves are both appreciated and seen to generate an economic return. The likelihood of future investment in a park’s infrastructure and maintenance is much greater if the authorities can see a direct link between visitors, money spent locally and jobs.

The Ol’ Duke, Portarlington, VofV Warrambool train, Geelong. DS Lorne Fish Co-op, GS

62.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

One of the biggest problems facing the Great Ocean Road is population pressure. Holiday houses continue to mushroom, and sea changers maintain their love affair with coastal properties within two hours of Melbourne. Government planning (particularly state and local) sets the agenda, and it is very important communities and visitors make it clear to decision makers where and what kind of development is appropriate. It is also vital that building regulations are developed to ensure new housing is not visually intrusive, is designed to require minimal lighting, heating and cooling, and is built from sustainable materials that do not require massive quantities of carbon to manufacture and transport. Individuals can also have an impact by making it clear to businesses that sustainable practices are important factors in their purchasing decisions. When making bookings, ask what green initiatives have been introduced; when disposing of rubbish, ask where the compost is; when ordering a meal, order one featuring local produce... By showing your interest in, and appreciation of, even simple sustainable practices you will be sending important messages to business owners. The guiding principle for people who use the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural and developed assets â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whether they be beaches, walks, parks and reserves, picnic grounds, carparks or campsites â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is to leave the environment you have enjoyed the same, or preferably better, than you found it. Leave only footprints.

Johanna, RE

63.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Marine Discovery Centre, Queenscliff is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Marine Discovery Centre, Queenscliff Unique location for learning

As you meander towards Queenscliff, you’ll be forgiven if you drive right past the Marine Discovery Centre. On the shore of Swan Bay, the building is camouflaged under a sprawling roof-top garden that is home to 60,000 saltmarsh grasses. The building itself – one of the first sixstar energy rated facilities in Victoria – is remarkable enough to warrant a visit. What the building represents is equally significant, offering exceptional education and eco-tourism services about the marine environment. The Centre’s location is no accident. The region is internationally important for migratory birds, and there is virtually every type of marine environment on its doorstep: rocky shores, mudflats, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, mangroves, sand dunes and temperate reefs.

To help protect this unique land and seascape, the Centre runs school and holiday programs to educate kids about how they can interact with the marine environment in a low-impact way. Behind the scenes, the facility is also home to fisheries research, which continues to seek answers to pressing questions about fish populations, climate change and other big issues facing our oceans today. “Our goal is to connect communities and coasts, so we all better understand the importance of marine diversity.” Harry Thorman Address: 2A Bellarine Highway, Queenscliff Tel: 03 5258 3344

64.

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

CHAPTER TITLE

SECTION TITLE

65.

CONTEXT

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

66.

Travelling during high season can increase your negative impact by contributing to the peak stresses on water supplies, sewerage systems and other infrastructure.

Previous page: Pt Addis, GOT Lake Corangamite, KS

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES The Great Ocean Road region shares many of the environmental challenges faced by the rest of Australia: droughts, fires and higher sea levels resulting from climate change caused by carbon dioxide emissions; soil and water degradation caused by inappropriate forestry and agriculture; and species loss caused by the destruction of natural habitat, the fracturing of ecosystems, and population pressures from both permanent residents and visitors. Thirty-five per cent of major rivers in Victoria (including the Barwon and Moorabool rivers) are in poor, or very poor, condition. Forty-four per cent of Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s native plants and 33 per cent of native vertebrate species are thought to be extinct, threatened or vulnerable to extinction. Especially now that logging is no longer undertaken on public land, the Otway Ranges are in reasonable health, climate change notwithstanding. South of the Princes Highway, and between Princetown and Torquay, only about half the land is privately owned (which compares to a state wide average of around 93 per cent). Further west, and especially on the volcanic plains, nearly all the land is privately owned and more than 50 per cent of the ecosystems are threatened.

Context

67.

Environmental Issues

Logging & Plantations Clearfell logging and woodchipping of all native forest on public land in the Otways was banned in 2008. After a seven-year community campaign driven by the Otway Ranges Environment Network, followed by a six-year phase-out period, the last truckload of trees for export woodchips was removed in May 2008. Logging can and does still occur in private plantations and forests, which amount to around 25 per cent of the forested land in the ranges. Further to the southwest, timber plantations are a big and controversial business. The area of land utilised for traditional grazing enterprises has been significantly reduced over recent decades, and crop growing and blue gum plantations have taken their place. In some places, plantations have displaced farmers and there is a good deal of concern that plantations ultimately provide a lower benefit to local communities than other forms of agriculture. The so-called Green Triangle Region, which takes in Dimboola in the north, Port Campbell in the east and Mt Gambier in the west, has a total area of 279,000 hectares of soft and hardwood plantations – 17 per cent of Australia’s total. Pinus radiata softwood plantations occupy 166,000 ha, and blue gums (Eucalyptus globulus) account for another 113,000 ha. The plantations are controversial because, although the trees lock up carbon, the net carbon benefit of artificial plantations is not certain, especially when the risk of their destruction by wildfire is factored in to the equation. There are also risks of unknown magnitude associated with the heavy use of groundwater resources and pesticides. Invading Species There are considerable weed problems in the region, most notably with ragwort and blackberry. Introduced foxes and feral cats have an enormous negative impact on ground dwelling native mammals and birds like brolgas, penguins and hooded plovers. Despite the (relatively) successful introduction of diseases designed to eliminate them, rabbits continue to thrive in the region. They out-compete native and domestic animals for feed, and create substantial erosion problems. Ironically, rabbits were introduced by a local squatter, Thomas Austin of Barwon Park near Winchelsea (see separate section on Barwon Park). Thomas arranged for 24 wild rabbits to be brought out to Barwon Park from Somerset so they could be bred for hunting. The rabbits were raised in a specially constructed warren, and some were given away to visitors. Within two years rabbits were running wild in the Winchelsea district. By 1870, they were a pest on almost every Western District property, and within ten years of their introduction two million

Logging, near Lavers Hill, RE Foxes, DS

68.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

could be shot or trapped annually in southeastern Australia without any noticeable effect on the population. It was the fastest spread ever recorded of any mammal anywhere in the world. The pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi, which causes root destruction and dieback in eucalyptus trees, is currently found in localised areas of the Great Otway National Park, but extensive areas of the park are particularly vulnerable to invasion. Active management programs including restricting access and introducing disinfectant procedures have been implemented. It is very important visitors cooperate with these measures. Population Growth & Economic Development The Great Ocean Road region faces a clear threat of being loved to death. In Victoria between 1996 and 2006 the annual growth rate of Victoria’s coastal areas was 1.4 percent, and approximately nine out of ten Victorians visit the coast every year. As the numbers of visitors, holidaymakers and permanent residents inexorably increase, so the pressures on the environment increase. The very assets that attract people – principally uncrowded beaches and unspoilt countryside – are those that are most immediately under threat. The locals that are already lucky enough to own a piece of the region often want to protect their lifestyle – but for many the money that comes with development is irresistible. Unfortunately, even sustainable development and growth cannot continue indefinitely without having serious negative effects on the quality of the environment (especially if you equate quality with walking along a beach by yourself!). There is only one, somewhat unsatisfactory, answer to the conundrum: while growth continues there must be extremely careful regulations that minimise the negative side effects. Visitors, holidaymakers and residents must all play a role in ensuring these regulations are developed and upheld by keeping a close eye on governments at all levels.

Blackberry and pines, near Forrest, RE Feral cat and car, PT

Context

Environmental Issues

69.

Climate Change & Wind Farms Climate change modelling indicates that a warming, dryer climate in Victoria is already inevitable. This will have major impacts on ecological processes including increased severe weather, increased fire frequency, lower water flows, altered movements of wildlife, and a severe threat to existing ecosystems and biodiversity. Ultimately, if the planet reaches certain critical tipping points, life on earth as we know it becomes impossible. Crucially, and more immediately for the Great Ocean Road, there are a number of points where even a small rise in sea level will have a catastrophic impact on beaches and their useability. A slightly higher rise in sea level will actually cut the road at a number of points, and significant numbers of houses will be directly threatened. Ironically, one of the biggest threats to the visual quality of Great Ocean Road region is posed by technology that aims to reduce climate change: wind farms. One of the most plentiful resources of the region is wind â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and some of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s windiest points are along the southwest coast. Wind farms have sprung up at Cape Bridgwater, Yambuk, and are even planned for a site near Port Campbell. There is some controversy whether or not windmills are a threat to birds. There is even controversy over whether or not they have a negative effect on the visual environment. Some people love them, including the landowners who are paid substantial rent, and they certainly make a fascinating sight. Others argue that any artificial structures of this scale are an inappropriate intrusion that substantially detracts from a wild, heritage landscape and that they should only be placed inland from the coast.

Cape Nelson from Yellow Rock, RE Turbine blade, Cape Bridgewater, RE

70.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

ABORIGINAL HERITAGE When European settlers arrived, the entire Australian continent was known and inhabited by Aboriginal people. Every natural feature, every plant, every animal and every constellation in the night sky was named, understood in practical terms, and set in a complex belief system with a history stretching back over aeons. Archaeologists continue to make significant discoveries that impact on our understanding of the human settlement of Australia, but most agree Aboriginals arrived at least 45,000 years ago. Some believe the figure might be as great as 125,000 years ago.

The Barter, by Eugene von Guerard, courtesy Geelong Gallery Guide tour, Tower Hill, WGAC

The Great Ocean Road regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s landscape retains traces of a sustainable way of life that supported complex human cultures for thousands of generations. These cultures had an oral tradition that sustained sophisticated knowledge of the environment and how to use it, as well as myths, stories and histories. There were languages, symbols, music, visual art forms (including painting and rock arrangements), but there was no writing.

Context

Aboriginal Heritage

71.

Most Europeans, and European historians in particular, do not give any credence to verbal evidence, other than that received from firsthand witnesses, whose accounts must be written down immediately in order for them to have any validity. This means Aboriginal oral histories were, and continue to be, almost completely ignored. This European cultural prejudice, together with the decimation of the Aboriginal population, means that European historians have little hard evidence to work with when looking back to European settlement and beyond. The people who knew the history intimately did not leave written accounts, which is the end of story for most European historians, although not for the descendants of the Aboriginal nations. One particular problem is that the violence meted out to Aboriginals by the European invaders, and the subsequent resistance of the Aboriginals, is rarely recorded in European written records. Which either means the Aboriginals cheerfully surrendered their land without violence, or that it was not in the interests of Europeans to record it. In fact, many of the European settlers were probably illiterate themselves; many uneducated ex-convicts ended up working on squatter’s runs as shepherds and were effectively frontline troops. And the squatters themselves, while mostly literate, were not likely to record their own murderous behaviour. (Those massacres covered in this book have been documented largely thanks to the painstaking research of Ian Clark, in his book Scars in the Landscape.) Over their long occupation of the land, Aboriginals have seen volcanic eruptions come and go, at least two ‘ice ages’, and rising sea levels, which resulted in the formation of Port Phillip Bay. Aboriginal oral history described all these events, but the presence of Aboriginals at these events and the accounts of their descendents, which can now of course be ‘scientifically’ validated, were derided by 19th century Europeans. Scientists now know that a marshy valley extended across what is now Port Phillip Bay, and that the Yarra, Werribee and Little Rivers joined and thundered into a gorge, now Port Phillip Heads, before emerging on more plains that stretched over the southern horizon to Tasmania. By the time the sea reached its lowest level, about 15,000 years ago, people had been living in the valley and the lowlands beyond for many thousands of years. When the sea began to rise, it cut the land bridge to Tasmania and poured through the gorge into a new bay, creating a completely new coastline. Given the coastal fringe is particularly rich in food sources and has always supported a relatively large population, one result of this rise in sea levels is that many very old Aboriginal sites must now be underwater.

New fish trap, old channel, Lake Condah, RaphE

72.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Describing pre-European Aboriginal culture and society during her 1999 Boyer Lecture, Australian historian and anthropologist Inga Clendinnen explained: ‘They [...] developed steepling thoughtstructures – intellectual edifices so comprehensive that every creature and plant had its place within it. They travelled light, but they were walking atlases, and walking encyclopaedias of natural history […] this complicated knowledge was not written down but allocated between human minds in song, dance and story. Detailed observations of nature were elevated into drama by the development of multiple and multi-level narratives: narratives that made the intricate relationships between these observed phenomena memorable. ‘These dramatic narratives […] were charged with moral significance, pathos, and humour – after all, the Dreamtime creatures were not austere divinities, but fallible beings who happened to make the world and everything in it while going about their creaturely business. Traditional Aboriginal culture effortlessly fuses areas of understanding which Europeans ‘naturally’ keep separate: ecology, cosmology, theology, social morality, art, comedy, tragedy – the observed and the richly imagined fused into a seamless whole.’ Social Organisation The concept of tribes, or perhaps nations, that share a culture, language, spiritual beliefs and economic interests is straightforward, but Aboriginal societies of southeast Australia were much more highly decentralised and complex. They were based on an interlinked system of language-culture groups, skin groups, and clan groups that baffled the European invaders. Depending where you draw the boundaries of southwest Victoria, when Europeans arrived, there were at least six major language-culture groups divided into more than 100 clans. A clan had from several dozen to several hundred people. Each language-culture group was further divided into two skin groups (moieties), with each skin group having a different totem inherited from either the father’s or the mother’s side. For example, the people of the Gulidjan, Tyarkoort Woorroong, Keerray Woorroong, and Dhauwurd Wurrung (Gunditjmara) language-culture groups were matrilineal and inherited their skin group from their mothers’ side. Their skin group was either Gabadj (Black Cockatoo) or Guragidj (White Cockatoo).

Lady Julia Percy (Deen Maar) from Lake Yambuk, RE

Language-culture groups shared language, spirituality and law, but were themselves interconnected. Intermarriage between language-culture groups, skin groups and clans played a role in forming and maintaining relationships and alliances. Every marriage was carefully considered by female clan elders, and this gave women considerable power. In their deliberations, matters of law were critical, but benefits in terms of access to land and resources, and the forming of

Context

Aboriginal Heritage

73.

political alliances were also important. In some cases language-culture groups were themselves grouped in larger alliances that have been called federations. For example, around Port Phillip Bay, the Dja Dja Wurrung, Taungurung, Woiwurrung, Boonwurrung and Wathaurong occupied adjacent territories, spoke related languages, and shared many aspects of their cultural systems and spiritual beliefs, including a belief in an all-powerful creator, Bundjil, the eagle. Together they are known as the Kulin Federation. Each clan within a language-culture group identified itself with a particular territory, or clan estate. Ties to clan estates included complex spiritual connections, often expressed through ceremonies, sacred mythology and knowledge about ecosystems, plants and animals, the night sky, and seasonal and historical events. Through intermarriage and other alliances expressed through ceremony and law, people were able to access land and resources far beyond their own clan’s estates. To add one last level of complexity, on a day-to-day basis people lived in bands, which were often based on extended family groups, but were not necessarily made up of people from a single clan. Bands were fluid, with people joining or leaving, depending on needs and obligations. Way of Life There were substantial variations in the way different language-culture groups and clans lived, defined principally by the opportunities available in their respective territories. Across the region, Aboriginal people used a similar range of equipment, which included nets and traps, digging sticks, cutting and chopping tools, weapons (clubs, spears, spear throwers, shields and boomerangs), food preparation tools like grinding stones and bowls, and baskets. They also built sophisticated fish traps and rock wells and, among other finely crafted artefacts, were notable for their elaborate possum-skin capes. Early accounts describe seeing canoes on lakes, rivers and also along the coast. Around Lake Condah, and a number of other places in the southwest, there are the remains of stone houses. It is still possible to see these remains, to find middens, scar trees (scarred where bark was removed), stone drinking wells, even stone arrangements (although these are not currently accessible). Many signs of Aboriginal occupation have survived, despite the fact that many of the most important sites were close to fresh water where European impact has been the greatest. Prior to European farming, the rivers – especially the Glenelg, Hopkins, Aire and Barwon – were made up of a series of long, deep waterholes, stocked with native fish. In effect, the rivers and creeks were Aboriginal highways – complete with take-away food and drink – that linked different parts of a tribe’s territory, as well as one group to the next.

House foundations, Lake Condah, RE

74.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

The Aboriginal people used sophisticated techniques of managed burning to prevent catastrophic wildfires, and to create a patchwork regeneration of fresh grass shoots and other important plants. Firestick agriculture, as it is sometimes called, played a crucial part in managing the grasslands and open woodland characteristic of the plains. Kangaroos, emus, possums, echidnas and waterbirds provided meat. Along the coast, lakes and rivers, fish, eels and shellfish were very important. A huge range of plant food was used, including yam and daisy roots, orchid tubers, lily bulbs and nectar-rich ironbark flowers (which were used to sweeten water). Trade and inter-group meetings played an important part in Aboriginal life. One of the best accounts of a major trade meeting between language-culture groups comes from James Dawson, one of the few Europeans of the time who made a serious attempt to understand Aboriginal culture. He wrote a sympathetic account in his book Aboriginal Australians, which remains one of the most important sources of information about the clans of the southwest.

Visit during an off-season festival. This will help local businesses, performers, farm producers, and crafts people.

‘At the periodical great meetings trading is carried on by the exchange of articles peculiar to distant parts of the country. A favourite place of meeting for the purpose of barter is a hill called Noorat, near Terang. In that locality the forest kangaroos are plentiful, and the skins of the young ones found there are considered superior to all others for making rugs. ‘The Aboriginals from the Geelong district bring the best stones for making axes, and a kind of wattle gum celebrated for its adhesiveness. This Geelong gum is so useful in fixing the handles of stone axes and the splinters of flint in spears, and for cementing the joints of bark buckets, that it is carried in large lumps all over the Western District. ‘Greenstone for axes is obtained also from a quarry on Spring Creek, near Goodwood; and sandstone for grinding them is got from the salt creek near Lake Buloke. Obsidian, or volcanic glass, for scraping and polishing weapons, is found near Dunkeld. ‘The Wimmera country supplies the maleen saplings, found in the mallee scrub, for making spears. The Cape Otway forest supplies the wood for the bundit spears, and the grass-tree stalk for forming the butt-piece of the light spear, and for producing fire; also a red clay, found on the sea coast, which is used as a paint…’ Middens

Geelong from Mr Hiatt’s, Barrabool Hills, by William Duke, courtesy Geelong Gallery

Coastal shell middens contain the remains of shellﬁsh eaten by Aboriginal people. They can consist of the shells from different meals eaten in the same location over many years. Charcoal and hearthstones from ﬁres as well as other cultural

Context

75.

Aboriginal Heritage

items like stone and bone artefacts can also be present. Sea levels stabilised between 6000 and 7000 years ago, and most middens along the present coastline were formed since then. Shell middens are found in many areas along the southwest Victorian coast: in sheltered positions in dunes and coastal scrub, sometimes on exposed clifftops with good vantage points. They are usually found as layers of shell exposed in the sides of dunes, banks or clifftops, or as scatters of shell exposed on eroded surfaces. They range in size from a few metres across to many hundreds of metres and can consist of a thin, single layer, or multiple layers forming a thick deposit. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between naturally accumulating shell beds and culturally formed middens. Natural shell beds can accumulate as the result of wave action on the shore and will often consist of a single species in a range of sizes including small shells that would have provided little food. Shell beds can be large, deep and dense, but will not have dark, ashy, organic sediments like Aboriginal middens. If you do find a midden, do not disturb the area or remove any material from the site. European Impact Reliable population figures simply do not exist, but what is certain is that the moment Europeans touched the Australian continent, Aboriginal numbers began to decline rapidly. Epidemics of European diseases, including smallpox, reached southwest Victoria 40 years ahead of the first permanent European settlers. The telltale scars of smallpox were obvious to the first explorers, and their accounts of Aboriginal numbers therefore reflected populations that had already been substantially reduced.

Thoroughly research your destination before you book to ensure you minimise your negative impact and maximise your positive impact.

Some speculate diseases were introduced by whalers and sealers who made their first brutal contact with the Gunditjmara people around Portland and Port Fairy at the turn of the 19th century. Others believe they may have come south across the continent after initially being introduced by Macassan fishermen who had regular contact with northern Australia. Whichever is true, it is very likely that the first exposure to smallpox reduced Aboriginal populations by as much as two thirds. Violence also played a part in reducing Aboriginal numbers, but again it is very difficult to even estimate total numbers. On the lawless frontier, although most Aboriginal deaths were deliberately kept secret, horrendous violence has still been documented. In Scars in the Landscape, Clark quotes from a letter written by Niel Black, a Western District squatter, to his mother in England, dated 30 April 1846.

Midden, Pt Franklin, RE

76.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

‘The blacks are very quiet here now, poor wretches, no wild beast of the forest was ever hunted down with such unsparing perseverance as they are; men, women and children are shot where ever they can be met with […] I remember the time when my blood would have run cold at the bare mention of these things but now I am become so familiarised with scenes of horror, from having murder made a topic of everyday conversation. I have heard tales told, and some things I have seen that would form as dark a page as ever you could read in the book of history – but I thank God I have never participated in them – If I could remedy these things I would speak loudly though it cost me all I am worth in the world, but as I cannot I will keep aloof and know nothing, and say nothing.’ Language-Culture Groups Wathaurong The Wathaurong (Wathawurrung) language-culture group occupied the Ballarat and Geelong region, the Bellarine Peninsula, and the coast as far as Aireys Inlet. Wathaurong clans gathered at Lake Bolac to harvest eels with local Djab Wurrung and neighbouring Keerray Woorrong. They traded axe stones and a valuable adhesive gum at trade meetings near Lake Terang. The first known Aboriginal to die at the hands of a European was a Wathaurong shot and killed in 1803. In July 1836, Henry Batman, the brother of John Batman, the founder of Melbourne, and others in his party shot dead 10 Aboriginals (probably Wathaurong) at the Werribee River. Initially the Wathaurong found some protection on Buntingdale Mission near Birregurra, but they were later moved to Corranderk, near Healesville, west of Melbourne. Many have now returned to their country around Geelong and Ballarat and have close links to the Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative. Wathaurong Glass produces superb glasswork (www.wathaurongglass.com.au). On the outskirts of Geelong on the Surf Coast Highway, Narana Creations is an impressive cultural centre that offers cultural programs (for groups) and has a gallery and retail area with Aboriginal arts and crafts. Gadubanud Smoking tree, Lake Condah

Little is known of the Gadubanud people who inhabited Cape Otway, although it is known they built stone huts at Pt Franklin, and there were several major toolmaking sites at Cape Otway and on the Aire River.

Context

77.

Aboriginal Heritage

At least seven Gadubanud, maybe more, were massacred at the mouth of the Aire River by George Smythe, one of the surveyors who ‘discovered’ the land route to Cape Otway, and a party of Native Police. The massacre was sanctioned by Foster Fyans, the Geelong Police Magistrate, as a reprisal for the murder of a white man who had raped a Gadubanud woman. Some believe the ‘reprisal’ was actually a strategic attack to clear the area and to ensure the safety of the lighthouse keeper. Gulidjan The Gulidjan were a small languageculture group, possibly with links to the Gadubanud, based around Lake Colac. The Gulidjan resisted the European invasion, and there are a number of documented massacres. Descendants of the Gulidjan still live in the region. Tyarkoort Woorroong The Tyarkoort Woorroong people occupied the country around Camperdown, between Mt Emu Creek and Lake Corangamite. In the late 1830s and early 1840s, Tyarkoort Woorroong clans were attacked by both settlers and Wathaurong and suffered considerable losses. Between 35 and 40 men, women and children were killed by Europeans during a night attack on their camp at a spot now known as Murdering Gully, on Mt Emu Creek, near Glenormiston. Most surviving Tyarkoort Woorroong were moved to Framlingham near Warrnambool, but some remained near Camperdown. When Wombeetch Puuyuun, alias Camperdown George, died in 1883, at the age of 43, he was buried in the Camperdown cemetery. James Dawson, author of Aboriginal Australians, was instrumental in the erection of an eight-metre granite obelisk, which still stands, memorialising the Aboriginals of the district and Wombeetch Puuyuun’s death. Keerray Woorroong The Keerray Woorroong people occupied the coastal strip from Princetown to Warrnambool, and another narrow strip north to Mt Hamilton. They are known to have constructed some of the steps cut into the cliffs, which allow access to the beaches near Port Campbell. In the late 1830s and early 1840s the Keerray Woorroong fought a sustained guerrilla campaign and there are several documented massacres. Surviving Keerray Woorroong settled at Framlingham, an important mission and reserve near Warrnambool.

Stonework, Lake Condah

78.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Gunditjmara The Gunditjmara included the Dhauwurd Wurrung, Peek Wurrrung, Wooloo Wurrung, Kee Woorroong, Wooloo Woorroong and Koornkoponoot language groups that occupied the southwestern corner of the state from Warrnambool to the Hopkins River. They created a complex aquaculture system in the marshy volcanic country around Lake Condah, using channels, weirs and traps to maximise the harvest of short-finned eels and other native fish. The eels were smoked for preservation and trade. The regular food supply enabled the Gunditjmara to build permanent villages with between 10 and 100 separate stone houses in each village. Perhaps because of their numbers the Gunditjmara were able to mount a sustained resistance, which has come to be known as the Eumeralla War. The Aboriginals used a large expanse of volcanic country stretching from Port Fairy to Mt Rouse, and westward as far as Heywood, as a base from where they could launch attacks. The area was heavily treed, and crossed by incredibly rugged, stony rises, the result of lava flows from Mt Eccles, Mt Napier and Mt Rouse. This stony country was extremely hazardous for horses (negating one of the Europeans’ great advantages) and ideal for both hiding and launching ambushes. From 1842, deployments of native police eventually broke the resistance, but not before there had been 28 recorded massacres and killings. The most infamous massacre, which wiped out all but two members of a major clan – possibly as many as 200 people – occurred at what is now known as the Convincing Ground, at the eastern end of Fergusons Beach Rd, Allestree, about 10 km north of Portland. The massacre is believed to have occurred as the result of a dispute between whalers and the Kilcarer gunditj clan over who had the rights to a whale carcass that had washed up on the shore. Despite the violence, a significant number of the Gunditjmara settled at Lake Condah where a mission was established, and close links with their ancestral lands were maintained. This was recognised with the declaration of the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape in 2004, and again in 2007 with a Federal Court of Australia determination that recognises native title rights over almost 140,000 ha northwest of Warrnambool, including the national and state parks in the region. The Gunditjmara, through the Winda Mara and Gunditj Mirring organisations, now operate tours of the wider Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape, including the evocative ruins of the Lake Condah Mission and at Lake Condah itself. Contact Budj Bim Tours: www.budjbim.com or 03 5527 1699. New trap, old stones, Lake Condah

Context

79.

Aboriginal Heritage

Eels (kuuyang) Particularly for the Gunditjmara throughout the Budj Bim landscape and around Tower Hill, eels were a culturally significant staple food. They remain a prized catch for Gunditjmara people in the region. Mature short-finned eels are extremely nutritious; typically 60cm long weighing 700 grams. The eel’s lifecycle is as extraordinary as the way they were traditionally farmed, smoked and traded. When autumn rains arrive in southwest Victoria, the river and creek estuaries – which during summer have been blocked by sandbars – open to the sea. This allows mature short-finned eels (between 10 and 20 years old) to make their way downriver to escape into Bass Strait. Thousands can congregate at the mouth of the Hopkins River, in the Blue Hole, waiting for the river mouth to open. From here they travel 4000 km to the Coral Sea off the Queensland coast to spawn and die. The eel larvae drift back to the continental shelf, metamorphosing into glass eels, which drift and swim back to Victorian bays and estuaries on the ocean currents. One to three years after their birth, the survivors metamorphose into pigmented elvers and in late spring (November) eventually find their way back up the rivers and streams to the freshwater inland waterways. At places like Hopkins Falls, near Warrnambool, the instinctive journey of hundreds of elvers climbing the falls is a remarkable sight. Once the elvers reach the inland waterways they grow fat and sleek until, in time, they make their own way back to the ocean to continue the great cycle. Sadly the drainage of swamps, the depletion of lakes and the loss and degradation of waterways are all threatening the eel’s lifecycle. Today Aboriginal communities in southwest Victoria have been subjected to widespread disruption of their lives and levels of repression, requiring tremendous strength to overcome. Attempts to dispossess Aboriginal people of life, land and culture went beyond direct frontier violence. Restrictive controls were also imposed by a reserves and mission system (at Birregurra, and especially Framlingham and Lake Condah). A variety of legislative attempts were also made to erase Aboriginal communities through the destruction of culture, and of family and individual identities. Remarkably, the Aboriginal people have survived. Today, the Aboriginal communities of the southwest are responsible for the custodianship of important cultural sites such as the Budj Bim Heritage Landscape (around Lake Condah), the Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area at Yambuk, and Tower Hill near Warrnambool. They also play a central role in managing the region’s national parks.

Hopkins Falls, VofV

80.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

81.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. Rip Curl is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Rip Curl Rip Curl’s Big Days Out

If you take a walk along the popular coastal path that meanders from Torquay main beach to Bells Beach, you may be struck by the good health of the vegetation around you. This is thanks, in no small part, to the 48,000 indigenous plants planted along this stretch of coastal heathland in the past eight years. Rip Curl is behind this planting scheme through a programme known as the Big Days Out. The Big Days Out are a team effort with other community groups, including the Torquay and Jan Juc Coast Action groups, the Great Ocean Road Coastal Committee, Parks Victoria and the Surf Coast Shire. Every spring, the 200-plus full-time staff from Rip Curl’s global headquarters in Torquay are given two paid days away from their desks to pick up garden tools and wheelbarrows. Supervised by local volunteers, they get stuck into planting, weeding, mulching and litter removal along the coast. Ongoing maintenance by the local community groups and the shire ensure the sites have flourished.

Sustainability initiatives have been instigated throughout the company. For example, the 2008 Rip Curl pro was the first world tour event to be carbon offset. It’s also an accredited ‘Wastewise’ event through its recycling and waste management programs. Back in the design labs and factory, Rip Curl’s Eco Product scheme uses environmentally friendly materials and production processes wherever possible. The current boardshort collection is produced using recycled polyester; and in Rip Curl Project Resurrection, wetsuit scraps are used to produce footwear soles. “Our environmental vision is simple – continually look at practices and initiatives that will minimise our environmental footprint, and maintain our path towards a more sustainable way of doing business. Search but don’t destroy!” Brian Singer www.ripcurl.com.au

Opposite: Spout Creek, RE

82.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

EUROPEAN HERITAGE The story of Europeans in southwest Victoria is the story of immigration, which is in turn a consistent feature of Australia’s history and national identity. Since 1788, millions have made the long journey across the oceans to Australia seeking fortune, opportunity and freedom. They came by sea – on clipper, steamer and liner – until the passenger aircraft took over in the 1970s.

Explorers Australia’s European explorers were the astronauts of the 19th century. The heroworship they generated can only be explained if you imagine how frustrated people were by the lack of information about the geography, resources and potential of Australia. The continent did not give up its secrets easily and the great inland regions, especially, defied party after party of explorers. The coast was somewhat easier to access than the interior, and it is likely the formal journeys of exploration and discovery (from an English point of view) along the coast were predated by others. It seems entirely possible that Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch – even, possibly, Chinese – were the first non-Aboriginals to explore Bass Strait.

Shortland Bluff with Black Lighthouse and cannon, Queenscliff c1880 Ruins, near Lake Condah, RE

Given the Portuguese colonised Timor around 1513, and the Dutch were in Indonesia by the end of the 16th century, it seems surprising they did not discover Australia and make some effort to explore it. If they did, however, they left no unambiguous, known records of their journeys, and there are only two tantalising

Context

83.

European Heritage

‘hard’ pieces of evidence – both of which have been lost, and both of which are hotly disputed. In the late 1840s there were various reports of the wreck of a ‘mahogany’ ship in the sandhills a few miles west of Warrnambool. All subsequent searches – and there have been many – have been unsuccessful. Given the high rate of erosion along that stretch of coast, the lack of success is in itself not conclusive evidence the ship never existed, but nor is there conclusive proof it did exist. Similarly, in 1847, Governor La Trobe was examining shells from a lime kiln at Limeburners Point in Geelong when a worker showed him a set of keys he claimed to have found buried amongst the shells. La Trobe concluded that the keys were dropped onto the beach more than 100 years earlier, but since the keys have been lost, once again, their age and origin cannot be verified. Abel Tasman, on a mission for the Dutch United East India Company, first claimed the territory of Van Dieman’s Land, as he called Tasmania, for the Dutch crown in 1642. In 1644 he mapped the northern coastline of Australia. Captain James Cook is officially credited with discovering the east coast of Australia in 1770. George Bass and Matthew Flinders proved that Bass Strait separated the Australian mainland from Van Dieman’s Land (Tasmania) in 1798. Lt James Grant explored Bass Strait in December 1800 and named Cape Otway after a friend and fellow naval officer, Sir Albany Otway. About the same time, if not before, whalers and sealers began their assault on the rich resources of the islands and coastline. Nicholas Baudin, a French explorer and keen botanist, was horrified by the sealers when he came through in 1802, naming Cape Marengo (near Apollo Bay), Cape Volney (near Moonlight Head) and Cape Duquesne (near Cape Bridgewater). In February 1802, Lt John Murray sailed into Port Phillip Bay. In April, hot on Murray’s heels, Matthew Flinders arrived. Believing he was the first to sight the huge expanse of Port Phillip Bay he charted the entire bay, landed on the Bellarine Peninsula (or Indented Head, as he called it), had several friendly meetings with the local Wathaurong and climbed the You Yangs. ‘The country surrounding Port Phillip has a pleasing, and in many parts a fertile appearance; and the sides of some of the hills and several of the valleys, are fit for agricultural purposes. It is in great measure a grassy country, and capable of supporting much cattle, though better calculated for sheep...’ (Matthew Flinders in Terra Australis, 1 May 1802). On 24 December 1824, the explorers Hume and Hovell arrived at Corio Bay and noted the area was suitable for settlement. When they approached the local Wathaurong for the name of the region they were told ‘Jillong’ referred to the bay, and ‘Corayo’ referred to the land. Despite this, the early European settlers managed to confuse the two, calling the land Geelong, and the bay Corio.

Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottage, Cape Otway, RE

84.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Major Mitchell Major Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell, ‘Major Mitchell’, Surveyor General to His Majesty’s Colony of New South Wales, was one of the most successful 19th century explorers, and he is consequently one of the most famous. He explored the fertile pastures of western and northern Victoria in 1836. Mitchell’s 1836 Expedition Major Mitchell set out in March 1836 with a party of 24 armed men and an ox-wagon carrying a boat. Included in the party were two Aboriginal guides, known to the Europeans as John Piper and Tommy Came Last. On 3 June they found the junction of the Darling and the Murray Rivers. The party then turned upstream along the Murray, reaching Swan Hill at the end of the month. Leaving the Murray near Kerang, the party went southwest and encountered a dramatic wall of mountains, which Mitchell named the Grampians after the Scottish ranges they do indeed resemble. Mitchell continued southwest via the Wannon and Glenelg Rivers. It was a wet winter and Mitchell was excited by the quality of the soils and agricultural potential of the land he named ‘Australia Felix’, Latin for fortunate (or lucky) Australia. Finally he reached Portland where he encountered the Henty family, who had settled the area from Launceston two years earlier. On the return journey, Mitchell climbed and named the Pyrenees, Mt Alexander (east of Castlemaine) and Mt Macedon. His reports of Australia Felix, which became public when he returned to Sydney, sparked a land rush, the first major wave of settlement in central and western Victoria. He wrote, ‘As I stood, the first intruder on the sublime solitude of these verdant plains as yet untouched by flocks and herds, I felt conscious of being the harbinger of mighty changes there; for our steps would soon be followed by the men and animals for which it seemed prepared.’

Australia Felix, near the Grampians, SGSC

Many towns sprang up along the route of Mitchell’s exploration – some by chance, others because Mitchell had a surveyor’s eye and crossed streams and ranges at logical points where it later made sense to establish permanent settlements. There are monuments in many of these towns, and indeed throughout western and northern Victoria, illustrating how thoroughly Mitchell covered the territory during the course of nine months.

Context

European Heritage

After war memorials, the Mitchell monuments are the most common form of public commemoration in the region. There are monuments at Dartmoor, Coleraine, Sandford (near Casterton), Hamilton, Dunkeld and Mt Napier. William Buckley In October 1803 there was a short-lived attempt to establish a settlement on the eastern side of the heads at Pt Nepean – possibly in response to the presence of several French ships that were loitering in the region. Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins led a party of 50 settlers and convicts, but they failed to find adequate fresh water and returned to Sydney in December. They left behind the first permanent European resident of Victoria, an amazing man, William Buckley. Born in England around 1780, Buckley was sentenced to life imprisonment. He managed to escape from the Pt Nepean camp and walked around the bay to the Bellarine Peninsula, although legend has it he swam across the Rip. In any event, he spent the next 32 years living – from all accounts, happily – with the Wathaurong people and travelling the coast from Pt Lonsdale to Aireys Inlet.

85.

Choose tour operators that support sustainable tourism through their operational policies and procedures.

In July 1835 he made what must have been an agonising decision to walk into John Batman’s camp at Indented Head (see following). The authorities recognised his potential value as a translator and he was given a pardon. Contemporary accounts depict a man caught in a chasm between two irreconcilable cultures. Several times Wathaurong people sought his help, and there were also accounts of tearful meetings with his former companions. In 1837 the tension must have become unbearable because Buckley sailed for Hobart. He died in 1856, by which time authorities were only able to count 20 Wathaurong survivors from the group of 700 or so who had welcomed Buckley. Buckley was a man of imposing physical presence, at least 6 feet 5 inches (nearly two metres) tall, and heavily tattooed. According to legend, he found a spear that had been left on a grave near Spring Creek, Torquay, and when the Wathaurong saw a giant white man holding a dead man’s spear they believed he was a Wathaurong warrior reincarnated. Much of what we know about the Wathaurong way of life is thanks to Buckley’s memoirs, but there was and is doubt as to how reliable some of the recorded observations are. Nonetheless, his was an extraordinary story, and the account of his life and adventures was published in 1852: ‘[…] the tribes are divided into families: or rather, I should say, composed of them – each tribe comprising from twenty to sixty of them. They acknowledge no chief as being superior to the rest; but, he who is most skillful and useful to the general community is looked upon with the greatest esteem, and is considered to be entitled to more wives than any of the others […]. ‘[…] they used to take me out on calm evenings to teach me how to spear salmon, bream etc. Their manner is to get some dry sticks, cut them into lengths of ten or twelve feet, tie several of these together into a kind of faggot and to light the end. With this torch blazing in one hand and a spear in the other hand, they go into the water, and fish crowd around and are easily speared […]’

Original Warrock homestead, near Casterton, RE Store, Warrock, near Casterton, RE

86.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Sealers & Whalers Apart from Buckley, sealers and whalers were the first Europeans to spend any length of time on the southwest coast, and to have contact with the Aboriginals. They are likely to have brought their diseases with them and were, unfortunately, not the finest representatives of western culture. Many were brutal (and no doubt brutalised) ex-convicts and escaped convicts. From as early as 1800 entrepreneurs based in Sydney, Launceston and Hobart dropped gangs in the area and then returned months later to pick up a haul of seal pelts. The sealers’ living conditions were primitive, their food was limited, their work was brutal, and their camps were known for their inhuman treatment of Aboriginals and Aboriginal women in particular. Almost unbelievably, the huge Bass Strait seal colonies were virtually wiped out by 1806. The sealers then focussed on the Victorian coast, which was plundered almost as quickly. In the southwest, sealing was based at Portland, Lady Julia Percy Island and Port Fairy. American whaling ships sailed sporadically in Bass Strait up until 1804, when the colonial government excluded them. Local whaling took some time to gain momentum, partly because setting up the boats and equipment required substantial capital. Because it was cheaper than deep-water hunting, local whaling was established as a shore-based industry. Somewhere around 1828, sealer turned whaler William Dutton established himself at Portland. His first hut was described as ‘a sort of hole scooped out of the earth and covered with boughs; one had almost to go on hands and knees to get into it.’ Around 1833, whalers came head-to-head with the Kilcarer gunditj clan in a dispute over who had the rights to a whale carcass that had washed up on shore. The Kilcarer gunditj no doubt presumed it was theirs to use – as had been the case with beached whales for thousands of years. Unfortunately for them, the whalers decided to ‘convince’ them otherwise. All but two members of the clan, possibly as many as 200, were massacred at what came to be known as the Convincing Ground. (The eastern end of Fergusons Beach Rd, Allestree, about 10 km north of Portland.)

Homestead, near Birregurra, RE

Along with several other groups, the Henty brothers established themselves in Portland by 1834, although their initial interest was in sheep grazing. By 1836 the Hentys were whaling as well. The peak year for the industry was 1837 when more than 100 whales were caught. In 1844 only nine whales were caught. Thereafter, only a small number of whales were killed – the very last in 1868.

Context

87.

European Heritage

Squatters & Settlers The Hentys In 1836, on his overland trek from Sydney, Major Mitchell discovered the Glenelg River. After rowing down the Glenelg and then marching east, he reached Portland Bay where, to his surprise, he met the Henty brothers. According to the colonial government in Sydney, no one was allowed to settle on crown land in Victoria and, according to officialdom, no one was there! In fact the Henty brothers had settled permanently at Portland and were raising sheep and cattle, as well as hunting whales. They built cottages and sheds for their stock and were supplying food and materials to other whalers. Mitchell told the Hentys of the superb grazing country to the north and the next year the Hentys took up land around present-day Digby. Edward Henty’s mansion in Portland, Burswood, now operates as a boutique hotel. Batman In 1835, at the other end of the Great Ocean Road region, John Batman was exploring the land around Port Philip on behalf of a group of Tasmanian sheep graziers who, like the Hentys, were looking for more land. From his camp on Indented Head he took a route similar to that of Flinders 33 years earlier. He crossed Corio Bay, climbed the You Yangs, gazed over thousands of acres of natural grassland and wrote, ‘I never saw anything to equal the land in my life.’ In June he sailed his boat Rebecca up the Maribyrnong River, not far from the site he was to choose for the town of Melbourne. Here he signed two treaties with the Aboriginals to ‘purchase’ 600,000 acres of land between what is now Melbourne and the Bellarine Peninsula on behalf of the Port Phillip Association. According to the treaty documents the land was transferred to Batman in exchange for blankets, knives, looking glasses, tomahawks, scissors, flannel jackets and flour, plus a yearly tribute or rental payment. The traditional landowners also gave Batman two cloaks, and some stone axes, boomerangs and other tools, and allegedly confirmed the sale by making marks in trees with their axes. History does not say whether the Aboriginals received all the goods that were promised to them, and some might wonder what has happened to their yearly tribute or rental payments! It certainly seems highly unlikely that the Aboriginals Batman found around the Maribyrnong River had any right to give away land on the Bellarine Peninsula that belonged to various Wathaurong clans. In any event, the government refused to accept the treaty had any validity. Squatters From this point on, however, the flood of pastoralists was unstoppable and Governor Bourke decided his only choice was to ensure it was regulated. In September 1836 laws were passed that enabled crown land to be occupied upon payment of a 10 pound annual license fee.

Don’t ask for towels and sheets to be washed after one use.

88.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Only relatively wealthy settlers were able to take immediate advantage of this generous offer because, although the license charge was minimal, the capital costs of setting up a sheep station were high. Sheep were expensive and it took years to bring sufficient fleece to market to recoup the establishment costs. Initially, the licences were intended to be a non-exclusive form of land tenure. The squatters were not, in principle, entitled to expel traditional owners from their country or cut them off from water. Protectors were appointed to safeguard Aboriginal rights. In practice, however, when the Chief Protector, George Augustus Robinson, toured the Western District in early 1841, he found that squatters had simply assumed all the rights of ownership. Although the land itself might not have been expensive, there was an unquestionably high cost in terms of blood, sweat and tears, on both sides of the racial divide. Ultimately, many squatters became extremely wealthy and sought to erase any memory of the often-violent origins of their wealth. They also entrenched themselves in the Victorian Legislative Council, which enabled them, for many decades, to defeat any moves for land reform. The ‘squattocracy’, as they soon became known, were until recent times a formidable conservative force in Victorian and Australian politics. Their wealth was often poured into amazing bluestone mansions that are, to this day, scattered across the plains, and are still in many cases occupied by descendants of the original squatters. This means that few are open to the public, but those that are open are definitely worth visiting: Werribee Park, between Geelong and Melbourne (not covered in this book); Mt Rothwell (see Parks & Reserves section), once part of the massive Chirnside family estates; Barwon Park (see Winchelsea), once part of the massive Austin family estates; and the amazing time capsule, Warrock (see Casterton). Settlers & Timber The first Europeans to venture into the forests of the Otways did not stay, other than to perch on the very edge at the lighthouse complex at Cape Otway. The size of the trees, the darkness and dampness of the fern valleys, and the denseness of the vegetation made the ranges unattractive and forbidding to those who were looking for land to farm; they preferred to settle on the plains.

Barwon Park, near Winchlesea, GS Coragulac House, near Red Rock, GS

Gradually, European settlers began to explore the foothills and eventually the ranges for their timber wealth. Small settlements developed around the timber cutters’ huts and mills, which were in turn built beside harbours where the timber was loaded onto ships. Apollo Bay, or Middleton as it was originally known, was surveyed

Context

89.

European Heritage

in 1853. Timber mills were also set up from the 1850s around Lorne, or Loutitt Bay as it was then known. More settlers followed after new land acts opened up the forests for settlement, and began the process of clearing the forest, often by ringbarking, felling and burning the trees on their blocks. By the 1870s there were about a hundred selectors in the forests, but attempts to turn the Otways into farmland largely failed – not before huge areas of old growth forest were irretrievably lost. Initially, most communication and transport was completely dependent on sea transport, but even the relatively sheltered harbours at Apollo Bay and Louttit Bay (Lorne) were treacherous. Remoteness and the difficulty of transport meant that by 1896 only a handful of settlers remained in the ranges. To stimulate agriculture and the burgeoning timber industry, a narrow gauge railway was opened between Colac and Beech Forest in 1902. In 1911 it was extended to Crowes, famous as the mainland’s southern-most railway station, close to where the track to Melba Gully crossed the Great Ocean Road. A 45 km interpretative walking/cycling trail, following much of the original path of the narrow gauge railway, is now open between Colac and Beech Forest. The Colac–Beech Forest–Crowes railway, affectionately known as ‘The Beechy’, was the longest of five narrow-gauge railways in Victoria and it carried an immense volume of timber during its 60 years of operation. Timber tramways snaked through the forests to connect with the railway line, which in turn enabled sawmillers to supply the goldfields market with mining timbers. Such was the volume of Otway timber sent to the Ballarat, Creswick and Maryborough mines that it was said there was more Otway timber underground than above. Fishing & Couta Boats The fishing industry, more than any other, has depended on the ability to transport its product to Melbourne quickly. The two oldest and largest fleets in the Great Ocean Road region are Queenscliff and Portland. Queenscliff had easy access to Geelong, Melbourne and the goldfields, and Portland historically had a local market and was connected by rail to Melbourne in 1877. The fishing industry in Queenscliff grew rapidly in response to the growing population and demand resulting from the gold rushes. In 1865 the Geelong Advertiser reported there were 130 fishermen at Queenscliff, including Maoris,

Couta boat, Queenscliff, VofV Timber tramway, Triplet Falls, PT

90.

Make sure accommodation providers know that environmentallysound practices are important to you – and ask about any environmental certifications (like Green Globe) they might have.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Italians, Dutchmen, Frenchmen and Chinese. The Chinese supplied dried fish to their countrymen in the goldfields. The ‘couta boat’ was developed locally and is an integral part of the Great Ocean Road region’s fishing heritage. From 1885 to 1930 couta boats were developed and refined by boat builders along the coast from Queenscliff to Portland. They were named after one of the most important commercial species of the time, the barracouta. The barracouta is a large, easy-to-fillet, predatory fish, once found in great numbers, and traditionally the favourite fish in ‘fish and chips’. After roads connected Apollo Bay and Lorne in the 1930s, large couta fleets developed in both towns. There was also a substantial couta fleet at Barwon Heads. By the 1960s, Lorne’s 28-boat couta fleet was purported to be Victoria’s largest, and it made an arresting site because the couta boats were winched up and stored on the pier when not in use. By the 1970s, however, the fishery had collapsed. The industry diversified and survived at Apollo Bay, with its better harbour, but the Barwon Heads and Lorne fleets have completely disappeared. Some believe large-scale squid jigging destroyed the barracouta’s food chain. The squid jiggers attract squid on moon-free nights with massive banks of electric lights, and pull out up to eight tonnes of squid per night. From vantage points along the coast, between March and the end of June, you’ll see their eerie lights out at sea. The waters along the Great Ocean Road have a fierce reputation. The couta boats had to be seaworthy, robust, provide a stable work platform, and be capable of carrying a substantial catch. Lastly, because the first boat back in port with its quota of fish (quotas were set by the local cooperatives) got the best price, speed was a crucial quality. Worked by two men, the couta boats were fitted with a centreboard, and built in various sizes ranging from six to nine metres long. They were partly decked with a large, oval-shaped cockpit starting behind the mast, allowing fish to be pulled in quickly over the stern. Narrow side decks and a fully decked bow made them seaworthy. The typical couta boat carried a gaff sail and jib set out on a long bowsprit, although the main sail developed into more of a gunter sail, as it had a very high peaked gaff or yard. In fact, a rig peculiar to the couta boat evolved, which enabled the sail to be carried a lot higher than was usual at the time, and included the distinctive curved-down bowsprit. Although larger, diesel-powered trawlers have now replaced the couta bouts in commercial fishing, surviving examples are now a popular class of recreational sailing boat, with major regattas held on Port Phillip Bay and at Port Fairy. Shipwrecks From the 1840s until the 1920s more than 80 ships were wrecked on the coast between Cape Otway and Port Fairy. Nearly all of these were due to ferocious weather conditions. No wreck was more dramatic, nor more romantic, than the wreck of the Loch Ard at what is now Loch Ard Gorge in 1878 (see Port Campbell National Park).

Context

European Heritage

91.

The journey to Australia from Britain in the 19th century was long and dangerous. In calm weather a sailing ship might take as long as four months, while a well-run clipper ship with favourable winds could make the journey in a little over half this time. Clippers represented the pinnacle of sailing ship technology. With their streamlined hulls and acres of sail designed to catch even the slightest breeze, they were built for speed. Storms were common in the Southern Ocean, but were not the only danger. Hygiene was poor at the best of times and worse in bad weather. The cry ‘Batten-down the hatches’ meant passengers on the lowest deck were confined without ventilation or light in conditions that were ideal for the spread of disease. The use of candles or oil lanterns was restricted and sometimes forbidden, because of the risk of fire. A disaster at sea or shipwreck on the coast left little hope for rescue. Few sailors or passengers could swim, and there were rarely enough lifeboats for the numbers on board. By the 1850s it was possible to make the journey by auxiliary steamer, using a combination of steam and sail. However, steam technology was still too inefficient to allow a ship to travel all the way to Australia under its own power. With the strong prevailing westerlies on the Great Circle sailing route benefiting the clippers, sail continued to dominate the trade until the end of the 1870s. The Great Circle route took ships south across the Southern Ocean, to take advantage of the Roaring Forties. The first sighting of land was often the wild coastline – now known as the Shipwreck Coast – between Warrnambool and Cape Otway. The challenge for the captains was to navigate safely between King Island and Cape Otway (known as the eye of the needle), then find and navigate safely through the Rip at Port Phillip Heads. Until 1848 there was no light at Cape Otway, nor at Cape Wickham on the north point of King Island, so it was crucial to establish an accurate position even though navigational tools of the day were unreliable, especially in poor weather conditions. An incorrect calculation because of an inaccurate timepiece or poor visibility could quickly place a ship in danger. Shipwrecks, even if there was no loss of life, were disastrous for captains, crews, passengers and consignees of cargo alike. It is impossible to imagine a worse start for immigrants who lost all their possessions in a shipwreck. But one person’s loss is often another’s gain… The cargoes from wrecks were often a source of additional income for settlers. Word of a wreck spread like wildfire. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of scavengers would descend on the beaches surrounding a wreck, overwhelming police and customs officials.

Ozone’s paddle wheel, with Melbourne skyline, Indented Head, JM Marie Gabrielle’s anchor, Wreck Beach, Moonlight Head, DW

92.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Shipwreck Heritage There are numerous opportunities for divers to explore wreckage at sites near Port Phillip Heads, Barwon Heads and Port Campbell (see the Diving section in the Beaches chapter). Even the wreck of the Loch Ard can be dived in the right conditions. There are relatively few signs of shipwrecks on the shore, aside from some forlorn gravestones at places like Moonlight Head and Loch Ard Gorge. Two of the most striking and dramatic relics are the anchors of the Marie Gabrielle and Fiji, which can be seen at low tide on Wreck Beach, below the Gables Lookout at Moonlight Head. In 1869, it is believed the Marie Gabrielle, a 258 tonne French barque with a cargo of tea, altered course to pick up a canoe and two Aboriginals who appeared to be in distress. When they were close to land, the Aboriginals jumped overboard, swam ashore and fled into the bush never to be seen again. A gale blew up and the captain was forced to beach the vessel. The Fiji, an iron barque with a general cargo, was wrecked in September 1891. Attempts to launch lifeboats failed so rocket equipment, kept for just such an eventuality, was sent from Port Campbell. The idea was to shoot a light rope out to the ship from the shore, and for the light rope to be used to drag a heavy rope across. The heavy rope was then to be used to set up a flying fox to rescue the crew. Good in theory, but in this case the heavy rope did not arrive with the rest of the equipment. Some said a farmer had borrowed it. Others thought that it was left behind to make room for a photographer’s equipment. In any event, after 10 hours trapped on board, 12 of the Fiji’s 25 crew drowned, along with a heroic local, Arthur Wilkinson, who lost his life attempting to save the Fiji’s carpenter. Coastal Transport

Lifeboat, Queenscliff Hotel, VofV Bay steamer, SS Edina in 1930s

One of the best loved of the vessels that made voyages between Portland and Melbourne (calling at Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Apollo Bay and Lorne) was the SS Casino, known as the ‘Cassie’. The Casino was a steamer with three auxiliary masts. It was purchased in 1882 by the Belfast & Koroit Steam Navigation Company, one of a number of companies that were founded to compete with the Henty’s shipping interests out of Portland. It had saloon accommodation for 35 and a fore cabin holding 25.

Context

European Heritage

93.

The Casino had a reputation for indestructibility and reliability (though not punctuality) and survived running aground at Kennett River and Warrnambool. It was finally wrecked on the eve of its 50th anniversary in 1932. In heavy seas at Apollo Bay it was unable to berth and was literally picked up by a wave and dumped on the sandy bottom as it approached the pier. The fluke of the ship’s anchor pierced the ship’s side, so the Captain attempted to beach the ship. In the surf, however, it heeled over and capsized. Apollo Bay locals watched in helpless horror for hours as the crew and passengers struggled for their lives, clinging to the hull, or attempting to struggle ashore. Ten people lost their lives. The last of the coastal steamers, the Casino’s replacement, Coramba, disappeared with its entire crew of 34 men in a fierce gale in 1936. The wreck of the Coramba has never been found. Great Ocean Road By the 1870s Apollo Bay and Lorne were both catering to tourists. Lorne, with its well-known guesthouse, Erskine House, was already a popular resort. There were smaller settlements at Spring Creek (Torquay), Swampy Creek (Anglesea) and Aireys Inlet. Spring Creek and Swampy Creek were popular camping spots, and all three were connected by road to Geelong. Although the road to Anglesea and Aireys Inlet was inland from the coast, there were some sections of rough road along the coast to give visitors access to the beaches. Early tourists came to Apollo Bay and Lorne by small steamers, but by 1879, coaches run by Cobb & Co, and a Lorne business, Mountjoys, picked up holidaymakers at the Winchlesea railway station for the six-hour trip to Lorne. After the railway from Birregurra to Forrest was completed in 1889, the coaches picked up visitors at Deans Marsh. When the narrow gauge railway from Colac to Beech Forest was pushed through to Crowes in 1911, it opened the way for large numbers of holidaymakers to visit the tearooms at Melba Gully and the pub and racecourse at Moonlight Head. An all-weather road from Colac to Apollo Bay was finally completed in 1927. The idea for a Great Ocean Road linking all the coastal towns was first suggested by William Calder, the Chairman of the Victorian Country Roads Board. He modelled his idea on the Californian coast road, State Highway 1. In 1917 Calder’s idea was enthusiastically adopted by the former Mayor of Geelong, Howard Hitchcock, who is now known as the father of the Great Ocean Road. Hitchcock argued passionately for the road on the basis it would provide work for returned soldiers, open up the area for timber harvesting, make

Statue, Great Ocean Road Memorial Archway, Eastern View, RE Cape Otway Lighthouse, RE

94.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

it possible to get fish and produce to market – as well as being a memorial to those who had fought in the Great War. It would become ‘the world’s biggest war memorial’. A Great Ocean Road Trust, with Hitchcock as the first president, was formed in 1918 to raise funds and carry out the project. The price tag for the road was 150,000 pounds – much of which was raised by public subscription. Almost 3000 returned soldiers worked on the construction over 13 years. They lived in tent camps set up in the bush. The life and the work were tough, and memories of war were never far away, even though the locations were beautiful. Two places on the road between Apollo Bay and Lorne, Shrapnel Gully and Sausage Gully, are named after places at Gallipoli. The workers received 10 shillings and sixpence for an eight-hour day, but had to pay 10 shillings a week for their food. Mile by back-breaking mile, the road was carved out of the dramatic coastline – with little more than picks, shovels and dynamite. The first stage – Eastern View to Lorne – was completed in 1922; but it was another ten years before the road extended from Anglesea all the way through to Apollo Bay. The work was particularly difficult around Cape Patton and at Mt Defiance. Thousands of tons of rock were blasted into the ocean below. The full route was officially opened on November 26, 1932, as a tollway. Drivers paid two shillings and sixpence and passengers one shilling and sixpence, until 1936 when the road was given to the Victorian Government by the trust. Beyond Apollo Bay, the Great Ocean Road was gradually improved, but the entire road was not sealed until 1987. The memorial arch that stands at Eastern View today is the fourth of its kind. The first, which was further west at Cathedral Rock, was the ‘The Springs’ tollgate; demolished when tolls were abolished. The second archway, which was built in 1939 at Eastern View, was deemed a traffic hazard because it was too narrow. Public outcry prevented its demolition, but a truck eventually did the job. The third arch, which was similar to the current one, was reduced to charcoal in the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires. Avenues Of Honour

Winchlesea, GS

Anxious to remember the sacrifices local men and women had made during the Great War (WWI), many Australian cities and towns created memorials. The Great Ocean Road is unique – most towns erected stone obelisks or buildings, but in Victoria especially, many chose to plant an Avenue of Honour, an avenue of trees along the main road into town.

Context

95.

European Heritage

The Australian rate of participation in WWI was very high and the Australian forces had the chilling casualty rate of 65 per cent. Every Australian knew someone who had been killed or injured, and this led to a huge popular commitment to memorials. There is some uncertainty over the total number of Avenues of Honour, but it is now believed that at least 300 were planted in Australia, 150 in Victoria. A tree, usually an oak or an elm, was planted for each person from the local region who had served in the armed forces. The sheer number of trees relative to the size of the towns to which they belong can be mind-boggling. The largest and most famous Avenue of Honour is on the western side of Ballarat. In the Great Ocean Road region there are Avenues of Honour at Coleraine, Dean, Digby, Hamilton, Hotspur, Mortlake and Queenscliff.

Surfing by Andrew Hanson

Pack a battery charger rather than buy nonrechargeable batteries.

The Great Ocean Road holds a mythical place in the history of Australian surfing. The beaches, points and reefs that wrecked more than 200 ships during the early years of Australia’s European settlement have been, for surfers, a relatively untouched environment in which to test their skills. The genesis of professional surfing and the global surf industry is closely tied to the people and spectacular places spread along this unique coastal road. Away from the crowded, competitive arena of Bells Beach and neighbouring Winkipop, the original essence of Victorian surfing remains. Surfers are often greeted with unsealed, muddy carparks, difficult access, cold water, isolation and, of course, world-class waves. The Duke & His Pioneers Surfing officially arrived in Australia in 1915 via the legendary Hawaiian waterman Duke Kahanamoku, when he put on an exhibition at Sydney’s Freshwater Beach. The Olympic gold medal swimmer and Hawaiian statesman amazed the crowd with his skills, riding a self-made timber board in the small Sydney beach breaks. He recruited a young local girl named Isobel Latham to ride tandem with him, making her one of the first Australians to ever ride a wave. Several spectators that day, including a young Claude West, went on to become pivotal Australian surfers, with West ultimately winning nine Australian surfing championships. Within months of The Duke’s exhibition, during the summer of 1915, Grace Wooten (nee Smith) first surfed at Pt Lonsdale. She was swimming in the waveless

Bells Beach Rip Curl Carnival, RE

96.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

waters of the Front Beach when she became engaged in a conversation with two men recently returned from Hawaii. They had witnessed surfboard riding and brought surfboards back to Australia. Watched over by her concerned father, Grace took to the empty waves of Pt Lonsdale Back Beach and rode several lying prone on the board. Within a week, large crowds reportedly gathered to watch the 17-year-old catch waves and ride them to the shoreline. In 1919 Louis Whyte was almost certainly the first Victorian to do the time honoured surf run down the Great Ocean Road to Lorne – and few have done it in as much style. Whyte, whose wealthy family owned the historic Geelong property, The Heights (now owned by the National Trust), would load his four redwood boards in the back of his Rolls Royce and hit the road with several of his friends. Lorne was Victoria’s premier tourist town at the time, and no doubt Whyte and his mates made a huge impression on the locals and visitors whilst surfing the gentle beach breaks in front of Lorne’s main street. Like Latham and West, Whyte too was present at Freshwater Beach to witness Duke Kahanamoku’s famous performance, and later spent time with the Kahanamoku family in Hawaii. The four boards he surfed along the Great Ocean Road were in fact purchased from the Kahanamoku brothers. Surf Life Saving Clubs The waves in and around Torquay provided the focus for surfers during the early to mid-1940s, largely due to the town’s proximity to Melbourne and Geelong. The long, peeling waves of Torquay Point were well suited to the lengthy, heavy surfboards of this era. Surfers took to the water in thick, woollen jumpers to help ward off the cold, before huddling around blazing fires to chase away hypothermia. Another unique hazard during the war years was the barbed wire ringing the surf beaches in Torquay. The surfers eventually accessed the waves by cutting through key sections and hiding their handiwork from the military. They used their water knowledge and fitness to become the area’s first hardcore surfers. Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro, RE Jan Juc Surf Life Savign Club, AM

Context

97.

European Heritage

Most of these Torquay surfers became members of the burgeoning Surf Life Saving Club movement. Surf Life Saving Clubs were founded during the 1940s at Torquay (1945), Pt Lonsdale (1946), Lorne (1947) and Ocean Grove (1948), providing a social nucleus (and a bed to crash in) for many of the region’s first board riders. While the Surf Life Saving Clubs initially offered a focus for these surfers, the teamwork and discipline required for surf patrols clashed with the growing individualism and self-expression of the surfers. If the waves were good, you could forget beach patrol and the other duties expected from members of the clubs. Many of these surfers broke away from the clubs and set the template for future generations of Victorian wave riders. Driven by a passion for exploration, as much as the excitement of riding waves, they broke the confines of conservative Australia and ran as a pack, exploring the many twists and turns of the road. Waves were discovered, locations kept secret and knowledge of their new discipline expanded. It was much needed escapism after the horrors of World War II and the tough economic conditions that followed. From Timber to Fibreglass Torquay was one of the towns in Australia where lighter weight, more userfriendly Malibu-style surfboards were first introduced to Australian surfers. A group of Californian lifeguards competing at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics surfed their fibreglass and balsa constructions at several places on the east coast of Australia, including Torquay. Local surfers were impressed with the board’s manoeuvrability. Almost overnight, heavy timber boards were out, and the new lighter boards were in. Australian surfers quickly learnt to surf in and around different sections and parts of waves, and began their assault upon the Hawaiian and American dominance of the sport. Wayne Lynch – The Fish Surf culture exploded on the Great Ocean Road during the 1960s, as it did along many parts of Australia’s surfable coastline. Live bands rocked local surf clubs, a distinctive surfing vocabulary evolved and for the first time surfers saw themselves as a unique sub-set of Australian society. From the clean-cut, college look of the early ’60s to the pot smoking, free love attitude of the late ’60s, surfing went through many changes. Boards got shorter, hair got longer but the waves kept peeling off along the Great Ocean Road just like they had for thousands of years. In the mid ’60s, a quiet, publicity-shy surfer from Lorne was thrust into the global surfing spotlight. His name was Wayne Lynch. Lynch was an undeniable surfing wunderkind, and made a similar impact upon the surfing world as Kelly Slater would make in the early ’90s. From the age of 15, Lynch surfed against and defeated many of the leading lights of world surfing, and introduced a radical backhand bottom turn/top turn combination that astounded onlookers. Lynch possessed amazing wave knowledge, and earned the nickname ‘Fish’ due to his natural affinity with the water. As a goofy-footer (right foot forward on the surfboard), something of an oddity at the time, Lynch was a trailblazer for a long line of radical Australian goofy-

Bowl, Bells Beach, RE Winkipop, EK

98.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

footers including Tom Carroll, Mark Occhilupo, Barton Lynch and Damien Hardman, all world champions. Lynch won four Australian Junior Men’s Titles, the 1975 2SM Coke Surfabout and finished 8th in the world in the 1976 IPS world title. Despite his solid competitive results, Wayne is perhaps more widely known for being an innovative surfboard designer/shaper and a pioneer of many isolated and dangerous waves hidden just off the Great Ocean Road. His influence on Victorian big wave surfing has been significant to say the least, and though he is now in his late 50s he continues to surf many of these waves alone. The Industry The late ’60s and early ’70s saw the birth and rapid expansion of a surfing industry along the Great Ocean Road. Surfboard manufacturing had been a cottage industry for many years, with coastal garages supplying local surfers with boards. Many of the surfboard manufacturers, Pyke Surfboards, Klemm Bell, Gill Surfboards and George Rice, began in Melbourne before moving to the coast to be closer to the waves and their customers. Other manufacturers like Pat Morgan and Peter Ashley began their operations in Torquay, while further down the coast Howard Hughes set up shop at Aireys Inlet. However, it was two surf companies that would quickly developed a global presence that continues to this day, and helped usher in a new era of professional surfing: Quiksilver and Rip Curl. It is astonishing that two global companies with a combined annual turnover exceeding $1 billion grew alongside one another in Torquay, a town with a population under 1000 residents. Doug ‘Claw’ Warbrick and Brian Singer began Rip Curl in 1969, initially producing surfboards in a competitive local market. Like others in the area, they worked out of converted garages and sheds, their working days dictated by the rise and fall of the swell. Like all successful businesses, the duo soon identified an unfulfilled niche in the market. Surfers in the area were wearing uncomfortable, ill-fitting wetsuits designed for diving enthusiasts to ward of the bone chilling cold of winter waters.

Winkipop, SR Bells Beach, RE

Warbrick and Singer reasoned that a wetsuit made specifically for surfers would be a successful product and concentrated their efforts on designing and manufacturing a prototype. In 1970 this became their core business, and today Rip Curl wetsuits are a world leader. Rip Curl’s name is synonymous with the professional surfing event known simply throughout the world as ‘Bells’. With a history dating back to 1962, Rip Curl first sponsored the event in 1973, an association that continues to the present day. The promise of huge, powerful waves each Easter, such as those witnessed in 1965 and 1981, lend the Rip Curl Pro an air of anticipation each year, and it is one of Australia’s true great sporting events.

Context

99.

European Heritage

The Quiksilver story closely parallels that of Rip Curl. Quiksilver was the brainchild of Alan Green and John Law, contemporaries of Singer and Warbrick. In fact, it was while Green worked for Rip Curl in 1969 that he came up with the idea of a pair of boardshorts designed specifically for surfers. At that stage, boardshorts were uncomfortable and lacked the durability required by surfers. The first pair of Quiksilver shorts hit the stores the following year and their success was immediate. Over the following years, surfers begged for, borrowed and stole Quiksilver boardshorts until distribution caught up with the skyrocketing demand. By 1976, Quiksilver had spread to the USA via leading professional surfer Jeff Hakman. Hakman secured the licence after Alan Green challenged him to eat a paper doily off a restaurant table to prove his commitment to the brand! In 1984, Quiksilver reached Europe and the burgeoning surfing market, propelling the company to heights impossible to imagine from its humble Torquay origins.

Use websites to calculate the carbon use and greenhouse gas emissions for a particular journey. See: www.carbonresponsible.com

Today Despite the amazing growth in surfing and the number of people in the water, the Great Ocean Road remains a must-visit destination for surfers from all around the globe. While Torquay hosts two global surf brands and a highly competitive atmosphere in the water, other locations along the coast offer an uncrowded and more soulful experience. There is nothing more satisfying than waking early in the morning, driving southwest along the road and watching perfect swell lines unloading on the points, beaches and reefs. While much has changed since surfers like Grace Wooten and Louis Whyte first took to the waves, the excitement and challenges remain. The Great Ocean Road will provide you with many opportunities to test yourself in one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most beautiful surfing environments. Surfing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; by Andrew Hanson

Bird Rock, EK

100.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Sunnybrae Restaurantis just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Sunnybrae Restaurant A sense of place

George Biron and Diane Garrett have watched the seasons come and go at Sunnybrae for 30 years now, slowly but surely seeing the land around them dry up. For them, talk of sustainability and eco-tourism is nonsense. Rather, they are simply living and running their business as any “normal country person should”. The dearth of water this past decade certainly hasn’t stopped them from pursuing their dream. This dream is Sunnybrae, a highly-acclaimed restaurant and cooking school. As George says, “Why would we do anything else here?” He’s referring to the long rows of vegetables, the 100 olive trees, the abundant fruit orchard and the bee hives, which all keep the kitchen wellstocked. George reckons that any restaurant in the country that doesn’t grow some of its own produce is simply crazy. The home-grown produce appears in almost every item on the Sunnybrae menu, which changes each weekend. From rock samphire, an edible succulent; to dried apples; to fast-

growing asparagus; to new season’s garlic – if you can spot a vegetable in the garden on your drive in, there’s a good chance that another off the same plant appears in your menu, in an unfussy, traditional dish. In addition to growing their own produce (or sourcing it from as close to the farm as possible), Sunnybrae also does other things that any frugal farmer from earlier generations would do without a second thought. Things like composting, mulching, and using the ashes from the wood stove instead of lime on their new truffle plantation. “Why wouldn’t you do what we do here? To not do what we do would be unusual. ” George Biron Address: near Birregurra Tel: 03 5236 2276 http://sunnybraerestaurantandcookingschool.blogspot.com

Context

Geology

101.

GEOLOGY The Great Ocean Road region in southwest Victoria forms a distinctive and significant environment. The Otways were an island range, isolated for more than a million years from similar mountain ranges in Victoria and Tasmania. The ranges still rise like an island above the surrounding volcanic plains and ocean, providing habitat for endemic plants and animals found nowhere else. The rich soils and high rainfall of the Otways have produced some of the most impressive forests in southern Australia, including extensive forests of mountain ash. Three major rivers rise in the Otways – the Aire, the Gellibrand and the Barwon. Many of Victoria’s waterfalls are found on short, fast-flowing streams that, as a result of uplift and faulting over millennia, plunge from the main Otway ridge through steep narrow valleys to Bass Strait. Geologists from around the world use the stretch of coastline between Torquay and Aireys Inlet to undertake analyses of the exposed red rocks that show marine sedimentary phases from approximately 10 to 40 million years ago. Similar rocks feature in the dramatic coastal forms around Port Campbell, from Princetown to Warrnambool. From Eastern View to Princetown, older, predominantly grey sandstones are exposed on the shore platform and cliffs. Various types of concretions – ranging from ‘cannon ball’ types (at Artillery Rocks) to complex honeycombs – are exposed when the softer sandstones erode. Basalt plains, to the north of the Otways, run from Melbourne to Mt Gambier in South Australia, covering 27,000 sq km. In 2008, UNESCO recognised the region as the first Australian Geopark.

Basalt columns, Whites Beach, Cape Bridgewater, RE

102.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

The gently undulating plains are formed from lava flows up to 60 metres thick, and are studded with volcanic hills. More than 400 volcanoes are known within the region, which has been erupting intermittently for the last four million years. The most recent (Mt Schank in South Australia) erupted about 5000 years ago. The land is particularly rich and was home to large and complex Aboriginal communities. Disastrously for the Aboriginals, the grassy plains also proved to be perfect for sheep grazing.

Carry reusable shopping bags. Some towns in the Great Ocean Road region have completely banned plastic shopping bags.

Mt Noorat (volcano) and dry stone walls, RE Marine sedimentary rocks, near Jan Juc, PT

The oldest sedimentary and igneous rocks of the region were formed 500 million years ago when it was part of the deep sea floor. Fast-flowing rivers carried sediment from an ancient continent to the west into the sea, where it built up into layers thousands of metres thick. The sediment was compressed into rock – sandstone, siltstone and mudstone – around 450 million years ago and folded upwards along north-south axes. Around this time, hot silica-rich groundwater was squeezed into the gaps created by the folding and faulting, leaving behind quartz veins and, in some cases, gold. Around 350 million years ago, the sedimentary rocks were injected with magma, which slowly cooled at depths of around two to five km to form granites.    Following the intrusion of the granites there was a long period of erosion, which stripped at least two kilometres (and up to five kilometres) of thickness from the surface – exposing features like the You Yangs. For a part of this 200 million year period, the region of Victoria lay close to the South Pole. The next significant event began around 140 million years ago, when Gondwanaland, the southern hemisphere’s supercontinent, began to break up. About 80 million years ago, Australia began its eventual drift away from Antarctica. A valley, later a sea, formed between the two continents and a series of sediments began to accumulate, forming the region’s underlying rocks – including, from around 110 million years ago, the grey-green sandstone of the Otways coast; and from 40 million years ago, the characteristically red marine limestone (made from the skeletal remains of marine creatures) and marl found between Torquay and Aireys Inlet, and Princetown and Warrnambool. From about 15 million years ago, compression faults began forming the Barrabool Hills, Bellarine Peninsula and Otway Ranges. The beginning of the volcanic period about four million years ago coincided with a warmer climate; sea levels rose and slowly invaded the land from the southeast reaching almost as far as Hamilton and Ballarat, surrounding and isolating the Otways. The sea retreated substantially during various ice ages, reopening the land bridge to Tasmania, but there have been relatively dramatic increases in sea levels (up to 140 metres) in the last 15,000 years.

Context

Geology

103.

Gondwanaland Before it began to break up around 140 million years ago Gondwanaland included most of the landmasses in today’s southern hemisphere, including Antarctica, South America, Africa, Madagascar, Australia, New Guinea and New Zealand, as well as Arabia and the Indian subcontinent, which have now moved into the northern hemisphere. This explains why some fossils are common to all these regions, but particularly to Australia and South America, which separated relatively late. One Gondwanaland species that survives in sheltered rainforest gullies of the Otways Ranges is the beautiful myrtle beech, which predates more fire and drought-resistant eucalypts, banksia and acacias, and once grew extensively throughout Australia, South America and Antarctica. In 1980 fossils were discovered at Dinosaur Cove, east of Johanna. The site had many difficulties associated with it, not the least being that the rock containing the fossil remains had to be excavated from a series of tunnels blasted into the base of a cliff. The process was laborious and expensive but, among others fossils, the 110 million-year-old rock produced bones from small (60 to 90 cm) plant-eating, polar dinosaurs that walked on their hind legs. A well-preserved skull suggests these unusual dinosaurs had exceptional eyesight, which would have been necessary in the long Antarctic winters they experienced. Access to Dinosaur Cove is difficult, and to the untutored eye there are no recognisable fossils to be seen. Around 65 million years ago, the age of the dinosaurs came to an end. Their direct descendants, birds, survived along with fish, reptiles and mammals. Australia came to be dominated by giant marsupial mammals – including a hippopotamussized wombat, a carnivorous possum, a seven metre-long goanna, and a metrelong echidna – which ties in nicely with Aboriginal ‘myths’ of giant dreamtime animals. Only the platypus survives virtually unchanged today. Kangaroos first made their appearance about 20 million years ago. As you walk along today’s shorelines, keep your eyes peeled for fossils. In the grey sandstones, between Lorne and Apollo Bay, odd specks or shapes in the rock will probably be fragments of plants or charcoal from 100 million years ago. Marine fossils are common from Jan Juc to Aireys Inlet. The most famous discovery in this stretch was a 20 million-year-old ancestor of today’s baleen whales, janjucetus hunderi. This ferocious predator was discovered by teenage surfer, Staumn Hunder in the late 1990s.

Dinosaur Cove, DW Sedimenary rocks near Skenes Creek, KS Blowhole, Cape Bridgewater, RE

104.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna The Great Ocean Road region spans a range of diverse ecosystems and vegetation types from wet temperate rainforest, through wet and dry eucalypt forests, botanically diverse coastal and inland heaths, to extensive grasslands. The region is also home to an extraordinary range of wildlife, some of which can be found nowhere else in the world. When the road starts winding through woodlands, majestic forests and pristine rainforest gullies, it can lead you to the secret habitats of some of the most intriguing animals on earth. See the Wildlife Watching section written by Lizzie Corke of the Great Otway Ecolodge, in the A â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Z Activities chapter. Over recent years, the Victorian government has developed a descriptive system for vegetation and ecosystem communities, which are called Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs). These communities are associated with a recognisable environmental niche, and group together flora and fauna that share a landscape with specific environmental attributes. The descriptions of the ecological communities following in this chapter are based on these recognised vegetation classes, although the heathland, wetland, grassland and coast sections are combined from a number of individual Ecological Vegetation Classes. Several characteristic representatives of each of these ecological niches are described. Eastern grey kangaroo, Cape Otway, RE

Context

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

105.

There are hundreds of individual Ecological Vegetation Classes across Victoria, which are in turn grouped together in bioregions that cover a broader landscape and share attributes like climate, geomorphology, geology, soils and vegetation. There are 28 bioregions across Victoria and six in the Great Ocean Road region. These are: Victorian Volcanic Plain The Victorian Volcanic Plain runs from Melbourne to Portland, north of the Otway Ranges and south of ranges like the Pyrenees and Grampians. It is a flat to undulating, basalt plain with stony rises, old lava flows, numerous volcanic cones and old eruption points, and it is dotted with shallow, salt and freshwater lakes. The most distinctive vegetation class is grassland. Otway Plain The Otway Plain includes the Bellarine Peninsula, and lies to the north of the Otway Ranges. It includes coastal plains and dunes, foothills with river valleys, and swamps in the lowlands. Ridges mark the positions of successive shorelines associated with the long-term retreat of the sea. The Otway Plainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most distinctive vegetation classes include coastal heath, grassland and dry sclerophyll forests. Otway Ranges The Otway Ranges are now largely encompassed by the Great Otway National Park, and run inland from the coast between Anglesea and Princetown. They consist of moderate to steep slopes, sheltered valleys, and swamps in the lowlands. The most characteristic vegetation classes include temperate rainforest and wet sclerophyll forest. Warrnambool Plain The Warrnambool Plain runs from Princetown west to Portland and encompasses the cliffs around Port Campbell, as well as the dune formations further to the west, which are cut by rivers, inlets and swamplands. The vegetation includes various coastal systems, heath communities and a variety of woodlands. Bridgewater Bridgewater is a narrow region running between Portland and Nelson. Sand dunes stretch along the coastline with gently sloping sandy terrain and lagoonal systems behind. The vegetation includes a range of coastal, swamp and scrub communities. Glenelg Plain The Glenelg Plain runs north from Portland alongside the South Australian border. It is predominantly flat and low lying, with parallel dune limestone ridges with intervening swamps. The vegetation includes coastal, heath and woodland communities.

Lake Bullen Merri, RE Near Birregurra, RE Near Triplet Falls, RE Near Twelve Apostles, PV Dunes, Discovery Bay National Park, RE Lower Glenelg National Park, RE

106.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Temperate Rainforest The Otway cool temperate rainforest is a plant community that dates back 140 million years to Gondwanaland, when dinosaurs roamed the earth. The primary canopy tree is the myrtle beech, which requires a damp wet environment, free from bush fires, to survive. In the Otways, the myrtle beech grows on its own or in combination with blackwood and austral mulberry. There are abundant ferns and epiphytes on the trunks of the trees. Rainforest is restricted to a relatively small range in protected gullies and valleys. The fauna is essentially common with Wet Sclerophyll Forests (following) and includes wallabies, antechinus and native rats, possums and gliders. Also found here is the carnivorous Otway black snail, which thrives in the cool, damp conditions. The whip bird, king parrot and rufous fantail are common. Flora Myrtle Beech Unlike eucalypt species, myrtle beech trees are not adapted to bushfires â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both the trees and their seeds are killed by fire. These magnificent trees are slow growing, thriving on the high rainfall in the mountain gullies. They can live 300 years and grow to 30 metres. The smooth trunks of old trees are often clad in mosses, lichens and epiphytic ferns. The fine, glossy green foliage, with clouds of tiny leaves, creates dense shade. In late winter and spring, young orange-red foliage appears. The tree produces high quality timber that is used for fine woodwork. Blackwood Beauchamp Falls with myrtle beech on right, RE Myrtle beech, Paul Gullan / Viridans

The blackwood is one of the most characteristic trees of the Otways, common along gullies and often fringing paddocks. The hardy, long-living acacia is a fastgrowing tall tree with a dense canopy. It has rough bark and creamy ball-like

Context

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

107.

flowers in winter and spring, and twisted seedpods in summer. The tree produces an excellent timber for furnituremaking. Aboriginals used the fibre in the bark for fishing lines, and the hard wood to make woomeras, spears and clubs. The bark was also infused with water and used to treat rheumatism. Native (Austral) Mulberry Native mulberry is found in the Otway Ranges, where it thrives on damp, sheltered slopes and in gullies. You will come across examples in Melba Gully. This hardy shrub can grow up to seven metres high; and produces an inedible yellow-orange fruit that resembles the mulberry. Pale green flowers adorn the plant during spring, with male flowers on different plants to the female flowers. Aboriginals used the stem and wood from native mulberry bushes for spear ends and fire making. Fauna Brushtail possum The lively brushtail possum is one of Australia’s most familiar marsupials, and is found extensively throughout the temperate rainforests. It is our most common possum species and largest tree-dwelling marsupial, about the size of a domestic cat with a pointed face, long oval ears, pink nose and bushy black tail. Brushtail possums are herbivores, feeding mainly on the leaves of trees and shrubs, but they also enjoy succulent herbs, grasses, and garden plants. Brushtail possums lead a largely solitary life. However, in areas where numbers are high and shelter is in short supply, several may share sleeping places. They communicate by sound and scent – the ferocious screeches and guttural growls are used, particularly in the breeding season, to ward off intruding possums near the nest or home range. Sugar Glider An adult sugar glider weighs around 140 grams, has a head and body length of about 16 cm and a tail about 18 cm long. It is well adapted to life in trees, and a healthy forest will support a substantial population. Unlike other possums, sugar gliders do not eat leaves. They feed at night on the gum and sap produced by acacias and eucalypts, as well as on insects, nectar, pollen, young buds and soft fruits of native plants. The presence of sugar gliders is often announced by the bark they have stripped and the scratches they have made in tree trunks to get at the sap. Blackwood, Paul Gullan / Viridans Native mulberrry, Paul Gullan / Viridans Sugar glider, WGAC

108.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Sugar gliders have flaps of skin down the side of their bodies between their legs. These parachutes help them glide from tree to tree – for up to 50 metres – with the tail used to steer. Sugar Gliders live in groups of up to 12 individuals. They have a complicated social system and an extraordinary range of calls varying from bird-like chirps to dog-like barking. During the day, they sleep in a leaf-lined nest in a tree-hole. Otway Black Snail The Otway black snail loves the cool, damp environments of the cool temperate and wet sclerophyll forests in the Otway Ranges. Often found at Maits Rest and Melba Gully (see the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter), these carnivorous creatures snare prey like worms and other snails with their sharp teeth and drag them back to their lair. It sounds scary – but it all happens pretty slowly! The snails can often be spotted on wet tracks. Birds Crimson Rosella The brightly coloured crimson rosella is a common sight in southern forests. It feeds on nuts and seeds in the canopy and on the forest floor. While feeding in the tops of trees, the crimson rosella’s bell-like call can be heard, which contrasts with its more typical parrot-like calls when flying. Young crimson rosellas are mostly green with patches of red, and are sometimes mistaken for a separate species. Laughing Kookaburra The laughing kookaburra is one of Australia’s best-known birds. Its famous call can be heard in the mornings and evenings through much of Australia, and the Otway Ranges are no exception. Kookaburras nest in tree hollows, and usually breed between August and January. Believed to pair for life, they usually lay several eggs – yet, in times of little food, usually only the oldest, strongest chick survives. Both sexes share the incubation duties and both care for the young. Other laughing kookaburras, usually offspring of the previous one to two years, act as ‘helpers’ during the breeding season. Their distinctive ‘koo-koo-koo-koo-koo-kaa-kaa-kaa’ is often sung in a chorus with other birds, or they send out a shorter ‘koooaa’ when in the company of other kookaburras. Myrtle beech, Otway Fly, RE Laughing kookaburra, RE

Context

109.

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

Wet Sclerophyll Forest Wet sclerophyll forest is found west of the Erskine River – where deep loamy soils, sheltered hillsides, and rainfall above 1100 mm a year prevail. This is the tallest of all Victorian forest ecosystems with trees that often reach 75 metres or more, towering over an understorey of climbers, broad-leafed shrubs, tree ferns, ground ferns, small herbs and coarse grass. The principal tree species is mountain ash, which often grows in single-species stands but is sometimes associated with or replaced by messmate. Hybrid mountain ash/messmate can also occur. There may also be manna gums, mountain grey gums and blue gums. The understorey includes satinwood, hazel and forest wiregrass. Because of its good soil, wet sclerophyll forest has often been cleared and replaced with dairy farms – above Apollo Bay, south of Forrest, and around Lavers Hill and Beech Forest. Flora Mountain Ash Mountain ash – the tallest flowering plant in the world, possibly even the tallest plant in the world – is the most readily identifiable feature of the Otway forests. While enormous mountain ash trees of 130 metres or more were reported in the late 1800s, there is doubt over the accuracy of the measurements. The most widely accepted and reliable measurement of an exceptional tree was in 1881, near Thorpdale east of Melbourne, where a mountain ash was measured at 114 metres, although there are reasonably credible claims of some that were taller. The tallest living tree in the world is now a 115 metre coastal redwood in California, just a fraction shorter than the tallest redwood ever recorded. The tallest known living mountain ash is in Tasmania and it stands at just under 100 metres.

Temperate rainforest, RE Mountain ash, WGAC

110.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Mountain ash is fast growing, with a single straight, white trunk and a small open canopy. From summer to winter it produces small white flowers. Long ribbons of bark hang from the trunks of large trees. Mature trees become heavily buttressed and reach a maximum height of at least 60 metres after 100 to 300 years. Old growth trees between 300 and 400 years old get damaged by wind, insects and fungi, and the tree height reduces. Messmate Stringybark Commonly known as messmate, these magnificent trees can grow to heights between 40 and 70 metres. The trunk is straight with thick, fibrous, reddish-brown bark that provides considerable protection from fire. Messmates have curved glossy green leaves and white flowers between December and March. The ‘Big Tree’ at Melba Gully is actually a cross between a messmate and a mountain ash; known as an Otway messmate, a hybrid that occurs quite commonly. On poorer quality soils on the northern flanks of the Otways, messmates can be quite stunted – which is difficult to reconcile with the rain forest giants. Fauna Platypus Platypus are hard to find – unless you know where to look for them. The spot where you are most likely to sight these shy little creatures is at Lake Elizabeth, deep within the Otway Ranges near Forrest. Mainly active at night time, the sizable colony here often appears at dawn and dusk. This streamlined and mainly aquatic monotreme (a mammal that lays eggs) has dense, short brown fur, a leathery bill and webbed feet. With its eyes closed when swimming underwater, the platypus locates its prey (larval mayflies, caddis flies and small molluscs) by sensing the weak electromagnetic fields generated by movement. Male platypus have a venomous spur on their hind legs which is used in territorial battles or to fend off predators. Eggs are laid alongside their mothers in the safety of deep burrows in the riverbank. Fossil platypus material has been found at Dinosaur Cove, east of Johanna, in the form of an unnamed fossil monotreme. In 1991, the discovery of a molar tooth from an early Palaeocene South American platypus in sediments from Patagonia, Argentina provided a new clue to the prehistoric link between South America and Australia. Glow Worms

Messmate stringybark, Paul Gullan / Viridans

Despite their name, glow worms aren’t worms. They are the larvae of fly-like insects called fungus gnats. Glow worms are common in the Otway Ranges in damp, dark places – especially under ferns, on soil banks beside creeks, or road and track cuttings. At night, colonies of glowing larvae put on a fascinating light show. Melba Gully, near Lavers Hill, and the Grey River Rd picnic area behind Kennett River are two easily accessible places to see them.

Context

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

111.

The end of the glow worm’s abdomen is luminous, but it turns its lights off if disturbed by noise or direct torchlight. Stand still for a few minutes and they’ll switch on again. The larvae build retreats in soil banks by producing threads of silk up to five cm long. They attach sticky droplets to the threads, giving the threads a necklace appearance, which trap tiny insects that are attracted by the larvaes’ glow. The glow worms reel in the threads – like fishing lines – to devour their prey. The adult fungus gnats lay up to 80 eggs that hatch after two or three weeks. The larvae (glow worms) grow for up to nine months, after which they pupate for nine days before reaching adulthood. The adult fungus gnats are about 1½ cm long, nocturnal, sluggish and harmless. They only live for two or three days, make a buzzing noise in flight, and also have a light – the female is brighter than the male.

Damp Sclerophyll Forest Damp sclerophyll forest merges with wet sclerophyll forest and is one of the most widespread and variable forest ecosystems in the region. It is found on a range of soils on sheltered hillsides, with rainfall between 750 and 1200 mm a year – primarily north of Kennett River and Forrest and east of Erskine River. A substantial proportion has been cleared. At the wetter end of its range, trees may grow to 60 metres or more, over an understorey of climbers, broad-leafed and small-leafed shrubs, occasional tree ferns, ground ferns, dense wiregrass and herbs. The principal tree species is messmate, which grows in association with mountain grey gum – but there are no mountain ash. At the drier end, the trees are smaller, usually less than 40 metres, with an understorey of a few climbers and scramblers, wattles, small-leafed shrubs, tussock-forming grasses, occasional ferns, and soft-leafed herbs. The main tree is also messmate, but manna gums become more common.

Avoid buying disposable items (like Styrofoam containers) for which there are reusable alternatives. Make sure you’ve got a picnic basket.

Kangaroos and koalas venture into the damp sclerophyll forest to join wallabies, antechinus, native rats, possums and gliders. The birds include rosellas, king parrots, currawongs, and kookaburras. Flora Soft Tree Fern This is a large, hardy, common tree fern, which can grow up to 15 metres tall. It is often buttressed at the base, with smooth frond stems covered in fine hairs. Fibrous matted roots cover most of the trunk. In the Otways, where it grows under dense canopies in forest gullies, the trunks are often bent reflecting earlier impacts of fallen trees and limbs from the upper canopy. Aboriginal people ate the pith from the centre of the trunk. The sap was also rubbed on insect bites to relieve itchiness and pain.

Soft tree fern, Paul Gullan / Viridans Damp sclerophyll forest near Elliott River, DW

112.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Possums often use the crowns as campsites, and rosellas and possums will eat the unrolling fronds.

Dry Sclerophyll Forest Dry sclerophyll forest is found on poorer quality soils on exposed hillsides which rise between 200 and 1000 metres above sea level, with rainfall between 550 and 1000 mm a year. This forest is common on the drier northern foothills of the Otway Ranges, and in the southwest around the Glenelg River. The trees are relatively small, often crooked and spreading, usually less than 25 metres tall, over a sparse understorey of wattles and small-leafed shrubs. Species include a mixture of stringybarks (commonly brown stringybark and messmate), narrow leaf peppermint, and manna gum. The composition of the canopy varies from place to place, often according to how the forest has been used in the past, but in any area of forest there is seldom fewer than five eucalypt species. Kangaroos are common in this ecosystem, along with wallabies, koalas, antechinus, native rats and possums. All of Victoria’s forest birds are represented, including rosellas, robins, cuckoos, kookaburras and parrots. Flora Manna Gum The manna gum is a common tree, much loved by koalas, that can grow to around 40 or 50 metres or, on poorer soils be quite low (15 metres) and stunted. It is found in many of the national parks and reserves in the Great Ocean Road region – from the You Yangs to the Lower Glenelg National Park. Aboriginal people collected the sugary, white sap – which oozes through tiny holes bored by insects on the twigs (manna) – when it fell to the ground. This sap is also popular with tree-dwelling marsupials like sugar gliders and yellowbellied gliders.

Dry sclerophyll forest, RE Manna gum, Paul Gullan / Viridans

The light pink tone of the timber, and its easy workability, make it popular with furniture makers. Aboriginals also used the timber for shields; and drinking vessels were formed from burls on trunks. Leaves were smoked over fire to reduce fevers.

Context

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

113.

Fauna Koala The koala is probably the best known of all living marsupials. The word ‘koala’ appears to have been derived from a name used by the Aboriginal people of New South Wales. Although they are not related to true placental bears, they are often called ‘koala bears’. These stocky little creatures spend most of their time sitting regally in the fork of a tree. The fossil history of koalas spans a period of 15 million years. They feed almost entirely on the foliage of eucalypts, hence their love of the dry sclerophyll forests. They have particular food preferences depending on the region they inhabit, but around the Great Ocean Road region they prefer manna gum. Eucalypt leaves have poor nutrient value, but a koala’s anatomy, physiology and behaviour is adapted to this. Foremost is their low energy requirement. Koalas give birth to tiny young at a very early stage of development, after an extremely short gestation period of 35 days. At birth the blind, deaf and naked little neonates weigh only half a gram (and are the size of a jelly bean). They must undertake an incredible journey, crawling through their mother’s fur into a pouch where they attach to a teat. It is in the pouch that most of the development of the young marsupial takes place. The koala’s pouch opens downwards, a trait they share with their closest living relative, the wombat. The little koala joey is finally fully furred by around 6½ months of age, eventually emerging from the pouch for the first time at around seven months. Lowland Copperhead Snake Copperhead snakes are widespread over much of southern Victoria. Although regarded as placid, they are dangerous, and treatment should be sought in the event of a bite. The snake attains its preferred temperature through solar radiation, and then maintains a fairly even temperature by moving in and out of shade, and also by contact with substrates. While normally a diurnal species, the copperhead can be active, and forage at night. Mating usually takes place with the onset of warmer weather during spring, and the females, which are live bearers, give birth to up to thirty young in mid to late summer. They prey on small vertebrates, such as lizards, frogs, mammals and birds. Colour can vary from pale brown to almost black. The lower two or three rows of lateral scales normally have a brick red colour, causing many observers to confuse them with red-bellied black snakes.

Koala in manna gum, RaphE Lowland copperhead, Tower Hill, WGAC

114.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Heathlands Heathlands are widespread in the Great Ocean Road region. The characteristic appearance of this ecosystem – dense, low shrubs with scattered, twisted trees – is because nutrients in the soil are scarce, or are unavailable to plants because of soil acidity or waterlogging. The most common trees are coast manna gums and brown stringybarks. Heathlands tend to occur where drainage is poor, so their distribution is often locally patchy, interspersed and merged with woodlands.  They can be found in the Lower Glenelg, Port Campbell and Great Otway National Parks – particularly around Anglesea. Fire is a crucial part of the heathland ecology. Some species resprout after fire; others, such as hakeas and banksias, are usually killed, but their woody fruits open shortly afterwards to release their seeds. Some species, including grass trees and orchids, respond to fire with a flush of flowering; and some species of fauna, such as the ground parrot, rely on regular fires to maintain optimum habitat for foraging and breeding.    Plants found in heaths tend to have small, tough leaves and often have lignotubers; a thickened stem base that will re-shoot after the plant has been damaged by fire. Bulbous herbs that die back during summer are also typical of heathlands. Some plant families such as peas, epacrids, proteads, daisies, orchids and lilies are conspicuous in heaths. Spring is the best time to visit heathlands when a kaleidoscope of flowers can be seen. The native fauna includes many small marsupials, like echidnas, bandicoots and potoroos; and some of Victoria’s native placental mammals, such as the swamp rat and New Holland mouse.  More than 80 species of birds inhabit this ecosystem, including the rare ground parrot and rufous bristlebird. Fauna Echidna Echidnas, or spiny anteaters as they are sometimes known, are monotremes (mammals that lay eggs). There are only three species of monotreme in the world – the platypus and two species of echidna, one of which is restricted to the New Guinea highlands. The echidna is perhaps best known for its cream coloured spines, which cover the body, with the exception of the underside, face and legs. Anglesea heath, to Aireys Inlet, RE Orchid, Anglesea, RE Echidna, Tower Hill, WGAC

The echidna is often found in dry open heathland and forests. In the colder climate of southwest Victoria, echidnas are often active during the day, particularly during winter.

Context

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

115.

Their breeding season extends from the end of June to September. During this time, you may spot â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;trainsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of several males, which follow a female in a line. Upon breeding, a single egg is laid in a small pouch. After 10 days the egg hatches and the young remains in the pouch. During the following period of lactation the female spends most of her time in a burrow, eventually ejecting the young from the pouch at around two to three months of age, when their spines start to become a problem. Echidnas primarily eat ants and termites, using their strong forepaws to open up nests. They probe the nest with their sensitive snout, and lick up any insects inside with their long, sticky tongue.

Wetlands There are several thousand wetlands spread over southwest Victoria, and they are enormously varied: from brackish lakes in volcanic craters, to estuaries along the coast. Throughout Australia, more than half the original wetlands that existed when Europeans arrived have been destroyed. This has had an enormous impact on birds and fish, many of which breed or feed in wetlands. North of the Otways, on the Victorian Volcanic Plain, many lakes and wetlands have formed in volcanic craters and where natural drainage patterns have been interrupted by lava flows. Many of these lakes and swamps were of particular importance to the Aboriginals (see Budj Bim / Lake Condah). Lake Connewarre in the Lower Barwon area is an internationally important wetland and supports many waterbird and wader species. The salt marshes there support the endangered orange-bellied parrot, following its autumn migration to the mainland.

Billabong, near Minya Vineyard, PT

116.

Buy from local craftspeople – this keeps money flowing through the community and supports a diverse population.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Important estuaries include those for the Barwon, Aire, Curdies, Hopkins and Glenelg rivers. Wetlands of the region support numerous species of plants and animals. More than 100 water-dependant bird species have been recorded, and many of these are listed as rare, threatened and internationally important. Species for which the region is important include the straw-necked ibis, sacred ibis, fairy tern, pelican and brolga; as well as many nomadic migratory species. The short-finned eel (kuuyang) is one of many fish that depend on the wetlands (see the Aboriginal Heritage chapter). Fauna Tiger Snake The venomous tiger snake is a timid species which, like most snakes, usually retreats at the approach of a human. This slow, careful hunter may stand its ground if surprised, relying on an impressive threat display for defence. Like most snakes, tiger snakes are first cowards, then bluffers, and only become warriors as a last resort. If threatened, a tiger snake will flatten out its neck, raising its head to make itself appear as frightening as possible. If the threat persists, the snake will often feign a strike, producing an explosive hiss or ‘bark’ at the same time. Like most snakes, tiger snakes will not bite unless provoked. Despite its name, it may not have any striping at all. The markings are extremely variable and should not be used in isolation to identify the snake – they range from sandy grey with no bands, through to black with either no bands or faint yellow to cream bands. Dark olive snakes with yellow bands are also fairly common.

Gellibrand River at Princetown, RE Anglesea River near Coogoorah Park, RE

Tiger snakes live in a variety of habitats: dry rocky areas, woodlands, or wet marshes and grasslands. They are inactive over winter, retreating into rodent burrows, hollow logs and tree stumps. For food, they habitually raid birds’ nests – climbing trees up to eight metres high. A good indicator of the presence of a tiger snake is the alarm calls of small birds such as honeyeaters and thornbills.

Context

117.

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

Grassland When the first Europeans arrived in western Victoria, the undulating plains supported grasslands. Aboriginals used fire to maintain the open nature of the grasslands, stimulate the growth of useful plants and attract animals for hunting. Where soils were deeper and more friable, or where burning had not been so frequent or severe, open grasslands gave way to grassy woodlands of river red gums, yellow gums, sheoaks, bulokes (leafless sheoak trees) and acacias. Although they are not as obviously spectacular as the forests to the south, the plains are floristically rich. As well as a diversity of grasses, there are colourful orchid, daisy, pea and lily families. Many grassland plants are adapted to frequent, low-intensity fire, grazing by native animals, wet winters and dry summers. European settlers found that the expansive grasslands provided good grazing and were easy to convert to cropping and improved pasture. And because these grasslands carried almost no timber and had little or no value for water supplies, few areas were reserved. Today less than one per cent of these magnificent grasslands remain, in small patchy remnants, and many are so small that their long-term viability is doubtful. Larger remnants, which are particularly important for animal populations, are at risk from subdivision. Grassland species include kangaroos and emus, as well as small marsupials like bandicoots. Birds include wedgetail eagles, falcons, ibis, parrots, magpies and lapwings. Fauna Eastern Grey Kangaroo The eastern grey kangaroo is the largest marsupial in the Great Ocean Road region and the second largest in the world. Males can reach more than 60 kg and two metres in height. Their colour varies from light brownish grey to grey, and they have relatively large ears. They often communicate with clucking sounds and give a guttural cough when alarmed. The species is common, and can often be seen on pasture, particularly between Bells Beach and Aireys Inlet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and famously at the Anglesea Golf Club. Eastern grey kangaroos often feed during the day, but mostly in the early morning and evening. They are social animals that are usually seen in family groups of three or four, but sometimes occur in larger mobs. Births occur throughout the year, with a peak in the summer. Gestation is 36 days. Pouch life lasts 11 months and weaning occurs at 18 months.

View from Mt Rouse towards Mt Napier, RE Emus, RaphE

118.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Coast Ecosystems on the foreshore and hinterland vary greatly. Beaches large and small give way to dune systems. In the swales behind the dunes, woodlands commonly exist, with some small pockets of threatened coastal moonah woodlands still surviving. In other parts, dry forests can be found down to the beach edge and coastal heath exists along cliffs and rocky coasts. Coastal scrub is made up of a dense layer of sprawling and spreading shrub, interspersed with grasses and succulents like pig face. Coast tea tree, coast wattle and saltbush are common. The cliffs and bluffs along the coast are generally covered by shrublands of white correa, boobialla, coast everlasting, sea box, and coast beard heath. Pre-European settlement, moonah (a species of melaleuca) woodlands occurred in a wide band along the coastal fringe where limestone occurred in the subsoil. Unfortunately these woodlands are now rare. Magnificent mature specimens of moonah can be seen at Cosy Corner, on the north side of Pt Danger, Torquay, along Anglesea River, and on the Enchanted Forest Walk near Portland. Wallabies and echidnas are common, along with ground-feeding birds like parrots, thornbills and honeyeaters, coastal species like gulls, and birds of prey like falcons (including peregrine falcons). Flora Moonah Moonah can be a medium-sized shrub or grow up to seven metres high, with thick branches and a large domed canopy. Mature trees are bent into fascinating shapes by the wind.

Near Port Campbell, RE Coastal plants, RE Intertidal rockpool with crab, KS

The bark is rough (but still comfortable for climbing!) and grey-brown. The narrow, dull-green leaves are five to 10 mm long, one to two mm wide. The tree flowers in summer, with white flowers intermixed with leaves in a bottlebrushlike spike.

Context

119.

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

The Sea Victoria’s southwest coast supports a diverse range of ecosystems along its 500 km length. As a part of one of the world’s major south-facing coastlines, it has been isolated for approximately 65 million years. This isolation has meant many species have evolved that only exist here. Reef systems, sea grass beds, towering kelp forests, sponge gardens, intertidal rock platforms and other habitats support the world’s largest diversity of red and brown seaweeds, sea mosses, crabs, shrimps and sea squirts. Offshore islands are significant havens for birds such as penguins, shearwaters, Australasian gannets and orange-bellied parrots. Australian fur seals are found along the coast, with a significant colony on Lady Julia Percy Island, southwest of Port Fairy. In addition to the enclosed bays (Corio Bay, Swan Bay and Port Phillip Bay) there are also many estuaries that are particularly important for fish spawning or as nursery grounds. The near-shore marine environment along the Great Ocean Road boasts some of the finest dives sites in temperate waters anywhere in the world. This part of Victoria provides divers with spectacular subtidal geological formations, colourful reef systems and interesting historic wrecks. Bass Strait separates mainland Australia, in particular Victoria, from Tasmania. Prevailing currents moving in a westerly direction deliver cold, nutrient rich

Common dolphin, VA

120.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

water to these coastlines, creating highly productive and diverse marine communities in the near-shore reef environments. Australia’s temperate waters are home to 85 per cent of the world’s temperate fish, 95 per cent of shellfish and 90 per cent of sea stars and urchins. See the Beaches section for more information on diving, snorkeling, surfing – and the coast in general. See the Parks & Reserves section for more information on marine parks and their ecology (Port Phillip Heads, Barwon Bluff, Pt Addis, Eagle Rock, Marengo Reefs, Twelve Apostles, The Arches, Merri, Discovery Bay).

Look for creative alternatives to car usage – biking and walking, using trains and buses.

Bonney Upwelling The Bonney Upwelling is an upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water from deep in the Southern Ocean that meets the coast between Robe in South Australia and Portland in Victoria. Between December and May each year, southeast winds blow surface water out to sea, which then draws cold, rich water from the deep. The continental shelf is relatively narrow in the southwest (only 20 km in some places) and this allows the cold waters to reach the shore. The cold water brings nutrients that fuel one of the richest marine ecosystems in Australia, an entire food chain from the smallest algae to blue whales and, at the absolute end of the food chain, a major professional fishing industry at Portland. The upwelling does not run continuously. It runs for a few days then dies, only to start again when the next high pressure system and its attendant southeast winds arrive. In practical terms for swimmers along this coast, the water temperature can vary between cold and very cold within the space of a few days. When the nutrient-rich water hits the surface, it explodes into a bloom of photosynthesis and feeds massive swarms of krill, the shrimp-like food of blue whales. The upwelling’s bounty also feeds southern blue fin tuna, dolphins, seals and flocks of seabirds, including gannets and albatross. Whales also pass through the region, including blue, southern right, humpback, fin and minke. Sealife Blue Whales

Craypots, Apollo Bay, RE

The most spectacular visitor to the coastline when the Bonney Upwelling is running is the blue whale, which comes to feed on the banquet of krill brought in by the cold currents. You can spot them between as early as November, through to May – and they are often visible from viewpoints on Cape Nelson and Cape Bridgewater near Portland.

Context

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

121.

During this period, the whales are often sighted within 10 km of land, and sometimes within only a few hundred metres. Their tall straight blows and silvery backs can be seen from a great distance, and it is likely that most whales seen blowing out at sea during this period are blue whales. The blue whale can grow up to 30 metres long – bigger than the biggest dinosaur. For early whalers, the sleek blue was too fast – it can travel at almost 40 km per hour – and it sank when killed, unlike a dead right whale, which floated. Unfortunately, modern whalers with better technology succeeded in killing 98 per cent of the original population, leaving only an estimated 10,000 worldwide. Southern Right Whales Between May and early October each year, a handful of the world’s southern right whale population (usually about a dozen) choose the southwest coast of Victoria to give birth and raise their young. When the pod arrives in the area around May, the pregnant females break away and choose a quiet location near the shore to give birth. They tend to choose locations anywhere from Apollo Bay to Portland, with Logans Beach at Warrnambool proving reliably popular with several breeding females. Southern right whales are typically 15 to 18 metres in length. They feed in the fertile waters of the Antarctic during summer months, which is where they return in September/October after the breeding cycle is complete.

Blue whale, near Cape Bridgewater, VA Blue whale, near Cape Bridgewater, VA

122.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

These stately creatures received their name from early whalers. They swim slowly, in herds, and close to the shore. Once harpooned, they float on the surface. Producing a large amount of oil and whalebone, they were regarded as an excellent catch, and the ‘right’ whale to hunt. Today, the southern right whale is protected in Australian waters Snapper One of the best known and most highly prized species of saltwater fish in southern Australian waters, the snapper was given its name by Captain James Cook in 1770. Australian snapper belong to the family of breams or porgies and its closest relative in Victoria is the black bream. In Victoria they can grow to 16 kg. Port Phillip Bay, Corio Bay and Westernport Bay are key destinations on a mysterious spring snapper migration. No-one knows where the snapper go in March, although tagged fish have been found as far away as the South Australian border. Sometime between September and November, moving to a timetable humans do not yet understand, tens of thousands of snapper follow some primordial instinct and migrate from the ocean into the bays. Some spawn, although even this part of the lifecycle is a mystery. Mulloway Sometimes known as the ghost of the estuary, the elusive mulloway is the ultimate prize in estuary fishing. The name itself is believed to be derived from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘greatest one’. The mulloway is extremely difficult to catch and is considered to be one of the ultimate tests of an angler’s skill and determination. Mulloway can be recognised by silvery to bronze-green colouration, a streamlined body shape, and a series of pearly white spots along their sides. They can grow to 60 kg, although they are more commonly caught from seven to 35 kg; and do not reach sexual maturity until they are nearly 20 years old. Mulloway can create a throbbing noise, a characteristic common to the Sciaenid fish family – collectively known as drums or croakers. They also contain enlarged ear bones that are collected for use in jewellery. This led to many people referring to them as jewies or jewfish (after ‘jewel’). Another common name is butterfish. Pt Addis, GOT

Context

123.

Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna

Abalone The abalone is a large sea snail with a flat shell, between 10 and 20 cm in diameter, and a beautiful iridescent ‘mother of pearl’ interior. They have a broad foot that is regarded a delicacy, especially in Asia. Abalone is, or was, Victoria’s most valuable commercial fishery and, until recently, had a landed catch value of around $70 million. Victoria produced around 10 per cent of the annual world harvest of wild abalone. Unfortunately, in May 2006 a virus was discovered in abalone near Port Fairy. The wild population of abalone around Port Fairy and Warrnambool has since been decimated, and the virus appears to be moving steadily eastward. The ultimate impact on the wild population is impossible to predict. Today, virtually the entire catch is exported, and it is extremely rare to be able to buy them locally. Snorkellers may find them along the Great Ocean Road, but strict limits on size and quantity apply. Beach ramblers often find the empty mother of pearl shells. The price for abalone varies, but averages around $40 per kg on the shell, although dried and processed it can bring hundreds of dollars per kg. This makes the abalone a target for poachers, and although the Victorian industry is closely regulated, there is known to be a significant black market. Southern Rock Lobster Southern rock lobsters (commonly known as crayfish or crays) are only found off the coast of southern Australia and New Zealand. Like abalone, they are one of Victoria’s most valuable catches. Often bright red, rock lobsters grow to more than 22 cm in carapace length and more than five kg in weight. They can live beyond 20 years (their larvae stage alone lasts two years) and they are found on rocky reefs at depths from one to 200 metres. Lobsters available for purchase along the coast are generally less than one kg in weight. Prices vary widely, reacting to fluctuating supply and demand, but in 2008 reached a stratospheric $65 per kg! They can still be found along the Great Ocean Road by snorkellers, but strict limits on size, sex, quantity and open season apply. Commercial fishing boats deploy beehive-shaped pots once made from tea tree but now often a steel frame covered with netting. The pots are baited with fish, set in the mid-afternoon (attached by rope to a marker buoy), and hauled out early the next day. Birds Little (Fairy) Penguin This flightless seabird breeds in colonies along the southern coast of Australia. In the Great Ocean Road region, the best place to view these delightful little creatures is on Middle Island, just off the coast of Warrnambool (currently closed but can be accessible by foot in the right condition). Smaller colonies are also found along the coastline between Port Campbell and Peterborough, in the Port Campbell National Park.

Abalone, KS Southern rock lobster, LB Little (fairy) penguin, VA

124.

Ask restaurants whether they source food from local producers, and where possible order local produce.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

The little penguin uses its flippers in a similar manner to that of birds in the air, so it can shoot through the water in dives of between 10 and 30 metres (sometimes up to 60 metres). Its diet varies in different locations but consists mainly of small school fish, some squid or krill (shrimp-like crustaceans). Some fairy penguins return consistently to their burrows year round but most stay at sea throughout the autumn-winter period. Birds return to their burrows in small groups within an hour or so of darkness. Their return is preceded by groups of penguins gathering beyond the surf where they may be heard calling to each other. Nests are usually at least two metres apart and generally consist of a 60 to 80 cm tunnel with a nest bowl at the end. Little penguins breed annually, and in eastern Australia the usual clutch of two eggs may be found as early as May or as late as October. The parents share incubation shifts, waiting about a month for the eggs to hatch. The young stay in the nest for about two months. Shearwaters (Mutton Birds) Shearwaters are one of the world’s most remarkable migratory birds. They can be found on the aptly-named Mutton Bird Island at Loch Ard Gorge (see the Parks & Reserves chapter) and at Griffith Island (Port Fairy), where they nest from late September to mid April. With a wingspan of up to one metre, these are truly impressive oceanic fliers, built for high-speed gliding on the ocean winds. They make an impressive sight returning home to their burrows in the evenings. The name ‘mutton bird’ was first used by the early settlers who harvested the birds for food, oil and feathers. Mutton birds are still caught in a brief commercial season on a number of Bass Strait islands, mostly by Tasmanian Aboriginals, for whom the mutton bird harvest is an important cultural tradition. Hunters reach into the birds’ burrows – which are also occasionally home to large tiger snakes – and avoid any slashing beaks to catch a young bird. The chicks are processed for their oil, feathers, and their flesh, which is regarded a delicacy. The common name, shearwater, is an apt reference to their graceful shearing flight moving from centimetres above the water’s surface to high in the sky. Recent studies suggest that in April/May the majority of birds fly north along the western rim of the Pacific Ocean to the Arctic region; they return in August/ September, flying south through the centre of the ocean. That’s a one-way trip of 15,000 km, which they can fly in as little as six weeks.

Shearwater (mutton bird), Len Robinson / Viridans Over Page: Parker River, near Cape Otway, RE

125.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Big 4 Holiday Park, Anglesea is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Big 4 Holiday Park, Anglesea Environmental status certified

The BIG4 Anglesea Holiday Park has been in the Bone family for 20 years, attracting hordes of visitors each summer who come to enjoy its prime location near the Anglesea river. In 2005, BIG4 Anglesea became the first holiday park in Australia to complete the Green Globe 21 environmental benchmarking program. Green Globe 21 is a global leader in setting standards for environmentally friendly, sustainable tourism. Its benchmarking process focuses on making operational improvements, and requires a comprehensive overhaul of everyday operations. To meet the benchmark, BIG4 achieved ticks in all seven ‘key performance areas’: reducing the use of cleaning chemicals; demonstrating strong social commitment; minimising water consumption; developing a sustainability policy; minimising energy consumption; reducing solid waste; and reducing consumption of natural resources.

booklets about the local flora and fauna. BIG4 has also made significant investment in big-ticket items that reduce its environmental footprint much further, such as a garden mulcher, water tanks, and solar heating for the pool. These ‘behind the scenes’ investments are where the shift to sustainability will pay off for the Bones – and for the environment. “Businesses like ours – which can hold 600 or 700 people – have a big impact on the environment. How we operate can minimise this impact and save valuable dollars.” Tim Bone Address: 45 Murray St, Anglesea Tel: 03 5263 1640 Email: info@big4anglesea.com.au www.big4anglesea.com.au

Some of the changes that BIG4 made will be noticed by the guests – with the introduction of scrap buckets in cabins for the collection of food waste, worm farms, and information Anglesea rivermouth, RE

126.

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

CHAPTER TITLE

SECTION TITLE

127.

Activities

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

128.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

A – Z ACTIVITIES The range of activities available to visitors and holidaymakers in the Great Ocean Road region is only limited by the imagination. What sets the region apart is the quality of the natural environment, and its natural and cultural heritage. The A – Z Activities chapter includes a large number of activities. However, because of their size and importance, there are separate chapters for: Beaches & Surfing – with individual descriptions of 65 beaches, including their optimal surf conditions Diving & Snorkeling – with information of the region’s classic dives Parks & Reserves – with individual descriptions of 29 parks and reserves Previous Page: Parker River, near Cape Otway, RE Jan Juc Life Saving Carnival, AM

Walk, Ride, Drive – with individual descriptions of over 120 walks, rides and drives

Activities

129.

A - Z Activities

The A – Z Activities chapter includes: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Aboriginal Culture Arts – Performing & Visual Camping Cycling Diving & Snorkeling Driving Fishing Four-Wheel-Driving Flying Golf Hang Gliding Heritage Horse Riding Marathons & Endurance Events Mountain Biking Music Festivals Natural Environment Open Water Swims & Fun Runs Rejuvenation Shopping Spectator Sports & Events Whale Watching Wildlife Watching Wine

Aboriginal Culture Because of its environmental riches, the Great Ocean Road region was home to a large Aboriginal population. Depending on where you draw the region’s boundaries, there were at least six language/culture groups and more than 100 clans. Around Lake Condah, and a number of other places in the southwest, there are the remains of pre-European stone houses. It is still possible to see these remains, to find middens, scar trees (scarred where bark was removed), stone drinking wells, even stone arrangements (although these are not currently accessible).

Aboriginal communities in southwest Victoria have been subjected to widespread disruption of their lives and levels of repression that have required tremendous strength to overcome. Today, the Aboriginal communities of the southwest are responsible for the custodianship of important cultural sites such as the Budj Bim Heritage Landscape (around Lake Condah), the Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area at Yambuk, and Tower Hill near Warrnambool. They also play a central role in managing the region’s national parks. See the section on Aboriginal Heritage for more information. Didjeridoo, Narana Creations, Geelong, VofV

130.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Eumeralla Backpackers / Deen Maar The Framlingham Aboriginal Trust operates the Eumeralla Backpackers, which provides budget accommodation in an original schoolhouse built in 1879. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a well-equipped kitchen, large recreation room (in the old classroom) and a number of bedrooms and bunkhouses capable of accommodating small and large groups.

Budj Bim / Lake Condah The Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape completely shatters most European preconceptions of Aboriginal life. The area shows clear evidence of a large, settled Aboriginal community living in villages of stone houses and systematically farming eels for food and trade. During the first half of the 1800s, the Gunditjmara of southwest Victoria fought for their land for more than 20 years in what is called the Eumerella War. The survivors of the clans were allowed to settle near their traditional lands at Lake Condah Mission. The lake and the mission, and other lands gained over the last 30 years, were finally returned to the ownership of the community in 2008. Budj Bim Tours operates tours of the wider Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape, including the evocative ruins of the Lake Condah Mission and at Lake Condah itself.

Customers can hire canoes to explore beautiful Yambuk Lake, and are also given access to the Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area, which is a significant landscape for the local Aboriginals. Deen Maarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1000 acres of rivers, wetlands and rolling sandhills are being gradually restored to ecological health. From the ridge of dunes there are some beautiful views of the ocean and Yambuk wetlands, with their rich birdlife. Emus strut through the sand dunes, which are now also home to a wind farm. High St, Yambuk, just off the Great Ocean Road Tel: 03 5568 4204 Email: eumerallabackpackers@bigpond.com Location:

Narana Creations On the outskirts of Geelong on the Surf Coast Highway, Narana Creations is an impressive craft and cultural interpretation centre that offers cultural programs (for groups) and has a gallery and retail area with Aboriginal arts and crafts. 410 Torquay Rd, Geelong 3216 03 5241 5700 Email: narana@narana.com.au Web: www.narana.com.au Location: Tel:

Basket weaving, Narana Creations, Geelong, VofV Lady Julia Percy Island (Deen Maar), Yambuk Lakes, RE

Location: Budj Bim Orientation Centre, 21 Scott St, Heywood Tel: 03 5527 1699 Web: www.budjbim.com

Activities

131.

A - Z Activities

Tower Hill Game Reserve Tower Hill is a massive volcanic crater between Warrnambool and Port Fairy. In wet years the crater is filled with water and the hills (old eruption points) within the crater become islands. There are some excellent short walks you can undertake yourself, and plenty of wildlife (including emus, kangaroos and koalas). The reserve is managed by the original Aboriginal owners through the Worn Gundidj Cooperative. If you book, Aboriginal guides are available to give guided walks. Aboriginal crafts are for sale in the Robin Boyd-designed interpretative centre. Location: 15 km west of Warrnambool on the Princes Hwy Tel: 03 5565 9202 Web: www.worngundidj.org.au

Arts â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Performing & Visual With a number of major regional centres (including Geelong, with a population of more than 200,000; Colac with 11,000; Warrnambool with 32,000; Portland with 11,000; and Hamilton with 11,000), there are many cultural events throughout the region. Performing arts centres at Geelong, Colac, Warrnambool and Hamilton host a range of international, national and local musicians, and theatre and dance companies. Check their programs online or at the appropriate Visitor Information Centre. Geelong also has a superb concert hall, Costa Hall, at Deakin Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waterfront campus, which is in converted wool stores. This hall hosts visiting orchestras and classical musicians.

The regional art galleries, operated by local governments, are particularly surprising. The Geelong, Warrnambool and Hamilton art galleries all have collections of international significance. All three hold important historical landscape paintings that represent how the region looked in the early days of European settlement, plus modern collections that feature local artists. Virtually every town in the Great Ocean Road region has at least one private art gallery. The style and emphasis varies greatly, but generally theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re of a very high standard. Visitor Information Centres have information about these art galleries, but another worthwhile starting point is the regional art galleries, which will also have information and advice.

The energy saving from recycling one glass bottle will power a computer for 25 minutes.

Tower Hill, RE Geelong Gallery, GS, courtesy Geelong Gallery

132.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Individual highlights of the Australian collection are paintings by Eugene von Guerard including View of Geelong (1856); McCubbin’s elegiac A Bush Burial (1890, the first acquisition by public subscription); and A Breezy Day off Point Henry (1901) by Withers, arguably one of the artist’s most lyrical and arresting works. Open: 10:00am to 5:00pm, Mon to Fri; 1:00pm to 5:00pm, weekends and public holidays Where: Little Malop St, Geelong Tel: 03 5229 3645 Web: www.geelonggallery.org.au

Hamilton Art Gallery

Geelong Gallery The Geelong Gallery is one of the largest of Australia’s regional art galleries and it holds a number of Australia’s most important and popular art treasures. Established in 1896 and situated in the heart of Geelong’s arts precinct, the gallery is next to Geelong’s City Hall, overlooking Johnstone Park. The greatest strengths of the gallery’s permanent holdings are colonial paintings, including a large number of early images of Geelong and its environs; a selection of important late19th century paintings by Buvelot, McCubbin, Streeton, Withers and Roberts among others; colonial metalwork; English porcelain; and modern Australian art including significant examples of sculpture and works by prominent painters including Fred Williams, Lesley Dumbrell, Paul Partos, John Firth-Smith, Jenny Watson, Peter Booth, Juan Davila and John Brack. Hamilton Art Gallery, SGS Warrnambool Art Gallery, RE

One of the finest galleries in Australia, Hamilton Art Gallery is famous for its outstanding collection of fine and decorative arts, based around a private bequest from Herbert Buchanan Shaw, a local grazier. Silver, glass and porcelain, oriental ceramics, tapestries, furniture, paintings and prints are featured in six modern galleries. The Australian collection of oils spans from colonial to contemporary times, with a particularly strong holding of colonial views of western Victoria. Among these colonial views is one of the Wannon Falls by Thomas Clark, and another of Mt Abrupt by Nicholas Chevalier, both from the 1860s. The 20th century collection of paintings is broad, with highlights being Sidney Nolan’s Crucifixion (1956), Justin O’Brien’s Baptism of Christ (c.1970), and watercolorist JJ Hilder’s Fisherman on Dora Creek (1909). Open: 10:00am to 5:00pm, Mon to Fri; 10:00am to noon and 2:00pm to 5:00pm, Saturdays; 2:00pm to 5:00pm, Sundays and public holidays Where: 107 Brown St, Hamilton Tel: 03 5573 0460 Web: www.hamiltongallery.org

Activities

133.

A - Z Activities

Warrnambool Art Gallery Established in 1886, the Warrnambool Art Gallery offers a diverse collection of artworks, from elegant 19th century European salon paintings to the avant-garde modernism of the Angry Penguins. The gallery is located at the centre of Warrnambool’s cultural precinct, at the southern end of the main shopping strip on Liebig Street. The collection includes the romanticised colonial landscapes of Eugene von Guerard, particularly an astonishing landscape of Tower Hill before it was deforested; Louis Buvelot; Robert Dowling; contemporary Australian printmaking; and artworks of the Great Ocean Road and southwestern Victoria region. Open: 10:00am to 5:00pm, Mon to Fri; noon to 5:00pm, weekends and public holidays Where: Liebig St, Warrnambool Tel: 03 5559 4949 Email: gallery@warrnambool.vic.gov.au

Beach Activities The things people do on beaches… rambling, sunbaking, cricket, sand sculptures, swimming, diving, snorkeling, fishing and surfing – and that’s just for starters. See the separate Beaches & Surfing chapter for more information.

Camping For many people, the most important quality of the Great Ocean Road region is the natural environment. There are many activities that involve an interaction with the environment listed in this section. For many, however, camping in the national or state parks is both the most direct way

of experiencing the environment, and a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to holiday. Some, but not all, of the national parks in the Great Ocean Road region have camping facilities. Where they do, camping is restricted to designated sites, and fires are strictly restricted to fireplaces. Bookings are highly recommended over summer and Easter, as well as other major public holidays. Some campsites have a modest charge. Bookings are required for the campsites at Mt Eccles National Park, Discovery Bay National Park, the Lower Glenelg National Park, and Blanket Bay in the Great Otway National Park. There’s a ballot for Easter campsites at Blanket Bay.

Simple car maintenance can save petrol. A dirty filter can increase petrol usage by 10%. Keep your tyres properly inflated to maintain optimal fuel economy.

See the Parks & Reserves section for more information, and a table that indicates whether or not the park that interests you allows camping. The best place to go for any further enquiries about bookings, facilities and up-to-date news is Parks Victoria (www.parkweb.vic.gov.au or 13 19 63). Each park has its own Park Notes, which provide details on facilities. These can either be downloaded via the Internet or picked up from a nearby Visitor Information Centre.

Lake Monebiong campsite, RaphE

134.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

There are seven specially-designed walk-in campsites for walkers on the Great Ocean Walk, which follows the coast from Apollo Bay to the Twelve Apostles. The walk-in sites must be booked two weeks in advance of the start of the walk. Mt Eccles has particularly good facilities, including hot showers, but most campsites have only basic facilities: fireplaces, picnic tables, a water supply and non-flushing toilets. It is highly recommended that you bring your own drinking water to any campsite. Every village and town along the Great Ocean Road has a caravan/camping ground, very often occupying prime real estate near the beach and fresh water and nearly always on land that was once used by Aboriginals. In many cases, the caravan/camping grounds are owned and managed by the local council or coastal management committee. Campsites are crowded close together, but there is a tremendous sense of community, the toilet blocks and washing facilities are clean, and the locations are unbeatable. Increasingly, these parks also offer on-site accommodation in cabins. Needless to say they are very busy in January and over Easter. Booking is advised. Minimal impact camping • Camp in an existing campsite rather than create a new one and camp at least 20 metres from any stream, lake or reservoir. • Wherever possible, avoid camping under trees, and especially large branches. Trees can lose their limbs at any time.

Mariners Falls, RE Cycling, near Lorne VIC, GS

• Do not dig trenches around tents. This is unnecessary for modern tents, particularly if you choose a well-drained or raised site.

• In areas without toilets, bury toilet waste in a 15 cm deep hole, at least 100 metres away from campsites and watercourses. • Do not cut down or damage standing trees or vegetation. • Take your rubbish home. Don’t burn or bury rubbish. • Use only dead, fallen wood in fires. Standing trees, even dead ones, are homes for wildlife. • Firewood is in short supply in many areas. Gather firewood well away from your camp and use it sparingly, or, better still, bring your own. • Take great care with fire – observe all fire regulations and Total Fire Ban days. Use existing fireplaces rather than create your own. Ensure fires are completely extinguished when you leave. • Protect water quality – wash up at least 50 metres away from streams and avoid using soap (use gritty sand and a scourer instead).

Cycling As always, cycling opportunities are only limited by your imagination, your fitness and your readiness to mix it with cars. See the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter, especially for the Bellarine and Old Beechy Trails, which both follow old railway lines and are traffic free. There are tremendous opportunities for mountain biking, especially on the dedicated tracks around Beech Forest, Forrest, Anglesea and the You Yangs. See the separate mountain biking section. The most famous challenge for road cyclists is the Great Ocean Road itself. Given prevailing winds are from the west, it’s best to start at the western end of the road, at Warrnambool, which

Activities

135.

A - Z Activities

also happens to be at the western end of the trainline from Melbourne.

Driving

If possible, avoid weekends and busy periods around January and Easter. Generally, the traffic is light outside these times, although it always gets heavier east of Apollo Bay. There are few major hills, with the exception of a long climb up to the main ridge of the Otway Ranges at Lavers Hill.

The Great Ocean Road region is a driver’s paradise with, of course, the Great Ocean Road itself as the centrepiece – one of the greatest drives in the world – if not the greatest.

Many people break the ride up into at least four days, but that doesn’t give you much time to explore. The stretch around Peterborough and Port Campbell could soak up a couple of days, and it is definitely worth taking the Old Great Ocean Road from Princetown to the Gellibrand River, and making the side trip to Cape Otway. If you do break the ride into four, it looks like this: Day 1 – Warrnambool to Port Campbell (69 km); Day 2 – Port Campbell to Apollo Bay (98 km); Day 3 – Apollo Bay to Torquay (101 km). From Torquay you could ride into Geelong (22 km) and catch a train back to Melbourne; the GeelongMelbourne freeway is not bike friendly. Alternatively you could ride from Torquay to Queenscliff (40 km), catch the ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, and ride around the bay from Sorrento to Melbourne (95 km).

Diving & Snorkeling The Great Ocean Road region boasts some of the finest dive sites in temperate waters anywhere in the world. This part of Victoria provides divers with spectacular subtidal geological formations, colourful reef systems and interesting historic wrecks. See the separate Diving & Snorkeling chapter.

The biggest trap for a driver is to be seduced into wanting to see what is around the next corner – which can mean you spend the whole day in a car. Despite the joys of driving a beautifully engineered road that hangs above the sea, the best moments will come when you stop the car, get out and walk. Even though the Twelve Apostles are theoretically, and in practice, reachable on a day trip from Melbourne, it is a very long day and definitely not the optimal way to see the region. Drivers should note the Great Ocean Road is very busy in summer and there are limited options for overtaking. If you get stuck behind a slow-moving caravan, all you can do is take a deep breath – and enjoy some of the world’s most spectacular scenery. The twists and turns of the road really do demand serious concentration. The unsealed roads through the Otways are nearly all safely accessible with two-wheel-drive vehicles, although it is important to take them slowly and cautiously. Don’t risk getting bogged, because you could well be out of mobile phone range. Don’t enter the forest if it is a day of high fire danger, and in summer it is always worth monitoring the local ABC radio stations for fire news.

Portland-Casterton Rd, RE

136.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Reserves section for details. There are particularly strict rules and heavy penalties around catching highly valuable abalone and crayfish; strict size limits and limited open seasons apply. Fisheries Officers, as well as the police, are empowered to fine you if you don’t have a licence or don’t follow the rules.

Fishing The fishing in the Great Ocean Road region is world-class, and there’s something to keep everyone happy, whether you’re with kids casting their first worms into an estuary, or you prefer the action of surf and rock fishing, snoozing in a boat, or chasing record-breaking shark or tuna. You can fish quiet rivers in the forested Otway Ranges, craters and lakes on the western plains, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay, the dramatic Rip, long stretches of sandy beach and rocky shoreline, or take a boat out to the edge of the continental shelf. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 70 fishing anywhere in Victoria must have a Recreational Fishing Licence. The licences are not expensive and are widely available from sports stores, bait and tackle shops, hardware and general stores along the coast. Licences can also be bought online through the Department of Primary Industries’ website (www.dpi.vic.gov.au). This site also has important information on legal species, minimum sizes, maximum catches and open/closed seasons. Fisherman, DS Fishergirl, RE

Fishing is prohibited in marine parks and sanctuaries. See the Parks &

When you buy your licence, ask about the right bait for local conditions – and seek out local knowledge about the spots where fish are biting. Tap into this resource. Fishing is one of Australia’s most popular recreations, so most decent-sized towns through western Victoria will have either a specialist bait and tackle shop, or at least one shop or service station that meets fishing needs. Visitor Information Centres (see a complete list of these in the Practicalities section) will be able to provide details of local shops. Don’t hesitate to ring ahead for tips and advice. The Department of Primary Industries also publishes an excellent guide to inland fishing in Victoria, which covers all the rivers, lakes and estuaries. It’s available online at www.dpi.vic.gov. au/angling. See the Flora & Fauna chapter for information on some of the key sea life and fish species to be found. Boats Most decent-sized coastal towns have either a charter or boat hire operator. Once again, Visitor Information Centres will be able to give up-to-date advice. As a rule, boat hire is restricted to bays and estuaries. There are hire operators at Geelong, Indented Head, Swan Bay (Queenscliff ), Barwon Heads and Nelson. Boat licences are required if the boat is capable of more than 10 knots.

Activities

137.

A - Z Activities

Charter operators are more numerous. They often have good-value scheduled fishing trips open to all, with bait and tackle included in their price. If you’re prepared to pay more you’ll get the boat to yourself, and perhaps a trip out to the edge of the continental shelf to fish for the big ones. There are operators at Geelong, Clifton Springs, quite a few at Queenscliff and Barwon Heads, Torquay, Apollo Bay, Port Campbell, Peterborough, Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland. For those lucky enough to have their own boats, there are a reasonable number of launch ramps, especially on the Bellarine Peninsula. They become scarcer along the Great Ocean Road because of the inhospitable coastline, not to mention the potentially dangerous conditions both inshore and in deep water. Along the road, there are ramps at Fishermans Beach (Torquay), Pt Roadknight, Lorne, Apollo Bay, Port Campbell, Peterborough, Bay of Islands (for the truly intrepid), Warrnambool, Port Fairy, Portland and Nelson. Inland, many of the lakes on the western plains have ramps but, because of the long-running drought, water levels have dropped so low that many ramps are unusable. For up-to-date information, contact to the Visitor Information Centres in Geelong, Colac and Camperdown. Port Phillip & Corio Bays Fortunately Port Phillip Bay and Corio Bay are remarkably healthy given the large human population that surrounds them and their slow water exchange with Bass Strait. Like all natural systems, the bays are delicately poised. Fortunately, scallop dredging is no longer permitted so there has been some recovery of the sea grasses (and the scallops).

The bays are rich fishing grounds for species including flathead (the most unattractive, numerous and unfashionable, but delicious), and nobler varieties like trevally, whiting, bream, and the king of them all, snapper. Estuaries & Piers The river estuaries along the coast are generally good for beginners and have a large variety of fish including flathead, salmon, mullet, trevally and bream. Fishing varies enormously between the larger rivers (like the Barwon and Glenelg) whose mouths remain open throughout the year, those that open relatively frequently (the Aire, Gellibrand, Curdies and Hopkins), and the smaller rivers and creeks whose mouths might open irregularly in flood conditions (Painkalac Creek, Anglesea River, and Skenes Creek). The Barwon, Curdies and Glenelg are very popular, with the ultimate prize being the elusive mulloway. The Glenelg estuary is one of the most popular recreational fishing locations in Victoria. Estuarine water extends up the river for about 60 km, with most of it within the Lower Glenelg National Park (see separate section in the Parks & Reserves chapter).

Sustainable tourism is one of the few ways to prevent species becoming extinct – if an environment or species has economic value there’s a better chance it will be saved.

Nelson, RE

138.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

in relation to tides and wave behaviour. Have an escape plan, so if the swell or tide threatens where you are standing, you can leave immediately. And never fish alone – one person must watch the sea at all times. Open Water Queenscliff, Pt Lonsdale and Barwon Heads have a number of charter boat operators offering game fishing tours on inshore reefs as well as the open waters of Bass Strait. There are regular catches of shark and occasionally of southern blue fin tuna. There are also charter boats at Port Campbell, Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland. For great pier fishing, go to Portarlington, St Leonards, Queenscliff, Pt Lonsdale, Barwon Heads (bridge and jetties), Lorne, Apollo Bay, Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland. At the Lorne pier, mullet, garfish and trevally are targeted along with Australian salmon and barracouta. The sheltered harbour at Apollo Bay can be a very productive spot, particularly for squid, but it can get very crowded in summer. Beaches There are many suggested fishing locations in the individual beach sections in the Beaches & Surfing chapter. Although it’s best to have specialised equipment, wherever the land meets the sea you can throw in a line. Look for a gutter (deep water) off a sandy beach, or a channel off a rock platform, and if you’re lucky you’ll hook into salmon, mullet, trevally or snapper.

Apollo Bay, RE Urquart Bluff, GOT

Despite any idyllic appearances to the contrary, rock fishing is arguably the most dangerous aquatic sport in Australia. Seek out local advice on your intended fishing spot, especially

Once you get as far as Port Fairy, and particularly Portland, you’re ready to mix it with the big boys. The edge of the continental shelf is relatively close to shore (approximately 20 to 40 km) and the Bonney Upwelling (see separate section) means there is an incredibly rich marine resource – attested to by more than 40 professional fishing vessels based in Portland Harbour. Portland has excellent facilities and fishing includes snapper, calamari, trevally and yellow-tailed king fish (up to 16 kg) in shallow water. In deeper water, there are sharks including makos and threshers and, of course, the great whites. The largest caught was 5.7 metres long. The biggest prize, however, is southern blue fin tuna. They appear around Portland in most winters – sometimes earlier – and the average fish caught is 17 to 25 kg, although they have been caught up to 100 kg. Commercial boats have also caught very large broadbill swordfish. When the blue fin are on, the region attracts huge numbers of boats.

Activities

139.

A - Z Activities

Food With proximity to the bays, ocean, Otway Ranges and the Western District, the Great Ocean Road region is home to a growing number of highquality, regional specialities: • Cheeses from Apostle Whey, Drysdale (goat’s cheese), Mt Emu Creek, Timboon, Shaw River Buffalo at Yambuk and many more • Fresh crayfish from Apollo Bay and Portland • Fish from Queenscliff, Apollo Bay and Portland • Mussels from Portarlington • Smoked eel from Timboon • Olives from Drysdale, Deans Marsh and Inverleigh • Strawberries and other berries from Wallington, Deans Marsh, Forrest, Timboon, and Portland • Bread from Irrewarra, Torquay (Zeally Bay), Barwon Heads (Starfish Bakery), and Bell Post Hill, Geelong (La Madre) • Homemade cakes from Freshwater Creek & Irrewarra Café A genuine food culture has developed, and there is a lot of interest and pride in local produce. Ask around and you’ll find out what’s good, and who’s cooking it well. An interest in food generally goes along with an interest in wine – so local wineries are a good source of information. The Visitor Information Centres will also have suggestions. Pakington St in Geelong West is home to some great shops that stock interesting local products. Check out Warren & Hutch, the Newtown Provedore, Geelong Fresh Foods, and V&R Fruit & Vegetable Market. Farm Fresh, originally a country

butcher, now has branches in Birregurra, Hamilton, Torquay and Queenscliff, and has expanded its range to include all sorts of food and wine. In Barwon Heads, visit Annie’s Provedore. Also look out for Darriwill Farm gourmet food and wine outlets in Highton, Hamilton, Port Fairy, Warrnambool and Lorne. Farmers’ Markets have become increasingly popular. These markets encourage the development of local, often organic, produce, and reduce food miles (the distance food travels from the farmer to your plate). There are regular Farmers’ Markets at Aireys Inlet (2nd Sunday, Spring to Easter), Geelong (Little Malop St, 2nd Saturday), Port Fairy (3rd Saturday), Torquay (Saturdays, Summer), and Warrnambool (1st Saturday). Check with local Visitor Information Centres. A number of restaurants and pubs in central Geelong, and a number of wineries and restaurants around the region, offer outstanding eating experiences. Increasingly, menus reflect local produce, because fresh food tastes better, and regional specialities help make restaurants unique. The green upshot of this is that genetic diversity is encouraged, small producers make a living, and food miles are reduced.

Pettavel Restaurant Peter Jenkins, Portarlington fisherman, GS

140.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

suggestions and a listing of the best maps. It is important for drivers to know their limitations and the limitations of their vehicles. It is also extremely important to contact Parks Victoria to find out about conditions and the seasonal closure of tracks (generally winter). In summer, it is very important to be highly conscious of fire risk. On hot and windy days, even if there is no fire ban, it is best to stay out of the forests.

The region’s cappuccino culture has taken off and these days your chances of finding a good coffee – anywhere between Queenscliff and Portland – are high. The towns where food takes centre stage (and you’ll find much more than a pub, a fish and chip shop, and a Chinese takeaway) are: Queenscliff, Torquay, Lorne, Apollo Bay, Warrnambool, Port Fairy and Portland. All of these towns have a variety of top class restaurants and a range of cuisines. Some of the country pubs in the region are famous in their own right – and although you won’t always find haute cuisine, good pubs feature generous serves, down to earth cooking and great hospitality. Ask around; the locals will all know about the good ones.

Four-WheelDriving

At The Heads Restaurant Bar Cafe, Barwon Heads, VofV Sunnybrae Restaurant, Birregurra, LB

There are plenty of opportunities for four-wheel-driving, but particularly in the Great Otway National Park and Otway Forest Park, Mt Eccles National Park, Cobboboonee National Park and Discovery Bay National Park. See the separate Parks & Reserves chapter for more information, and the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter for several specific

There are four main 4WD clubs that can assist with training and information; they also run trips and various social events. The Geelong 4WD Club (www.geelong4wdclub. org.au), the Bellarine 4WD Club (www.bellarine4x4club.org.au), and the Portland & District 4WD Club (www.portland4wdclub.com.au). All these clubs work closely with Parks Victoria and maintain a ‘tread lightly’ ethos. Four-wheel-driving, especially in wet conditions, can seriously damage tracks and create major erosion problems, so from an environmental perspective it’s best to treat your full 4WD capability as a safety net. The reality is that you can go almost everywhere you should go with a two-wheel-drive vehicle. It’s one thing to utilise a 4WD vehicle’s clearance to deal with a rough track and its 4WD traction to get confidently through a few soft patches – but it’s quite another if you have to churn up a track. In the latter case, whether you’re there by misjudgement or design, you’re going to do serious damage to the environment. To help protect the parks please: • Plan ahead and obtain a detailed map before you set off. • Drive only on roads and tracks that are open to the public.

Activities

141.

A - Z Activities

• Stay off tracks that are too wet, or have been recently graded. • Avoid wheel spin and churning up the track surface. • Remove fallen trees or limbs from roads; don’t create new tracks by driving around them. • Cross rivers and streams only where river crossings are clearly marked. • Use a tree protector if winching is required and use wheel chains as a last resort. Otways Forrest is a good base for four-wheeldriving. Tracks of interest around the area are Cowley Track, Goat Track, Noonday Track, Number One Spur Track, West Barwon Track, Delaney’s Rd and Curtis Rd.    The Lavers Hill area provides further opportunities to explore. Tracks in the area include Egan Track, Mount McKenzie Rd, Number Nine Ridge Track, Holy Water Track, Bennets Track and Heffernan Track. Roads and tracks in the Otways are driveable in a standard 4WD when it is dry, but mud tyres and a winch are necessary when it is wet. Mt Eccles and Mt Napier National Parks Mt Eccles National Park is easily accessible by sealed roads via Macarthur. It’s difficult to find good quality mapping, so it is important to talk to local Parks Victoria staff for upto-date information. There is a Parks Victoria office at Mt Eccles, but it is not permanently staffed.

Discovery Bay National Park The highlight for off-roaders in the Discovery Bay National Park is the extraordinary expanse of mobile, white sand dunes near Swan Lake. The dunes give access to a beautiful stretch of beach, famous for surf fishing. Please note you are not permitted to drive on the beach. You must be a member of the Portland Dune Buggy Club (www. portlanddunebuggyclub.com.au) to be allowed access to the sand dune system. For reasons of safety, and sound land management practices, the club is charged with monitoring all vehicle activity in the area. Members of any 4WD club can arrange for a four-day membership which includes camping fees at Swan Lake, where there is a large camping area tucked into the back of the dunes, somewhat protected from the wind. There is also cold running bore water, and toilet facilities.

Lower Glenelg National Park, RE

142.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Golf The Great Ocean Road region has an outstanding selection of golf courses including two – the Barwon Heads Golf Club and Thirteenth Beach Golf Club – that are frequently rated in Australia’s Top 20. These are inevitably subjective rankings, and the Sands (Torquay), Port Fairy, Warrnambool, Queenscliff, Pt Lonsdale and Anglesea courses also have their champions, and are very highly rated. Whatever your preference, golfers are spoilt for choice with courses ranging from the classic links course at Barwon Heads, to modern masterpieces at Thirteenth Beach and the Sands, to many beautiful, traditional country courses.

Flying There are numerous airports throughout the region, including substantial regional airports at Warrnambool and Portland, with operators offering charter and scenic flights. There are fixed wing scenic flights available in Geelong, Torquay, Barwon Heads, Warrnambool and Peterborough. There are helicopter scenic flights available in Geelong, Port Campbell (taking in the coastline around the Twelve Apostles), and Portland (to view the blue whales from above). Carbon conscious patrons will no doubt be researching carbon offset programs…

There are many others, some of them of local courses of very high quality. The lesser-known courses are considerably less expensive, but still of sufficient quality to keep a demanding golfer out of trouble (or could that be in trouble?) for a long time. Visitor Information Centres can advise. Anglesea Golf Club Mobs of eastern grey kangaroos, a truly authentic Aussie bush environment, and well-maintained fairways and greens are the highlights of the iconic Anglesea Golf Club. Renowned as one of the most picturesque courses in Australia, it is great for social and competitive players alike. At the end of your game, you can relax in the clubhouse and take in the magnificent views down the 18th hole and out to sea. Just watch the kanga scats as you play! Noble St, Anglesea 03 5263 1951 Specs: 18 holes, Par 73, 6028m Where:

Bookings:

Barwon Heads Golf Club, RE

Activities

143.

A - Z Activities

Barwon Heads Golf Club Traditionalists will love the Barwon Heads Golf Club, with its challenging links style course and historic, grandiose clubhouse. Situated in the dunes near the mouth of the Barwon River, players can imagine themselves at a famed Scottish links course – or simply revel in the immediate surroundings, with undulating coastal terrain and sleek greens. It can be hard to get a game here, as it is a very popular course. Bookings are essential. Golf Links Rd, Barwon Heads 03 5255 6275 Specs: 18 holes, Par 70, 5757m Where:

Bookings:

Port Fairy Golf Club This enduringly popular course meanders through unspoilt sand dunes and coastal terrain, providing players with endless views of the windswept Southern Ocean. Those in the know liken Port Fairy to the great Scottish courses – others will simply enjoy the 18 holes and come to see why the 12th is rated as one of Australia’s greatest. Woodbine Rd, Port Fairy 03 5568 2866 Specs: 18 holes, Par 72, 5887m Where:

Bookings:

The Sands Golf Club Since opening in 2002, this linksstyle course that winds through dune country has joined the highest echelon of Australian courses. Designed by Stuart Appleby, it features artfully placed bunkers that seem to blend seamlessly with the coastal backdrop, but provide a serious challenge to players. Taking full advantage of coastal hinterland, the course is a pleasure to play. 2 Sands Bvd, Torquay 03 5264 3307 Specs: 8 holes, Par 72, 6118m

Thirteenth Beach Golf Club As the centrepiece of a recent residential development to the west of Barwon Heads, Thirteenth Beach Golf Club offers two courses that have received glowing reviews from pros and punters alike. Designed by Tony Cashmore and Nick Faldo, the courses make the most of the long stretch of ocean frontage, and the gently rolling terrain. It is picturesque, rugged and challenging. The 19th hole is hard to leave, with its views and sumptuous dining room. Barwon Heads Rd, Barwon Heads 03 5254 2922 Specs: Beach course – 18 holes, Par 72, 6391m; Creek course – 18 holes, Par 72, 6401m Where:

Bookings:

Where:

Bookings:

13th Beach Golf Club, VofV

144.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Heritage Exploring the natural and cultural heritage of the Great Ocean Road region is one of the most rewarding activities. It is an implicit part of other activities – exploring beaches, parks and reserves, towns and cities – so information about the region’s heritage can be found interweaved throughout this book.

Hang Gliding

Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly with no loss in quality.

Corio Villa, Geelong, VofV View from Spion Kop, RE

The Great Ocean Road region provides great opportunities for hang gliding. Onshore winds, ideal for gliding, are common – too common if you ask the local surfers. There are opportunities to learn, to fly tandem with an experienced pilot, or, if you’ve got the skills already, to take off into the wide blue sky. There are popular launch sites at Southside (near Bells Beach, Torquay), Spion Kop (near Moggs Creek), at Marriners Lookout (near Apollo Bay), and a number around Cape Nelson and Cape Bridgewater (near Portland). You must be an endorsed pilot to use Spion Kop. See the excellent website produced by the Victorian Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association for detailed information on launch sites (www.vhpa.org.au). In the right conditions, with a firm east wind, it is possible, though very difficult, to fly from Southside to Marriners Lookout. The Coast Run, as it is known, was first achieved in 1990, and it has still only been done by an elite group of flyers.

The Aboriginal heritage is clear in many places, but particularly around Lake Condah in the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape. The European cultural heritage is also widely dispersed through the national parks (for example, the remains of timber mills), agricultural land (for example, dry stone walls) and through the towns and cities. See the Context section for background information on history and heritage. Geelong has a rich and fascinating heritage, although much has been buried or lost in the city’s struggle to survive. There is still a lot there for those who look. Queenscliff was, fortunately, left to its own devices for much of the 20th century and has a rich maritime, military and architectural heritage, largely unspoilt. Port Fairy also survived the vandals of the 20th century remarkably unscathed. The coast itself has some gems, and the lighthouses at Queenscliff, Pt Lonsdale, Aireys Inlet, Cape Otway and Cape Nelson are romantic focal points for stories of early settlers and shipwrecks. For such a big and flourishing town, Warrnambool has managed to save a surprisingly extensive architectural heritage. Portland, Victoria’s oldest city, has had the good luck (or misfortune) to

Activities

145.

A - Z Activities

have a harbour and to attract modern industry, similar to Geelong â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in fact, both Geelong and Portland have large aluminium refineries. Fortunately, however, the bluestone architectural heritage of Portland, which dates back to the 1830s, has survived on a broad (streetscape) scale. Towns like Casterton, Hamilton, Terang and Camperdown were regional centres for the wealthy Western District squatters, and they too have a rich architectural heritage. For information on specific important heritage sites in this book, see the Guide to the Coast and Guide to the Hinterland sections. There is a wealth of information on heritage sites available on the Heritage Victoria website (www.heritage.vic. gov.au) and particularly through their Victoria Heritage Database (http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/vhd/ heritagevic). All major heritage sites covered in this book are flagged with the Heritage Victoria logo and their Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) number.

Horse Riding Experiencing the Great Ocean Road region on horseback is a popular pursuit for locals and visitors. Riders use vehicle tracks and roads through the Great Otway National Park and Otway Forest Park, as well as some of the beaches. Guided horse riding tours are available at Cape Otway, Barwon Downs, Wensleydale, Aireys Inlet, Warrnambool and Portland.

Marathons & Endurance Events The Great Ocean Road Marathon runs in mid-May, and is based at Apollo Bay. There are short courses starting and finishing in Apollo Bay, but the real attraction is the chance to run the Great Ocean Road, which is closed to traffic for the half marathon from Kennett River to Apollo Bay and the full 45 km marathon from Lorne to Apollo Bay. There are also a growing number of endurance events, for teams and individuals; ideal for those attracted by the dramatic and challenging Great Ocean Road environment. These include the Anaconda Adventure Race, the Great Ocean Sports Festival, and the Tri X Anglesea Triathlon. The Anaconda Adventure Race is part of a national series. The Lorne competition in early December, includes swimming, running, kayaking and mountain bike legs. The Anaconda Odyssey in late February is a mountain bike marathon around the Great Otway National Park. Riding at Fairhaven, GOT Anaconda Adventure Race, RA

146.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

for beginner to intermediate riders. The return trip to Bells is just under 20 km and takes around two hours to complete.

The Great Ocean Sports Festival is in February and includes a range of swimming, running and water-based sports (including a Malibu board paddling race) around Apollo Bay. The Tri X Anglesea Triathlon in late March has swimming, running and mountain bike legs.

Mountain Biking There are many opportunities to get the mountain bike out and explore the coast between Torquay and Apollo Bay, and inland through the Great Otway National Park. See the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter for information on two shared trails: the Bellarine Rail Trail (1) from Geelong to Queenscliff, and the Old Beechy Rail Trail (70) from Colac to Beech Forest. Torquay

You Yangs Regional Park, VofV Anaconda Adventure Race, RA

The Surf Coast Walk beginning at the river mouth in Torquay meanders west along the coast to Bells Beach. This is a shared path so riders should be on the lookout for walkers. The track is around two metres wide and has a smooth gravel surface suitable

More adventurous riders can continue on to Anglesea. Ride down Jarosite Rd, then take the Great Ocean Road to Hurst Rd. Turn left down the gravel Hurst Rd and follow it until you come to a carpark, from where you can ride a section along the top of the cliffs up to the Eumeralla Scout Camp. Then you’ll need to carry your bike down a steep ridge, or rejoin the highway. If you get down the ridge, there’s a great ride around the top of the cliffs to Anglesea. Obviously, coming from the Anglesea end, there’s a great ride around the top of the cliffs to the bottom of the same steep ridge. Anglesea is approximately 15 km from Bells Beach. See the Walks chapter for more information on the Surf Coast Walk. Anglesea Anglesea is set to be the next hot spot for mountain biking. Already surrounded by literally hundreds of kilometres of bush tracks through the Anglesea Heath and Great Otway National Park, there are plans for the development of a professionallydesigned mountain bike trail network. Boasting arguably one of the best trailheads in Victoria, the Anglesea Bike Park has a world-class, Glen Jacobs-designed 4X course, along with dirt jumps and a skill course with more than 50 metres of log rides. It also has a huge shelter with seating, toilets and running water. It is on the outskirts of town, on Camp Rd, north from the main roundabout in front of the Anglesea Hotel. Anglesea is perfect for mountain bikers. You can ride from the town’s shops and accommodation directly

Activities

147.

A - Z Activities

to the trails. For on the best places equipment, check shop, Trailhead trailhead.com.au).

more information to ride or for bike out the local bike Bike Co (www.

Forrest Forrest is a small inland town with a big reputation for some of Victoria’s and possibly Australia’s best mountain bike trails. This former logging town is within an hour’s drive from most towns on the Great Ocean Road between Torquay and Apollo Bay, and has well over 60 km of signed mountain bike trails. There are two main trailheads. The Yeagher trailhead, a couple of kilometres to the north of the town, has around 40 km of purpose-built single track ranging from easy to difficult. If you are heading out of town towards Barwon Downs, take Boundary Rd on your right, which leads to the Yeagher trailhead. You can choose tracks that are most suited to your ability, using the key map at the trailhead and graded trail markers along the way. Depending on how much you want to ride, an easy loop can take around an hour, extending to three hours if you ride all the available trails. Another trailhead is located in the centre of Forrest on the main road through town. This trailhead has a carpark, shelter and toilets. From here, you can ride out to scenic Lake Elizabeth, which is in a stunning forest environment. The return to Forrest from Lake Elizabeth is all downhill and has some of the best single track Forrest has to offer. This ride will take one to two hours depending on fitness. More information, including a downloadable map, is available on www.rideforrest.com.au and at the Parks Victoria site, www.parkweb.vic. gov.au.

You Yangs For those travelling between the Great Ocean Road and Melbourne, the You Yangs Regional Park offers excellent mountain biking, particularly for those who like it steep and rocky. See the Parks & Reserves chapter for more information. The Plantation Area has a smooth, flowing single track built through an old plantation area, suitable for beginner to intermediate riders. The Stockyard Area is for those who seek more technically challenging cross-country trails. The downhill courses are only suitable for those who have the correct bikes and protection. The cross-country trails suit intermediate to expert riders, with challenging trail features including wooden boardwalks, berms and huge rock rollovers. The Parks Victoria office, located at the main entrance of the You Yangs, can give you all the information on where to ride. Mountain Biking by Ari Lingam, Trailhead Bike Co

Music Festivals Music plays a big part in the life of the Great Ocean Road region. A large number of important Australian musicians – including Xavier Rudd, Neil Murray, Ruby Hunter, Rose Bygraves, Shane Howard and Archie Roach – call the place home. Many coastal towns now have major music festivals, inspired by the incredible success of the Port Fairy Folk Festival. The Port Fairy festival started in 1977 and recent programs have featured more than 100 local and 20 international acts. Anaconda Adventure Race, RA You Yangs Regional Park, RE

148.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Budj Bim - Lake Condah is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Budj Bim – Lake Condah Tours of Aboriginal stone villages

The Gunditjmara people are the custodians of one of the world’s most astonishing archaeological sites: Lake Condah and the Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape.

crown land and water, including several national parks, and the remnants of their land around Lake Condah. The Victorian Government also agreed the lake will be restored.

The Gunditjmara modified and controlled the environment, successfully creating one of the world’s first sustainable systems of aquaculture. As early as 8000 years ago the Aboriginals developed a system of channels and dams that enabled them to farm the eels and other fish, then to smoke them and trade them.

The Lake Condah Water Restoration Project will revitalise the lake’s wetlands and reactivate the significant Gunditjmara aquaculture system that surrounds Lake Condah. The aim is to preserve and display the archaeology at the lake, re-establish its original biodiversity, redevelop the indigenous aquaculture business based on eels, and establish a culturally sensitive tourism industry.

The food surplus and consequent trade enabled the development of the permanent villages. The impact of the white invasion was profound. Not only was the bulk of the population killed by disease and war, but the villages and houses were largely destroyed.

The infrastructure is still being developed, but it is now possible to experience a number of guided tours that have all been developed with respect for the environment as a key criteria.

Even the lakes and swamps, including Lake Condah, were drained – with disastrous ecological consequences for the entire region.

Address: Budj Bim Orientation Centre, 21 Scott St, Heywood

The Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape, centred at Lake Condah, was one of the first three places to be listed on the National Heritage List in July 2004. On 30 March 2007 the Gunditjmara won native title to 140,000 ha of

www.budjbim.com

Tel: 03 5527 1699 www.lakecondah.com

Activities

149.

A - Z Activities

Apollo Bay Music Festival The Apollo Bay Music Festival is held at the end of March. It’s relatively low-key with an interesting range of performers that appeal to a broad range of people – from world music to theatre, comedy to jazz, rock to hip hop, gospel to country. See www.apollobaymusicfestival.com. The Falls Music & Arts Festival Falls, as the regular punters call it, is a major outdoor festival on a beautiful property behind Lorne, held in a natural amphitheatre every year from 29 December to 1 January. There are numerous stages that host contemporary bands and DJs, as well as films, comedians and an arts village. The crowd is mainly young, and especially on New Year’s Eve, there’s some hard partying. Tickets sell out within hours of becoming available, and are even rationed so locals get a chance to go along. See www.fallsfestival.com. National Celtic Festival The National Celtic Festival, based in Portarlington, is held on the long weekend in June. It is now Australia’s biggest and most comprehensive celebration of Celtic culture. The program boasts a high standard of local, national and international Celtic entertainment including music, dance, film, performing arts, craft, food and literature. See www.nationalcelticfestival.com. Port Fairy Folk Festival The granddaddy of them all, the Port Fairy Folk Festival is held on the Labour Day long weekend in March, and is one of the largest festivals in

Australia. Its definition of folk is broad and includes folk roots, blues, jazz, bluegrass, Celtic roots, jazz, crossroads country, rock and music of the world. See www.portfairyfolkfestival.com. Queenscliff Music Festival The Queenscliff Music Festival, in late November, appeals to a broad range of age groups, and it is truly family friendly. It features an eclectic mix of top-class local musicians, with a couple of interesting international performers thrown in for good luck. See www.qmf.net.au. Tarerer Festival The Tarerer Festival is a multicultural celebration that takes its name from an Aboriginal word meaning ‘meeting of the clans’. It’s held at Killarney Beach, between Warrnambool and Port Fairy, in November; and features a variety of artists, including a number of Aboriginal musicians and bands such as No Fixed Address and Archie Roach. See www.tarerer.com.au.

The Falls Music & Arts Festival, FM The Falls Music & Arts Festival, FM

150.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

weekends and carry out hundreds of rescues every year. Many clubs now hold massive participatory fun runs and open water swims to raise funds. Early in January, Lorne Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) runs one of the biggest swimming races in the world, the 1.2 km Pier to Pub, which attracts more than 4000 competitors. Most clubs run equivalent events, albeit a bit smaller:

Natural Environment The natural environment is the Great Ocean Road region’s most important asset, and exploring and learning about the environment is a very rewarding activity. A keen awareness of the environment is a key part of many of the sports and interests listed separately in this book. For background information, see the Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna chapter. The Parks & Reserves; Walk, Ride, Drive; and Beaches & Surfing chapters also have a considerable amount of information about the natural environment.

Open Water Swims & Fun Runs

Port Fairy Music Festival, VofV 12 Apostles, RE

Perhaps second only to football clubs in terms of their importance to local communities, the surf life saving clubs found along the Great Ocean Road play an incredible role. The clubs are all virtually entirely self-funded. Volunteers in their Speedos and iconic red and yellow caps monitor the safety of all the main beaches during summer

• Port Fairy, Warrnambool and Port Campbell SLSCs: Shipwreck Coast Swim Series • Apollo Bay SLSC: Great Ocean Sports Festival, early February • Fairhaven SLSC: Spout Creek Classic, early January • Anglesea SLSC: Rock 2 Ramp Swim, late December • Jan Juc SLSC: Danger 1000 Ocean Swim and Bells Bash Run, mid January • Ocean Grove SLSC: Rip to River Run, early January • Point Lonsdale SLSC: Rip View Swim Classic, late December

Parks & Reserves There are 29 major parks and reserves in the Great Ocean Road region, and literally hundreds of smaller reserves. They range from large parks with international significance, like the Great Otway National Park, to small gems like the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary. See the Parks & Reserves chapter for details on all the major parks and reserves. The Walk, Ride, Drive chapter covers the important walks. Further information from Parks Victoria (tel 13 19 63) and www.parkweb.vic.gov.au.

Activities

151.

A - Z Activities

Shopping If you are seeking mainstream shops and brands, Geelong, Colac and Warrnambool will not disappoint. Geelong in particular has invested heavily in creating dense retail precincts featuring most of the wellknown chains. You’ll find anything you need. However, for quirky, personalised products, you will have better luck in the smaller towns – places like Apollo Bay, Barwon Heads, Camperdown, Hamilton, Lorne, Portarlington, Port Fairy and Queenscliff. All these towns have interesting shopping strips, and you are likely to find individual artists, jewellers, fashion designers, furniture makers and photographers, just to name a few, living off their trade and selling direct. For more than a century, Geelong’s textile industry thrived thanks to its proximity to the Western District’s wool. Just as this industry was tapering off in the 70s, the surfing industry began to emerge. It was a neat handover: the surfing labels were able to capitalise on the skills base in the local population, not to mention pick up some bargain machinery. If you are interested in surf gear and fashion, a trip to the heart of the surf industry in Torquay is a must. The big brands – including Rip Curl and Quiksilver – are all on the highway, but be sure to head around the back on Baines Cres to score a bargain in the discount outlets. Another iconic fashion brand began in Warrnambool. Fletcher Jones had humble beginnings in 1924 and grew in its heyday to employ nearly 3000 employees through every Australian state and capital city. Sadly, the extraordinary headquarters and

factory at Pleasant Hill are no longer used – though they’re still a tourist attraction. Perhaps because of this fashion heritage, Warrnambool seems to have more than its fair share of good quality boutiques.

Spectator Sports & Events The locals of the Great Ocean Road region are sports mad and every weekend there are major sporting and spectator events in the region. Even as a blow-in visitor and a spectator, these events give a fascinating insight into the local community, and provide great opportunities to meet people.

It is much better to be a careful carbon user than to use carbon offsets. But all travel – no matter how careful – uses carbon, so carbon offsets have their place.

Airshow – Avalon The Avalon Australian International Airshow is a massive event held every two years in February/March. The 2009 event attracted more than 400 aircraft, from Tiger Moths, to a Russian Mig 15, and American F-16s. There are contemporary military and civil aircraft on display: combat, heavy lift, helicopters; maritime patrol and tactical transport; and airline, business, rotary wing, training, airsport and recreational aircraft. Portarlington Market

152.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

the Black Cats in the Geelong section. The home ground at Kardinia Park in central Geelong hosts a number of games each year, and they are spectacles that should not be missed – if you can get a ticket. The season runs from the beginning of April to the end of September. Check Geelong’s website, www.gfc.com.au, or phone 03 5225 2300 for information about seats, bookings and anticipated crowds. It’s often possible to get a ticket at the ground on the day, particularly if Geelong is playing an interstate club that is down on its luck. There are trade-only days, but the event is open to the public on the Friday afternoon and the weekend. Every afternoon there are spectacular flying displays, including acrobatics and demonstrations by state-of-the-art warplanes. For more information see www.airshow.net.au. Australian Rules Football Southwest Victoria was the home of Tom Wills, one of the founding fathers of Australian Rules Football, and footy is a very important part of life. Every small town has a football club, often the hub of the community, and every Saturday afternoon in winter there’ll be a football match somewhere nearby. A quick enquiry at any service station or shop will tell you where. Country football is often of a very high standard, with substantial amounts of money paid to key players and coaches. At most grounds, you can pull your car up close to the boundary line to watch in comfort, but the bar in the clubrooms is a far more interesting place to be!

Australian International Air Show, Avalon, VofV

Geelong is home to the second oldest Australian Football League (AFL) club and boasts a fanatical following. See

Cricket Cricket clubs share their ovals with football clubs, and use them over the summer period. Originally, football was invented to keep cricketers fit during winter. These days the crowds for cricket are much smaller, and the fanaticism much more contained, but every weekend country ovals throughout the southwest will be populated with ‘flannelled fools’ battling it out on their sun-baked pitches. Horse Racing Country horse racing, a bit like footy, brings communities together. Until well into the 1950s, horses played a central role in the day-to-day life of Western District squatters, who had the money to invest in breeding quality horses. Racing in southwest Victoria, therefore, has always been taken seriously, and horse racing is a very popular pastime. The larger race clubs like Geelong and Warrnambool have races through the year, but they also host important carnivals: Geelong’s is just before the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival in late October; Warrnambool’s is in May.

Activities

153.

A - Z Activities

There are a number of other racecourses, some of which might only be used once or twice a year for ‘picnic’ races. These courses have strikingly beautiful locations, and crowds of 2000 people are common. There are historic racecourses at Colac, Camperdown, Terang, Mortlake, Penshurst, Casterton and Hamilton. See www.westernotwayracing.com.au and www.countryracing.com.au for information. Mountain Bike Races Two of Australia’s premier mountain biking events, the Kona 24 Hour and the Otway Odyssey, are held at Forrest. They utilise 62 km of trails that are considered to be world-class, and certainly among the best in Australia. There are also events planned for the developing Anglesea region. Most events are likely to be held in spring, when it’s not too hot and dry, or too wet. For information on Forrest check www.rideforrest.com.au and the Colac Visitor Information Centre, and for information on events around Anglesea check www.trailhead.com.au and the Torquay Visitor Information Centre. Sailing – Skandia Geelong Week Skandia Geelong Week is Australia’s largest sailing event, with a fleet of more than 450 yachts. First held in 1844 and officially established in 1859, it is also one of the nation’s oldest sporting events. Over the Australia Day long weekend in January, the yachting events are the centerpiece for Geelong’s waterfront festival, which offers markets, music and a diverse range of entertainment.

Surf Life Saving Carnivals There are local, state, national and international surf life saving competitions (carnivals) where thousands of club members compete in various races and beach sports, including, most dramatic of all, the surf boat races. A surf life saving carnival is a sight not to be missed – especially if there is a big swell. There are few more spectacular sports than the surf events: swimming, paddle boards, surf skis and surf boats. In addition, over summer many clubs hold fund-raising events, and some have kiosks, bars and even an excellent restaurant in the case of the Fairhaven SLSC. Visitors are always welcome, although you may need to sign a visitor’s book. See Open Water Swims & Fun Runs for more events. Surfing Competitions For many, surfing competitions run counter to ‘soul’ surfing’s original ethos, but competitions are now a big part of the sport. Local boardrider clubs run small competitions; Surfing Victoria runs a range of events for different sexes and age groups; and Surfing Australia runs national competitions. And last, but definitely

Surf boat race, AM Skandia Geelong Week, GS

154.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

(www.ripcurl.com.au), particularly close to the event to see whether Huey has done his stuff – if he hasn’t, the comp will relocate to Johanna if the waves are too small at Bells. See the section on Surfing in the European Heritage chapter for more information on the history of surfing, and the Beaches & Surfing chapter for detailed information about beaches and surfing conditions.

Bring your own water bottle, and minimize the amount of water and plastic bottles that you buy. In most parts of the Great Ocean Road region, the water is excellent – and it is always safe.

Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro

not least, there’s the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, the oldest professional surfing competition in the world, which every Easter attracts huge crowds to watch the world’s best surfers. Because ‘Huey’, the god of surf, is fickle, events often move to where the best waves are. Along the Great Ocean Road, Beacon at 13th Beach is a favourite venue, as is Jan Juc, Winkipop, Bells (naturally) and, a long way to the west, Johanna. If you see pennants fluttering and a crowd of people watching a couple of surfers in coloured t-shirts, you’ve come across a ‘comp’. Despite the fact that the surf break looks enticingly empty, do not go out for a casual paddle! The Rip Curl Pro attracts large international crowds, and the natural amphitheatre at Bells Beach creates an amazing atmosphere. It is generally considered to be one of the most important comps on the professional tour, perhaps only equalled by the Billabong Pipeline Pro in Hawaii. Apart from a chance to get close to the world’s best surfers as they surf some of the world’s best waves, the Pro also has a music festival running over the Easter weekend. Check the Rip Curl website

Swimming with Seals & Dolphins The snorkeling and diving around Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale is amongst the best in the world. The colour and diversity of the Rip rivals the Great Barrier Reef. To cap it all it is possible to snorkel with friendly Australian fur seals and dolphins. The Visitor Information Centre can provide further information. Also see the Diving & Snorkeling chapter.

Surfing The Great Ocean Road region is justly famed for its surf, and has had a completely disproportionate influence on the world’s surf culture – through the Rip Curl Pro, which is the world’s oldest professional surfing competition, and as the home for Rip Curl and Quiksilver. See Surfing in the European Heritage chapter. And see the separate Beaches & Surfing chapter for a complete rundown on all the major beaches, plus the best tides and conditions for surfing.

Walking Walking is always the best way to explore a region. And the Great

Activities

155.

A - Z Activities

Ocean Road region offers some of the best walking in the world. There’s a wealth of spectacular coastal walking, including the iconic Great Ocean Walk, which stretches between Apollo Bay and the 12 Apostles (see www. greatoceanwalk.com.au). In addition to coastal walks, there are spectacular waterfalls hidden in the Otway Range’s rainforests, and walks that explore a variety of extinct volcanoes. There’s something for every walker, near every town, and for every timeframe. See the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter for detailed descriptions of more than 120 walks.

Wellness Although the Great Ocean Road region does not have a concentrated spa centre, there are many high quality operators offering deluxe services. Some of the places to research for your preferred treatment are Apollo Bay, Barwon Heads, Queenscliff, Lorne, Torquay and Warrnambool. All of the big hotels offer deluxe beauty treatments in addition to facilities like pools and gyms. Check out the local directories or the Visitor Information Centres for details on practitioners of acupuncture, reiki, reflexology, shiatsu, massage, yoga or any other kind of healing you seek. You will be sure to find your favourite therapy and most likely in a stunning bush setting!

to early October. Each year, about a dozen whales choose the southwest coast of Victoria to give birth and raise their young. When the pod arrives in the area around May, the pregnant females break away and choose a quiet location near the shore to give birth. They tend to choose locations anywhere from Apollo Bay to Portland, with Logan’s Beach at Warrnambool proving consistently popular with the breeding females. Check with the Warnambool Visitor Information Centre for upto-date reports, or check www. warrnambooltourism.com.au/whales.

The Great Ocean Road offers visitors two amazing whale-watching opportunities: southern right and blue whales.

Blue whales can be seen around Cape Nelson and Cape Bridgewater, near Portland, as early as November and through to May. They are attracted by the Bonney Upwelling’s rich bounty of krill and are often visible from viewpoints on the capes. If you’re lucky you might see one – as a bonus – on a boat tour of the seal colony at Cape Bridgewater. Boat tours, specifically to see blue whales, are also available. Helicopter flights from Portland Airport have a high whale-finding success rate.

Southern right whales can nearly always be seen close to shore at Logan’s Beach (Warrnambool) from late May

Check with the Portland Visitor Information Centre for up-to-date reports.

Whale Watching

Logans Beach, whale watching platform, Warrnambool, RE Southern right whale, Portland Harbour, SG

156.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Take care not to disturb the animals. Move slowly and quietly and take the time to stop, sit and listen. Maintain distances that do not impact on the animals’ natural behaviour – binoculars can be helpful. Heathlands The sandy heathlands toward the eastern end of the Great Ocean Road put on a magnificent wildflower display during spring. Keep an eye out for echidnas digging for ants.

Wildlife Watching by Lizzie Corke The Great Ocean Road region spans a range of diverse ecosystems and vegetation types from wet temperate rainforest, through wet and dry eucalypt forests, to botanically diverse coastal and inland heaths, and extensive grasslands. More information about each of these ecosystems can be found in the Ecosystems, Flora and Fauna section. The region is home to an extraordinary range of wildlife, some of which can be found nowhere else in the world. When the road starts winding through woodlands, majestic forests and pristine rainforest gullies, it can lead you to the secret habitats of some of the most intriguing animals on earth.

Eastern grey kangaroos, Anglesea Golf Club, VofV Koala, Mt Eccles, RE

Australian native animals are shy, so unless you take the time to stop, look and listen you are likely to miss out on memorable sightings and experiences. If you are keen to really observe native animals behaving naturally in their particular habitats, you should take time out from travel to really explore the surrounding bush, if possible in the company of experienced guides.

Edges of space and time create very special moments – as day turns to night and night turns to day many species are at their most active. Where grasslands and the bush meet, keep an eye out for mobs of eastern grey kangaroos and red-shouldered wallabies grazing in their family groups. The young bucks may be play fighting and it is wonderful to watch does tending joeys. Damp Sclerophyll Forest In the grassy eucalypt woodlands (near Kennett River or Cape Otway) watch for koalas in the comfortable forks of the manna gums and swamp gums, browsing on the tough eucalyptus leaves. In spring and summer you may hear the bull koalas bellowing – they are marking out their home ranges for the breeding season. Watch them marking their scent, rubbing their chests on the tree trunks. Safe in the trees, koalas are quite relaxed when being observed – take time to sit and watch them in the trees above you – there is nothing quite as peaceful as watching a mother koala resting in the sun with her joey. Listen to the pretty call of the crimson rosellas, flashing red through the grey green of the woodland to sit like Christmas decorations in the branches

Activities

157.

A - Z Activities

of the eucalypts. Over the woodland clearings, watch for wedge tailed eagles soaring on the thermals as they scout for prey. Keep an eye out on the ground for snakes and observe them from a safe distance – the sunlight plays on the shiny scales of the lowland copperheads so that they glow.. As you move deeper into the forest, shy black wallabies watch you from the shadows as grey fantails dance around in the canopy catching insects on the wing. Look out for the buttercup yellow of the friendly eastern yellow robins against the grey green foliage. Listen for the eerie call of the beautiful yellow-tailed black cockatoos, the peep-peep-peep of the white throated tree creepers and whistle back to the beautiful grey shrike thrush. As night falls, hear the little boobook owl in the darkness and listen to the brush tailed possums and sugar gliders moving through the canopy high above. Cool Temperate Rainforest In the depths of the rainforests, observe how the eucalypts give way to myrtle beech and blackwoods. The sunlight is filtered by the dense canopy, which drips with pure water. Underfoot the mossy earth is cool and damp. This tranquil green darkness is home to the most secretive animals. Look out for the endemic Otway Black Snail – these special snails are carnivorous, feeding on worms and other snails, and only found in the rainforests of the Otway Ranges. The rainforest is often very quiet and long nosed potoroos and long nosed bandicoots forage almost silently for underground fungi, insects and roots – they are very elusive and well camouflaged, so you may not see them, but watch for signs of their diggings alongside the paths.

Late at night the silence may be broken by the raucous calls of the yellowbellied gliders, feeding on insects and tree sap high in the treetops. Keep an eye out for the spotted tailed quoll – a large, brown, spotted, cat-like marsupial that preys upon possums and birds. The quoll is rarely seen – reporting any sightings will help in conserving this amazing species. As you peer into the undergrowth you will certainly be watched by the quoll’s smaller cousins, the mouse-sized swamp, dusky and agile antechinus – listen for their hissing as you move through the rainforest after dusk. The bush will fall silent as the enormous powerful owl awakens for the night and calls into the darkness. At the bottom of the rainforest gullies are the creeks, which quickly grow into rivers. Platypus quietly slip into the water on the hunt for worms and freshwater invertebrates. Little native fish such as galaxias, pygmy perch and river blackfish may be seen if you watch carefully. Wetlands The rivers flow down through the ranges, growing and slowing as more creeks and springs merge to become

Emus, Deen Maar, RaphE Echidna, WGAC

158.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

On the beach watch for shore birds – the black and white hooded plovers and sooty oyster catchers run along the tide line collecting small insects and crustaceans. Search in the skies for the magnificent white bellied sea eagles soaring along the coastline. Sit silently on the beach just after dusk for the chance to see fairy penguins emerging from the breaking waves, making their way up the beach to burrows tucked in the dunes. Wildlife Watching by Lizzie Corke, Great Otway Ecolodge

Hire a small car - they produce 50% less carbon emissions per km than large cars.

wetlands. Look for waders and water birds – the purple swamp hen, mountain ducks, wood ducks, white faced herons and the beautiful black swan. The birds nest in the thick reeds and rushes. Listen for the frogs calling at dusk – the pobblebonk, Victorian smooth froglet and little brown tree frog are all commonly heard. This is the habitat of the tiger snake, whose colour can range from completely black to vivid black and yellow stripes. The tiger snake is slower than other snakes in the Otways so is seen quite regularly. Should you happen to come across one unexpectedly, the tiger may feel threatened and raise his head from the ground – do not panic, just relax and stand absolutely still and the snake will make his way into the safety of the undergrowth. Watch his beautiful movement from a safe distance. (It is a good idea, when walking in the bush, to take a bandage with you and to familiarise yourself with first aid procedures for snake bite.) The Coast & Sea

Australian fur seal, AV Emu chicks, Tower Hill, WGAC

Along the coast, Australian fur seals and occasionally New Zealand fur seals, elephant seals and leopard seals haul out of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean to doze in the sunshine.

Wine The story of the wine industry along the Great Ocean Road has two distinct chapters. The first chapter began in Geelong in 1842 and was encouraged by Governor Charles La Trobe, whose wife came from Switzerland’s Neuchatel winemaking region. With this connection, a number of Swiss families migrated to the Geelong region and brought their winemaking skills with them. The first vines were planted by David Pettavel and F. Brequet at Pollock’s Ford, and by John Belperroud in the Barrabool Hills in 1842. They were soon followed by 11 new settlers from Neuchatel who planted vines around their homes in the Barrabool Hills, and by German immigrants in the late 1840s who settled at Germantown (now Grovedale). By the late 1870s, around 400 ha were planted with vines and there were 116 vineyards, making Geelong Victoria’s largest winemaking district. It produced Australia’s premier table wines, while most other regions (especially those in warm regions like the Barossa and northeast Victoria)

Activities

159.

A - Z Activities

produced fortified, sweet wines that today are better known as ‘stickies’. Wineries from Geelong won a number of prestigious international awards, but disaster was waiting in the wings. The catalyst was a tiny aphid, known as Phylloxera, which attacks the roots of the vines and progressively reduces yield. Phylloxera’s first appearance in Australia was at Fyansford in 1877. The Government ordered the immediate destruction of infested vineyards, and a number of factors – including the economic depression of the 1890s and the fashionable preference for sweet wines – meant that the vineyards were not replanted. For a time, most people forgot that Geelong had once been internationally famous for its wines. Fortunately, a few people didn’t. Dr Daryl Sefton, veterinary surgeon and great-grandson of early Swiss migrants, grew up listening to stories of Geelong’s wine era. He and his wife Nini set out to start the second chapter of Geelong’s wine story and established Idyll vineyard at Moorabool in 1966, with Phylloxera-resistant stock. In 1983 the story came full circle when the Idyll Cabernet Shiraz won a gold medal at the Brussels Mondiale Selection – Geelong’s first international gold award this century. In 1999 Idyll was bought by Vince and David Littore and became part of Jindalee Estate, which has recently been renamed Littore Family Wines. The same ingredients that led to the success of the Geelong region in the 1860s – the soils and climate – still existed and other pioneers followed the Seftons’ lead, including Tom Maltby at Mt Anakie; Stuart Hooper with winemaker Garry Farr at Bannockburn; Alister Scott at Tarcoola, Lethbridge; Ken Campbell

at Mt Duneed; and Bruce Hyett at Prince Albert, Waurn Ponds. Today, Geelong’s winemaking industry thrives once more, with a similar amount of land under vine as in the 1870s. There are now almost 50 vineyards, many of which are open for cellar-door tastings and sales. Some also have excellent restaurants, and a few offer accommodation as well. There are three distinct regions within the Geelong area, each producing distinctive styles reflecting climatic and soil influences – the Bellarine Peninsula, Moorabool Valley and Anakie, and the Surf Coast (including Waurn Ponds). Soil types vary from sandy loams, to red soils over limestone, to heavy black volcanic soils; and the microclimates vary from exposed maritime conditions on the peninsula to sheltered valley floors in the Moorabool Valley. Overall, the cool climate, hand-pruning and picking and low yields produce complex, strongly characteristic wines.

The Minya Vineyard, PT Kilgour Estate, RE

160.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Since the 1990s, vineyards have spread westwards beyond the Geelong region, with large cool climate plantings throughout the Otways, notably Otway Estate run by Andrew Noseda and Janine Rose. In the far southwest, the Henty region includes a growing number of vineyards. The first was planted in the 1960s when Karl Seppelt planted vines at Drumborg, which was the most southerly vineyard in Victoria at the time. The fruit is processed at Seppeltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Great Western winery, near Stawell. Information about individual wineries and cellar door opening hours is available from Visitor Information Centres, and from www.winegeelong. com.au.

Spray Farm Estate, VofV Clyde Park, VofV

Bellarine Peninsula The Bellarine Peninsula has a maritime climate, with bay breeezes and spectacular views. Moorabool Valley & Anakie The hills and valleys of the Anakie/ Moorabool Valley areas have a warm, continental style climate.Â Surf Coast The Surf Coast has a temperate, maritime climate without extremes of heat or cold, creating optimal conditions for vines.

161.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Both Feet, Johanna is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Both Feet, Johanna Putting their best foot forward

The Great Ocean Walk is one of the most spectacular pedestrian pathways in Australia, stretching 104 km along remote and rugged coastline between Apollo Bay and the Twelve Apostles. Recently, the walk became even better with the completion of Both Feet’s luxurious and sustainable walking lodge. Both Feet has been leading guided walks along the famous stretch of coastline for five years; and has long been Advanced Eco-Certified by Eco Tourism Australia. When owner Dana Ronan decided to build a resting place for walkers, it was very important to her that the building aligned to the ongoing commitment to sustainability. The resulting lodge is a stylish and sustainable retreat that features a passive solar design and cross ventilation, harvested spring water and rainwater; a selection of building materials that minimise the impact on the site itself; and environmentally friendly pampering products in each king-sized room.

Both Feet also ensures that all shuttle transfers from Melbourne and to various points along the trail are carbon offset too. For the weary walkers, though, the ecocredentials of Both Feet’s operation and lodge are secondary to the relief of being able to sink their feet into an aromatherapy-infused foot spa at the end of a long day’s hiking. With the completion of the lodge, we now have a vertically integrated product where all aspects of our tour operation are eco-certified. ” Dana Ronan Tel: 1300 767 416 www.bothfeet.com.au

162.

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Activities

163.

Beaches & Surfing

BEACHES & SURFING by Andrew Hanson The beaches of the Great Ocean Road are among the finest in the world, whether you’re looking for a place to ramble, surf, sunbake, snorkel, swim, fish…or even to shed your gear. The water is clean, the sand free from rubbish, and the wide variety of spots at which to relax spoils locals and visitors for choice. You can swim with the crowds at major beaches like Ocean Grove, Torquay, Anglesea or Lorne, or sneak off down the road to beaches that are almost deserted, even at the height of summer. But a warning. Each year people enjoying the coast are lost to the sea. This can be a dangerous coastline, an area where people must know their limitations. Swim between the flags in areas patrolled by a Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) if you are unfamiliar with the area and the prevailing conditions. Each beach has its own characteristics and what may appear a safe place to swim can be fatally misleading. Play it safe! The following guide lists all the major beaches on the Great Ocean Road, while leaving off many that are lesser known though equally beautiful. A local map and an inquiring mind may lead you to experience the beaches situated just off the beaten track. The beaches are listed from east to west, and are shown as blue numbers on the regional maps and around town maps at the beginning of this book. For more information about the beaches covered in this book, see Best Of The Great Ocean Road Beaches & Surf Spots, by Andrew Hanson, BestShot 2009. Because of page limits, this book includes only brief, practical descriptions and, in some cases, only a basic listing. Best Of The Great Ocean Road Beaches & Surf Spots has complete descriptions of all the beaches listed in this chapter. In some cases the practical information in this book is duplicated, but there is also additional information.

White’s Beach, Cape Bridgewater, RE Lorne, GS Gully Beach, Aireys Inlet, RE

164.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

The beaches in this chapter are listed from east to west - from Queenscliff to Nelson. The numbers correspond to the blue numbers shown on the maps at the front of the book.

Queenscliff to Torquay 1

Queenscliff

Pt Lonsdale

Southside

Port Campbell

Pt Addis

Inlet

Anglesea

Jetty

Pt Roadknight

Two Mile

Front

Guvvo’s

Peterborough

Back / Surf

Urquhart Bluff

Aireys Inlet

Warrnambool

Ocean Grove 4

Ocean Grove

Raffs

Barwon Heads 6 7 8

River 13th Beach Bancoora

Fairhaven to Spout Creek 29

Fairhaven

Moggs Creek

Spot

Breamlea

Spout Creek

Pt Impossible

Cathedral Rock

Torquay 11 12 13 14

Fishermans Front Cosy Corner Back / Surf

Lorne

Cumberland River

Lady Bay

The Flume

Merri Marine Sanctuary

Japs / Logans Beach

Port Fairy 54

East Beach

The Passage

Griffith Island

Wye River

Port Fairy to Nelson

Kennett River

Portland

Skenes Creek

Watertower

Nun’s Beach

The Bay

Blacknose

Marengo

Crumpets

Jan Juc 15

Jan Juc

Bird Rock

Sparrows

Apollo Bay to Port Fairy

Steps

Boobs

Bells Beach

Apollo Bay

Jan Juc to Aireys Inlet

Curdies Inlet

Yellow Rock

Murrels

Cape Bridgwater 63

Bridgewater Bay

Glenaire

Whites Beach

Castle Cove

Blacks Beach

Johanna

Winkipop

Princetown

Bells

Gibson Steps

Activities

165.

Beaches & Surfing

Beach Selection Picking the right activity for the right beach given prevailing conditions is the key to whether your trip to the beach is a success or not. The following beach descriptions are designed to help, but as with all rules, there are exceptions. The most important factors are wind strength and direction, and the tide. If you’re a surfer, swell size and direction are also critical. For general users, most beaches are most attractive and interesting at low tide. There will be rock pools, and acres of clean sand for whatever beach activity you choose. If you are visiting a beach at high tide, especially if there is a big swell, you’ll need to choose one with room beyond the high water mark – and there aren’t too many of these. If global warming continues to increase the sea level, they will become even more difficult to find. For surfers, incoming mid-tides are generally best. Unfortunately goofy footers (right foot forward) will look long and hard for high-quality left hand reef breaks. Southside at Bells, the Jetty at Port Campbell and Japs at Warrnambool are among the exceptions. Right hand reef breaks are the norm, and goofy footers will have to make do with beach breaks – although these can be good quality. The best beach and surf conditions are created by offshore breezes – that is, breezes blowing straight off the land and out to sea. On a south-facing beach that runs east-west, an offshore wind is a northerly. Gibson Steps, DS

166.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

you’re a hang glider or windsurfer. With an east wind there are only a couple of beaches that are sheltered and conditions are often particularly dangerous because unusual rips develop. The winds that are best for Great Ocean Road beaches are from the north – from northeast through to northwest. There will always be a nearby beach for which these winds are ideal – for both general users and surfers. Fortunately the north wind nearly always comes with (relatively) warm weather too. With an offshore breeze it will be easy to find sheltered spots on the beach, the water’s surface will be smooth, and the wind will clean up the waves so they’re steep and glassy – maybe even tubing. If the wind comes from the side it will be hard to find shelter on the beach, sand will blow, and the waves and water will be choppy. Straight onshore breezes – that is, breezes blowing straight off the sea onto the shore – can be OK if they’re light. If there’s any strength in an onshore wind, however, the beach will be windy and chilly and the water and waves will be choppy and lumpy. The Great Ocean Road is blessed because within a one-hour drive of most towns you can almost always find a beach with offshore winds. There are beaches that face east (meaning a westerly wind is offshore), southeast, south and southwest.

Surfer, Portland, GSC Bucket and spade, GS

The winds that give Great Ocean Road beaches the most trouble are south through to the east – and the worst of them all is the east wind. If there’s a strong south or east wind, most of the beaches won’t be much fun – unless

These days it’s easy to check conditions on the Internet before you jump in a car and start burning fossil fuels. For general weather conditions, including winds, temperatures, rain radar and tides, the Bureau of Meteorology is best: www.bom.gov.au. For longterm weather forecasts, Elders, a large agribusiness, has good information: www.eldersweather.com.au. For surf reports, forecasts and live web cams at major beaches you could check out: www.coastalwatch.com or www.swellnet.com.au. Note on wave measurement:

Surfers traditionally use feet to measure wave height, which is the estimated height from the bottom of the trough to the top of the wave, just before it breaks. For those who don’t know or remember the imperial measurement system, here’s a rough guide: 2 ft = 0.5 metre 3 ft = 1 metre 4 ft = 1.25 metres 5 ft = 1.75 metres 6 ft = 2 metres

Activities

167.

Beaches & Surfing

Geelong to Queenscliff The beaches from Geelong to Queenscliff are all bay beaches, facing north and east onto Corio and Port Phillip bays. There’s no surf so the emphasis is on some swimming, some snorkelling, but especially on sailing and fishing. Many families make an annual pilgrimage to large caravan parks at Portarlington and Indented Head. Geelong once imagined itself as a seaside holiday destination and the unique development at Eastern Beach reminds us of a time when a medicinal dip in the water was a more civilised affair than those now undertaken at sandy, immodest surf beaches. Today the redevelopment of the waterfront has rekindled the appeal and the pools at Eastern Beach attract huge numbers of people on hot weekends. There are also popular beaches at Portarlington (facing north), and Indented Head and St Leonards (both facing east). Portarlington and St Leonards both have piers that have begun the fishing careers of thousands of children. Most of the peninsula beaches are quite wind-exposed to anything from northwest through to east, and most are best at high tide. At low tide you sometimes have to wade for long distances to get to water with a swimmable depth. Strong winds can wash up enormous quantities of seagrass, which can also make the beaches temporarily unattractive. Apart from the wind, none of these factors have a significant impact on yachting and fishing – and there are few better places to be than on a boat, surrounded by azure water, the skyscrapers of Melbourne hovering

above the horizon (to remind you that some people are still working) with a bucket of King George Whiting at your feet. Suitable for: swimming,

snorkelling, sailing, fishing (boat and pier) Wind & Tide: various, but generally best at high tide with south to southwest winds More info this book: Map 2, Geelong, Portarlington, Indented Head, St Leonards, Port Phillip Marine National Park, Walks Around Bellarine Peninsula

Turning down your central heating by 1°C can reduce your electricity usage by 10%. Set heating at 18 to 20°C.

Queenscliff to Torquay Beaches

The stretch of coastline between Queenscliff and Torquay hosts a large number of holidaymakers throughout the summer months. Outside this time, numbers drop dramatically and you may find yourself enjoying the beach with very few others. East of Jan Juc, and with the stunning exception of Pt Lonsdale, this is not the most dramatic stretch of coastline on the Great Ocean Road. Much of the hinterland immediately behind the beaches is flat, degraded agricultural

St Leonards, VofV

168.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

More info this book: Queenscliff town section, Port Phillip Marine National Park, Walks Around Bellarine Peninsula

Pt Lonsdale

Pt Lonsdale offers beachgoers two very different experiences. The east-facing beach (Front 2 ) is generally calm and waveless, making it a safe place to swim and an especially good spot to learn to snorkel.

land, and the towns are often suburban in character. The beaches, however, are brilliant. There are magnificent stretches of clean sand, incredible reefs for rambling and snorkeling, and some of the best, most consistent surf breaks on the planet. Queenscliff

The Queenscliff area boasts a variety of beaches that cater for a range of activities. Like the other bay beaches, Queenscliff offers families safe, wavefree spots to enjoy the water. Queenscliff is well known as a dive destination, with many reefs and shipwrecks dotted around the area. A major attraction is the opportunity to swim with the dolphins in Port Phillip Bay. The long pier near the centre of town is a great place to fish from or simply walk off your dinner each evening. Queenscliff has a car ferry terminal that operates hourly between Queenscliff and Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. WWII fortification, Back Beach, Pt Lonsdale, RE Front Beach, Pt Lonsdale, RE Rip and Back Beach, Pt Lonsdale, GS

Suitable for: swimming, diving/snorkeling, boating, fishing (jetties, boats, beach), water-skiing

Sometimes there’s a shortage of sand on the Front Beach, and there are always rock pools. The snorkeling is entertaining even if you venture only a few metres from the shore. There are dramatic views across the Rip to Point Nepean and Portsea, and there’s a row of cafés immediately behind the beach – so there’s no need to rough it! When a large swell is running and the wind is from the west or southwest, the usually becalmed Front Beach turns on a wave that peels around the point, offering reasonable rides suited to long boards. The south-facing beach (Back / Surf 3 ) receives the full brunt of Bass Strait, and when the wind is from the north or northeast, provides surfers with powerful, well-formed waves. The wave quality at the Back / Surf beach depends on sand movement forming consistent sand banks, but on a good day there can be top quality lefts and rights. Rips are frequent and strong in this notoriously dangerous area. Exercise extreme caution and swim between the flags in the patrolled area. There are some great reefs and rockpools to explore along the stretch that runs from the Back / Surf Beach, beneath the lighthouse, around to the Front Beach. You’ll find nooks sheltered from most winds, there are

Activities

169.

Beaches & Surfing

some deserted WWII fortifications overlooking the Rip that can be explored. There’s also a cave (though you can only peer in through a fence) where William Buckley (see separate section) is believed to have stayed. The pier below the lighthouse was built in the 1890s to assist in shipwreck rescues when the lifeboat from Queenscliff was in action. Although the end of the pier gradually deteriorated as a result of the regular thumping it got, and the pier is now substantially shorter than it once was, it’s still a popular place to fish, and a spectacular place to be – if there’s a big swell running, or a sunset, or a ship running through the Rip… Suitable for: swimming, diving/snorkeling, surfing, fishing (boat and beach) Wind & Tide: Front Beach – best at low tide; exposed to southeast and east winds. Back Beach – best at low-incoming tides; exposed to west, south and east winds. Parking & Access: Front Beach – parking along the main street opposite shops, and immediately behind the beach; easy access. Back Beach – limited parking near Pt Lonsdale SLSC; it’s a long, steep walk over the dunes to the beach. More info this book: Map 2, Diving & Snorkeling, Point Lonsdale, Port Phillip Marine National Park, Walks Around Bellarine Peninsula

Ocean Grove & Raffs 4 & 5 Ocean Grove is a large town, with many people commuting to Geelong to work. As a result the Ocean Grove beach 4 can be very crowded during peak times and high tides. A series of offshore reefs block some of the swell action making the waves smaller than at neighbouring Pt Lonsdale and 13th Beach.

The long, flat and wide beach at Ocean Grove offers a great area for sunbaking and beach games, especially at low tide. Immediately behind the beach there’s a sea wall and boardwalk, grass areas, a kiosk/restaurant, and large sealed carparks – Ocean Grove is a ‘tamed’ environment. At the far western end of the beach toward the mouth of the Barwon River, a beach break called Raffs 5 can offer small, clean waves when the wind is from the west/southwest. Suitable for:

swimming, surfing, beach

fishing Ocean Grove – for general use best at low-incoming tides, for surfers best from mid to high tide; OK with northeast, north and northwest winds. Raffs – for surfers best at mid to high tide, offshore with west, southwest winds. Parking & Access: Ocean Grove – there is extensive parking; easy access to the sand; change rooms and toilets available. Raffs – carparks on the eastern side of the Barwon Heads bridge; easy access to the sand. More info this book: Map 2, Ocean Grove, Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, Walks Around Bellarine Peninsula Wind & Tide:

Raffs Beach and Barwon Heads Bluff, JM

170.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

On the ocean side of the town, 13th Beach 7 has more than seven km of sandy beach to enjoy. It’s the closest surf beach to Geelong, and one of the closest to Melbourne, so it can be crowded in the water – but there’s always room to get away from the crowd if you’re just walking or sunbaking.

Barwon Heads River & 13th Beach 6 & 7 Barwon Heads has boomed in popularity in recent times. Retaining a small coastal village feel, and situated between the Barwon River and the sea, Barwon Heads is the perfect place for beach lovers of all ages and interests. The banks of the Barwon River 6 offer families a safe and sheltered location – and are even sheltered from easterlies! The estuary is tidal, and care should be taken, especially when the tide is running out. You can see if it’s running out by looking at the boats anchored in the area (there are usually two or three just south of the bridge) – they will have their bows pointing up river. On an incoming tide, people line the historic bridge to hook a variety of fish including salmon, whiting, flathead and, at certain times of the year, the prized mulloway. The town also has two jetties from which to fish. Further upstream, on River Pde, it is possible to launch a small boat or canoe and fish the upper reaches of the estuary. Barwon Heads (13th Beach foreground, Ocean Grove far side of bridge), GS Beacon, RE Beacon, SR

There is outstanding snorkeling in the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary.

The beach is backed by dunes, then by a busy road, then by a series of famous golf courses. The road and the beach were made famous by the 1959 movie ‘On The Beach’, starring Ava Gardiner and Gregory Peck. Surfers flock to this beach when the wind is from the north or northeast, and it offers some of the most consistent beach break waves in Victoria. The eastern end picks up the most swell, with the best waves breaking at low tide at Beacon, a heavy breaking spot that churns out consistent barrels when the swell is over one metre. Beacon holds waves up to 8 ft and is for experienced surfers only when it gets big. The intertidal zone is lined with a flat, sand covered rock shelf that is exposed at low tide. West of Beacon, the rock shelf disappears and wave heights decrease, making it a good place for intermediate surfers. Beginners should only enter the water on the smaller days, as the waves pack some punch, and it is easy to get into trouble. The 13th Beach SLSC patrols an area of beach and it is recommended swimmers stay within the flags. The beach has deep holes, and strong rips can occur at any time, particularly when the wind is from the east or southeast. The western end of the beach is used by horse riders and trainers, with several Melbourne Cup winners using the beach and shallows in the weeks leading up to the big race.

Activities

171.

Beaches & Surfing

Suitable for: surfing,

swimming (between flags only), beach fishing, horseriding, wind surfing, kite surfing Wind & Tide: Barwon River – always sheltered; best at low tide. 13th Beach – best with north to northeasterly winds. Mid to high tide is best, except for Beacon which breaks better on a low incoming tide. Parking & Access: Barwon River – numerous access points, including unmarked carparks off the Barwon Heads–Ocean Grove Rd. 13th Beach – there are a series of carparks along the northern side of the road. Most sections of the beach are accessed via steep wooden stairs. More info this book: Map 2, Barwon Heads, Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve, Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary, Walks Around Bellarine Peninsula

Bancoora

Tucked away quietly between Barwon Heads and Torquay is Bancoora Beach, home to the Bancoora SLSC. This out of the way site is frequented by many locals keen on escaping the crowds at other more well known beaches. surfing, swimming (between flags only), fishing, horseriding Wind: best with west to northwest winds; reasonably protected on light southwest winds Parking & Access: carpark at Bancoora SLSC; short walk to beach More info this book: Map 2, Breamlea section following Suitable for:

Breamlea

Breamlea is a tiny, coastal hamlet set between sand dunes and Thompson Creek. It is not a typical Great Ocean Road tourist town, and nor do the residents want it to be. They, like the Aboriginals and William Buckley (see separate section) who preceded them, understand the riches of this bit of coast. There is very little parking available, and the only road ends in a dead end. The beaches are beautiful and often deserted, offering an escape from the crowds.

Suitable for: surfing, swimming (confident swimmers only), fishing (beach and creek) Wind & Tide: exposed to west, south and east winds; mid-incoming tide for surfers Parking & Access: parking is very limited and fills up quickly More info this book: Map 2, Breamlea, William Buckley, Walks Around Torquay

Pt Impossible

Pt Impossible (Possos) is one of two official nudist beaches on the Great Ocean Road. It is also the home to several busy surf spots, and the two pursuits have co-existed with few problems since nude bathing was legalised in 1983. Unfortunately, over the last few years there have been intermittent reports of harassment and unsavoury activities in the area, so if planning to use the area on the Torquay side of the point (White’s Beach), buddy up with someone to be on the safe side. The nude bathing area officially begins west of the main surf breaks, and is best accessed from Torquay; continue east along The Esplanade, past The Sands, along a dirt road to a carpark at the eastern end of the road. For surfers, the best access is along a dirt road that heads south off Blackgate Rd.

Pt Impossible (foreground), Breamlea (over creek), Bancoora (top right), GS Breamlea, RB

172.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Torquay

11 12 13 14

There is arguably no town in the world more synonymous with surfing than Torquay. Home to global surf giants Quiksilver and Rip Curl, and the Surf World Museum, Torquay attracts surfers and beach lovers from all over the world to enjoy the waves and pick up some of the latest surf wear and accessories.

Travel light; think about hiring equipment like surfboards and diving gear at your destination.

There are two main breaks at Possos – Insides and Outsides. Insides is the more protected of the two breaks, offering great long boarding waves up to 5 ft. Insides is best on a low and incoming tide, with west to northwest winds. It is a crowded wave, and beginners should avoid the break during peak times as not only will they fail to catch waves, but put themselves in danger of being hit by flying long boards! Outsides receives more swell than Insides, and is a considerable paddle offshore. Three defined reefs make up Outsides, all different on the day and each working at different tides. West to northwest winds are best, but the spot can get very wind affected. As it breaks a long way from shore, you need to be a competent and fit surfer to make the most of this break. Suitable for: surfing, fishing (beach and rocks), horseriding, nude sunbathing Wind & Tide: west to northwest winds; Insides prefers a low-incoming tide, while different sections of Outsides prefer different tides, say mid tide to play it safe Parking & Access: there is plenty of parking at Pt Impossible and you can watch the action at Insides from your car More info this book: Map 2, Walks Around Torquay

Whites Beach from Pt Impossible, JM Back Beach, Torquay, RB

Torquay has a wide variety of beaches to choose from. Families flock to the usually waveless Fisherman’s Beach (Fishos), Torquay Front Beach and Cosy Corner (Cosies) to eat, swim, sunbake and play games of beach cricket. Fishermans’s Beach 11 also hosts the Torquay Angling Club and there’s a busy boat ramp. The offshore reefs offer great fishing, with catches of snapper, whiting and flathead being the predominant species targeted. The Front Beach 12 is backed by a sea wall, Norfolk Pines and a broad grassy hill – perfect for sand-phobics and serious picnics. Cosy Corner 13 , in the lee of Pt Danger is one of the most protected spots on the entire coast and there are more picnic spots, and a toilet, tucked into a grove of ancient Moonah trees. These beaches offer a safer alternative to the surf beaches to the west, as the swell is usually blocked by Pt Danger. The water gets deeper gradually and rips are rare. Cosies is a great place to push young children into their first waves on foam surf boards. A bonus of these beaches is their proximity to nearby amenities such as toilets, showers, not to mention the cafés and bars across the road on The Esplanade. Rocky (Torquay) Point is littered with wave skis, body boards, surf mats, short boarders, long boarders and

Activities

173.

Beaches & Surfing

paddle boards, making it a very busy place to surf in the summer months. In winter, however, there are long right hand waves ideal for long boards and surfers with moderate skills. The Torquay SLSC patrols the Back / Surf Beach 14 and rescues many people who literally find themselves out of their depth. Due to the nature of the beach and wave energy, rips form quickly and regularly, and swimmers and body boarders find trouble without warning, particularly when a moderate swell is running. Wind & Tide: best on a west/northwest wind. Rocky (Torquay) Point is best on a lowincoming tide. Parking & Access: ample parking and easy access on The Esplanade, at Pt Danger and behind the Torquay SLSC – but summer weekends can be very crowded More info this book: Map 7, Torquay, Pt Danger Marine Sanctuary, Pt Addis Marine National Park, Great Otway National Park, Walks Around Torquay

Jan Juc to Apollo Bay Beaches

The official start of the Great Ocean Road is at Spring Creek, the boundary between Torquay and Jan Juc, and this is also the point where the coast starts to become truly spectacular. From long, flat sandy beaches, to plummeting cliffs, the vista is constantly changing, with a fresh angle or perspective around each kink in the road. Take care when driving this section of road, especially in summer. The traffic is usually quite heavy, and many drivers are unfamiliar with the twists, turns and narrow sections. It’s a Formula One fantasy; slow and steady wins the race on this awe-inspiring section of coastline.

Facing southeast onto Bass Strait, the eastern side of Cape Otway is not as wild and wind blasted as the coast to the west. Protected from the worst of the southwest winds howling up from the Great Southern Ocean, the hills that plunge into the turquoise sea are covered in forests, sometimes true rainforest. The cliffs, storms and swells can still be awesome, but the environment is not as raw and brutal as that further to the west. There are sheltered stretches and coves, as well as some of the world’s best waves. From the mouth of Spring Creek west to Aireys Inlet, there are spectacular red-orange sedimentary cliffs and some of the world’s greatest coastal scenery. After Fairhaven, the forested Otway Ranges plunge steeply into the ocean and there are a small number of sheltered beaches, usually where a river, tumbling out of the hills, meets the sea.

Jan Juc (foreground), Rocky Pt, Torquay Back Beach, Pt Danger, Torquay Front Beach, Fishermans Beach, GS Front Beach, Torquay, EH Big Hill to Lorne, RE

174.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

and it offers a decent wall, even in onshore conditions. It’s best on a midto-high incoming tide with northwest winds. Down the beach in front of the Jan Juc SLSC there’s a less crowded alternative to the competitive carpark bank. Wave quality is dependent on the sand banks, but some decent lefts can peel off on the right day. The beach only holds waves to maximum of 6 ft when the banks are good, there is a predominantly north wind, and a swell between 2 to 4 ft. Jan Juc

15 16 17 18 19

Jan Juc has traditionally been overshadowed by the well-known town on the opposite bank of Spring Creek but, ironically, Torquay’s fame is actually largely thanks to the worldclass surf around Jan Juc.

Jan Juc, SR Bird Rock, PT Bird Rock to Jan Juc, VofV Bird Rock, PT Steps, RE

To the west of Jan Juc Beach is a section of coastline that is home to a number of reefs and point breaks that turn on waves from as small as 2 ft up to a very testing 20 ft on different tides and swell sizes. From Jan Juc to the west you will find: Bird Rock

Jan Juc might look suburban – and it is, sort of, if it is possible for a suburb to be obsessed by surf – but the adjacent beaches have nothing suburban about them.

A hollow, short and sweet right-hander that breaks over a shallow reef. Dropins are very dangerous here and are not tolerated by the locals who dominate the wave.

The only beach suited to swimming is Jan Juc Beach 15 , which runs from Rocky (Torquay) Point in the east, due west to Bird Rock. The Jan Juc SLSC patrols in the warmer months. Again, this beach can be dangerous for swimmers under certain conditions, especially with the swell and wind from the southeast – swim between the flags. Jan Juc offers a wide strip of beach at low tide, but at high tide the beach largely disappears, with waves often washing up to the base of the sandstone cliffs. Keep an eye on your towel on a rising tide!

Wind, Tide & Swell:

The local grommets are all over Jan Juc whenever it breaks. A reasonably consistent right hand sand bank forms in front of the middle and top tier of the main carpark (off Carnarvon Ave)

best on a northwest wind; mid-incoming tide; 3 to 6 ft swell

Sparrows

This wave breaks across a deepish channel from Bird Rock and works on similar tide and wind conditions. Not as hollow and critical as Bird Rock, Sparrows is more suited to intermediate surfers. best on a northwest wind; mid-incoming tide; 3 to 5 ft swell

Wind, Tide & Swell:

Steps

Steps is visible to the west of Sparrows, and is accessed from a carpark and long walk from Ocean Boulevard. Steps is a fun, workable right-hander that breaks a little bit differently on almost every wave, making it an interesting wave

Activities

175.

Beaches & Surfing

to surf. Steps is sometimes criticised for being a fat, unchallenging wave, however it does get good on its day. best on a northwest to west wind; low-incoming tide; 3 to 5 ft swell

Wind, Tide & Swell:

Boobs

Boobs is predominately a right hand reef break, however some good lefts also break off the back of the reef. Some surfers actually prefer the lefts to the rights. Boobs doesn’t start breaking truly until the tide is quite high, and picks up slightly less swell than its famous neighbours to the southwest. Wind & Tide:

best on northwest wind and

higher tides More info this book:

Map 7, Torquay, Walks

Around Torquay

Bells Beach Surfing Recreation Reserve 20

21 22

Bells Beach is known by surfers all around the world and is the major focus for surfers visiting the Great Ocean Road. Local surfers have been visiting the Bells Beach area since the late 1940s, but the crew who made it famous, including Peter Troy, Joe Sweeney and George ‘Ming’ Smith, began surfing it regularly in the late 1950s. In 1961, the first surfing contest was held there, which became an annual event now known as the Rip Curl Pro, a key event on the ASP World Championship Tour. As a result of this global exposure, the breaks inside the reserve are rarely uncrowded, and sound wave knowledge, suitable equipment and good fitness are required to make the most of the waves. If you’re a beginner, there are more user-friendly waves nearby. There are several waves in the immediate area worth surfing if you are up to the challenge.

Winkipop

Winkipop (Winki) is one of Australia’s and the world’s premier right hand waves. For many years it lived in the shadow of nearby Bells, however local surfers have always enjoyed the power, down-the-line speed and hollow sections that can break for almost 300 metres on classic days. Winki is the preferred wave of visiting professionals during the Rip Curl Pro held each Easter at Bells Beach. This is where they warm up for their heats or free surf before and after the event. Often, the most radical surfing occurs here outside the pressure of the contest. Winki breaks from 2 to 18 ft, although the larger swells are quite rare. The best waves are usually during autumn and winter, with wave heights regularly between 5 and 10 ft. The best winds are northwest and westerly. Like all surf spots though, there can be extended periods of poor conditions. When the swell is small, lower tides offer the best shape, and as the swell increases, Winki can handle mid to higher tides. On the larger days, a heavy current runs down the reef and paddling against it can be very challenging. Winkipop, RE Winkipop, RE Winkipop barrel, EK

176.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

judgement to surf here wisely. Offshore wind is northwest, although when the wind is light from the west/southwest Bells can still be quite clean. When the swell is smaller than 5 ft and it is a mid to high tide, a wave known as Rincon will break along the base of the headland. Rincon can line up really well, offering interesting sections and a lip to hit at regular intervals. The offshore wind is northwest.

Winki can be a dangerous wave, and drop-ins are not uncommon. Experienced local surfers have been badly injured and have lost their lives surfing here, and beginners should choose to surf at more suitable locations. Bells

Bells Beach is actually a series of waves breaking on separate parts of the reef at the base of the famous headland.

Spend more time in fewer locations. Get to know one place and reduce your transport carbon emissions.

Bells Beach, RE Winkipop, SR Bowl, Bells Beach, RE Southside, RE

The most famous section is the Bowl, which breaks almost directly in front of the bottom carpark. For the Bowl to begin breaking properly, the swell must be at least 4 ft and then it will only be worth surfing on the low tide. As the swell becomes larger, the tide is not so important for good waves to break over this section of the reef. The Bowl is characterised by a relatively easy take off, followed by a long, open wall which allows surfers plenty of room for drawn out powerful turns. When the swell hits 6 to 10 ft, the Bowl is at its best, again on low to mid tides. Bells is more forgiving to intermediate surfers than Winkipop, and is often noticeably less crowded. However it is a long paddle through often powerful waves, so make your

Directly in front of the headland is Centreside, which is the preferred wave for locals who tire of the predictable nature of the Bowl. Centreside can be criticised for closing out too regularly, however surfers who like to race sections and generate speed high in the lip line enjoy its quirkiness. One of the features of Centreside is that there is no set take-off spot, which can spread the crowd a little. It’s best from 3 to 6 ft. Southside

The final notable break in the reserve is Southside, which is a rare left-hander on a coastline famous for its righthanders. On small swells around 3 to 5 ft, Southside offers workable, peeling waves that wind down the edge of the reef. A handy alternative if you’re sick of going right! On the western side of Southside, around Jarosite Head, is the second of the Great Ocean Road’s nude beaches at Pt Addis. While people do sunbake and swim here naked, most people restrict the urge to the Pt Addis side. Access is via the smaller carpark behind the Bells headland. surfing northwest or west winds; see description of individual breaks for ideal tides Parking & Access: There is parking at Winkipop (first one on the left coming from Torquay on Bells Beach Rd), Bells (continue past the Winki carpark) and Southside (return Suitable for: Wind & Tide:

Activities

177.

Beaches & Surfing

to Bells Beach Rd and turn left after you cross the creek). There are toilets at Bells. More info this book: Map 7 & 8, Torquay, Pt Addis Marine National Park, Great Otway National Park, Walks Around Torquay

Pt Addis

Pt Addis is a secluded and quiet spot southwest of Torquay. The carpark at the end of the road offers one of the best views on the entire coast. To the left of the point, back towards Torquay, a long sandy beach curves toward Southside. The waves are very gentle in this area on all but the wildest days and swimming is relatively safe. However, this is an unpatrolled beach and care should be taken. Nude bathing is legal at Pt Addis, with the stretch of beach from about halfway round the bay to Southside the most popular area for nudists. Due to the remote nature of the area, it is recommended that you visit this beach with friends, as there have been occasional reports of harassment and unwarranted attention toward women. This beach is quite sheltered in southwest winds. Suitable for: surfing, swimming, fishing, sunbaking, getting your gear off! Tide: mid tide for beach breaks, low to mid tide for most of the reefs Parking & Access: Parking at the end of the point, or by the roadside. Another carpark is on the right hand side of the road. It is a reasonably long walk on a steep gravel track, plus stairs, to access the beach. More info this book: Map 8, Pt Addis Marine National Park, Great Otway National Park, Walks Around Torquay, Walks Around Anglesea

Anglesea

Anglesea is only a 15 minute drive from Torquay, but it has an entirely different character. While busy during the

summer months, Anglesea has more of an old beach town vibe, without the encroaching commercialism of Torquay. With a river running through the heart of town, and beaches suited to sailing, surfing, sunbaking and fishing, Anglesea offers families a great location for an old-fashioned beach holiday. The banks of the Anglesea River provide a great place to throw a line in and chase small bream and salmon. There are some landings just upstream from the bridge that are popular, as well as areas in the upper reaches of the estuary. Prawns and sandworms are the most successful bait. The main beach at Anglesea is very popular, and on a hot weekend it can be tough to find room for a towel. Scenically, it is underrated, with

Addiscot, Pt Addis, RE Back Beach, Pt Addis, RE Busy Anglesea, VofV

178.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

waves and the prevailing summer winds, Roadknight offers a safe swimming environment with a very gradual increase in depth. When the swell is up, gently breaking waves suitable for longboarders and beginners peel down the sandy point. There is also a boat ramp at the Anglesea Angling Club that allows the launching of small fishing and sailing boats.

views of sheer cliffs, especially to the east of the river mouth, and across to the fantastic eroded shapes on Pt Roadknight. The main beach is patrolled by the Anglesea SLSC. It is a reasonably safe beach, however a consistent rip runs out to sea adjacent the rocks at the western end of the beach. Waves tend to close out quickly and don’t offer surfers much in the way of a ride. However, each summer, hundreds of beginners take to the water with local operators Go Ride A Wave to learn surfing and safety skills. Suitable for:

swimming, surfing (especially

beginners) southwest, west, north and northeast winds are all OK, with incoming tides best for surfing Parking & Access: there’s a large carpark on the left of the Great Ocean Road at the mouth of the Anglesea River just before a sharp right hand bend up the hill More info this book: Map 8, Anglesea, Great Otway National Park, Walks Around Anglesea Wind & Tide:

Pt Roadknight

Anglesea, RE Pt Roadnight, GS Guvvos from Urquart Bluff Guvvos, RE

Pt Roadknight is one of the most sheltered beaches on the coast, and not surprisingly has a reputation as a fine family beach. Largely protected from

Pt Roadknight, which is not much more than a sand dune, is eroding very quickly, creating some weird towers and beautiful rockpools as it disappears. There are great views from the point back towards Anglesea and the Eumeralla cliffs behind. The dunes themselves are home to the endangered Hooded Plover; observe the signs. Suitable for:

sailing, swimming, fishing,

surfing south, west, southwest, north and northeast winds are all OK, with incoming tides best for surfing Parking & Access: plenty of parking and quite easy access to the beach. Don’t park in the boat launching area – the parking inspectors are red hot! More info this book: Map 7, Anglesea, Great Otway National Park, Walks Around Anglesea Wind & Tide:

Guvvo’s

From Pt Roadknight, a long beach stretches approximately five km to the west, ending at Urquhart Bluff. The Great Ocean Road runs immediately behind the beach and there are a number of carparks on the beach side of the road. The entire stretch of beach is unpatrolled and has claimed several lives in recent times. It is only suitable for swimming when the swell is small, and again, extreme care should be taken. Surfers flock to a break called Guvvo’s, which lies 1½ km west of O’Donohue Rd, the western boundary of the Pt Roadknight township. There can be good banks and waves with a north/

Activities

179.

Beaches & Surfing

northwest wind. The sand banks are fairly consistent, and best when the swell is between 2 and 5 ft, with a midincoming tide. surfing northeast, north, northwest winds; best on mid-incoming tide, though often has banks on lower tides Parking & Access: carpark on south side of Great Ocean Road. More info this book: Map 8, Walks Around Anglesea Suitable for: Wind & Tide:

Urquhart Bluff

At the western end of the beach that begins at Pt Roadknight is Urquhart Bluff, another popular family beach. It lacks the protection from wind and waves that Pt Roadknight provides, but dogs are allowed! The point offers an average right hand wave for surfers – particularly long boards – when the swell is up and the wind is from the west to northwest. It’s best at lowincoming tide. There are also beach breaks just east of the point which are suitable for beginners. surfing, swimming, fishing exposed to south and east winds, best on northwest and north winds with a lowincoming tide. Higher tides for the beach breaks. Parking & Access: small carpark near beach, another carpark further away near road More info this book: Map 9, Walks Around Anglesea, Walks Around Aireys Inlet Suitable for: Wind & Tide:

Aireys Inlet

The Great Ocean Road takes a swing inland after Urquhart Bluff before arriving in the small town of Aireys Inlet. Aireys is refreshingly underdeveloped, with the town nestled between the bush, river and sea. The coastline in and around Aireys is spectacular, and there are some decent surf spots in the area. The Gully Beach to the west of the Great Ocean Road at the point where

Eagle Rock Pde is cut in two (by the aforementioned gully) is the most popular beach. It’s unpatrolled and it’s not an easy beach to manage if you’re not a confident swimmer. There’s not much for board riders, but there can be exhilarating waves for body surfers. Families also love the shallow lake that forms where Painkalac Creek meets the sea, beneath the Split Point Lighthouse. It’s a safe and sheltered spot (sheltered from virtually all winds) ideal for wading, swimming and inflatable toys. The small surf beach at the creek mouth is potentially dangerous if there’s anything more than a very small swell. On low tides there are some great beach rambles around Aireys, and if there’s a low tide and no swell, some great spots for snorkeling. Some of the most spectacular snorkeling sites have been protected by the Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary (see the Parks & Reserves chapter). Suitable for:

surfing, swimming, snorkeling,

fishing Gully Beach – exposed to southwest, south and east winds, best on west and northwest winds with a low-incoming tide Parking & Access: Gully Beach – small carpark and restricted parking a short walk, with stairs, from the beach More info this book: Map 9, Aireys Inlet, Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary, Great Otway National Park, Walks Around Aireys Inlet Wind & Tide:

Urquart Bluff, RE Aireys Inlet, GS Aireys Inlet, GS

180.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Fairhaven 26 is home to the Fairhaven SLSC, which patrols the area during the warmer months of the year. This beach is very prone to rips, so always swim between the flags. Surfers choose from a variety of sand banks, with the best waves on swells from 2 to 5 ft with northwest, north or northeast winds. The best tide depends on which bank you are surfing, however mid to high tide is generally the best.

Fairhaven to Spout Creek 29 30 31 32

After you wind through Aireys Inlet, over Painkalac Creek and past the ‘Mad Max’ house perched on the ridge to your left, you are greeted with the longest white-sand beach on this section of coast. With the Split Point Lighthouse at the eastern end, and the Otways overlooking the western end, it’s also one of the most beautiful.

In summer, use blinds and curtains to block out heat and reduce the need for airconditioning.

From Spion Kop (Moggs Creek) looking west, RE Fairhaven looking east to Aireys Inlet, RE James Sinclair at Spout Creek, EK

There are a number of different sections: Fairhaven, Moggs Creek, Spot, Eastern View and Spout Creek. Generally, the further west you go the smaller the swell, because the predominant southwest swells are blocked by Lorne’s Pt Grey. Although the beach is exposed to the south and east, any wind from the north is good, and as long as the west and southwest winds aren’t too strong the beach can still be pleasant. There’s more shelter at the western end of the beach. Because of its length, the beach itself doesn’t feel crowded even on the busiest weekends, though the limited carparks can fill up fast. Note that parking beside unbroken yellow lines on the side of the road will almost certainly lead to a parking fine.

The next section, Moggs Creek 30 , is a great place to hit the beach with surf rods and chase salmon in the gutters between the sand banks. Pilchards and lures are the best bet. Some big fish have been caught in this area, and you might just get a bag full for the barbecue. Further west is a surf spot known simply as The Spot 31 , marked by three carparks on the south side of the Great Ocean Road, all within about 200 metres of each other. On a midincoming tide with a 2 to 5 ft swell, some well-shaped right-handers and the occasional left peel off the sand banks here with surprising grunt. Like all beach breaks, there are some lean times, however the locals have the place stitched up every time it breaks. Offshore wind is north. Tucked in the corner before the Great Ocean Road cuts its way into the cliff face, Spout Creek 32 can turn on some hollow, punchy beach breaks up to 4 ft. Mid to high tide is the go on a west/ northwest wind. Quality here is ever changing, and it has its good and bad days. Spout is also protected slightly from light southwest winds, and is a good back up plan when Fairhaven and The Spot are wind affected. Fishermen can launch small boats from the sand in the corner at Spout Creek, but only on the smallest days. There is

Activities

181.

Beaches & Surfing

a shallow offshore reef seaward of this launching place which breaks on even the smallest swells. Take care! surfing, swimming (between the flags), surf fishing, boat launching (Spout Creek) Wind & Tide: northeast, north, northwest and west winds; generally best on mid-incoming tides, though dependent on sand banks Parking & Access: small carpark opposite Fairhaven Beach and parking along roadside (not alongside yellow lines), then a steep-ish walk down to the beach. Carparks also at The Spot and Spout Creek, with easy access to the beach. More info this book: Map 9, Great Otway National Park, Walks Around Aireys Inlet Suitable for:

Cathedral Rock

After Spout Creek and until Lorne, swimming and surfing options are few and far between, thanks to steep cliffs and poor access to the small, sandy beaches. One wave that local surfers hit when the swell exceeds 3 ft is Cathedral Rock, one of the best right hand point breaks on the Great Ocean Road. Cathedral picks up a little less swell than Winki and Bells, with swell direction very important. Westerly swells can bypass Cathedral and provide waves at Winki and Bells. Southwest and south swells are generally the best for Cathedral. Entry and exit to the waves from the rocks can be tricky on big days, and it is definitely not a place for beginners to tackle. Suitable for: Wind & Tide:

surfing northwest to west winds; low-

incoming tide carpark above break on beach side of road. Dirt track down to the jump-off spot. Parking & Access:

Lorne

Lorne is a very popular resort town, busy most of the year, and very busy over Christmas and Easter. In summer,

by midday the town is buzzing with people and parking anywhere can be difficult. Pt Grey protects Loutit Bay from west, southwest and even south winds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and offers some of the only north-facing coastal views in Victoria. Lorne beach is patrolled and, usually, the swell is reasonably gentle. Care should be taken when the wind and swell is from the southeast or east, however, as rips form quickly and regularly, particularly toward the point. The cleanest conditions for surfers are with west and southwest winds. These winds blow out most other surf spots on the coast, so Lorne is a popular option for surfers wishing to ride some clean small waves. The Lorne beach breaks vary greatly in quality depending on sand banks, and it is rare that they hold waves any bigger than 4 ft. However, they are a fun option when the rest of the coast is a sloppy mess. The most watched and talked about wave in Lorne is Lorne Point. At low tide, with a small straight swell wrapping into the bay, there are nicelyshaped right hand waves. Lorne Point is a fickle wave and needs the right swell direction and sand formation to

Cathedral Rock, EH Pt Grey (Lorne Point), GS Lorne point, GS

182.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Wye River

If you’re looking for somewhere safer than Cumberland River, continue on to Wye River where the Wye River SLSC patrols. Wye is a picturesque place to stay, surrounded by steep, heavily-wooded hills, a decent camping ground, and a great pub with a deck overlooking the beach.

deliver its best, however every time it breaks a crowd quickly forms. Very few waves peel off unridden! Lorne Point is offshore in a west to southwest wind and is also very protected from south winds. swimming, surfing, sunbaking Beach Breaks – west to southwest wind on a mid-incoming tide. Lorne Point – west to southwest winds, two hours either side of low tide (the lower the tide the better). Parking & Access: parking on Mountjoy Pde and in small carparks above the point with easy access to the beach. Any side street if you get really desperate! More info this book: Map 10, Lorne, Walks Around Lorne Suitable for: Wind & Tide:

Cumberland River

Cumberland River is a beautiful cove, with a grassy camping ground sheltering upstream. The beach has breaks suitable for beginner and intermediate surfers, although it can be a rippy and unpredictable place to swim. The wave quality isn’t great, however it’s good enough for a session if you’re staying at the camping ground. surfing, fishing northwest wind; best tide varies according to sand banks Parking & Access: small carpark at beach More info this book: Map 10, Cumberland, Walks Around Lorne Suitable for: Wind & Tide: Kennett River, GS Wye River, GS Wye River, RE Kennet River, RE

Like Lorne, Wye River has an average, but fun, beach break. It can handle a southwest wind, but is not as protected as Lorne. However, Wye does pick up a touch more swell than Lorne. There is also a right hand point break at Wye named Baldy, to the west of the main beach, which has well-shaped waves wrapping around the outside point into a small bay. Baldy is offshore in a west wind and very protected from southwest winds. Suitable for: swimming, surfing, fishing (beach and rock) Wind & Tide: northwest to southwest winds; mid to high tide for beach break, low-incoming tide for Baldy Parking & Access: carpark on north side of the road before the bridge or along the road on opposite side of bridge More info this book: Map 3,Wye River, Walks Around Wye & Kennett River

Kennett River

Ten minutes west from Wye River is quiet Kennett River. Again, there’s a camping ground (a bit close to the road for some), some beach breaks and yet another right hand point break. The point is not as perfect as Lorne, but it has some challenging sections. Like Lorne, a west wind is offshore, and the wave is well protected from southwest winds, which can blow for days and days during winter. This is also the time of year when the swell is most consistent. Between Kennett River and Apollo Bay, there are a couple of breaks that offer

Activities

183.

Beaches & Surfing

powerful, well-shaped right-handers suitable for experienced surfers. No directions here, but if you keep one eye on the road and one out to sea as you drive past, you’ll have no trouble spotting them when they are firing. Unfortunately, the friendly great white sharks that occasionally visit the area might also have an eye on you as you paddle out. Suitable for: swimming, surfing, fishing (beach and rock) Wind & Tide: northwest to southwest winds; mid to high tide for beach break, low-incoming tide for Kennett Point Parking & Access: carpark along road side or small beach side carpark; easy access to the beach More info this book: Map 3, Kennett River, Walks Around Wye & Kennett River

Skenes Creek

Skenes Creek is a small town where the inland route to Apollo Bay, via Colac and Forrest, meets the sea. It’s only five km from Apollo Bay, and the beach is small and exposed. There can be some fun body surfing in the shorebreak, and kids enjoy paddling in the creek – but there’s nothing to inspire board riders. There are some wonderful rocky beach walks to the east, as well as rock and beach fishing. Suitable for:

swimming, fishing (beach and

rock) northwest to north winds; low tide for walking and rockpools Parking & Access: carpark near bridge; easy access to the beach Wind & Tide:

Apollo Bay

39 40

Apollo Bay is the final town on the Great Ocean Road before the road turns inland to cross Cape Otway through the spectacular Otway forest. The Apollo Bay beach, the Bay 39 , is a beautiful crescent of white sand backed by permanently green hills. Though beautiful and safe for swimming, the beach rarely offers quality waves.

However, approximately one km from the centre of town, there are occasionally some beach breaks. There are also beach breaks at Marengo 40 , three km south, that sometimes throw up some decent waves. On large swells and southwest winds, a righthander runs along the northern wall of the harbour, but it’s something of a novelty wave. The Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary (see separate section in the Parks & Reserves chapter) includes a haul-out area for Australian fur seals. The water between the beach and the reefs (about 80 metres from shore) provides ideal conditions for beginner snorkellers. The Apollo Bay fishing fleet is moored inside an artificial harbour, which is a great place to fish. Trevally, salmon and whiting are popular target species. If you have access to a boat, the deeper waters provide a wider range of fish including snapper, king fish, sharks, southern blue fin tuna and more. Suitable for: surfing, fishing (beach, rock or boat), swimming Wind: northwest to west Parking & Access: plenty of roadside parking and carparks close to the beach More info this book: Map 3, Apollo Bay, Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary, Walks Around Apollo Bay Apollo Bay, RE Skenes Creek, GS

184.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

anywhere from 2 to 8 ft depending on swell direction and intensity. You need to be an experienced surfer to enter the water on this part of the coast. Even a 3 ft wave can pack a serious punch when breaking over a shallow, draining sandbar or reef. Only the better-known surf breaks will be discussed in this section, as a big part of the experience ‘down south’ is discovering the area for yourself. Some locals can be sensitive to visitors surfing certain breaks, and it is important to show respect: behave yourself and don’t drop in! It is refreshing to know that with some time, an inquiring mind and a sense of adventure, empty world-class waves await.

Apollo Bay to Cape Bridgewater

Glenaire

Camping is a great way to see untouched parts of the Great Ocean Road region and will minimise your carbon footprint.

Beach

The nature of the coastline takes a dramatic turn west of Cape Otway. Sheltered tree-lined coves give way to rich agricultural land and, where the winds are just too wild, wind-blasted heath. Even the geology changes – after Cape Otway, the grey sedimentary rock that has dominated westward from Spout Creek revert to cliffs that carry the classic Australian reds and ochres. The beaches are exposed to the full fury of the Southern Ocean and it is a rare day when the ocean goes completely flat. Often the problem is too much surf, and it is a question of waiting for the swell to drop before it reaches a manageable size… apart from a small number of spots that hold really big waves. There are only a few beaches in this area even remotely suitable for swimming. Most are quite treacherous and rips are common. Even safe fishing spots are limited. If it’s flat or barely breaking at 13 Beach the swell down here could be th

Glenaire, RE Castle Cove, REa

Glenaire is a wild and beautiful beach at the mouth of the Aire River. There’s a small, but popular, campsite with campers who are mostly dedicated to fishing. There are some beach breaks of variable quality depending on sand banks. Glenaire picks up a lot of swell and, like all waves on this coastline, looks a lot smaller from the beach than in the line-up. The waves lack the quality of other beach breaks in the area, but are worth a look on smaller days of up to 4 ft. There is very good surf fishing and estuary fishing upstream of the camping ground. surfing, fishing (surf or estuary) depends on sand banks Parking & Access: park at the camping ground; it’s a fairly long hike to the beach More info this book: Great Otway National Park, Great Ocean Walk Suitable for: Wind & Tide:

Castle Cove

The Ocean Road hits the coast briefly at Castle Cove, before heading back into the bush again. From a high vantage point, beach breaks peel off with great

Activities

185.

Beaches & Surfing

consistency and power. If it looks 3 ft from the carpark, it’s more likely to be 5 ft in the water. On larger swells, a solid right-hander breaks off the rocks at the western end of the cove. It can be surfed up to around 8 ft. There have been some heavy shark related incidents at this beach, and the big fella who lives in the area is pretty inquisitive. Thankfully there have been no attacks yet, but he does make his presence felt on occasion. Suitable for: surfing

northeast to northwest winds; best tides depends on sand banks Parking & Access: above beach in roadside carpark; long walk to beach Wind & Tide:

Johanna

Johanna is one of the wildest, most awe inspiring, and most beautiful beaches on the coast. It is surrounded by emerald green dairy farms, framed by spectacular cliffs – and empty. If it looks benign and gentle, you’re very unlikely to wait long before you get a taste of the Southern Ocean flexing its muscles. Johanna has long been the saviour for surfers journeying down the coast when the waves are flat elsewhere. The consistent, almost reef-like sand banks hold some of the best beach breaks in Australia, and if the wind is offshore from the north to northeast, Johanna will almost certainly have fantastic waves. Sometimes the swell can be too big, although the banks can hold waves up to 8 ft. Any bigger than this, and the risk of being seriously cleaned up by larger rogue waves is an unpleasant possibility. Johanna is more commonly surfed in the 3 to 6 ft range, and is a real test of paddling stamina and wave knowledge. It is not suitable for swimming. The camping ground fills up quickly during the warmer months.

surfing, surf fishing northeast, north and light northwest winds; best tides depend on sand banks Parking & Access: Plenty of parking at first carpark and further down beach at second carpark. The second carpark has a toilet block. More info this book: Map 3, Lavers Hill, Great Ocean Walk Suitable for: Wind & Tide:

Princetown

Princetown is a small hamlet perched above the meandering estuary of the beautiful Gellibrand River. The river finally meets the sea beneath rugged Pt Ronald. The one km beach to the east is wild and wonderful – not recommended for swimming – but it does offer surfers some good-quality beach breaks working under similar conditions to Johanna. There are several quality reef breaks in the area as well, however access can be difficult. To get to Princetown beach, turn off the Great Ocean Road 500 metres west of Princetown onto a gravel road, over the bridge, past the recreation reserve and turn right (before the track turns to sand) to a small parking area. The beach is a 600-metre walk along the banks of the river. There’s a pleasant, sheltered picnic and fishing spot beside the river, just south of where the Great Ocean Road passes

Johanna Beach, GOT Apollo Bay, Tom Edgar, EH Princetown, RB

186.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

surfing, surf fishing northeast, northerly, light northwest winds; best tides depend on sand banks Parking & Access: You can park at the Twelve Apostles carpark or along the roadside. Cliff access is difficult. More info this book: Map 4, Princetown, Port Campbell National Park, Great Ocean Walk Suitable for: Wind & Tide:

Port Campbell

over the river. The surf beach is also a great place to throw a line and drag in some salmon, while the eels in the Lower Gellibrand River are great fun to catch after dark. Earthworms or left over meat from the barbecue work a treat! surfing, fishing (surf and estuary) rips (not suitable for swimming) Wind & Tide: northeast, north and light northwest winds; best tides depend on sand banks Parking & Access: small carpark; long walk to the beach More info this book: Map 4, Princetown, Port Campbell National Park, Great Ocean Walk Suitable for:

Hazards:

Gibson Steps

The Gibson Steps give access to a wild and spectacular beach – great for walking, fishing and (expert-only) board riding, but very dangerous for swimming.

Gibson Steps, RE Port Campbell, RE

These aren’t your average beach breaks. The swell comes out of deep water and explodes on the shallow sand banks, producing hollow, down the line tubes. There are many peaks to choose from, and it is always bigger than it looks from the cliff. It’s a fairly long walk to the base of the cliffs to get to the beach, but worthwhile if the waves are pumping. Bring a water bottle for the trek back up the cliff, especially in the hotter months.

46 47 48

Port Campbell Inlet 46 offers swimmers one of the few safe places to swim on this section of coast. The natural harbour is protected from all but the biggest swells, and locals and visitors alike enjoy the sheltered sand at the end of the inlet, jumping from the jetty and swimming around the inshore reef (a great place to snorkel). Fishing off the jetty is also popular; species change with the seasons. Ask at the local tackle shop for what’s biting. For surfers, the action happens seaward of the Jetty 47 , where a nicely shaped left-hander bends into the bay. It’s best at 4 to 6 ft, with a north to northwest wind. One of Australia’s most infamous big waves breaks on the opposite side of the harbour. Known by a number of names, Two Mile 48 is a deep water reef break that is only surfed by the most skilled, committed and fearless surfers on the coast. Waves of up to 15 ft are regularly surfed here, and there is photographic and video evidence of waves breaking at 25 ft plus! Once regarded as a secret spot, locals and other regulars went to great lengths to avoid publicising the break. They need not have worried about overcrowding, however. The sheer size and power of the wave has kept numbers in the water low. Offshore in a north to northwesterly wind, Two Mile only begins breaking when the swell hits 8 ft. Don’t even consider

Activities

187.

Beaches & Surfing

surfing unless you have extensive big wave experience and can swim a couple of km if you break your board. A monster. Suitable for: surfing, fishing (surf and jetty), swimming in the inlet Parking & Access: Parking is near the jetty or in front of the beach in town. Clifftop parking for Two Mile. More info this book: Map 4, Port Campbell, Port Campbell National Park

Peterborough

There are a number of reef breaks in the area surrounding Peterborough that offer powerful, hollow waves for experienced surfers. The shoreline is characterised by sheer cliffs and rocky outcrops. Entry and exit to the best waves often require critical timing to avoid being washed onto the rocks at the base of the cliffs. Like many breaks on this section of coast, local knowledge is the pass to world-class waves. Most of these breaks are offshore in north to northeast winds, and require a high level of fitness and wave knowledge. Assess the situation carefully before entering the water as conditions can change quickly. Small beach breaks occasionally form at the mouth of Curdies Inlet 49 , providing beginner and intermediate surfers with good quality waves.

flattest days, it is possible to launch a boat and fish the offshore reefs for snapper, gummy sharks and trevally. Between Peterborough and Warrnambool, much of the coastline is open to the full force of the Southern Ocean. The Great Ocean Road runs inland, and access to the coast is often via unmarked roads and sometimes through private farmland. You might find some great waves in the area if you look on the right days. Seek permission and always leave gates how you find them. Suitable for: surfing, swimming, fishing, sunbaking, snorkeling, diving Wind & Tide: various More info this book: Map 4, Princetown, Bay of Islands Coastal Park

Warrnambool

50 51 52 53

There are also a number of protected bays and coves that offer swimmers a great place to cool off. Snorkeling over the inshore reefs is a rewarding experience. For scuba divers, there are several wrecks in the immediate area, but caution is required as the currents and unpredictable swell can make diving very hazardous.

The Great Ocean Road, which began at Spring Creek between Torquay and Jan Juc, officially ends at Allansford, just to the west of Warrnambool. Warrnambool is a large regional town, but also a very popular tourist centre for the people of Victoriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Western District.

Curdies Inlet is a great place to fish, with salmon and bream in abundance at different times of the year. On the

The town overlooks Lady Bay 50 , which offers protected swimming, surfing, yachting and windsurfing. Immediately

Peterborough, RE

188.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

many people visit the area known as Stingray Bay, a small beach within the sanctuary, and explore the rockpools near Pickering Point.

behind the beach lies a 20 ha adventure playground, Lake Pertobe. At the western end of the beach, the swell is blocked by a large breakwater, which makes conditions very safe for swimming. Warrnambool SLSC patrols here, and many families use this end of the beach during summer. The break wall also allows the launching of boats, which fishermen use to access the great fishing offshore. Also on Lady Bay, beginner and intermediate surfers flock to The Flume 51 , a beach break not far from the centre of town. The waves here are fun rather than challenging, making it a safe place for families to share a few waves together. The offshore wind is north to northeasterly. The Merri Marine Sanctuary 52 lies west of the breakwater and takes in Merri and Middle Islands. The channel between the islands is packed with sea life. Given its easy accessibility off Merri beach and its striking underwater scenery, the sanctuary is a popular spot for snorkellers and divers.

Logans Beach to Japs, Warrnambool, RE Lady Bay, Warrnambool, KS East Beach, Port Fairy, KS

The lookouts, walking tracks and carparks adjacent to the Sanctuary (for instance at Thunder Point) are popular. During the warmer months

At the western end of Logans Beach, Japs 53 breaks near the mouth of the Hopkins River. On its day, Japs churns out some heavy, predominantly left hand barrels. Whales visit this beach during the months of June and September, and surfers often share the water with these amazing animals. The best waves are with north to northeast winds, while the tide depends on the sand banks at the time. Japs can hold some solid waves and breaks hard, making it suitable for experienced surfers. To the west of Warrnambool, stretching toward Port Fairy, there are a number of reef and beach breaks worth exploring. Access can be difficult, but worth it. Offshore winds are northeast through to north. Suitable for: surfing, swimming, snorkeling, fishing, boating, whale watching Wind & Tide: various More info this book: Map 4, Warrnambool, Merri Marine Sanctuary

Port Fairy

54 55 56

Port Fairy is at the mouth of the Moyne River, which provides a safe harbour for boats of all shapes and sizes. For beach goers, East Beach 54 is a great place to have a swim, stretch out on the sand and enjoy the sun â&#x20AC;&#x201C; although not at high tide when the sand disappears. Many families congregate here during the summer months, and the flat, gently sloping beach provides a welcome and safe haven on an often dangerous coastline. On a big swell, small beach breaks provide beginners with some gentle waves on which to get their act together. A feature of this beach is the protection offered

Activities

189.

Beaches & Surfing

when the wind is from the west to southwest. For experienced surfers, Port Fairy has a number of point and reef breaks that fire up on moderate to large swells. The most well known is The Passage 55 , which is dominated by the local crew whenever it breaks. Definitely mind your manners if you decide to surf here. The Passage can hold waves up to 8 ft but is more commonly surfed in the 5 to 6 ft range. The offshore wind is north. To the west of The Passage there are two reef breaks, one a left and one a right. Like other waves in the area, they are powerful and suited to intermediate and experienced surfers. Offshore winds are north to northwest. Under the shadow of the lighthouse on Griffith Island 56 , there are two right hand waves that can hold a big swell. These waves are offshore in northwest winds, and again are well and truly covered by the locals. Waves have been surfed up to 10 or 12 ft and only the most committed and experienced need apply. The winter months offer your best chance of catching these waves at their best. The coastline between Port Fairy and Portland is accessible at a few points by feeder roads from the Great Ocean Road, which runs inland for approximately 40 km. There are plenty of beach breaks on this stretch of coast, but access is limited and the waves difficult to find. Have a look if you have the time. Suitable for: surfing, swimming, fishing, boating Wind & Tide:

various

More info this book:

Portland

Map 5, Port Fairy

57 58 59 60 61 62

Portland is a large regional town with the finest deep-water port in Victoria. It was the first place in Victoria to be settled, and the architectural legacy is extensive.

Portland has some of the best fishing and best surf in Australia. When the big tuna are running there can be hundreds of boat trailers lined up to hit the water – but there is impressive fishing year round. Anglers use the breakwater, rocks, beaches and offshore reefs to target a wide range of species. Check at the local tackle shop for the inside scoop on what is happening in the area. The waves around Portland are less well known and draw a much smaller crowd than the fishing – and that is very much the way the locals like it. If you aren’t pushy and follow the rules, you’ll more than likely be welcomed. Very few people like to surf alone – and there are waves here that go unridden for lack of company. One compelling reason is the cold water. A good quality steamer is a must.

Use the Internet to check surf and beach conditions, to avoid making unnecessary car trips.

Portland is unique because within a half hour’s drive of the city, you can find a wave whatever the wind direction. Perhaps the most famous wave is known as Blacknose; it rarely breaks, but when it does, it is truly world-class. There are plenty of other waves in the Portland area, but a dollop of patience and commitment are required to get the most out of them. The Passage, RE Yellow Rock - unridden, RE

190.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Yellow Rock

Yellow Rock is out of town beyond the Alcoa smelter, accessed by wooden staircases. There are left and right beach breaks that work on a range of swell sizes, from small up. The waves have plenty of grunt, and there can be strong rips. Wind:

northeast to northwest

Murrels

Watertower

Facing onto beautiful Bridgewater Bay, Murrels has beach breaks and a left hand point break. It works best in summer with small to moderate swells.

Pretty much in the centre of town, Watertower is a right hand reef break with a shallow rock bottom – best for surfers with a moderate amount of experience. needs a moderate southwest swell and will work with northwest to southwest winds Wind & Swell:

Nun’s Beach

Portland’s town beach lies to the north of the Lee Breakwater, and is a wide sandy beach. There’s a right hand beach break near the breakwater, but it’s pretty ordinary unless there is a strong easterly blowing. Blacknose

The famous Blacknose Point is a perfectly shaped right hand point break – it breaks close to rocks and the locals will, rightfully, take priority. Wind & Swell:

needs a big swell and southwest

wind

Crumpets/Tease

Adjoining waves, Crumpets is a right hand point break, and Tease is a beach break with lefts and rights suitable for beginners. Yellow Rock, RE Murrels, GSC

Wind & Swell: needs a moderate swell and west to southwest winds

Wind: southeast More info this book:

Map 5 & 6, Portland

Cape Bridgewater

63 64 65

Cape Bridgewater is one of the most spectacular sights on the Victorian coast – and a special destination for surfers and fisherfolk. From the mellow beach breaks inside Bridgewater Bay, to the bone crunching reef break of Whites in Discovery Bay, hardcore surfers cherish the experience of surfing in this unique environment. Check out a local map and put your knowledge of swell and wind direction to good use. If you go quietly, take your time and explore the many twists and bends of this coastline. You will find waves that more than fulfil your desire for quality surf; and waters that satiate your fishing needs too. Bridgewater Bay

Bridgewater Bay has a range of beach breaks (lefts and rights) of modest quality, depending on the sandbanks. It’s a great place for beginners in summer. north and west winds are OK, even southwest; various tides

Wind & Tide:

Activities

191.

Beaches & Surfing

Whites Beach

At the base of the cape and the beginning of Discovery Bay, Whites has a spectacular location. The wave, too, can be spectacular – an unusual left hand point break with a powerful wave. It’s definitely not for beginners. There’s some debate about the origins of the name, but do keep an eye out for great whites. Wind:

southeast

Blacks Beach

At the eastern end of Discovery Bay, Blacks has left and right beach breaks. The wave packs a punch and the beach has strong rips. Wind:

northeast to southeast

Cape Bridgewater, GSC The Passage, Port Fairy, RE

192.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Crowne Plaza, Torquay is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Crowne Plaza Torquay Early adopter of green solutions

When Jason Burnett became general manager of the Crowne Plaza Torquay, he brought a swag of environmental credentials to the role. Burnett is now steering the Crowne Plaza Torquay towards international environmental accreditation through the Green Globe program. But it’s the ongoing and often unique initiatives that are cementing Crowne Plaza as an early adopter of new environmental technologies. The gardens are lush with Australian native and arid desert-style plants that require minimal water consumption (and when they do need a drink, they’re fed from the 80,000 litre rainwater tanks). Shading on windows in the conference space reduces the need for air-conditioning, and around the grounds all lighting is energy efficient. Inside the hotel, a swathe of seen and unseen initiatives are at work to lessen the carbon

footprint. For example, Crowne Plaza is one of only two hotels in Australia that uses a waste pulping system to convert recycled paper into a dry powder that can then be re-used as a fertiliser. In another innovation, Crowne Plaza donates partially used guest amenities such as shampoos and bath gels to local crisis centres in the Geelong and Surf Coast regions. “There will always be new ways that you can save energy, reduce water consumption or reduce waste – and we will always seek them out.” Jason Burnett Address: 100 The Esplanade, Torquay Tel: 1800 669 562 Email: hotel@crowneplazatorquay.com.au

Activities

Diving & Snorkeling

DIVING & SNORKELING

193.

A leaking tap can waste nine litres in one day.

By Ralph Roob The near-shore marine environment along the Great Ocean Road boasts some of the finest dive sites in temperate waters anywhere in the world. This part of Victoria provides divers with spectacular subtidal geological formations, colourful reef systems and interesting historic wrecks. Prevailing currents move in a westerly direction through Bass Strait delivering cold, nutrient-rich water to this coastline, and creating productive and diverse near-shore reef environments and marine communities. Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s temperate waters are home to 85 per cent of the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s temperate fish, 95 per cent of shellfish and 90 per cent of sea stars and urchins. The coastline along the Great Ocean Road consists of long stretches of sandy beaches, limestone cliffs, cemented sands that are the remnants of ancient dunes, weathered rocky shores and reefs of basalt from lava flows. The weathering and fracturing of these substrates over the ages has formed this ancient coast, producing a structural habitat that has been colonised by spectacular marine communities.

Merri Marine Sanctuary, Warrnambool, KS

194.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Pt Lonsdale. See the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park section for more information. The Wall drops steeply from 15 metres to more than 90 metres, and features terraces and overhangs, some forming caves. It extends northwards about a kilometre, from near the entrance to the Rip.

Charter Operators There are a number of charter companies that operate along the Great Ocean Road. They have the local knowledge and experience to make your dive or snorkel trip both enjoyable and safe. Due to the limited accessibility and challenging conditions it is strongly advised that all visitors wishing to experience the underwater world along the Great Ocean Road engage a reputable commercial charter company which places the safety and comfort of their clients first. For more information see: www.divingaustralia. com.au/victoria.

Diving Port Phillip Heads Port Phillip Heads features dozens of wrecks as well as fascinating natural formations that provide habitats for highly diverse communities. The Lonsdale Wall

Starfish, KS

The Lonsdale Wall, known to locals as the Wall, is on the western side of the Rip, which is in the middle of Port Phillip Heads between Pt Nepean and

The top of the Wall is dominated by large brown algae – also known as kelp – which forms a spectacular underwater forest. As you descend, the Wall’s dominant over-storey of brown kelp gives way to diverse red algae and encrusting coralline, which also exist in the understorey of the kelp forest, although with lesser abundance. In deeper areas, communities of sessile invertebrates such as soft corals, sponges, anemones, hydroids and ascidians dominate. The Wall supports diverse fish communities, along with the occasional large rock lobster that may be encountered deep in one of the many ledges. A torch is a worthwhile accessory to your dive gear. The Eliza Ramsden The most popular and famous wreck dive is on the Eliza Ramsden. The Ramsden, as she is known, was a triplemasted iron barque built in Glasgow and launched in 1874. A little over a year later she ran aground on Corsair Rock off Pt Nepean, wedged firmly on the reef by the ebb tide. The crew abandoned ship and returned safely to Queenscliff in lifeboats. The Ramsden later drifted back inside the Heads after being dislodged by the flood tide. Her hull suffered considerable damage and after taking on water she sunk and settled in 12 to 18 metres.

Activities

195.

Diving & Snorkeling

The Ramsden’s impressive clipper bow and starboard side are still relatively intact, while iron stanchions and a boiler are also prominent features. Most artefacts have been salvaged – her anchor is on display at Queenscliff ’s foreshore park. Reef fish such as blue devils, old wives, boarfish, wrasse and cuttlefish inhabit the wreck. The Ramsden is on the southern side of the main shipping channel, so allowance must be made for shipping activity. The site can only be dived during periods of slack water, between flood and ebb tides. Most of the charter operators in southern Port Phillip Bay conduct regular dive trips to the Ramsden. The Canberra The guided missile frigate the Canberra was launched in 1978 and was decommissioned in 2005. In 2009, the vessel was specially prepared, with dive paths cut on various levels, and scuttled between Point Lonsdale and Barwon Heads in an area known as the Ships Graveyard. The Ships Graveyard is the resting place of many vessels, with the most popular dives being the relatively intact J Class WWI submarines and a freighter, the Coogee, which was scuttled in 1928. The wreck of the Canberra will become an artificial reef and will certainly be a superb recreational dive site. Like other wrecks, soon after it is sunk it will be colonised by marine communities including an array of reef fish. Port Campbell Port Campbell is the staging point for diving in and around the Twelve Apostles, in particular the Arches and the wreck of the Loch Ard.

The Arches Marine Sanctuary The Arches Marine Sanctuary lies one km south of Port Campbell in 20 metres of water. Not dissimilar to the neighbouring coastline, the limestone ocean floor forms an amazing array of canyons, tunnels and caves. The dark underside of these rock formations and the cool water entering Bass Strait from the Southern Ocean provide habitat suitable to marine communities usually found in deeper waters. This partially explains why the Arches sanctuary supports diverse habitats from kelp forests to sponge gardens without having extremes in water depth. This site is well known for its colonies of brightly coloured sea fans, lace corals and gorgonian sponges, as well as its colonies of feather-like hydroids. Fish species often seen include sweep, zebra fish, marble cod, magpie perch, Australian salmon, scaly fin, wrasse and Port Jackson sharks. This marine sanctuary is also home to rock lobsters, abalone and an array of other molluscs and starfish.

Rockpool and crab, KS

196.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

The Loch Ard

Portland

The Loch Ard was a square-rigged iron sailing ship, and is now probably Victoria’s most famous shipwreck. For the story of the wreck, see the Port Campbell National Park section.

Portland is home to Victoria’s second largest port and there are some exceptional offshore dives. However, the spectacular reefs off Cape Nelson, Nunn’s Bay, Southwest Bay, Bridgewater Bay and Discovery Bay are not easily accessed, thanks to their distance from launch facilities and their exposure to the Southern Ocean. Lighthouse Reef and Minerva Reef are nearer to Portland.

The Loch Ard lies in 10 to 25 metres of water on the southwest side of Mutton Bird Island, which is about eight km from Port Campbell. Debris from the cargo – including ceramics, pewter mugs, railway irons and rolls of zinc and lead sheets – is strewn over an area of about 80 by 40 metres. Artefacts such as anchors and dead eyes used to secure the rigging, as well as parts of the ship’s gear including boiler, bilge and mast, can be easily identified. The intact bow is towards the west where the bow spit can also be seen jammed under a rock.

Merri Marine Sanctuary, Warrnambool, KS

The site may only be dived in very calm conditions, which sometimes prevail in March, April and May.

Lawrence Rocks are prominent rocky islands, only two km southeast of Portland, which provide arguably some of the best diving in the area. The site is accessible from Portland in most conditions, and more importantly sheltered dive sites can be found in the lee of prevailing ocean swells. Lawrence Rocks forms the eastern rim of an extinct volcano; underwater features such as vents and lava flows can be identified. Toward the southwest

Activities

197.

Diving & Snorkeling

an amphitheatre-shaped depression provides great diving to 30 metres. On the northern side the waters cascade over terraces, with magnificent kelp forests and abundant sea life, down to 24 metres. The wreck of the Emily, a 30-metre trawler scuttled in 1991, lies in 24 metres just 350 metres north of Lawrence Rocks and is a worthwhile dive. Lawrence Rocks is home to the Southern Hemisphere’s largest colony of Australasian gannets. The gannet colony was almost totally destroyed during the early 1900s, when these small rocky islands were mined for phosphate and chicks were culled for crayfish bait. Warrnambool The Merri Marine Sanctuary is due south of Warrnambool and is easily accessed from launching facilities near the breakwater. The two islands, Penguin and Middle, are just offshore and provide protection from prevailing swells. On calm days some spectacular dive sites can be accessed around the islands with rocky overhangs and gutters providing diverse habitats. Near shore, there is also excellent snorkeling on gradually sloping intertidal reef. The subtidal reefs are dominated with algal species typically found along the limestone coast. For more experienced divers Thunder Point and Eagle Rock offer some of the heaviest terrain in the area. Helen’s Rock is approximately one km from shore and lies at 20 metres. Port Fairy Mills Reef and Lighthouse Reef are close to Port Fairy, behind Griffith Island. These sites range in depth from eight to 14 metres and offer the opportunity to dive among spectacular kelp forests.

Less frequently dived, Julia Percy Island lies 22 km south of Port Fairy. The area is home to one of Victoria’s largest seal colonies. The area is also renowned for sightings of very large sharks, in particular great whites. An almost continual lava flow extends out from the mainland to the island, which rises like a plateau out of the sea. Even if you decide not to enter the water, the stunning scenery will make the journey worthwhile. Shore dives The rugged coastline of the Great Ocean Road provides limited opportunities for shore dives, which require shelter to support marine environments and must be easily accessed from the shore. Some areas worth considering are the Marengo Marine Sanctuary near Apollo Bay, the Merri Marine Sanctuary near Warrnambool, the Bay of Islands near Peterborough and Blanket Bay just east of Cape Otway. Shore dives are relatively shallow, usually less than 10 metres, and explore subtidal microphyte communities dominated by large brown algae such as Phyllospora comosa and Ecklonia radiata, and the intertidal zone dominated by Durvillaea potatorum or bull kelp. The reefs are generally rich in invertebrate species and support numerous fish, thanks in part to the rate nutrients are transported and redistributed in these high-energy environments. The Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary is two km west of Apollo Bay and is easily accessible. The sanctuary comprises of a section of Henty and Little Henty reefs, which lie 80 metres offshore and are exposed at low tide, separated by a 100 metre wide channel.

Damaging or interfering with wreck remains carries heavy penalties; contact Heritage Victoria for more information and for permits if they are required.

198.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Blanket Bay, just east of Cape Otway, is popular amongst shore divers as it offers one of the few opportunities to dive the waters around the rugged coast near the cape.

The majority of areas that are suitable for snorkeling coincide with shore based diving locations. Two locations worthy of mention are Pope’s Eye and Port Fairy.

The majority of access points to the Bay of Islands are toward the eastern portion of the coastal park, near Peterborough. Some of the bays suitable for shore diving are Wild Dog Cove and the Bay of Martyrs, along with smaller bays such as Worm Bay, Crofts Bay and Boat Bay. In the western section of the park, Childers Cove is also easily accessible and offers spectacular views along the limestone coast.

Pope’s Eye

The Merri Marine Sanctuary near Warrnambool is described earlier, and can also be dived from shore with relatively easy access at Stingray Bay – a secluded bay varying in depth from five to 12 metres. South Beach Pea Soup at Port Fairy is suitable for beginners. It is a relatively shallow site, at three to five metres, protected by an outer reef. Lee Breakwater at Portland can be accessed by climbing down the rocks on the breakwater. Along the wall, where a maximum depth of 14 metres can be reached, a wide variety of fish are encountered. Lighthouse reef is shallower at three to four metres, with access from Nunn’s Beach.

Snorkeling Limited opportunities for safe snorkeling in areas sheltered from ocean swells and currents exist along the coastline of the Great Ocean Road. Extreme care must be taken when selecting a site; identify potential risks like rips and only enter the water when seas are calm. At all times, guidance should be sought from local charter operators.

Pope’s Eye is in Port Phillip Bay, and a number of commercial boat charters – which offer the opportunity to swim with seals and dolphins – will, as part of their tours, also visit this small marine sanctuary, which is now part of the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. Pope’s Eye is a manmade ring that was built as part of the fortification of Port Phillip Heads. On the exterior wall, where the basalt rocks descend steeply, there are forests of brown kelp with a diverse understorey of green and red algae providing refuge and food for the many species of fish and invertebrates. Pope’s Eye provides a fine example of a marine community responding to environmental management, including protection from fishing. The area is also the home to a large gannet rookery. Port Fairy The protected waters within the coastal lagoons near Port Fairy’s southern edge, between Griffith Island and the mainland, are both easily accessible and relatively safe even for children (accompanied by adults). The lagoons are shallow depressions in the surrounding peninsula; some have sandy bottoms colonised by seagrass communities. Around the rocky edges, reef communities of invertebrates and fish co-exist amongst the algae. During periods of high tide and heavy seas, these lagoons are flushed and may not be suitable for snorkeling.

199.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Falls Festival, Lorne is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Falls Festival, Lorne Music to the environment’s ears

The worms living on the site of the iconic Falls Festival, nestled in the Otway Rainforest out the back of Lorne, are pretty lucky. Fed year-round from the by-products of the festival’s composting toilets and food scraps from catering, the worms play a crucial role in helping the festival to minimise its footprint on the local environment. The composting toilets help too – they are flush free and waterless, which saves well over 50kL of fresh drinking water . But it’s not just the composting toilets that make the Falls Festival stand out as an environmental ambassador. With no sustainability standards for festivals in Australia, the Falls Festival has become a leader in finding solutions for the waste and environmental management of large events since it started in 1993. The festival’s onsite recycling program is industry best practice, with enthusiastic volunteers sorting through the tonnes of waste to ensure that as much ‘clean’ waste can be sent for recycling as possible.

Now, each festival generates about four and a half tonnes of landfill, and around 30 tonnes of well-sorted recycling. As founder Simon Daly says, it’s three days that the environment gets a bit of a break. It’s these and other initiatives that led the Falls Festival to win the international Greener Festival Award in 2008, as well as the Banksia Environment Foundation’s Peoples Choice award in 2007. “Rather than simply going out and buying carbon credits to offset what we do, our goal is to educate all of our patrons and encourage them to play a role in protecting this pristine rainforest environment too.” Simon Daly www.fallsfestival.com.au

200.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Activities

201.

Parks & Reserves

PARKS & RESERVES The parks and reserves of the Great Ocean Road region are simply extraordinary. They protect some of the most spectacular coastline in the world, some of the most spectacular volcanic landscapes in the world, some of the most spectacular flora in the world (starting with the world’s tallest flowering plant, the mountain ash), some of the world’s most spectacular fauna (starting with the world’s weirdest mammal, the platypus), and some of the worlds most spectacular sea life (starting with the world’s largest living creature, the blue whale). The Great Ocean Road parks and reserves present an extraordinary range of easily accessible opportunities to see wildlife close-up. On your journey, you will find: •

more than 400 bird species from the Southern Ocean, the coast, the Otways forest and western plains

•

sea life ranging from sea dragons to lobsters, from seals to whales

•

classic Australian marsupials (kangaroos and koalas) and monotremes (echidnas and platypus).

For more background information on the parks and reserves, see the Context section, which has sections on history, geology, ecosystems, flora and fauna; the Activities chapter, which has sections on wildlife and whale watching; and the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter, which has numerous walks in the parks and reserves. Top Five Scenic Parks 1. Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park – The Rip 2. Great Otway National Park – Pt Addis, Cape Otway, Moonlight Head, Melba Gully, Triplet Falls 3. Port Campbell National Park – Gibson’s Steps, Twelve Apostles 4. Bay of Islands Coastal Park – Bay of Martyrs 5. Discovery Bay Coastal Park – Cape Bridgewater, Swan Lake

Opposite: 12 Apostles, RE Beauchamp Falls, RE

202.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Top Seven Wildlife Experiences 1. Seals and dolphins – Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park, Discovery Bay National Park 2. Eastern grey kangaroos – between Bells Beach and Urquhart Bluff, and near Cape Otway, Great Otway National Park 3. Platypus – Lake Elizabeth, near Forrest, Great Otway National Park 4. Koalas – near Kennett River and Cape Otway, Great Otway National Park 5. Whales – Cape Bridgewater and Cape Nelson, Discovery Bay Coastal Park 6. Glow worms – Melba Gully, Great Otway National Park 7. Emus – Tower Hill State Game Reserve Top Five Adventures 1. Dive – The Rip, Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park and The Arches Marine Sanctuary 2. Surf – From Bells Beach to Johanna, Great Otway National Park 3. Walk – Great Ocean Walk (Great Otway National Park) and Great South West Walk (Discovery Bay Coastal Park and Lower Glenelg National Park) 4. Hang-glide – Moggs Creek (Spion Kop) or Southside (near Bells Beach), Great Otway National Park 5. Helicopter – Twelve Apostles (Port Campbell National Park), Portland (Discovery Bay Coastal Park) 6. Boat – Bridgewater (Discovery Bay Coastal Park), Port Campbell (Port Campbell National and Marine Parks) Some of the parks and reserves in southwest Victoria are either isolated, or rugged, or both. Despite, in most cases, their apparent proximity to roads or towns, it’s quite possible for visitors to get lost or injured beyond mobile phone range. The weather in southwest Victoria changes rapidly and can be very cold or very hot, sometimes within hours! It is important to carry appropriate maps (at a scale showing the roads and tracks you plan to use), proper footwear, clothing to protect you for a range of conditions, food and water, and a radio (to listen to local ABC stations for immediate information about bushfire or flood conditions). For more information visit the Parks Victoria website (www.parkweb.vic.gov.au) or phone 13 19 63. The website has links to management plans that often give detailed background information, and PDFs of Park Notes which have maps and descriptions. Local Visitor Information Centres also usually have hard copies of Park Notes and up-to-date information. In some cases it is worth contacting the local Parks Victoria office (via the central number), as they will have the latest information, including on road closures and conditions. The following table lists parks and reserves from east to west, with a corresponding number, which is also used on the map of parks and reserves. The main coverage of the parks and reserves presents them alphabetically. Once again, the number beside the name corresponds to the number on the map.

Activities

203.

Parks & Reserves

PARKS & RESERVES FROM EAST TO WEST

Brief Description

Nearest Town

Camping

Mt Rothwell Conservation & Research Centre 1

Conservation centre on old squatter’s run, with limited public access.

Geelong

You Yangs Regional Park 2

Great views, picnic spots, biking and mountain biking.

Geelong

Serendip Sanctuary 3

Easy-to-access bird hides (see brolgas and bustards) and plenty of kangaroos.

Geelong

Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park 4

Extraordinary geology, dramatic sights and amazing sea life – you can swim with seals.

Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale

No, but caravan park nearby.

Small and not very inspiring – although significant as the last example of woodland on Bellarine Peninsula.

Ocean Grove

Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary 6

A small sanctuary with great views and snorkeling.

Barwon Heads

No, but caravan park nearby.

Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve 7

An important lake and estuary.

Barwon Heads

No, but caravan park nearby.

Ocean Grove Nature Reserve 5

Pt Danger Marine Sanctuary 8

Interesting views, windsurfing and snorkeling in Torquay the centre of Torquay.

No, but caravan park nearby.

Pt Addis Marine National Park 9

Magnificent stretch of cliffs and bays, with great Torquay and surfing and diving. Anglesea

Views, rambling, diving and snorkeling.

Aireys Inlet

No, but caravan park nearby.

One of Australia’s greatest parks with a superb coastline, rugged hills, rainforest, waterfalls and rich wildlife.

Anglesea, Lorne, Numerous; some Apollo Bay, Colac require bookings.

Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary 12

Small sanctuary featuring Australian fur seals.

Apollo Bay

Melba Gully – Great Otway National Park 13

Superb example of undisturbed temperate rainforest, home to glow worms.

Lavers Hill

Cape Otway Lightstation 14

Historic lighthouse complex and spectacular coastline.

Apollo Bay

No, but campsites nearby.

Remarkable underwater scenery.

Port Campbell

No, but caravan park nearby.

The iconic Twelve Apostles site is just one of many spectacular landforms cut by wild seas.

Port Campbell

No, but caravan park nearby.

Spectacular marine scenery.

Port Campbell

No, but caravan park nearby.

Similarly spectacular, but much less crowded than the adjoining Port Campbell National Park.

Peterborough

No, but caravan park nearby.

Small sanctuary with beaches, snorkeling and diving, home to little penguins.

Warrnambool

No, but caravan park nearby.

Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary 10 Great Otway National Park 11

Twelve Apostles Marine National Park 15 Port Campbell National Park 16 The Arches Marine Sanctuary 17 Bay of Islands Coastal Park 18

Merri Marine Sanctuary 19

204.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Tower Hill State Game Reserve 20

Remarkable volcanic crater with lakes, islands, great walks and Aboriginal guides.

Warrnambool

Mt Napier State Park 21

A classic volcanic cone, and many volcanic features.

Macarthur

Mt Eccles National Park 22

Fascinating volcanic structures with good facilities and walks.

Macarthur

Yes, but booking advised.

Cape Nelson State Park 23

Wild and windswept cape, with an impressive lighthouse complex.

Portland

Stringybark-dominated forest on flanks of extinct volcano, adjoining Discovery Bay Coastal Park.

Portland and Nelson

Yes

New national park with lowland forest and wetlands.

Portland

Yes

Wildlife and lush gullies.

Portland

Yes

Discovery Bay Marine National Park 27

Spectacular sea life offshore from Cape Bridgewater.

Portland

Discovery Bay Coastal Park 28

Wild and unspoilt coastline with spectacular scenery and sea life.

Portland and Nelson

Yes, but booking advised.

Lower Glenelg National Park 29

Unusual park protecting the Glenelg River, with Nelson its spectacular gorge and beautiful estuary.

Mt Richmond National Park 24

Cobboboonee National Park 25 Crawford River Regional Park 26

Yes, but booking advised.

Map 11 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; National Parks & Reserves Ararat Rocklands Reservoir

M79

A300

WES

TERN A8

B180 A200

Ballarat Casterton

Ballan

Coleraine

R iv er

B160

Glenelg

A300

Hamilton

A200

M8ERN

1 Werribee M1 2 3

Penshurst B140

B140

Lara

29 River

Discovery Bay

Mortlake

Nelson

Heywood

Portland Bay

B120 A1

Portland

27 23

Lake Corangamite

Port Fairy

Camperdown

Terang

Cobden

Warrnambool

Geelong

River Lake Colac

Bar

Colac

Peterborough

Port Campbell

16 17 15

Princetown

EA T

Moonlight Head

Timboon

Cape Nelson

Queenscliff

Torquay

won

11 Lavers Hill

A OCE

B100

Corio Bay

7 5 6 4

Anglesea

Lorne

Cape Patton

Apollo Bay

12 14 Cape Otway

Parks or reserves

Marine parks/sanctuaries

N BASS

STRAIT

100km

Activities

205.

Parks & Reserves

Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary 6 A small sanctuary with great views and snorkeling beside Barwon Heads. After a long journey through the Otway Ranges and Geelong, the Barwon River meets Bass Strait at the foot of Mt Colite, or the Bluff. Here, the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary is home to a fascinating array of creatures. For underwater enthusiasts, the sanctuary offers excellent diving and snorkeling. More than 90 per cent of the creatures found at the Bluff are unique to southern Australia, with an abundance of fish, snails, starfish and other invertebrates. The local Wathaurong people used to call this place Kolo:oit, or ‘mingling of fresh and salt water’. With a combination of sea, rock platforms, the river and extensive wetlands, the area was an important summer camping ground. Numerous artefacts from this rich history are found locally in the form of shell middens (on the Bluff and west along 13th Beach), campsites and tools. This was also the area that William Buckley, an escaped convict, spent much time living amongst the indigenous people in the area. At the tip of the Bluff, a pincer-shaped reef juts out into the sea, reflecting a complex geological history. The eastern half of the pincer is basalt, formed by a lava flow from Mt Duneed (15 km to the west) and it is influenced by the river. The western half is old sandstone, exposed to the ocean and eroded to form arches, gutters and swim-throughs – creating a great environment to explore.

The tip of the eastern reef supports many filter feeding animals like feather stars, which enjoy the fast currents. The basalt has weathered into boulders, ledges and pools that provide shelter for various sea creatures.

Take all rubbish home for recycling or disposal.

Between the reef pincers there is a small bay with a floor of sand and rock. Colourfu l sea slugs can be found along the reef sides and there are stands of giant kelp. Offshore, smaller reefs (bommies) are fringed with bull kelp, hiding colourful sponges below. The Bluff itself is the remains of an old dune that formed on top of the lava. From the top there are unexpectedly dramatic views east to Port Phillip and west towards Torquay – and beyond. There are steep wooden steps down to the sea wall on the riverside and a short walk, with vantage points, around the top of the Bluff. www.barwonbluff.com.au Guide to the Coast, Beaches & Surfing, Walk, Ride, Drive Area: 17 ha Location: Barwon Heads More info:

More info this book:

Barwon Bluff, GS

206.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

middens, tools and artefacts remain as a reminder of the traditional owners’ life here; and the Keerray Woorroong continue to live in the area. The place names – Massacre Bay, Massacre Point (also known as Halladale Point) and Bay of Martyrs – reflect local oral history that describes the massacre of a large group of Keerray Woorroong.

Bay of Islands Coastal Park 18 Similarly spectacular, but much less crowded than the adjoining Port Campbell National Park. The Bay of Islands Coastal Park is essentially an extension of the Port Campbell National Park, with similar scenic, geological and biological features (see that section for more details). If you are approaching the Bay of Islands from Port Campbell, and are keen to stretch your legs, one of the most satisfying ways to take in your first sighting of the park is via a clifftop walk from Peterborough. This walk offers tantalising glimpses of what’s to come…and then you reach the Bay of Martyrs. The view out across the Bay of Martyrs at sunset is one of the most spectacular coastal scenes in Australia. The cliffs might not be quite as high, but many argue the Bay of Martyrs and Bay of Islands are as spectacular as the Twelve Apostles – and the fact that you are quite likely to have the view to yourself makes them even more special. Bay of Martyrs, RE Bay of Islands, RE

The coastline provided rich pickings for the Keerray Woorroong people. Today,

There have been numerous shipwrecks along this stretch of coast. A giant clipper called the Schomberg was wrecked on a rock just east of Curdies Inlet (now known as Schomberg Rock) in 1855. The captain had previously set a record of 68 days for a run from Liverpool to Melbourne and was attempting to make the trip in 60 days. In 1882 the Newfield was grounded one km east of Curdies Inlet when the captain mistook the Otway lighthouse for the King Island light. Captain Scott and several other seamen died and are buried at the Port Campbell cemetery. Spectators were apparently disappointed to find that the cargo (or booty) consisted only of rock salt. Beyond Boat Bay (in the Bay of Islands) the Great Ocean Road heads inland, passing through some unspectacular dairy country. However, a series of side roads on the left lead back out to points on the coast. About 15 km from Boat Bay there is a turnoff into Mathieson Rd, which leads to a carpark with a lookout above Three Mile Beach. A fraction beyond the Mathieson Rd turnoff is another turnoff into Childers Cove Rd. Keep turning left and you will end up at Childers Cove, where the barque ‘Children’ was wrecked in 1839 with the loss of 16 lives. There is a carpark, viewing area, picnic tables and toilets. To the immediate east there is a beautiful series of bays, beaches, coves and points.

Activities

207.

Parks & Reserves

Peterborough to Warrnambool Bay of Martyrs There’s a beautiful sandy beach accessible from the carpark, ideal for walking. The many rock stacks of the Bay of Islands are visible in the distance. The walk from Peterborough to the Bay of Islands is particularly fine at sunset. It runs between the Peterborough Golf Course (Halladale Point) and the Bay of Martyrs carpark, a four km round trip taking about 1½ hours. Just to the west of the golf course is Wild Dog Cove, which has a secluded little beach with rock pools and safe paddling for family groups. There is a small carpark with steps leading down to the beach. Halladale Point (Massacre Pt) In 1908 the Falls of Halladale, bound from New York, was wedged between two reefs at what is now Halladale Point. Some of the cargo from this ship can now be seen at the Flagstaff Maritime Village in Warrnambool. Bay of Islands & Boat Bay The Bay of Islands actually has more than a dozen rock stacks, and although they are not as high as those at the Twelve Apostles, they are considered by many to be just as beautiful. It’s only a short walk from the carpark to the main viewing platform, but allow 45 minutes. Boat Bay has a spectacularly steep boat ramp and some great views of nearby stacks. Think long and hard about your vehicle’s capabilities before tackling the ramp! Childers Cove Childers Cove, Sandy Cove and Murnanes Bay offer beautiful seascapes

and protected beaches. Because they’re a significant detour off the main road, they’re relatively uncrowded, even in peak times. Follow signs off the Great Ocean Road at Nirranda South or Nullawarre if approaching from Warrnambool and the west. Logan’s Beach Strictly, Logan’s Beach lies just beyond the park, but it should be a part of any visit to this area. It is a magnificent stretch of sand in its own right, but is most famous for its annual visitors: female southern right whales and their calves. For unknown reasons this beach

Bay of Martyrs, RE Boat Bay, RE

208.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Tours of the lighthouse offer insights into the history of the shipping route that brought ships so close to these perilous cliffs, and allow you to explore the lighthouse itself and enjoy the spectacular views of the surrounding coastal and inland environment. This is a great spot to look for whales: southern right whales (between May/June and September) and blue whales (between November/December and May)

is considered by the whales to be a perfect maternity hospital and nursery from mid-June to early-October every year. They can come very close to shore and can be easily observed from the special viewing platform.

An energy saving light bulb that uses 16 watts of energy replaces a standard bulb using 60 watts of energy. This eliminates over 500 kg of carbon dioxide.

Crayfish Bay, near Cape Otway, RE Cape Nelson lighthouse, RE

More info: Port Campbell Visitor Information Centre More info this book: Guide to the Coast, Beaches & Surfing, Walk, Ride, Drive, Whale Watching Area: 950 ha Location: west from Peterborough

Cape Nelson State Park

Wild and windswept cape, with an impressive lighthouse complex, near Portland. Cape Nelson State Park is home to the Cape Nelson Lighthouse, which was built in 1884 to assist ships navigating the tricky passage into Bass Strait. Today, the Lighthouse is one of the main attractions, and there’s a well-run café in an old stables that was once a part of the lighthouse keepers’ compound. There are plans for accommodation in the lighthouse keepers’ cottages.

The park offers a range of pleasant walks, including a section of the Great South West Walk, that take in the dramatic coastal cliffs and the unusual soap mallee (Eucalyptus diversifolia), which fills the air with its rich scent each spring. There are several short walks, including the Sea Cliff Nature Walk, which provides an introduction to the natural history of the area, with sea and land birds, kangaroos, echidnas, snakes and lizards frequently spotted. It offers magnificent sea views and reveals the layering of sandstone above the basalt on the cliff faces. More info: Portland Visitor Information Centre More info this book: Beaches & Surfing, Walk, Ride, Drive Area: 243 ha Location: south from Portland

Cape Otway Lightstation

Historic lighthouse complex and spectacular coastline. Towering 18 metres above the ground and perched on cliffs, the view from the top of the Cape Otway Lighthouse is impressive. Only the second lighthouse to be built on the Australian mainland, it is the oldest to survive. The lighthouse is the centrepoint of a significant collection of heritage buildings, including cottages, a telegraph station, and a radar station.

Activities

209.

Parks & Reserves

There’s a café, in an 1858 building, serving light meals and coffee, and it is possible to stay in the lighthouse keeper’s and manager’s houses – a somewhat spartan, but nonetheless fantastic experience. The lightstation is privately operated, so there is an entrance fee. Visitors can take a selfguided tour of the lighthouse and the surroundings, or join one of the regular free tours. The lighthouse exists because immigrant ships from Europe followed a time-saving but dangerous route between King Island and Cape Otway, known as the ‘eye of the needle’. The colonial authorities belatedly recognised the need for a lighthouse after the disastrous wreck in 1845 of the Cataraqui on King Island, when more than 350 lives were lost. In response to this tragedy, the colonial authorities gave Charles La Trobe (later the state’s first Lieutenant-Governor) the arduous task of finding an appropriate site for a lighthouse. After a year, including two failed attempts, La Trobe reached Cape Otway and marked the proposed lighthouse site. The lamp was finally lit on August 29, 1848, after several years of gruelling work. In 1859, one of the earliest telegraph stations in Australia was added to the facility, connecting Tasmania to the mainland through Cape Otway and Melbourne. A radar station was built in 1942 after the US steamship City of Rayville was sunk off Cape Otway. The Rayville was struck by a mine that was laid by a German raider. Keepers at the lightstation witnessed the massive explosion and raised the alarm on November 8, 1940. Apollo Bay fishermen rescued 37 crew members, but one man was lost, becoming the first US merchant navy casualty of

WWII, a full year before the attack on Pearl Harbour brought the US into the war. The indigenous history of the region is also extremely significant, although not yet fully understood, protected or interpreted. The nearby locality was a rich source of food, and a major site for stone tool making. If you do find middens, evidence of tool workshops, or foundations for stone huts please leave your discovery untouched. The lightstation operators run a number of tours around the cape, and there are plans for a regular transport link to/from Apollo Bay – which will be a boon for those using public transport, and walkers who want to tackle discrete sections of the Great Ocean Walk (which goes right past the lightstation). See more information in the Walks chapter, which includes detailed information on nearby Parker River Inlet, Pt Franklin, the Great Ocean Walk, and the short walks in and around the lightstation itself. The manna gums that line the road between the Cape Otway Ecolodge and the open paddocks around the lightstation are home to a large colony of koalas. You’ll certainly see at least one if you take the dirt side tracks towards beautiful Blanket Bay or Parker River Inlet. If you don’t spot one yourself, a common clue indicating a koala’s presence is a cluster of abandoned vehicles and camera-clutching visitors. They’ll often park just around a blind corner, and have no traffic sense – the visitors, that is – so take care when driving. www.lightstation.com Great Otway National Park, Walk, Ride, Drive Entry charges: adults $13, children $7 Location: southwest from Apollo Bay More info:

More info this book:

Cape Otway lighthouse, RE

210.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Cobboboonee National Park

New national park near Portland with lowland forest and wetlands.

Wildlife and lush gullies, north of Portland.

Cobboboonee National Park is a new park of lowland forests, heathlands and wetlands offering a wide range of activities for visitors. Stretching along the Portland-Nelson road, west of the Lower Glenelg National Park, Cobboboonee features a maze of forest roads – some suitable for driving, others best left to walkers and horse riders.

To see the healthy eucalypts, tree ferns and floral heathlands that make up the forests of Crawford River today, you can scarcely imagine this park being used as a pastoral run and for cropping in the 1800s. Fortunately, those early farmers failed and the site has been reclaimed by natural vegetation and a diverse range of fauna including eastern grey kangaroos, platypus and koalas.

The many walking tracks cater for all fitness levels; or you can opt to do a section of the spectacular Great South West Walk, which passes through the park. More info: Portland Visitor Information Centre More info this book: Walk, Ride, Drive Area: 27,000 ha Location: northwest from Portland Descartes Bay from above Whites Beach, Cape Bridgewater, RE

Crawford River Regional Park

The tannin-stained Crawford River is the main feature of the park. Taking a drive along ‘The Boulevard’, which follows the northern bank of the river, through forests of brown stringybark, manna gum and lush gullies lined with tree ferns, is a beautiful way enjoy it. There are numerous picnic sites and fishing spots alongside the river. Area:

2463 ha north from Portland

Location:

Activities

211.

Parks & Reserves

Discovery Bay Coastal Park 28 Wild and unspoilt coastline with spectacular scenery and sea life, between Portland and Nelson. Discovery Bay Coastal Park is a majestic 50 km sweep of unspoilt beaches, magnificent capes, and coastal heathland that extends from the South Australian border right through to Cape Nelson (near Portland) – a wild, beautiful and unspoilt coastline. It is traversed by the Great South West Walk, which loops from Portland to Nelson along the coast, returning through the Lower Glenelg, Mt Richmond and Cobboboonee National Parks. If you want to ‘get away from it all’, this is where to come. The park also takes in spectacular Cape Bridgewater, which boasts the highest coastal cliffs in Victoria at 130 metres above sea level, and some of the most breathtaking coastal scenery in Australia. You can take a walk up and around the top of the cliffs, with views over a seal colony, and across the bay to Cape Nelson. If you’re lucky you’ll see seals, dolphins, and perhaps even a blue whale (see the section on the Discovery Bay Marine National Park, following). From east to west, the park can be broken into four sections: 1. Cape Nelson 2. Cape Bridgewater & Bridgewater Bay 3. Discovery Bay & the Lakes 4. Nelson & the Glenelg River Estuary

Cape Nelson The park officially starts just to the west of the Cape Nelson State Park, which has great views (see that section for more information). Cape Bridgewater & Bridgewater Bay Bridgewater Bay lies between the two capes, Bridgewater and Nelson. Cape Bridgewater is the exclamation mark to a perfect crescent of white sand running from Cape Nelson, backed by dunes and scrub and cupping the wicked inky-blue of the bay. The Great South West Walk follows the coast closely, and there are a number of short sections that can be tackled. Bridgewater township lies in the eastern lee of Cape Bridgewater and has a range of accommodation options although, sadly, nowhere to camp. At the centre of the community sits a kiosk/post office/pub, where you can get the basic necessities of life – coffee, beer and fish & chips, for a

Cape Bridgewater, RE Australian fur seal, VA

212.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

ancient forest) is a curious phenomenon, but the view of waves smashing into the cape is the real highlight. There’s a superb view across Descartes Bay and along the Discovery Bay coastline from a viewpoint above White’s Beach (at the end of Amos Rd, first left off the Bridgewater Lakes Rd). The walk down to the beautiful beach will take about 20 minutes each way. There’s also access to Blacks Beach approximately five km north of Whites, from Kitsons Rd, again left off the Bridgewater Lakes Rd. start. The beach in front of the kiosk has a pretty ordinary shorebreak and potentially very cold water, but it is utterly magnificent. From a carpark above the town you can do a return walk along the western edge of the cape to a viewing platform overlooking one of the seal colonies or, with a car shuttle, continue on to the Petrified Forest and Blowhole. From November to May keep your eyes peeled for blue whales. See the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter. There are boat tours of the cape and the seal colonies, which give you a guaranteed close-up experience with the seals; to come close to dolphins you’ll need an ounce of luck, and for blue whales you’ll need a kilo. Being out on the water with the seals, the cape and its caves looming overhead, and the bay stretching across to Cape Nelson is more than enough… but if you do get to see dolphins or whales, this tour will be a totally unforgettable experience.

Cape Duquesne, RE Petrified Forest, RE Blowhole, RE

The Blowhole and Petrified Forest are at Cape Duquesne (the southwestern point on Cape Bridgewater) and they are accessible by foot – as part of the Great South West Walk – or by road from the Cape Bridgewater township. The Petrified Forest (calcified roots from an

Discovery Bay & the Lakes Discovery Bay is a virtually unbroken stretch of pristine sand that stretches for 50 km – with a couple of rock promontories that promise surf and good fishing. There are only a couple of points – Swan Lake, Lake Monibeong and Nobles Rocks – where you can access the beach without a very long walk. At the eastern end, the beautiful Bridgewater Lakes were once the outlet for the Glenelg River, now spring-fed and marooned behind sand dunes. They are an arresting sight with imposing Cape Duquesne in the background. One of the lakes is used by waterskiers, and they can be busy on weekends. Just past the entry to the lakes, the Tarragal Caves can be seen a steep climb up a ridge to the right. These caves have some interesting rock formations, and archaeological investigation has revealed signs of long-term Aboriginal occupation dating back over 11,000 years. Kennedy’s Rd (left off the Bridgewater Lakes Rd, about 1½ km past the turnoff to the lakes) is a good quality dirt road that takes you around the edge of the Mt Richmond National Park, joins Telegraph Rd (turn left at the T-intersection) and continues on to

Activities

213.

Parks & Reserves

Swan Lake Rd (left for Swan Lake, right for the Portland–Nelson Rd). Swan Lake is a little gem, another spring-fed lake trapped behind the dunes. The Portland Dune Buggy club has a rather bleak and open campsite one km beyond the lake. The walkin camp for Great South West Walk trekkers is much nicer. With the right kind of 4WD you can access the beach through the dunes (see tfour-wheeldriving in the Activities section). There is a massive dune system, primarily to the east of Swan Lake, constituting the largest area of mobile dunes in Victoria. The extensive areas of bare sand may be partly natural, although it is likely that human activity post-European settlement has extended and accelerated dune erosion. Lake Monibeong has a more attractive car campsite than Swan Lake. Although it too is fairly open, you can tuck a tent into the melaleuca, and there’s water and toilets. The lake itself is much more substantial than Swan Lake but, sadly, it is surrounded by pine plantations on the northern side. The road continues past the campsite and it’s a relatively short walk through dunes to a magnificent stretch of beach and the interesting Suttons Rocks. Camping permits for campsites in the park must be arranged through the Nelson Visitor Information Centre. See the Great South West Walk section. Nelson & the Glenelg River Estuary Entering Nelson is a bit like stepping back in time – to about 1972. It’s a small town, and with the exception of a few weeks in January, is very relaxed. Its greatest asset is the Glenelg River, with its limestone gorges and turquoise estuary. This is one of the most beautiful estuaries on the Australian coast, and

a favourite with fish, pelicans and fishermen – in that order. Nelson is an ideal jumping off point for the Lower Glenelg National Park as well as the western end of the Discovery Bay Coastal Park. Nelson Visitor Information Centre Guide to the Coast, Walk, Ride, Drive, Beaches & Surfing, Discovery Bay Coastal Park, Lower Glenelg National Park Area: 10,460 ha Location: between Portland and Nelson More info:

More info this book:

Discovery Bay Marine National Park 27 Spectacular sea life offshore from Cape Bridgewater, near Portland As one of the largest coastal basalt formations in Western Victoria – formed from the remains of a massive volcano which spewed out lava over the last million years – Discovery Bay Marine National Park is the gateway to the Great Australian Bight and the vast Southern Ocean. The basalt forms the border of the underwater sanctuary, with its intertidal and near-shore reefs. These basalt reefs are laden with enormous straps of bull kelp, which can grow to

Keep all vehicles, including 4WDs, motorbikes and bicycles, on formed roads open to public vehicles.

Swan Lake, RE Discovery Bay dunes, GSC Discovery Bay, RE

214.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary

Diving and snorkeling at Aireys Inlet. Aireys Inlet, where Painkalac Creek meets the sea – or sits waiting for a surging tide to break through a natural dam wall – is rich in both history and marine life.

Choose your recreational activities wisely – low impact activities that don’t involve a lot of equipment or fossil fuels and that don’t disturb the local communities.

eight metres in length. Further within the park, the depth plummets to 60 metres and features low reefs formed from ancient shorelines. Down here, keen divers can explore a diverse sponge garden that features filmy sea mosses and sea fans. The rich sea life within the park feeds upon the cold, nutrient-rich water of the Bonney Upwelling. This water encourages the growth of microscopic plants and animals, providing a feast for fish and seafloor life. See the Bonney Upwelling section in the Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna chapter. The region is increasingly famous for whale watching – with southern right whales migrating up from Antarctica to breed in summer, and the mighty blue whale from December through May. Sea lions and Australian fur seals are also present, which in turn lure great white sharks. More info: Portland Visitor Information Centre More info this book: Beaches & Surfing, Bonney Upwelling, Diving & Snorkeling Area: 2770 ha Location: west from Portland

Blue whale, Discovery Bay Marine National Park, VA Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary, RE

Middens testify to a long occupation by the Wathaurong people. Caves within Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary may also have cultural significance. Tal-an (fish traps) are known to have been used in the area. At times in the early 1800s the escaped convict, William Buckley, lived here with the Wathaurong sharing their shellfish, fish, sugar ants and wild raspberries. The sanctuary takes in craggy Eagle Rock and Table Rock, which has been levelled by the incessant waves. This popular marine sanctuary is home to a diverse range of habitats and marine invertebrates and on calm days is great for snorkeling. Guide to the Coast, Beaches & Surfing, Walk, Ride, Drive Area: 17 ha Location: Aireys Inlet More info this book:

Great Otway National Park

One of Australia’s greatest parks, stretching from Bells Beach (near Torquay) to Princetown in the west. It includes a spectacular coastline, rugged hills, beautiful waterfalls, superb flora and rich wildlife. The Great Otway National Park stretches along a coastline that was once a great rift valley in Gondwanaland before sea levels rose, separating Victoria from Tasmania. It extends inland to the main ridge of the Otway

Activities

215.

Parks & Reserves

Ranges and beyond the main ridge to the foothills and plains to the north. It protects a diversity of environments including windswept cliffs; heathlands, dry forests and woodlands; tall wet forests and ancient rainforests with fern filled gullies and tumbling waterfalls. Many walks traverse the park, providing access to these environments and their diverse flora and fauna. The park has been a part of the country of the Gadubanud, Wathaurong, Gulidjan and Keerray Woorroong Aboriginal people for many thousands of years. The coast is littered with shipwrecks, giving names to beaches and other features. The site of some of the shipwrecks are identified by interpretive signs and graves and some wreckage can still be seen at low tides. Cape Otway lighthouse has been warning ships of the dangers of this coast since it was built in 1848. Bordering the Great Otway National Park are two other adjacent, but separately managed, areas of land: • Otway Forest Park encompasses the mountain and foothills forest extending from the main ridge of the Otway Ranges to the undulating plains and plateaus further inland. • Anglesea Heath is a heathland area of rich and diverse vegetation, adjacent to the township of Anglesea. From east to west, the park can be broken into four sections: 1. Bells Beach to Moggs Creek (including Anglesea Heath) 2. Lorne to Apollo Bay 3. Apollo Bay to Princetown 4. Hinterland (including Forest Park)

Otway

Bells Beach to Moggs Creek The eastern section of the park extends from the world-famous surfing icon of Bells Beach to the start of the Otway Ranges at Moggs Creek. This area is drier than the park to the west and supports heathland with fantastic wildflower displays, and an ironbark forest curiously isolated from other stands in the Victorian goldfields. It is traversed by a number of coastal and forest walks including the Surf Coast Walk. Along windswept coasts and tidal estuaries you’ll find unique moonah woodlands and if you’re lucky you will see rare and endangered birds such as the rufous bristlebird and hooded plovers. Eastern grey kangaroos and black-tailed wallabies are common throughout this area and the forest birds are numerous and noisy – yellow-tailed black cockatoos, gang gangs and sulphurcrested cockatoos, currawongs and wattlebirds.

Erskine Falls, RB Moggs Creek to Lorne, RE

216.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

opened up for logging in the 1850s and tourism followed in the 1870s. There are a number of popular walks, which follow old timber tramways built in logging days. There are also many walking tracks built in the late 19th century, leading to waterfalls and other areas of natural beauty and historical interest.

Anglesea Heath Anglesea Heath is claimed to be the richest and most diverse vegetation community in Victoria, with approximately one quarter of Victoria’s plant species, including more than 80 different types of orchid alone. This natural haven is also home to many species of birds (100), mammals (29), reptiles and insects, including the powerful owl, crimson rosella, bronzewing pigeons, numerous honeyeaters and swamp antechinus. The heath is jointly managed by Parks Victoria, the local community and Alcoa – who have a long-term lease over the area to extract brown coal for electricity generation. Tracks through the heath provide access to walkers, birdwatchers, artists and photographers, who flock to the heathlands in springtime when they explode into colour. Horses, mountain bikes, 4WDs and motorcycles can also access some roads. Lorne to Apollo Bay

Anglesea Heath, RE Temperate rainforest,RE

From Lorne to Apollo Bay the park protects the forests and mountains, from the main ridge of the Otway Ranges down to where they fall abruptly into the ocean. This area was

The forest ridges are covered with tall eucalypts bearing the scars of sugar gliders and yellow-bellied gliders feeding on the sugar-rich sap. Rivers tumble over waterfalls and through gorges and fern-filled valleys with blackwoods overhead. Masses of colourful small birds feed on insects and nectar – honeyeaters, robins, treecreepers and wrens. Around Kennett River, stands of manna gums are home to koalas, dozing in the branches overhead. Hidden deep in the Otways near the town of Forrest is Lake Elizabeth, created in 1952 after a massive landslide dammed the East Barwon River. It’s a beautiful place to camp and explore the forest, with the chance of spotting some of the elusive platypus that live in the lake; it is possible to join a canoe tour at dawn if you want a close up view. There are a number of camping spots along the coast and in the forest and some opportunities for horseriding, mountain bikes, 4WDs and trail-bike riding along forest trails. Apollo Bay to Princetown The park between Apollo Bay and Princetown includes some of the highest rainfall areas in Victoria and hundreds of waterfalls. Some of these falls in the upper reaches of the Aire and Gellibrand Rivers are easily accessed on well-formed tracks and boardwalks. Others, like Sabine Falls, take a little more effort, but the

Activities

217.

Parks & Reserves

rewards can be spectacular, particularly after rain. This section of the park is traversed by the Great Ocean Walk – an iconic walk of about 100 km. Mostly following the coastline along rock platforms, deserted sandy beaches and isolated clifftops, it finishes with spectacular views of the world-famous rock formations – the Twelve Apostles. There is some accessible evidence of shipwrecks along this section of coast. At Wreck Beach you can still find wreckage from the Marie Gabrielle (1869) and the Fiji (1891) and when tide and river conditions are right, you can see the ribs of the American ship Eric the Red (1880), at Parker Inlet near Cape Otway. The Cape Otway Cemetery gives you an insight into the dangers and harshness of life aboard ships and at the Cape Otway lighthouse during the 19th century. See the separate section on the Cape Otway Lighthouse in this chapter; there are also a number of walks covered in the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter. Lush green remnants of the ancient Otway rainforests filled with myrtle beech, blackwoods and tree ferns can be found at Maits Rest and Melba Gully. This damp environment is an ideal spot to see the remarkable glow worms and the rare carnivorous Otway black snail. Koalas are abundant in the stunted manna gums around Cape Otway and the Aire River estuary. Waterbirds abound in the wetlands near the mouth of the Aire and Gellibrand Rivers. Hinterland The hinterland area includes the mountain and foothills forest extending from the main ridge of the Otway Ranges to the undulating plains and plateaus further inland. It

is mostly covered by the Otway Forest Park, with some areas to the north and west of Lavers Hill included in the Great Otway National Park. Unlike the Great Otway National Park, which has been established to protect and preserve the natural values of the area, the Otway Forest Park is designated as a multiple use area, allowing a broader range of activities including hunting, horseriding, 4WDs and trail-bike riding. Mountain biking is catered for at Forrest and on the Old Beechy Trail from Colac south to Beech Forest. There are ample opportunities for car touring here but beware of logging trucks on narrow winding roads. Logging on public land in the Otways may have ceased, but there is still plantation timber grown on private land being trucked out of the area. Walk, Ride, Drive, Beaches & Surfing, Cape Otway Lightstation, Melba Gully, Guide to the Coast, Mountain biking Area: Great Otway National Park – 103,000 ha; Otway Forest Park – 40,000 ha; Anglesea Heath – 7,000 ha More info this book:

Wreck Beach, near Moonlight Head, VofV

218.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve 7

Lower Glenelg National Park 29

An important lake and estuary between Geelong and Barwon Heads.

Unusual park protecting the Glenelg River, with its spectacular gorge and beautiful estuary.

Lake Connewarre is a large lake just inland from the estuary of the Barwon River. It forms a fascinating wetland environment that has been recognised as internationally significant under the Ramsar Convention. The reserve is made up of a permanent freshwater lake, a deep freshwater marsh and several semi-permanent saline wetlands, as well as the Barwon estuary. The lake is critically important to migrant and domestic bird populations and to fish populations, as a habitat and nursery. The reserve also supports 40 per cent of the world population of the endangered orange-bellied parrot. Unfortunately, it is under growing pressure because of pollution and weak water flows in the Barwon, and from the rapidly expanding housing developments at Leopold. The banks of the Barwon River form the most western occurrence of white mangrove in Australia. You can help protect the mangroves and wetlands by staying on designated walking tracks and using fishing platforms while fishing. This will ensure future food stocks for fish, animals and birdlife. The Lake can be accessed from Brinsmead Lane, off the Bellarine Hwy (just east of Leopold), or from Lake Rd, off the Barwon Heads Rd (beside the airport). The estuary can be accessed from River Pde, off Sheepwash Rd. Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary, Beaches & Surfing, Guide to the Coast Location: between Geelong and Barwon Heads More info this book:

Lake Connewarre, JM Lower Glenelg National Park, GSC Lower Glenelg National Park, RE

In the far southwest of Victoria, the messy and multi-hued bushland of the Lower Glenelg National Park sits in stark and welcome contrast to the dark green pine forests that abut it on many sides. This extensive park follows the Glenelg River on its tranquil course westward to the sea at Nelson. Along the last part of its winding 400 km path, the river has carved a spectacular gorge up to 50 metres deep through limestone. The impressive Princess Margaret Rose Cave has been formed by river erosion and rainwater, and can be accessed via a steep and slippery descent or a boat tour (contact the Nelson Visitor Information Centre for information; there are entry fees for the caves). Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also possible to hire small motorboats in Nelson if you want to try a spot of exploring and fishing. Canoeing is popular along the river, with canoes available for hire both at Nelson and Winnap. There are purpose built camps along the river. Contact the Nelson Visitor Information Centre for camping permits and more detailed information if you are planning a canoe trip. For those that prefer to stay on dry land, Jones Lookout on the Nelson Winnap Rd offers excellent views of the river; and there are many other attractive camp and picnic sites accessible from tracks and roads on the south side of the river. The park is also traversed by the Great South West Walk. In terms of plant life, the park is where east meets west. Gullies at Moleside Creek contain the most westerly tree

Activities

219.

Parks & Reserves

ferns in Australia and at least 60 other plant species, which are found no further west. At the same time many West Australian plants occur here â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the edge of their eastern range â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so that a total of 700 species, including 50 orchids, can be found in and around forest, heath, swamp and river. The vegetation communities in the western section of the park consist of open forests and scrubs dominated by brown stringybark and messmate with heathy understoreys. Further east these communities grade into taller open forests dominated by a mixture of species, including messmate, brown stringybark, shining peppermint, swamp gum and manna gum. These forests generally have a heathy understorey, but may also include bracken and grasses. On the deep sandy soils at the eastern end of the park are large stands of heath dominated by dwarf sheoak, silver banksia, common heath, prickly tea tree, beaked hakea and button grass. Waterlogged sites are often dominated by paperbark. Wet sclerophyll forests occur in the catchment of Moleside Creek. This community has an overstorey of blackwood and an understorey of wet forest shrubs and ferns, many at their western limits. The parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fauna includes echidnas, bandicoots, kangaroos and wallabies, koalas, and an isolated population of the common wombat. At least 136 bird species have been recorded, including the brush bronzewing, peregrine falcon, blue-winged parrot, singing honeyeater and beautiful firetail. Nelson Visitor Information Centre to the Coast, Discovery Bay National Park; Walk, Ride, Drive Area: 27,300 ha Location: northeast from Nelson More info:

More info this book: Guide

Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary 12 Small sanctuary featuring Australian fur seals, near Apollo Bay. Near Apollo Bay, close to the shore at Marengo, this sanctuary comprises two small sandstone reefs that are clearly visible at low tide, called Henty and Little Henty Islands. These islands have been flattened over the centuries, and are now home to rich intertidal reefs that feature a huge variety of seaweeds and corals. Along the reef edges, crevices and ledges also contribute to habitat diversity. The reefs are packed with sea life. The inner reef is usually submerged at high tide but the outer reef is only occasionally inundated by high tides and large seas. The outer reef supports a haul-out area for approximately 200 Australian fur seals. Pupping has occurred here although it is not an established breeding site. Australian fur seals travel long distances to feed and often travel between Victorian colonies. The sanctuary may act as a rest area during long foraging trips. Boats, sea kayaks and divers are not permitted within 20 metres of the outer reef. Marengo, RE Marego explorers, VofV

220.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Despite a history of timber-cutting and tourist use, most of the rainforest is essentially undisturbed. Madsen’s Track Nature Walk, a half hour circuit from the carpark, wends its way through myrtle beeches, blackwoods and tree ferns. There are many magnificent specimens of eucalypts and acacias, with the aptly named Big Tree, a 300 year old Otway Messmate which is 27 metres in circumference, a major attraction.

There are views of the sanctuary and seal haul-out area from a lookout at Haley Point. The water between the beach and the reefs provides ideal conditions for beginner snorkellers, while more experienced snorkellers can try the ocean side of the reefs (although there are dangerous currents, particularly with outgoing tides). More info this book: Guide to the Coast Area: 12

ha Apollo Bay

Location:

Melba Gully – Great Otway National Park

Superb example of undisturbed temperate rainforest, home to glow worms, near Lavers Hill. Until recently a state park, Melba Gully now sits nestled in the majestic Great Otway National Park, and is a worthwhile picnic spot en route from Apollo Bay to Port Campbell. Sometimes called ‘the jewel of the Otways’, it is an area of great biological diversity with a human history that is rich and fascinating.

Merri Marine Santuary, KS Melba Gully, RE

The gully is located in the upper reaches of the Johanna River and contains a series of ridges dissected by deep gullies and steep slopes supporting cool temperate rainforest.

Other inhabitants of the gully include possums, platypus, native rats, birds and glow worms. The larvae of fly-like insects called fungus gnats, these glow worms make sticky threads that trap tiny insects, and at night colonies form glowing constellations in the damp understorey of track cuttings. Avoid wearing insect repellent if possible, and if you want to explore at night you should arrive before dark to orientate yourself. Red cellophane over torch lenses will reduce the impact of artificial light. The human history of the park is also much in evidence. A section of the timber tramway built in the 1920s can still be seen near the Cascade on the Johanna River. The picnic area is on the site of Mrs. Fry’s tearooms where, in the 1930s and 40s, people came to observe nature, to walk and to wonder at this remnant of an ancient forest. Walk, Ride, Drive, Great Otway National Park Area: 65 ha Location: west of Lavers Hill More info this book:

Merri Marine Sanctuary

Small sanctuary with beaches, snorkeling and diving, home to little penguins, Warrnambool. This sanctuary lies west of the breakwater at Warrnambool, and takes in Merri and Middle Islands.

Activities

221.

Parks & Reserves

The diverse topography includes reef, sand, deep canyons and the islands themselves. The Sanctuary should be a part of any visit to Warrnambool. The canyon between the islands is packed with sea life. Kelps sway with the waves, colourful sponges dominate the overhangs and rock lobsters hide in the crevices. The region has been a generous source of seafood for indigenous people and later European arrivals. The lookouts, walking tracks and carparks adjacent to the sanctuary (for instance at Thunder Point) are popular. During the warmer months many people visit the area known as Stingray Bay, a small beach within the sanctuary, and explore rock pools near Pickering Point. Given its easy accessibility the sanctuary is a popular spot for snorkellers and divers. Middle Island is home to a colony of little penguins. It is currently closed but can be accessible by foot in the right conditions. As you walk around, keep an eye out for dolphins, which frequent the area. More info: Warrnambool Visitor Information Centre More info this book: Guide to the Coast Area: 25 ha Location: Warrnambool

Mt Eccles National Park

Fascinating volcanic structures with good facilities and walks, near Macarthur. Mt Eccles National Park contains vivid evidence of volcanic activity that started about 20,000 years ago, in the last phase of volcanic activity in southeastern Australia. Mt Eccles (Budj Bim) itself is a broad, rounded scoria cone, the summit of a large and complex volcanic structure. The mountain was the centre for large outpourings of fluid lava, including

one that followed the valley of Darlot’s Creek and extended over 50 km. Noteworthy for volcanic features such as caves, craters and basalt plains, Mt Eccles National Park and nearby Mt Napier State Park are the largest of the few areas of public land remaining on the volcanic plains of western Victoria. Visitors to Mt Eccles (Budj Bim), which is the most accessible part of this extensive national park. can climb to the summit and look down into the ancient craters, which have joined together and now hold Lake Surprise. This 700-metre lake is fed by underground springs, and can be turquoise or deep green, depending on the amount of sediment and algae in the water.

Uninsulated walls allow up to 35% of heat to disappear, and another 25% is lost through an uninsulated roof.

Visitors can swim, canoe and fish in it, or you may choose to complete the Lake Surprise walk, which offers a closeup view of the lake and the volcanic features of the crater. The path has a steep descent to the edge of the lake, but then it’s an easy walk following the water’s edge. There are several walks ranging from short and easy to long and difficult. See the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter for more information. There are some attractive picnic spots and a small camping ground with good basic facilities (including a hot shower!). There’s an on-site Parks

Lake Surprise, Mt Eccles

222.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

A major late eruption of fluid basaltic lava provided the source of a flow that extends for over 24 km along the valley of Harmans Creek. This flow has been constricted by the shape of the valley (in places being less than 200 metres wide) and is almost 30 metres thick.

Victoria office, but you’ll need to check for current opening hours. The lava flow from the volcanic eruptions has shaped vast tracks of land south and west of Mt Eccles (Budj Bim). Lake Condah, to the west, was formed when the lava flow dammed creeks and streams in the area. This region provided a rich source of fish and eels for the Gunditjmara people, who built stone villages nearby.

Only one cave, Harmans 1, is open to the public (except in winter). This is because bentwing bats spend winter in some of the caves, avoiding winter food shortages. In the caves, the bats slow their body systems down in what is known as torpor, where their body temperature matches that of their surroundings. Disturbance during their torpor can kill them.

Parks Victoria Mt Eccles Office Aboriginal Heritage, Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape (Around Port Fairy) Area: 6120 ha Location: near Macarthur, on the Port Fairy–Hamilton Rd

Near the limits of the Harmans Valley flow at Wallacedale, 13 km west of the Byaduk Caves, are ridges, or barriers, of lava; as well as unusual clusters of lava tumuli which are circular mounds, or hummocks, of rock up to 10 metres high and 20 metres in diameter. The end of the lava flow is buried beneath sediments of the Condah Swamp.

More info:

More info this book:

Mt Napier State Park 21 A classic volcanic cone, and many volcanic features, near Macarthur.

Lava tumulus, RE Mt Napier, RE

A variety of surface flow features (mounds, ridges and depressions) are well preserved and there are several groups of lava caves near Byaduk township (take Byaduk Caves Rd, east from the Port Fairy–Hamilton Rd). The caves are accessed through collapsed roof sections and display many well preserved features left by the retreating and cooling lava.

Mt Napier is visible from a long way off, with its perfect volcanic cone sitting mid-way between the Grampians and the sea. Mt Napier was the last active volcano in Victoria and may be less than 10,000 years old. The bulk of the volcanic activity from the Mt Napier area was outpourings of basaltic lava, with many eruptions and flow features near Mt Napier and on the lava plateau to the west.

Access to Mt Napier State Park is from the Hamilton–Port Fairy Rd, where you take the turn-off into Murroa Lane, to Coles Track and then left into Menzles Pit Rd and continue to Menzles Pit to reach the start of the summit walk. MORE INFO THIS BOOK: Walk,

Ride, Drive 2800 ha Location: north of Macarthur off the Port Fairy–Hamilton Rd Area:

Activities

223.

Parks & Reserves

Mt Richmond National Park

Stringybark-dominated forest on flanks of extinct volcano, adjoining Discovery Bay Coastal Park, between Portland and Nelson. Sitting close to the coast between Portland and Nelson, adjoining the Discovery Bay Coastal Park, Mt Richmond is an extinct volcano that has been covered over by a layer of sand blown inland many years ago. The mountain itself consists not of basalt but of tuff: a porous rock formed over two million years ago when volcanic ash gradually hardened. The park is traversed by the Great South West Walk (see the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter). The drive into the park from the Portland–Nelson Rd takes you up to the summit, where a peaceful picnic ground sits atop the mountain, surrounded by tall trees that hide any views of the Southern Ocean. There is a lookout tower at the summit, to take in views of Discovery Bay and Cape Bridgewater, however the surrounding eucalypts have out-grown it. You can get glimpses of the Southern Ocean, but the best view is gained by taking the Ocean View Walk, a onehour walk on a gentle slope that ends at a viewing platform on the southern side of the mountain. Here, you can look southeast to the wind-farm on Cape Bridgewater, or southwest up the sweep of Discovery Bay. For nature enthusiasts, the Benwerrin nature walk is a self-guided one-hour walk that takes in the diverse flora. Many hardy native plants now grow successfully on the infertile sandy soil. About 450 species of plants have been recorded in the park, including 50 orchid species. Correas, heaths, wattles and bush peas provide spectacular colours in spring, but there are plants

flowering in Mt Richmond at almost any time of the year. More info this book: Walk, Ride Drive Area:

1733 ha west from Portland

Location:

Mt Rothwell Conservation & Research Centre

Conservation centre on old squatter’s run, with limited public access, near the You Yangs. For a time known as the Little River Earth Sanctuary, the Mt Rothwell Conservation & Research Centre was created to provide the endangered wildlife of Victoria’s western plains a quality habitat, protected from feral animals. The property was once part of the Chirnside family’s enormous pastoral holdings (which included Werribee Park). Dr John Wamsley’s company, Earth Sanctuaries, bought the Mt Rothwell property – including the historic homestead – from the Chirnsides in 2000, and it was opened to the public in 2002. Earth Sanctuaries is unfortunately extinct, but the Mt Rothwell Conservation & Research Centre survives. Byaduk Caves, SGSC

224.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Long-nosed potoroos, southern brown bandicoots, rufous bettongs, redbellied pademelons, eastern quolls and brush-tailed phascogales have been introduced back to their former range, with some species not seen in the wild in Victoria for 50 to 100 years. A stunning feature of the property is a heritage-listed 130-year-old bluestone homestead formerly owned by the Chirnside family. The residence is an intact example of a wealthy pastoral home that still displays rare decorative schemes. There are nightly guided walks for groups of 10 or more, or a scheduled walk on the last Saturday of every month. Bookings are essential.

Before you leave home, make sure you’ve unplugged all appliances. Up to 10% of all electricity used in the home is wasted energy burned by adaptors, chargers, computers, and TVs on standby.

More info: www.mtrothwell.com.au, mob 0434 295 355 1185 ha north of You Yangs, Little River exit, Princes Hwy

Area:

Location:

Ocean Grove Nature Reserve

Small and not very inspiring – although significant as the last example of woodland on Bellarine Peninsula, near Ocean Grove. Ocean Grove Nature Reserve contains the only significant example of woodland on the Bellarine Peninsula as it was prior to European settlement, featuring an extensive area of grass tree, manna gum, yellow gum and drooping sheoak. See the Walk, Ride, Drive chaper for descriptions of a number of walks. More info this book: Walk, Ride, Drive

143 ha just north of Ocean Grove on Grubb Rd

Area:

Location:

Pt Addis, RE Pt Danger, GS

Pt Addis Marine National Park 9 Magnificent stretch of cliffs and bays, with great surfing and diving, between Bells Beach and Anglesea. This marine park extends west from Bells Beach to Anglesea. From land, the sea views at Pt Addis are spectacular, taking in dramatic cliffs to the east and the rugged coastline to the west towards Anglesea and Aireys Inlet. The marine environment includes a number of small rocky reefs including Ingoldsby Reef, near Anglesea, a popular local diving destination that is famous for its sea dragons. Ingoldsby Reef is one of the longest shallow offshore reefs in Victorian waters, running parallel with the coast for almost five km and ranging from sea level to depths of about nine metres. Aboriginal people used the area for fishing and food gathering. Middens are located along the shoreline and it is believed that Pt Addis may be a burial area. Great Otway National Park, Walk, Ride, Drive Area: 4600 ha Location: between Bells Beach and Anglesea More info this book:

Pt Danger Marine Sanctuary 8 Interesting views, windsurfing and snorkeling in the centre of Torquay. Pt Danger lived up to its name in 1891 when the Joseph H. Scammell ship ran broadside onto the reef and broke up in heavy seas. Cargo from the ship was scattered extensively along the coast and was soon the target of large numbers of looters. Some concentrated remnants of the hull fittings and cargo can still be located among the reef gullies and the ship’s anchors are displayed on Torquay front beach.

Activities

225.

Parks & Reserves

The point is formed from beds of yellow limestone that are slowly crumbling into the sea. The sanctuary takes in a small reef that lies offshore, exposed on the lowest summer tides and cut off from the shore by a sandy channel. The reef is covered with small boulders, seaweed beds, crevices and pools and is known for its diversity of sea slugs, or opistobranchs, which appear in a range of shapes, colours and sizes. Snorkellers can also explore the outer sides of the reef, where bright green sea nymph grasses grow and eagle rays patrol. Pt Danger is popular with sailboarders, surfers, divers and snorkellers; and land-lovers also take in the views from the lookout. Guide to the Coast, Walk, Ride, Drive, Beaches & Surfing Area: 25 ha Location: Torquay More info this book:

Port Campbell National Park

The iconic Twelve Apostles site is just one of many spectacular landforms cut by wild seas, near Port Campbell. The Port Campbell National Park encompasses one of the most spectacular and unusual coastlines in Australia, with outstanding examples of wave-cut landforms: arches, rock stacks, blowholes, caves and coastal gorges. The park attracts around two million visitors a year, but although it is only 27 km long and four km at its widest point, and the Great Ocean Road runs the entire length, providing easy access to most sites of interest, it is surprisingly easy to find yourself alone with nothing but the sea, the sky and the rocks. The Twelve Apostles, in particular, constitute one of Australia’s bestknown seascapes and are probably the

most photographed natural features in Australia next to Uluru – even though, today, there are only eight remaining! The ninth apostle fell over in July 2005. Fortunately, you can be sure the waves are busy creating more, although you’ll have to wait a few hundred years to see them. The Port Campbell limestone was laid down in the sea during Miocene times, 10 to 20 million years ago. It was created in a series of bands, with alternating layers of clay, silt, and sandy limestone. Some of the bands have become calcified, which has rendered them more resistant to erosion, while others have remained soft. The pounding sea has scoured out the softer beds, gradually undermining the cliffs, and penetrated into the rocks along weaker vertical joint lines. The many rock stacks along this part of the coast are formed when wave action forms a promontory, then undercuts it to form natural arches, which over time collapse, leaving stacks standing offshore, which in turn collapse leaving platforms. Examples include the London Bridge, where one of the huge arches collapsed into the sea in 1990. From start to finish the process is estimated to take only 600 years.

12 Apostles, EH Port Campbell National Park, RE

226.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Learn about environmental issues in the places you are visiting – then seek to counter those problems.

were later maintained by Europeans.

The nutrient deficient soils along the clifftops are dominated by grasslands and heathlands, which are stunted by the effects of the salt-laden winds and exposed conditions. Eastern grey kangaroos and swamp wallabies particularly enjoy the sheltered areas behind the coastal cliffs dominated by open forests of swamp gum and messmate.

Many ships were wrecked along this stretch of coast, particularly when Bass Strait became a major shipping route during the mid to late 19th century. The park is home to four shipwrecks, the most famous being the Loch Ard (1878) wrecked at Loch Ard Gorge between Port Campbell and Princetown (see following section). The wreck site of the Napier (1878) is in Port Campbell inlet, and just to the west, near Peterborough, are the Newfield (1892) and Schomberg (1855).

This coast has been important to Aboriginal people for thousands of years as a home and a source of food – shellfish, fish and plants. The Keerray Woorroong inhabited the triangle between Princetown, Warrnambool and Lake Bolac. Recent archaeological work has found the remains of stone huts on the coast, suggesting Aboriginal people may have lived in them year-round. They knew the shoreline well, and cut steps into the sheer cliffs to gain access to marine food sources. These steps

The Shipwreck Coast Historic Shipwreck Trail tells the stories of these wrecks and many others, with interpretation signs placed in proximity to shipwreck sites along the length of Port Campbell National Park and the Great Ocean Road.

TIMBO ON ORO

UGH

OCE Crofts Massacre Bay Bay

Halladale Point

Peterborough 97

Bay of Martyrs

T GREA

ERB

PET

CURRELLS

4km

Wild Dog Cove

B100

96 46 47 48

Curdies Inlet

Bay of Islands

CAMPBELL

Port Campbell

B100

PORT

BEL MP

River

CRE

C164

Curd i

TER

PORT

PETER

BORO

NDA

UGH

BOU

ALE DIEV

CUR

EAS

COBDEN

Map 12 – Port Campbell National Park

Newfield Bay

Walks

Beaches

ROAD

Two Mile Bay

Port Campbell National Park

Th Marin

The Arch The Grotto

London Bridge

Key to map symbols on Map 6

Activities

227.

Parks & Reserves

Practicalities The Great Ocean Road follows the coast quite closely, with roads and tracks leading in to the edge of the cliffs. The most iconic sites are clearly signposted and reached by sealed roads. They’re iconic sites for a good reason – they are particularly freakish – but there are also numerous unmarked, unsealed tracks that lead to your own personal discoveries. Nearly all the unsealed tracks are perfectly accessible for two-wheel-drive vehicles, unless there has been some very heavy rain (which is not unusual) – although they can be rough. If you do get off the asphalt, there are no boardwalks, no safety barriers and no signs. You’ll almost always be rewarded with a spectacular private view, but safety is a real issue. Be very careful near any cliffs, because there will often either be slippery clay or N

N ETOW

INC

ROB

LAT

Port Campbell National Park

C166 RD

BEL MP

CA L

GREAT B100

OCEAN 93 94 95 Loch Ard Gorge

6 46 47 48

The Arches Marine Sanctuary

bell

Two Mile Bay

CURRELLS

RING

PORT

NDS

C164

BOO

ROU

CREEK

Although the coast is superb in good weather, many would argue it’s most spectacular with a southwesterly gale pushing in huge waves and scudding clouds. The weather can go from good

TER

Most of the two million visitors to the park are day visitors travelling by bus or private car, and most confine themselves to the Twelve Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge (see more information on individual sites following). Because most of the day visitors do a round trip to/from Melbourne, over three hours’ away, or are travelling between Apollo Bay and Warrnambool, the busiest times are from 11:30am to around 4:30pm. Ironically, the best times to see and photograph the coastline are either before the crowds arrive or after they leave, at sunrise or sunset.

U YAR

COBDEN

EAS

loose pebbles near the edge, and the edges themselves can be very unstable.

Twelve Apostles Centre THE TWELVE APOSTLES

Glendample Homestead

Gibson Steps 45

B100

ROAD Port Campbell National Park

81 90

Princetown

81 90 91

Point Ronald 44

Twelve Apostles Marine National Park

BASS

STRAIT

228.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

beautiful Gellibrand River. There’s a pleasant, sheltered picnic and fishing spot beside the river, just south of the Great Ocean Road bridge over the river. The river finally meets the sea beneath rugged Pt Ronald. See Beaches & Surfing for information on accessing the beach. Gibson Steps

to bad in the blink of an eye – so it is important to be prepared with warm clothes and rain gear. It’s difficult to recommend how much time is needed to explore the park. A day trip is (marginally) better than nothing, but to explore the main sites and take a couple of side tracks you really need two or three days. You could easily spend a week.

Princetown, Gellibrand River estuary, RE 12 Apostles, RE

Probably originally built by Aboriginals, then further maintained by Hugh Gibson from nearby Glenample Homestead, the steps give access to a wild and spectacular beach – great for walking, fishing and (expert-only) board surfing, but very dangerous for swimming. There’s a viewing platform at the top of the cliff near the carpark with views of two stacks, known as Gog and Magog (more spectacular at sea level). Allow at least one hour if you go down to the beach. Glenample Homestead

It’s definitely worth carrying sufficient food and equipment to cater for a picnic lunch – hopefully on your own private headland or beach. If you have time, make a detour to Timboon to stock up on the excellent local produce (ice cream, cheese, chocolate, wine and whisky)!

Because of its ruggedness and remoteness, the Port Campbell coast was settled later than many other parts of Western Victoria. Glenample Station was first leased in 1847 and, after passing through several hands, Hugh Gibson built the present Glenample Homestead in 1869.

For more information on opening hours for the gourmet food outlets and accommodation options, contact the Visitor Information Centres in Warrnambool, Port Campbell, Colac or Apollo Bay (for contact details see the Visitor Information chapter in the Practicalities section). Princetown to Port Campbell

Ten years later it became famous because of its association with the wreck of the Loch Ard (see the Loch Ard Gorge section following). Today, the property is owned by Parks Victoria. It has been restored, and was used as a café and interpretation centre. It was closed at the time of writing; contact Parks Victoria for more information (tel 13 19 63).

Princetown Beach & Pt Ronald

Twelve Apostles

Princetown is a small hamlet perched above the meandering estuary of the

Some iconic sights can disappoint in the flesh, but the Twelve Apostles do not –

Activities

229.

Parks & Reserves

especially if you see them either early or late, and without a crowd. At these times, you may also see penguins. The Twelve Apostles were originally called the Sow and Piglets. Mutton Bird Island near Loch Ard Gorge was the ‘sow’, and the other stacks were her ‘piglets’. Fortunately for the cause of Australian tourism, they were renamed in the 1950s to the Twelve Apostles, although there were only nine. One collapsed in 2005, so today there are only eight. There’s a massive carpark and monolithic toilet block clearly signposted on the north side of the road. The apostles are reached via a tunnel under the road and there are viewpoints around 300 and 500 metres from the carpark. Allow at least 45 minutes. The Wreck of the Loch Ard On the night of 31 May 1878, the 18 passengers aboard the Loch Ard were holding an end-of-voyage party. They had spent 90 days at sea and expected to arrive in Melbourne the next day. Visibility and conditions were poor and the captain was unable to establish a clear position. Just after 4 am the fog lifted and the crew saw limestone cliffs rising up in front of them. They tried desperately to manoevre the ship against strong winds and currents. The shouting woke a young passenger, Eva Carmichael, who thought the crew was celebrating the sight of land. She went to see for herself, immediately realized the danger, and woke her family. As they were getting dressed, Eva later said, the Loch Ard ran with a ‘fearful, shuddering crash’ onto an outlying reef off Mutton Bird Island. Eva was swept overboard, but clung to a piece of broken mast. She held on for four hours until, at the entrance to a narrow gorge, the mast jammed against some rocks. She then saw Tom

Pearce, a young member of the crew, on the beach and called for help. It took Tom an hour to swim out and pull her ashore. Leaving Eva in a cave, Tom climbed the cliffs and eventually came across two boundary riders from nearby Glenample Station. Hugh Gibson, Glenample’s owner, returned to the gorge and found Eva, terrified, half-dressed and hiding under a bush. Gibson wrapped her in a blanket and warmed her by a fire before managing to get her up the cliffs and back to Glenample. Gibson returned to the gorge in daylight the next day. He and his workers found the bodies of Eva’s mother and sister and two sailors, and buried them at the top of the cliffs in coffins made from piano cases. One other body was buried where it was found on the beach. Forty-seven bodies were never found. The disaster quickly became the stuff of legend. Within days, 400 journalists,

Loch Ard Gorge, DS

230.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

walks; see the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter for details.

sightseers and looters had arrived at Glenample – the beginning of a popular fascination that has never faded. Tom and Eva were instant celebrities and there was much popular speculation about a romance between the two. Disappointingly for the newspapers, Eva returned to her extended family in Ireland and Tom Pearce continued his sailing career – although, for the romantics, Tom did end up marrying the sister of a sailor who had lost his life aboard the Loch Ard. One piece of the Loch Ard’s cargo survived undamaged. A magnificent life-sized ceramic peacock, destined for the Melbourne International Exhibition, was washed ashore days after the ship ran aground. Still in its packing case, the only damage was a small chip to its beak. Today the peacock is displayed in the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum in Warrnambool, and the maritime museum has a dramatic light and sound show that recreates the wreck. Loch Ard Gorge

London Bridge, RE The Arch, RE

Many day visitors rush to view the famous gorge, then disappear back into their vehicles – but there’s a lot to see at Loch Ard Gorge and it is worth exploring. There are three self-guided

Muttonbirds (or short-tailed shearwaters; see separate section) nest in the area from October to April (best in January and February) and they make an impressive sight returning home to their burrows in the evenings. On Muttonbird Island, 200,000 of these birds have made their home. Despite their name, muttonbirds are a beautiful migratory sea bird; shearwater fits better, although they have traditionally been harvested for food and feathers. Port Campbell to Peterborough Port Campbell Discovery Walk & Two Mile Bay The Port Campbell Discovery Walk can start on the western side of Campbells Creek, or by following the signs from the Scenic Town Lookout Carpark just off the Great Ocean Road, west of the township. See the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter for more information. The Arch The Arch is well signposted, and still on the beaten track. It is not the most spectacular of the sights on this stretch of coast, but the arch is eight metres high and quite beautiful when it catches the afternoon sun. There’s an interesting view looking back towards the Twelve Apostles. It’s a short walk from the carpark; allow 20 minutes. London Bridge London Bridge is one of the most spectacular formations, and provides a vivid example of the coast’s mobile geology. Until January 1990 the bridge (now really an arch) was joined to the mainland, and it was possible to walk out across both arches to the end of a ‘bridge’ to nowhere. When it collapsed,

Activities

231.

Parks & Reserves

two visitors were left stranded and were subsequently rescued by helicopter. There are two viewing platforms and both are worth visiting. The upper platform is about 150 metres return to/from the carpark and the lower platform is about 300 metres to/from the carpark; allow 45 minutes. The lower platform is one of the best places to observe fairy penguins in the park – although there are only a relatively small number of penguins here (approximately 100), you’re relatively close to the beach. To see them, you’ll have to be hardy enough to get there for dawn or sunset. The Grotto The Grotto is not the most spectacular site, but, especially at high tide, it is one of the most beautiful – an arch reaches over a rock pool with the sea behind. The walk to/from the carpark is approximately 750 metres; allow 30 minutes. More Info: Port Campbell Visitor Information Centre More info this book: Guide to the Coast, Beaches & Surfing, Walk, Ride, Drive Area: 1830 ha Location: Port Campbell

Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park

Extraordinary geology, dramatic sights and amazing sea life – you can swim with seals, near Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale. The Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park includes some of the best diving and snorkeling in the world, offering close-up encounters with seals and dolphins, as well as a fascinating variety of colourful fish, sea dragons, nudibranchs, sponges and soft corals. ‘The Rip’ is the single, narrow entrance to Port Phillip Bay, one of

the largest inland bays in the world. A huge volume of water rushes through the entrance with every incoming and outgoing tide, creating dramatic conditions, especially when an outgoing tide meets heavy incoming swells from Bass Strait. All the shipping for Melbourne, the largest port in Australia, has to pass through the Rip and there is only a narrow channel they can use. Big ships are required to use a local pilot, who is taken out to meet incoming vessels or disembarks from outgoing vessels beyond the Heads. The distinctive orange pilot boat makes a spectacular sight crashing through big seas to meet ships and rendezvous with their pilots. The park is made up of six separate areas including Swan Bay, Great Sands (Mud Islands), Pt Lonsdale, Pt Nepean, Popes Eye and Portsea Hole. There is an extraordinary diversity and abundance of marine flora and fauna. Divers have a choice of destinations from Portsea Hole, the Lonsdale and Nepean walls, and Popes Eye, to a number of shipwrecks. These destinations encompass spectacular wall diving and challenging drift dives, with sea life rivalling the colour and diversity of tropical reefs.

Swan Island, Swan Bay, Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale, GS The Grotto, RE

232.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Prior to Federation, Melbournians paid for the construction of a number of forts, some of which are still used by the Department of Defence.

Snorkeling tours leave from Queenscliff. They begin with a training swim at the shallow lagoon at Popes Eye, then participants swim with seals at Chinaman’s Hat and hopefully finish by swimming with dolphins. For more information contact the Queenscliff Visitor Information Centre. The park marks the end of the range for some animals and plants that prefer the cold waters of western Victoria, but it also supports species from eastern Australia that can survive in the bay’s relatively calm, warm, shallow waters. A high proportion of Victoria’s marine flora and fauna are represented. As the gateway to the bay, the Rip has always been a hazardous challenge for shipping. Although most have negotiated the Heads successfully, a number have come to grief on the reefs at the entrance. Some of these wrecks are now found within the park. These include the Holyhead, George Roper and Conside on the Lonsdale Reef. The Eliza Ramsden near Pt Nepean and the William Salthouse, an important wreck near Popes Eye, lie nearby.

Swan Bay, JM Sand bars, GS

The Heads have also been considered a vital part of Victoria’s security and their defence has been a preoccupation since the earliest days of the colony.

Within the park, Popes Eye was established as the base of a fortress that was never completed – but other fortifications, including the South Channel Fort and extensive fortifications at both Pt Nepean and Queenscliff were completed. The rocks placed on the sand bar at Popes Eye were soon colonised by kelp and many other plants and animals, and today the site is considered one of the most important dive and snorkeling sites in the bay. Swan Bay The natural values of Swan Bay are of international significance – it is both beautiful and extremely important environmentally. The tidal mudflats and surrounding fringe of salt marsh support large numbers of wader birds including many that migrate from the Northern Hemisphere during summer months. The expanse of tidal sea grass beds is a major nursery habitat for many species of fish. Forty-four species have been recorded in Swan Bay, and its importance as a fish nursery area has long been recognised by Queenscliff fishermen. It was protected unofficially for nearly 100 years, before being officially protected under legislation in 1970. In addition, the sea grass provides food for black swans, and the surrounding area provides a breeding ground for spoonbills, cormorants and egrets. The endangered orange-bellied parrot uses the salt marshes fringing Swan Bay as a winter refuge and feeding ground. Mud Islands (Great Sands) The Mud Islands, approximately

Activities

233.

Parks & Reserves

six km northeast of Portsea, are an exposed section of the Great Sands, the most extensive sandbank in the Bay. Reminiscent in some ways of a coral cay, they consist of three shrubby sand islands, enclosing a shallow tidal lagoon, which is fringed by salt marsh. The island group has a total land area of 60 hectares and reaches a height of four metres. Formed by wind and wave action, the Mud Islands are anchored by outcrops of phosphate rock. This rare rock forms below guano (bird droppings) when phosphate leaches down and combines with shelly sand to form a hard calcium phosphate. It is resistant to erosion, thus creating an ideal nesting site for birds whose droppings continue to keep the whole system going. The major species is silver gulls – with an estimated 40–50,000 pairs, this is one of the largest colonies in the world. Other species include strawnecked ibis and white ibis. In summer, thousands of intercontinental waders visit the central lagoon. Altogether some 70 species have been recorded. Pt Lonsdale The Pt Lonsdale section of the park includes excellent examples of the diverse physical and biological features of the area, including spectacular deepwater scenery featuring cliffs, caverns, rocky reef walls, sponge gardens and kelp beds. The Rip side of Pt Lonsdale contains an extensive rocky platform covered with algae such as Neptune’s necklace, and has a number of larger rockpools suitable for snorkeling. The reefs offshore from Pt Lonsdale provide spectacular underwater terrain with ledges, rock outcrops and bommies, and beds of bull kelp on sections exposed to large waves.

The Lonsdale Wall is a series of ledges that mark the edge of the historical course of the Yarra River. The wall drops down a series of ledges from 15 to 90 metres depth, extending horizontally for about a kilometre. The vertical walls, sheltered caves, ledges and overhangs and their associated communities of colourful sponges, fish and encrusting algae provide spectacular scenery and provide popular dive sites. Species include an array of sponges, soft corals, gorgonians, hydroids, jewel anemones and sea tulips; as well as 43 species of fish.

Reduce, reuse, recycle – these tenets hold true wherever you are.

The sponge gardens contain a high diversity of sponges and other filter feeding invertebrates in a variety of colours, shapes and forms. In the main flow of current through the Rip, these animals are able to extract plankton from the water that passes by. Pt Nepean The Pt Nepean component contains extensive shallow reefs covered in kelp and supports a variety of marine life including Victoria’s marine state emblem, the weedy sea dragon, as well as sea horses, cuttlefish and numerous algal and invertebrate species.

Pt Lonsdale, GS

234.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

a forest-like environment. Beneath the kelp there is an array of colourful encrusting algae and organisms like starfish, sponges, feather stars, sea urchins, sponges, sea squirts and soft corals adorning the rocks. More Info: Queenscliff Visitor Information Centre

Guide to the Coast, Walk, Ride, Drive, Beaches & Surfing, Diving & Snorkeling Area: 3580 ha Location: accessible from Queenscliff, Pt Lonsdale, Portsea More info this book:

Portsea Hole

Serendip Sanctuary

Portsea hole is a 30 metre depression within the bed of the old Yarra River that is popular with divers. It acts as a shelter for a variety of fish and other reef species and there is a fascinating stratification of marine life on the wall.

Easy-to-access bird hides (see brolgas and bustards) and plenty of kangaroos, near Geelong.

Popes Eye Popes Eye, approximately five km northeast of Portsea, is an island made of bluestone boulders that have been laid in a semi-circular ring. Originally intended as the foundations for one of the fortresses guarding Port Phillip, but never completed, this structure provides a safe anchorage and ideal snorkeling. In many ways the rich community of animals and plants it shelters is a microcosm of the Headâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reef environment. With fishing prohibited, fish are abundant, with species including wrasse, morwongs, old wives, scaly fin and perch. Australasian gannets nest on the platforms and rocks above the water and Australian fur seals are often seen in the area. Inside the stone ring the water depth is only around 1Â˝ metres, but outside the water drops to around 10 metres. There are extensive beds of kelp, which create Queenscliff, KS

Originally developed as sheepgrazing property, Serendip has been redeveloped as an education centre focused on the wetlands and wildlife of the Western Plains. There is an information centre, walking trails, bird hides and covered walkways, displays and educational material. There is a picnic area with free undercover electric barbecues. The Sanctuary provides an excellent example of the open grassy woodlands and wetlands of the volcanic Western Plains and is the perfect place to experience wetlands ecology. More than 150 species of bird common to the Western Plains of Victoria have been recorded. Australian bustards, brolgas and bush thick-knees were once common on the Western Plains and now find a protected home here. Serendip also provides habitat for eastern grey kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, swamp wallabies, echidnas and a limited number of koalas.

Activities

235.

Parks & Reserves

More Info: Serendip Sanctuary, 03 5282 2570 Area: 250 ha Location: Windermere Road, Lara, off the Princes Highway

The Arches Marine Sanctuary 17 Spectacular marine scenery near Port Campbell. To the south of Port Campbell, offshore in 20 metres of water, the limestone sea floor breaks up into a series of amazing canyons, arches and tunnels that are locally known as ‘The Arches’. This 45 hectare marine sanctuary contains some of Victoria’s most spectacular limestone formations and is home to a diverse array of marine plants and animals. It is typical of the southwest Victorian coast, exposed to high-energy waves and the cool water that flows from the Southern Ocean. On the shady underside of the Arches, habitat is provided for invertebrate life that is characteristic of deeper Bass Strait waters. Large red and orange sea fans emerge vertically from the rock and stinging hydroids form feather like colonies. Delicate sea mosses and lace corals of a variety of shapes and colours cover many surfaces. There is an abundance of colourful starfish. Diving & Snorkeling 45 ha Location: Port Campbell More info this book: Area:

Tower Hill State Game Reserve

Remarkable volcanic crater with lakes, islands, great walks and Aboriginal guides. Tower Hill is a remarkable geological oddity sitting alongside the Princes Highway, just west of Warrnambool. You can drive around the rim of the

volcanic crater, taking in its size and islands, but it is not until you enter the park and take some of the walks that you really appreciate its diversity and beauty. Tower Hill itself is a nested maar volcanic formation, the largest example of its type in Victoria. It was formed following an eruption 32,000 years ago, when the molten lava encountered a layer of water-bearing rock, causing violent explosions. The shallow crater was formed; and subsequent eruptions created the islands and cone-shaped hills dotted through the reserve. Artefacts found in the volcanic ash layers show that Aboriginals were living in the area at the time of the eruption. The Warrnambool area was a rich source of foods for the Gunditjmara people, whose descendants retain special links with this country. The area was declared a State Game Reserve in 1961 after having been serioiusly degraded by quarrying, grazing and cropping. Extensive planting and revegetation projects since then have achieved much in restoring the native flora and fauna of the area. The restoration was aided by a superb, detailed painting by Eugene von Guerard that is now in the Warrnambool Art Gallery.

Tower Hill from Von Guerard’s Seat, with reproduction of his painting in foreground, RE Tower Hill Visitor Centre, WGAC

236.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

tucker, and the ongoing importance of ‘country’ (bookings required: tel 03 5565 9202). www.worngundidj.org.au Walk, Ride, Drive, Guide to the Coast Area: 614 ha Location: west from Warrnambool More Info:

More info this book:

Twelve Apostles Marine National Park

Remarkable underwater scenery, near Port Campbell. The park covers 17 km of dramatic Bass Strait coastline and includes the world-renowned Twelve Apostles rock formation. There are dramatic underwater features festooned with colourful seaweed and sponge gardens. There are a number of easy walks ranging from 30 minutes to an hour. Along the way, you’ll almost certainly spot interesting wildlife, including koalas, emus, kangaroos, magpie geese, echidnas and possums, as well as waterbirds. See the Walk, Ride, Drive chapter for more information. Today, the reserve is managed by the Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Cooperative, with the Worn Gundidj Visitor Centre, designed by Robin Boyd, open to the public Monday to Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm, weekends and public holidays from 10:00am to 4:00pm.

You Yangs, VofV

Founded in 1992, the cooperative brings together art, nature-based tourism and traditional knowledge. The visitor centre has the information you would expect as well as a wide selection of authentic Aboriginal products. Tours led by Aboriginal guides provide insights into the reserve’s fauna and flora, including bush

Breeding colonies of sea birds regularly inhabit the rock stacks and islands within the park, and the adjacent coastline has sites of significance for flora and fauna. Five wrecked ships, both immigrant ships and traders, are located in or near this park. The Loch Ard was wrecked in 1878 (see separate section). The marine park is relatively inaccessible from the shore because of the high cliffs and powerful sea conditions, and underwater exploration is only for the experienced scuba diver. Diving & Snorkeling 7500 ha Location: Port Campbell More info this book: Area:

You Yangs Regional Park

Great views, picnic spots, biking and mountain biking near Geelong. The You Yangs are a series of low granite ridges that reach a height of 352 metres at Flinders Peak. Despite

Activities

237.

Parks & Reserves

this modest elevation, the You Yangs are a dramatic and inescapable landmark for miles around – from Barwon Heads, from many points along the Great Dividing Range, even from the eastern side of Port Phillip Bay. Every European explorer worth his salt – since Matthew Flinders on 1 May 1802 – has found a climb to the top an irresistible challenge. And the view is impressive. In recent times, the You Yangs have become a centre for mountain biking, with over 50 km of trails that cater for riders of all ages and ability. All trails are clearly signposted with directional information and gradings. A map can be picked up from the Park Office. Contrary to popular belief – and their appearance – the You Yangs are not the remains of a volcano. In line with popular belief – and their appearance – the You Yangs are very old. The granite that forms them worked its way through surrounding sedimentary rocks in the Devonian period, roughly 365 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs. The magma never reached the surface, cooling slowly to allow large white crystals of feldspar (which can be seen in many of the rocky outcrops) to form. Over mind-boggling aeons the surrounding land surface and sedimentary rocks have eroded away, leaving behind the granite peaks. The You Yangs were significant to the Wathaurong Aboriginals. There is no permanent water in the vicinity, so natural hollows in the granite rocks were enlarged to form wells that held water even in dry seasons (some of these can be seen on Big Rock). There are well-developed visitor facilities with a Visitors’ Centre and several barbecue areas. The Great Circle Drive is a 12 km scenic loop

that takes in many features around the park. The road is unsealed but suitable for conventional vehicles. Flinders Peak Walk (3.2 km return, 1½ hours) begins at the Turntable Carpark, and is signposted to the peak, where there is a plaque commemorating Matthew Flinders. On a clear day you can see Mt Macedon, the Brisbane Ranges, Geelong, Corio and Port Phillip Bays, Mt Martha and the Melbourne skyline. More info: You Yangs Park Office, 03 5282 3356 More info this book: Mountain Biking Location: signposted from Lara, off Princes Hwy

You Yangs, JM You Yangs, VofV

238.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

239.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Lighthouse Olive Oil & Loam is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Lighthouse Olive Oil & Loam Waste not, want not

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to imagine a more picturesque setting for an olive grove this side of the equator. With sweeping views across Swan Bay, the Lighthouse Olive Mill Shop & Loam are nestled amongst the ten-year-old olive groves in a distinctly Mediterranean fashion. But Lighthouse does not mimic the age-old techniques finessed by the Greeks. Instead, it applies environmentally sustainable methods to support the wildlife habitats of Australian plants and animals. And its award-winning varieties, including Picual, Barnea, Frantoio and Arbequina, display a distinctive Victorian coastal character. Virtually every element in the production process at Lighthouse is either re-used or recycled. Take the humble olive pip, for example. Instead of throwing these into landfill or leaving them to rot in tumbling piles, they are crushed and used around the property for making paths.

During the production season, all waste water is stored and treated on the property using specially-designed equipment. This water can then be re-used at a later date, helping the farm stick to its goal of being 100% rainwater dependent. The dams on the property play their part, too. Elsewhere around the farm, all tree prunings are mulched and recycled, and the pomice (the byproduct when olives are processed) is composted with cow manure and fed back into the groves. With the belief that â&#x20AC;&#x153;fresh is bestâ&#x20AC;?, Lighthouse sticks to its guns and extracts all of its oils within hours of harvesting, using its own press. Address: 650 Andersons Road, Drysdale Tel: 03 5251 1100 www.lighthouseoliveoil.com.au

Opposite: Beauchamp Falls, RE

240.

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Activities

241.

Walk, Ride, Drive

WALK, RIDE, DRIVE By Digby Williamson

History People have been walking in the Great Ocean Road region for a long time. For tens of thousands of years Aboriginals travelled around their clan estates. Escaped convict William Buckley was, as far as we know, the first non-Aboriginal to walk in their footsteps. From 1804 he spent 32 years living with the Wathaurong between Queenscliff and Aireys Inlet. A 17-year-old Geelong boy, Ernest ‘Chinese’ Morrison, completed one of the most remarkable walks by a European – walking 1210 km in 1879 from Queenscliff to Adelaide. Morrison went on to travel and explore many other parts of the world and was, most notably, The Times correspondent in China for many years. From the 1850s, European settlers began to venture into the Otway Ranges. Timber mills were established and tramways were built to transport logs. By the 1870s tourists had arrived at places like Apollo Bay, Lorne, Spring Creek (Torquay), Swampy Creek (Anglesea) and Aireys Inlet. They wanted to venture into the forests and to the waterfalls. Many of the walks in forests today follow the paths of the tramways and other walking tracks developed in the late 19th century.

Opposite: Henderson’s Falls, near Lorne, PT Johanna Beach, VofV

242.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

• Wye & Kennett Rivers – Map 3 • Apollo Bay – Map 3 • Cape Otway – Map 3 • The Great Ocean Walk – Map 3 • Port Campbell – Map 4, and Map 11 in national parks section • Volcano Walks – Map 5 • Portland & Cape Bridgewater – Map 6 • Great South West Walk – Map 6

The Walks The walks covered in this chapter cover a great variety of distances and environments. Some are only short walks of 10 minutes or so, but in that short time they can take you from your car to a spectacular coastal lookout, waterfall or forest. There are many walks of several hours along windswept beaches, through heathland and forest, or to some awesome waterfalls or volcanic features. Most are not overnight walks, however the Great Ocean Walk (along the Otways coast between Apollo Bay and the Twelve Apostles) and the Great South West Walk (through forest and along the coast between Portland and Nelson) will take eight to nine days and 16 to 17 days respectively. These have been described as a series of day walks, which can be done in selected sections either as circuit walks, day walks or shorter overnight walks.

Timing The timing of the walks is based on an average walking speed of about three km per hour, with some variations based on the direct experience of walking the tracks. Fit walkers could, no doubt, do most of the walks in less time. If you stop frequently for rests or to enjoy the environment, you will generally take longer. Difficulty The walks have been categorised for difficulty on the following basis: Easy – formed tracks, level or undulating terrain, boardwalks and footbridges, and a minimum of steps Moderate – some climbing over rocks, river crossings on stones, soft sand, uphill or downhill sections Strenuous – rough terrain, clambering over rocks, and extended uphill or downhill sections

Walk Groupings

Preparation

The walks are arranged in groups around the nearest town or major feature, with corresponding maps (see map section), as follows:

Preparation is critical, especially for longer, more strenuous walks. Even short walks can require some planning if you are walking on beaches that are subject to tides or are in fire- or flood-prone areas. It is important to contact Parks Victoria or the nearest Visitor Information Centre to get upto-date information. Apart from checking on any safety issues, you can avoid disappointment by finding out about any track closures.

• Bellarine Peninsula – Map 2 • Torquay (including the Surf Coast Walk) – Map 7 • Anglesea – Map 8 • Aireys Inlet – Map 9 • Lorne – Map 10 Fairhaven, VofV

Activities

243.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Planning • Plan your walk and ensure you return well before dusk. • Check weather forecasts and tides at Visitor Information Centres or the Bureau of Meteorology website. • Check river levels and track closures at Visitor Information Centres or Parks Victoria. • Let someone know where you intend to walk and when you expect to be back. Equipment • Always wear sturdy non-slip footwear – even beach walking may involve a rock scramble. • Carry the best available map. • Always carry some food and plenty of drinking water. • On longer walks, always carry wet weather clothing – the weather can change rapidly. • A hat and sunscreen are essential; insect repellent can be useful. • Carry a well-charged mobile phone, although reception is not guaranteed.

salt, alcohol or insect repellent, or you can pull them off gently.

• Even on short walks, carry a basic emergency kit with bandaids, painkillers, an elastic bandage, salt, matches, antiseptic, and anti-histamine tablets (for allergic reactions).

• European Wasps are prevalent in some areas – avoid them and make sure they cannot enter your water bottle, as a bite in the mouth can be dangerous.

Safety & Annoyances • Take care at creek crossings, especially after heavy rain. Rocks may be slippery and crossings should not be attempted if the stones are under water. • Walking near the edge or base of cliffs can be dangerous. • Be particularly careful about snakes in late spring and summer. Always look on the far side of an obstacle before climbing over. If you meet a snake, wait quietly until it has moved on, then move quickly away. • There may be leaches in damp gullies. Leeches detach if exposed to flame or sprinkled with

• Learn to recognise and avoid stinging nettles, which are found alongside many of the damper tracks, just at a height to sting you on the hands as you walk by. Fires Bushfires are a real threat in this area. Seek advice from Visitor Information Centres or the Bushfire Information Line. On Total Fire Ban days or days of extreme fire weather conditions some parks and walks are closed to the public. Being aware of Total Fire Ban days is your responsibility. Tune your radio to ABC 774AM for updates. On Total Fire Ban days no fire can be lit outdoors. This includes gas BBQs and portable camping stoves, even if they are used inside a tent. Beauchamp Falls, RE

244.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Useful Phone Numbers • Parks Victoria Information 13 19 63. • Police, Ambulance, Fire 000 • Bushfire Information Line 1800 240 667 • See the Practicalities section for the contact details for all the Visitor Information Centres in the region. Mobile Phones

Even when Total Fire Bans are not in place, be extremely careful if using campfires: • Gas BBQs or fuel stoves are recommended. • Use existing fireplaces. • Bring your own firewood. • Clear all flammable material for three metres around the fireplace. • Ensure fires are not left unattended and are completely extinguished before you leave. Caring for the Environment Leave no Trace • Plants, animals, geological features, Aboriginal archaeological sites, artefacts and places should not be disturbed or removed. • Take all rubbish home for recycling or disposal. • Avoid using insect repellents if you plan to swim in rivers or observe glow worms. • Keep all vehicles, motorbikes and bikes on formed roads. • Only camp in designated camping areas. • Phytophora cinnamomi (cinnamon fungus) infects the roots of native plants, ultimately resulting in their death. The disease can be spread by water and soil on shoes, clothing and equipment. Help reduce its spread by keeping to formed tracks and cleaning shoes at Phytophoraf Hygiene Stations, where provided. Near 12 Apostles, VofV

You may not be within range in some areas. All mobile users, including international, can be connected to Police, Fire or Ambulance on an emergency network by pressing 112 and then the YES key. Information and Maps For more information about the walks covered in this book, see Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009. Because of page limits, this chapter includes only brief, practical descriptions and, in some cases, only a basic listing. Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks has complete descriptions of all the walks listed in this chapter. In some cases the practical information in this book is duplicated, but there is also additional information on historical sights and background, and on flora and fauna. Maps and information relevant to particular areas are listed for each group of walks. General maps and websites about the region include: Maps & Books Map section this book • The Otways 4WD Map – 2nd Edition, Meridian Maps 2006 • The Otways & Shipwreck Coast, 2nd Edition, Vicmap 1993 • A Guide to Walks in the Angahook-Lorne State Park 2004

Activities

245.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Websites • Parks Victoria – www.parkweb.vic.gov.au • Great Ocean Walk – www.greatoceanwalk.com.au • Rail Trails Australia – www.railtrails.org.au • Bureau of Meteorology – www.bom.gov.au • Otway Ranges Environment Network – www.oren.org.au • Great South West Walk – www.greatsouthwestwalk.com • Lighthouses of Australia – www.lighthouse.net.au

Walks & Rides Around the Bellarine Peninsula 1

All of the walks on the Bellarine Peninsula listed or described here are easy walks, and most take less than two hours. The Bellarine Rail Trail can be divided into shorter sections but is described here as three walks of three to six hours. There are beach walks with views over the Rip and across to Point Nepean, where you can explore rockpools and visit caves thought to have been used by escaped convicts. The walks at Edwards Point and Ocean Grove Reserve take you through some of the last remaining stands of coastal woodland on the Bellarine Peninsula. There is abundant birdlife around Swan Bay in the summer when migratory birds arrive from the northern hemisphere. At Barwon Bluff you can observe the different rock formations from lava flows, ancient sea beds and old sand dunes and the habitats within them. On the Bellarine Rail Trail you follow the line of a former railway where woodland and grassland remnants are being linked with revegetation to provide a green corridor.

Bellarine Rail Trail

Queenscliff to Pt Lonsdale

Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve

Coastal Woodland Walk

Two Bays Lookout Walk

Charlie’s Hole Walk

Ocean Grove Nature Reserve

Banksia Trail

Currawong Track & Wallaby Trail

Barwon Bluff Beach & Bluff Walk

More information this book: Map

2, Guide to the Coast, Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park, Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary, Beaches & Surfing

More information & maps

Best Of Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 The Bellarine Rail Trail brochure, City of Greater Geelong 2007 Melways Street Directory, Maps 452-500

Milanesia Beach, DW Beauchamp Falls, RE

246.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Bellarine Rail Trail

The Bellarine Rail trail is a shared trail for use by walkers, cyclists, runners and horse riders that stretches from the Geelong Showgrounds to Queenscliff Railway Station. It is a wide compacted-gravel trail closely following the line of the former South Geelong to Queenscliff railway. The state-owned railway closed in 1976, but since 1979 a tourist railway has run between Drysdale and Queenscliff. You traverse suburban and rural landscapes with some panoramic views over the Bellarine Peninsula. While someone may choose to cycle the length of the rail trail in one day it would be a colossal task to walk it in one day. You can get on and off the trail at a number of points along the way; for this book the Bellarine Rail Trail is described below in three shorter, easily accessible sections. Start: Breakwater

Rd, adjacent to Geelong Showgrounds Finish: Queenscliff Railway Station. Type: Shuttle Distance: 33Â˝ km Difficulty: Easy (suits prams and wheelchairs)

Geelong to Leopold The trail winds through the suburbs of Geelong East, Whittington, Newcomb, Moolap and Leopold. Views up to this point of the trail are mostly of suburban backyards. From Moolap Station Rd you enter the rural section of the trail, and after Melaleuka Rd you get views over the rural landscape. Breakwater Rd, adjacent to Geelong Showgrounds Kensington Rd, Leopold Type: Shuttle Distance: 8 km Time: 3 hrs Note: Take care to use the designated crossing point at Bellarine Highway Start:

Finish:

Leopold to Drysdale This section starts with an ascent of Leopold Hill. Be sure to look back for views over Corio Bay and the You Yangs. About half-way along this section of the trail you cross Curlewis Rd where market garden produce used to be loaded at the old Curlewis Station.

Activities

247.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Kensington Rd, Leopold Drysdale Railway Station, High St Type: Shuttle Distance: 8½ km Time: 3 hrs Note: Take care to use the designated crossing points at Portarlington Rd and High St, just before Drysdale Station

1½ to 2 hrs Easy at low tides, moderate at higher tides

Start:

Time:

Finish:

Difficulty:

Drysdale to Queenscliff If you are only doing one section of the Rail Trail, Drysdale Station is a good spot to start as you can catch a train here to make it a round trip. It also has bike hire facilities, a kiosk and houses the Bellarine Railway Museum and Archive. From Drysdale it is mostly downhill through to Queenscliff. There are panoramic views over the Bellarine Peninsula between Banks Rd and historic Suma Park Station, which served as the former Queenscliff Racecourse. As you approach Queenscliff, be sure to stop at some of the lookouts over Swan Bay and observe some of the migratory shorebirds. If the Bellarine Railway is operating, you can catch a train back to Drysdale. For timetables and information on the Bellarine Railway phone 03 5251 3725 or 03 5258 2069 or visit www.bpr.org.au. Start: Drysdale

Railway Station, High St Queenscliff Railway Station Type: Shuttle – possible by train when the Bellarine Railway is operating Distance: 17 km Time: 6 hrs Note: Take care to follow the signs at Portarlington – Queenscliff Rd, where the trail leaves the rail reserve for about 800m

There are several easy walks in this reserve, which includes coastal woodland, sandy beaches and salt marsh communities, with abundant birdlife. Coastal Woodland Walk

This is a short walk through coastal woodland and sedge communities to a boardwalk over a salt marsh. It returns along the beach with Melbourne city views. Beach Rd carpark Circuit Distance: 3 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy. Moderate walk on the beach at high tides. Start/Finish: Type:

Two Bays Lookout Walk

This is an extension of the Coastal Woodland Walk, through native grassland to the beach at Two Bays Lookout. From the boardwalk through to the lookout the track is narrow and at times not well defined. Beach Rd carpark Circuit Distance: 5 km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish:

Finish:

Queenscliff to Pt Lonsdale

Edwards Point Wildlife Reserve

Type:

Charlie’s Hole Walk

This walk takes you along the beach between Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale with views of the Rip and across to Pt Nepean. Start: Carpark, Hesse St, near Queenscliff Recreation Reserve Finish: Rip View Lookout Carpark, near Pt Lonsdale Lighthouse Type: Shuttle Distance: 5½ km

This is a short walk through coastal woodland and sedge communities to Charlie’s Hole Lookout, with views over Swan Bay and the Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park. Bluff Rd carpark Circuit Distance: 3 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

248.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Barwon Bluff Walk

The Bluff is on the western side of the Barwon River, where it meets the ocean. The walk includes rockpool exploration and coastal views over the Rip, across to the Mornington Peninsula and down the Great Ocean Road. See the Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary for more information.

Ocean Grove Nature Reserve There are several easy walks in the reserve, which is on Grubb Rd just north of Ocean Grove. The reserve protects one of the last remaining stands of original woodland on the Bellarine Peninsula. Banksia Trail

The walk is a circuit taking in the Barwon River estuary, the rock platform at the base of the Bluff and a climb to the lookout over Bass Strait. From the carpark, head down to the beach and then out to the end of the Bluff on the rock platform. This may involve some scrambling over rocks if the tide is in. Take the steps up from the beach (at emergency marker 28W) to the small circuit around the top of the Bluff. Start/Finish:

Bluff Rd carpark

Type: Circuit Distance: Time:

1½ km

1 hr

Moderate The walk on the rock platform becomes more difficult at higher tide. Difficulty: Note:

This walk is a circuit through woodland and wetland areas with opportunities to view abundant birdlife and wildflowers in spring. Main carpark/picnic area Circuit Distance: 3½ km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Easy (suitable for prams) Start/Finish: Type:

Currawong Track & Wallaby Trail

This walk meanders through woodland to the Wallaby Trail circuit and then you return via the track to the picnic area. Main carpark/picnic area. Circuit Distance: 2 km Time: 45 mins Difficulty: Easy (suitable for prams) Start/Finish: Type:

Torquay Back Beach from Pt Danger, RE

Walks Around Torquay 9 to 17 Walks around Torquay range from short, easy walks, such as the stroll down to Southside Beach, to longer, strenuous walks such as the return walk on the Ironbark Track. They include long, beach walks with rock scrambles, and clifftop walks with stunning coastal views. They take you through heathland, and messmate and ironbark forest. By 2010 it is hoped the Surf Coast Walk will run all the way from Breamlea to Lorne. At the time of writing, however, it officially starts at Jan Juc and finishes at Moggs Creek. For details you’ll need to look up the sections that have been described separately as short walks. In the Walks Around Torquay section you’ll find sections between Breamlea and Pt Addis. In the Walks Around Anglesea section you’ll find sections between Pt Addis and Moggs Creek. The final route between Moggs Creek and Lorne was unknown as this book went to print.

Activities

249.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Breamlea to Pt Impossible (new to Surf Coast Walk) 10 Pt Impossible to Pt Danger (new to Surf Coast Walk) 11

Pt Danger to Jan Juc (new to Surf Coast Walk)

Surf Coast Walk (Surf Coast Walk)

Jan Juc to Bells Beach (Surf Coast Walk)

Bells Beach to Pt Addis (Surf Coast Walk)

Southside

Ironbark Track

Pt Addis Koorie Cultural Walk

Pt Addis to Anglesea (see Walks Around Anglesea section) 18

More information this book: Map

2 & 7, Guide to the Coast, William Buckley, Point Danger Marine Sanctuary, Point Addis Marine National Park, Beaches & Surfing More information & maps: Best Of Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 Melways Street Directory, Maps 494, 495, 505 and 506

Surf Coast Walk

The Surf Coast Walk takes you along clifftops with spectacular coastal views and passes some of the more popular surfing spots in the area, including Bells Beach. You travel through coastal heathlands exploding with wildflowers in spring, and messmate and ironbark forests. In Ironbark Basin, the walk includes the Koorie Cultural Walk. You pass unique salt marshes and Moonah woodlands beside the Anglesea River and the historic Split Point Lighthouse Precinct. There are sections of beach walking on windswept beaches and also some not-so-interesting sections along fire access tracks. Because of its proximity to holiday towns, this book breaks the Surf Coast Walk into short, easily accessible sections that are described separately. If you do choose to do the entire walk, or long sections, you’ll need to string the descriptions of the shorter sections together.

Bear in mind the Surf Coast Walk is being developed so there will be some changes, especially to the sections that are currently poorly signed and constructed (in particular the section between Anglesea and Aireys Inlet). At the time of printing, the walk extended from Jan Juc to Moggs Creek, but there were firm plans to extend the walk from Breamlea to Lorne. As with all the walks in this book – but especially in this case – it is important to contact local Visitor Information Centres to get up-to-date information. Old Start: Multi-tiered

carpark, Carnarvon Ave, Jan Juc Moggs Creek picnic area New Start: Carpark, Bancoora Surf Life Saving Club New Finish: Lorne Type: Shuttle Old Distance: 35 km New Distance: approx 65 km Old Time: 11 hours (2 days) New Time: approx 21 hours (4 days) Difficulty: Strenuous Note: Some sections of this walk can be difficult to follow, with track signs and some maps and other materials available in mid 2009 providing confusing and/or conflicting information. Old Finish:

Surf Coast Walk from cliffs near Hurst Rd, RE

250.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

See separate sections in Walks Around Torquay Breamlea to Pt Impossible

Pt Impossible to Pt Danger

Pt Danger to Jan Juc

9 Surf Coast Walk

Jan Juc to Bells Beach

Bells Beach to Pt Addis

See separate sections in Walks Around Anglesea Pt Addis to Anglesea

Anglesea to Aireys Inlet

See separate sections in Walks Around Aireys Inlet Aireys Inlet to Distillery Creek picnic area Aireys Inlet to Moggs Creek picnic area

Rocky Pt to Jan Juc, DS

Breamlea to Pt Impossible

Breamlea is the new starting point for the extended Surf Coast Walk. From Bancoora Beach you head west over the rocky outcrops of beautiful Stingray Bay and then along the windswept shore of Buckley’s Bay to the mouth of Thompson Creek, which you need to cross to reach Pt Impossible. Thompson Creek can be impassable during high tides or heavy seas, or when the river is flooding after rain. Carpark, Bancoora Surf Life Saving Club Pt Impossible Carpark Type: Shuttle Distance: 3½ km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Easy at low tides, moderate at higher tides Start:

Finish:

Activities

251.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Pt Impossible to Pt Danger 10 Surf Coast Walk

This is a beautiful wind-blown beach walk between the popular surfing spot and nudist beach at Pt Impossible, along Whites Beach, Fishermans Beach and Front Beach, and into the heart of Torquay at Pt Danger. When Deep Creek is flooding after rain, you can either wade through the water or cross the bridge on Esplanade Rd. At the time of writing, a new high tide route is being developed behind the dunes as part of the extended Surf Coast Walk. Pt Impossible carpark Pt Danger carpark Type: Shuttle Distance: 6½ km Time: 2½ hrs Difficulty: Easy at low tides, moderate at higher tides Start:

Finish:

Pt Danger to Jan Juc 11 Surf Coast Walk

This will officially become part of the Surf Coast Walk. It can either be a low tide beach walk, or a clifftop walk, or a combination of the two. If there’s a low tide you can follow the beach all the way, with a rock scramble around Rocky Point and then along Jan Juc Beach to the Jan Juc carpark. If the tide is high or you prefer an easier walk, there are inland paths all the way. At low tide, the walk from Pt Danger along the busy Torquay surf beach to the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club is a pleasant beach walk. After crossing the mouth of Spring Creek (see the clifftop route following if the creek is running) and passing a couple of coves, you reach the rock shelf around Rocky Point. Around the point it is generally an easy stroll up Jan Juc beach past the Jan Juc Surf Life Saving Club and the mouth of Jan Juc Creek to emergency marker 76W, where you climb up to the Jan Juc carpark. Alternatively, paths run along the clifftop from Pt Danger to the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club. From the clubhouse, follow the creek upstream

50 metres or so. There’s another carpark and a boardwalk across the creek. From the west side of the boardwalk there’s a clifftop track with lookouts over Rocky Point and beaches, or the sand track further inland, which skirts around the golf course. Both of these bring you out at the Jan Juc Surf Life Saving Club, where you can return to the beach or continue along a track beside Clubhouse Rd to Carnarvon Ave and the carpark. Pt Danger carpark Multi-tiered carpark, Carnarvon Ave, Jan Juc Type: Shuttle Distance: 2½ km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy on the inland path, moderate if you follow the beach Note: Rocky Point is impassable at high tides. Start:

Finish:

Jan Juc to Bells Beach 13 Surf Coast Walk

This clifftop walk was the first stage of the Surf Coast Walk before it was extended to Breamlea. It proceeds through coastal heathland with magnificent views back over Rocky Point and beyond to Port Phillip Heads. As with many of the walks, this can be turned into a loop if it’s low tide and you can walk around the base of the cliffs. The beach walk involves some rocky scrambles, even at low tide, but there are some beautiful rockpools and sheltered coves. Be sure you know what the tides are doing. Pt Impossible (foreground), Thompson Creek, Breamlea, GS

252.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

steep track through tea tree to Southside carpark. From here you walk beside Jarosite Rd to the top of the hill where a marked foot track heads south through the heathland, past the intersection with a track off to the right and downhill on a badly eroded track to the ruins of the Jarosite Mine.

The clifftop walk follows a well-formed track with lookouts over the popular surfing spots at Jan Juc and Bird Rock. After about a km you reach another carpark where a track leads down to another surfing spot, Steps. The track then heads through coastal heathland before running along beside Bells Beach Rd to the carpark overlooking Winkipop and Bells Beach. Multi-tiered carpark, Carnarvon Ave, Jan Juc Beach carpark Type: Shuttle Distance: 4 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy (suitable for prams, except

The Jarosite Track from the mine ruins to the Ironbark Basin carpark begins as a steep climb on a badly eroded track, but improves to a wide well-formed track around the northern rim of the Ironbark Basin, where there are some spectacular views through the trees down over the basin to Addiscott Beach and Pt Addis. From the Ironbark Basin carpark you descend into the basin on the Nature Trail and continue on the Ironbark Track to where you pick up the Koorie Cultural Walk along the clifftop. It is about half a km from here to the carpark at the end of Pt Addis along the sealed road. See separate notes on Southside, Ironbark Track and Pt Addis Koorie Cultural Walks following.

Start:

for steps at Jan Juc carpark)

Bells Beach carpark Pt Addis carpark Type: Shuttle Distance: 5 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Strenuous

Bells Beach to Pt Addis

Southside

14 Surf Coast Walk

This walk includes spectacular coastal views and coastal heathlands. From the top of the cliffs near a hang-glider launch pad, which is a short walk from the carpark, there is a great view across Addiscott Bay to Pt Addis, and an interesting perspective looking back to Bells and the surf – especially if there is a big swell smashing into the cliffs.

Finish: Bells

This walk is part of the Surf Coast Walk and includes spectacular coastal views – red cliffs, sandy bays, coastal heathlands, ironbark and messmate forests, mine ruins and the Pt Addis Koorie Cultural Walk. It’s one of the best coastal walks, anywhere in the world. While it is not well signposted or well maintained, it’s worth persevering if you’re a moderately confident walker. Depending on tides it is possible to turn this into a circuit by walking one way along the beautiful curve of Addiscott Beach – but make sure you know what the tides are doing because there are parts where you could be trapped. The first section of the walk is down steps onto the beach at Bells, through a gully and then up a Red Rock, near Pt Addis, RE

Start:

Finish:

From the Southside carpark it is an easy walk down a cement path through open heathland to Southside Beach, a popular swimming beach and surf spot. From Southside you can walk along the beach at low tide around Jarosite Headland to a nudist beach and further on to sheltered Addiscott Beach (two km). Southside carpark Return Distance: 600m Start/Finish: Type:

Activities

Time:

253.

Walk, Ride, Drive

½ hr

Difficulty:

Easy

Ironbark Track

This walk takes you down through the forest of the Ironbark Basin to spectacular views from the cliffs above Addiscott Beach. The cliffs are among the highest and most spectacular in Australia. The walk forms part of the Surf Coast Walk (see separate section), and there are connecting nearby walks, including the Koori Cultural Walk (see separate section). From the Ironbark Basin carpark, just off Pt Addis Rd, you descend the steep track into the basin on the Nature Trail. When you meet the Ironbark Track you follow that across the basin through the forest dominated by ironbark, messmate and grey gum. The basin is the home for a variety of wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, snakes and abundant birdlife. The vegetation changes to low heathland as you approach the clifftop above Addiscott Beach and the track is more exposed and eroded. There are spectacular views of the coast. Peregrine falcons nest on the cliff edge. Start/Finish: Ironbark Basin carpark, Pt Addis Rd, about one km from the Great Ocean Road Type: Return Distance: 5½ km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Strenuous

Pt Addis Koorie Cultural Walk

This walk is a clearly marked interpretive trail with signs describing different aspects of the Aboriginal (Koori) way of life, and how they lived in harmony with the environment. The walk forms part of the Surf Coast Walk (see separate section), and connects to another nearby short walk through the Ironbark Basin (see separate section). Make sure you don’t miss the spectacular coastal views from the carpark and lookout at the end of Pt Addis itself. There’s a short boardwalk and arguably some of the best views on the coast. On a clear day you command a panorama from

Port Phillip Heads in the east to Aireys Inlet and Kennett River in the west. Keep your eyes open for seals. There’s a carpark on the west side of Pt Addis Rd, a lookout (Addiscott Lookout), and access to the beach about one km north of the spectacular lookout at Pt Addis proper. From the Addiscott Lookout you head downhill and north along the beach access trail to the start of the interpretive trail. The trail proceeds for 800 metres along the clifftop to another lookout over Addiscott Beach and the start of the Ironbark Track. Start/Finish: 100m north of Addiscott Lookout on beach access track Type: Return Distance: 1.6 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Moderate

Walks Around Anglesea 18 to 23 The walks around Anglesea range from short, easy walks, like the Springtime Wildflower Experience and the Anglesea River Walk, to longer, moderate walks like the spectacular Pt Addis to Anglesea Walk. There are walks along clifftops with spectacular views, along windswept beaches where hooded plovers breed, and past rockpools brimming with life. Around the Anglesea River you can see coastal moonah woodlands and salt marshes where migratory birds spend the summer. During spring the wildflowers of the heathlands create a unique experience. Southside, RE

254.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Pt Addis to Anglesea 18 Surf Coast Walk

Beach walking, some of the finest coastal views in the world, coastal heathlands with abundant wildflowers and the unique salt marshes and Moonah woodlands beside the Anglesea River are some of the features of this walk, part of the Surf Coast Walk. The first section of this walk is down steps onto the beach on the western side of Pt Addis. The Surf Coast Walk starts at Breamlea (at time of printing, Jan Juc) and runs to Moggs Creek (ultimately to Lorne). See the Walks Around Torquay section for some general information about the walk, but for details you’ll need to look up the stages that have been described separately as short walks. In this section you’ll find Pt Addis to Anglesea and Anglesea to Aireys Inlet. Aireys Inlet to Distillery Creek and Aireys Inlet to Moggs Creek are in the Walks Around Aireys Inlet section. In the Walks Around Torquay section you’ll find sections of the Surf Coast Walk from Breamlea to Pt Addis. 18

Pt Addis to Anglesea (Surf Coast Walk)

Anglesea River Walk

Anglesea to Aireys Inlet (Surf Coast Walk)

Anglesea to Pt Roadknight Clifftop Track

Head along the beach to a rocky headland (Red Rocks) and follow the steep track up beside the creek to a lookout over the beach. Further along you pass a side track to the Hurst Rd carpark, and then enter heathland as you skirt around the Eumeralla Scout Camp. Before you drop down the steep ridge to rejoin the clifftop, enjoy the superb views over Anglesea to the Otways and down the coast to Kennett River. The cliffs to the east of Anglesea are completely sheer and constantly eroding, so do not approach the edge. Near the Anglesea River you will be channelled along the fenced track around the campground and down to the beach, where you proceed to the river mouth. It is a short stroll on a well-formed track along the eastern bank of the river, which takes you past a salt marsh area and a beautiful stand of moonah before you reach the bridge at the Great Ocean Road.

Pt Roadknight to Urquhart Bluff

This walk can be done in reverse, starting from Anglesea.

Spring Wildflower Experience

Start:

More information this book: Map 2 & 8, Guide to the Coast, Point Addis Marine National Park, Great Otway National Park, Beaches & Surfing More information & maps:

Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 Melways Street Directory, Map 514

Pt Addis to Anglesea, RE

Pt Addis carpark

Finish: Anglesea River bridge at Great Ocean Road

Shuttle 7 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Note: Beach walking between Pt Addis and Red Rocks becomes more strenuous at higher tides. On rare occasions after heavy rains, the creeks at both ends of the beach may be difficult to cross. Type:

Distance:

Activities

255.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Anglesea River Walk

This is your Sunday-afternoon-after-a-counterlunch-at-the-pub sort of a walk. It follows paths and boardwalks along the bank of the Anglesea River and takes you through some unique marshland and coastal moonah woodlands. From the Visitor Information Centre follow the Anglesea River downstream about half a km until you can cross over at the river mouth. If it has been raining heavily or the river has broken through you will need to wade through water (if it is safe to do so). Having crossed the river you head back upstream beside the caravan park. After you cross the Great Ocean Road, stay on the same side of the river and continue on gravel paths and boardwalks between the river and Bingley Pde, until you reach the intersection with Wray St, where you can cross the river on the foot bridge into Coogoorah Park. Coogoorah Park has a network of paths and footbridges through a wetland area. Head in the general direction of the children’s adventure playground. On reaching the open grassy area of the park you head back downstream beside the river, at first on the road and then on gravel paths and boardwalks between the river and the road, past the old boatsheds, until you meet the Great Ocean Road again. Here, you cross the road and go past the paddle boats and on to the Visitor Information Centre on a concrete path. Start/Finish: Anglesea Visitor Information Centre

Circuit 4 km Time: 1½ hours Difficulty: Easy Note: On rare occasions the river mouth at the beach may be difficult to cross. Only cross if it is safe to do so. Type:

Distance:

The heathland areas between Coogoorah Park and the Messmate Track are well worth exploring for the spectacular displays of wildflowers in the Fraser Ave Flora Reserve and the Anglesea Heathland. The steep climb up to Mt Ingoldsby, on the often badly eroded Messmate Track, and the path to Aireys Inlet crossing Hutt Gully on the Powerline Track (which becomes Gilbert Street) are only worth walking only if you are determined to complete every inch of the Surf Coast Walk. Start: Anglesea River bridge at Great Ocean Road Finish:

Boundary Rd, Aireys Inlet

Type: Shuttle Distance: Time:

10 km

3 hrs

Moderate to strenuous – some steep climbs on eroded tracks Note: This walk can be difficult to follow – signs and some maps and other materials available in late 2008 provide confusing and/or conflicting information. Difficulty:

Anglesea to Pt Roadknight Clifftop Track 21

20 Surf Coast Walk

Travelling along the clifftop between the mouth of the Anglesea River and Pt Roadknight, this walk provides views over the coast and ends at Pt Roadknight, the only regular nesting place of endangered hooded plovers on Victoria’s west coast.

This walk takes you on walking trails through heathland and fire access tracks, through coastal bush between the Anglesea River and the northern outskirts of Aireys Inlet.

The first section behind the Anglesea Surf Life Saving Club and beside the Great Ocean Road is on steep gravel tracks. From the Great Ocean Road Lookout you head downhill on a gravel path

Anglesea to Aireys Inlet

Eumeralla Cliffs from Anglesea River, KS

256.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Pt Roadknight carpark, off Melba Pde, Anglesea Urquhart Bluff carpark Type: Shuttle Distance: 4½ km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Easy at low tides, moderate at higher tides Start:

Finish:

Springtime Wildflower Experience 23

with some steps and several lookouts. There are tracks heading off to the left, down to the beach, and a few to the right, heading out to Melba Pde. The new track connects with established tracks past Soapy Rocks and the sailing club. It is possible to walk from Anglesea River to Pt Roadknight along the beach at low tide, or you may wish to make this a circuit walk by returning along the beach. Start: Main

Beach carpark near Anglesea River Mouth Pt Roadknight carpark, off Melba Pde, Anglesea Type: Shuttle Distance: 2½ km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Moderate Note: Do not disturb hooded plovers at Pt Roadknight – walk as close to the water’s edge as possible and observe all signs. Finish:

Pt Roadknight to Urquhart Bluff 22 This walk is on a long sandy beach exposed to wind and waves. Depending on the weather, it can be a battle, or a pleasant stroll along a broad expanse of beach used by surfers and fishermen. There are several creeks along this stretch of coast, which on rare occasions can require wading or even be impassable. Do not disturb hooded plovers at Pt Roadknight – walk as close to the water’s edge as possible and observe all signs.

Anglesea to Pt Addis, KS

During spring, when the coastal heathland explodes with colour, this is a walk to take slowly. Stop and examine the ground – some of the flowers are tiny. Enter the heathland through a marked gate on O’Donohue Rd, head west before taking the second track to the right, which leads you uphill through grass trees, messmate and prickly tea tree, with an understorey of wildflowers. At the next track junction, turn left and continue climbing uphill towards the back of the houses in Harvey St. Spend some time searching for orchids that grow in the firebreak here. Follow the firebreak to the right then take the track until you reach the firebreak at the back of the houses in O’Donohue Rd. Follow this until you complete the circuit. O’Donohue Rd near Fifth Ave, Anglesea Circuit Distance: 3 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Walks Around Aireys Inlet

The walks around Aireys Inlet range from short, easy walks, such as those around the lighthouse precinct or the nature walks at Distillery Creek and Moggs Creek picnic areas, through to longer, strenuous walks such as the Currawong Falls Circuit. There are also walks along clifftops and beaches with spectacular views along the coast and into the Otway Ranges.

Activities

257.

Walk, Ride, Drive

The environment around Aireys Inlet is generally drier than you will find in the Otways further west, so ironbark forests and coastal heathland are more common features of these walks than messmate forests and fern gullies. 24 Aireys Inlet to Distillery Creek picnic area (Surf Coast Walk)

Aireys Inlet to Moggs Creek (Surf Coast Walk) 25

Aireys Inlet Cliff Walk

Lighthouse Precinct 27

Split Point Circuit Track

Inlet Beach & Bark Hut

Currawong Falls Circuit

Distillery Creek Nature Walk

Ironbark Gorge

Moggs Creek Nature Walk

Ocean View Walk

More information this book: Map

2 & 9, Guide to the Coast, Great Otway National Park, Beaches & Surfing

More information & maps

Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 A Guide to Walks in the Angahook-Lorne State Park 2004 Great Ocean Road – Aireys Inlet brochure, Aireys Inlet Tourism & Traders

Aireys Inlet to Distillery Creek picnic area 24 Surf Coast Walk

This two km section of the Surf Coast Walk is along steep gravel and then bitumen roads, between the junction of Gilbert St and Boundary Rd in Aireys Inlet and the Distillery Creek picnic area. You would only walk it to connect with tracks leading out from the picnic area – it is hardly worth the 30 minutes of effort.

Aireys Inlet to Moggs Creek 25 Surf Coast Walk Spectacular coastal views from tall limestone cliffs, coastal heathlands, beach walking and eucalypt forests are all features of this walk, which mostly follows a section of the Surf Coast Walk. The lookout on the clifftop above Sunnymead Beach is the logical place to begin. From here, you follow the Aireys Inlet Cliff Walk (walk 26 , described separately), which takes you through coastal heathland. There are spectacular views from the lighthouse, and it’s then down to the mouth of Painkalac Creek. At the Fairhaven Surf Life Saving Club exit the beach, cross the Great Ocean Road and follow Yaringa Rd through Fairhaven to Lialeeta Rd, which you follow briefly before taking the first track to the left (marked No Through Road). This is a steep and badly eroded track, where the focus on your next step makes it difficult to appreciate the surroundings (maintenance work is planned). From the open ridge at the top you will see an eroded track leading down to the Old Coach Rd. Take a short diversion here by continuing for about half a km south to a lookout at the end of the ridge with one of the best views along the Surf Coast. Returning to the track junction you descend on the track, which shows evidence of frequent use by horses, to the Old Coach Rd. At the bottom you turn right (away from Moggs Creek) and then take the sandy Gentle Annie Track to the left for about a km. When the Gentle Annie Track veers off to the right you turn left (south) onto

Pt Roadknight, GS

258.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Crossing Sandy Gully above the beach, keep to the tracks closest to the cliff edge, passing two lookouts. At Fitzpatrick Seat there are views to Pt Addis and even on to Barwon Heads in clear weather. The Cliff Walk ends at the carpark at the end of Boundary Rd, but it is only another 300 metres down the path (with steps) to Sunnymead Beach. You can return via the beach and rock platforms at low tide, but you are advised to return to the Cliff Walk at Sandy Gully. Painkalac Creek Sunnymead Beach Lookout Type: Shuttle or return by cliff or beach (only at low tide) Distance: 3½ km one way Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Start:

Finish:

a foot track, briefly passing through private property, before descending gradually through regrowth to the Moggs Creek picnic area access road, which you follow to the right to the picnic area. Start: Sunnymead

Beach Lookout Moggs Creek picnic area Type: Shuttle Distance: 9 km Time: 3 hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: Check tides for the beach section and river levels. The Surf Coast Walk track notes for this section are confusing and sometimes incorrect as are some of the signs on the track. Most available maps also seem to show an incorrect route for this track. Finish:

Lighthouse Precinct There are several short walks with interpretive signs around the lighthouse precinct. From the carpark at the top of Lighthouse Rd it is a 200 metre walk to the lighthouse on Federal St, past the former stables, now tearooms, and the former lighthouse keeper’s houses, now private residences. Split Point Circuit Track

Aireys Inlet Cliff Walk

This is an impressive walk along the top of the tall limestone cliffs and coastal heathland, with sidetracks to the secluded beaches and rockpools below. Starting at Painkalac Creek you follow the path to the lighthouse, which is described in the Inlet Beach & Bark Hut Walk (28), and then on to Federal St, past the lighthouse keeper’s houses and stables to two lookouts over Steps Beach. Access to the beach is via a steep winding path on steps from the end of the gravel road. From above Step Beach you take the gently undulating path following the clifftop past Smelly Beach and on to Sandy Gully. Lands End Lookout is the highest point of the track. There are access steps to Sandy Gully beach on each side of the gully. Aireys Inlet and hinterland, GS

From the lighthouse follow the track with steps down to the lookouts over the Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary. Another lookout further west gives views over Fairhaven Beach and to Lorne and beyond. Split Point Lighthouse Circuit Distance: 300 metres Time: 15 mins Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Inlet Beach & Bark Hut

From the lighthouse you head west about 100 metres to a cairn marking the graves of pioneers Thomas and Martha Pearse. Further along the clifftop is a lookout with views across Loutit Bay to Lorne; the path then heads down to the estuary at Painkalac Creek.

Activities

259.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Walk up Inlet Cres about 200 metres to the historic Bark Hut. Nearby is a playground and grassy picnic area adjacent to Allen Noble Sanctuary, a wetland area. You can return to the lighthouse by the same route or continue along Inlet Cres and up Lighthouse Rd to Federal St. Split Point Lighthouse Return Distance: 2 km return Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish: Type:

Currawong Falls Circuit

The Currawong Falls arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t spectacular and are often dry in these times of global warming, but what makes this walk interesting is the range of habitats: ironbark and other eucalypt forests, melaleuca swamps, fern gullies, sheoak stands on high ridges with panoramic views, and steepsided gorges. This walk begins on boardwalks and then makes its way through tea tree swamp beside Distillery Creek before the track rises through forest and passes the Melaleuca Swamp. After following the creek up to a small waterfall, you climb up to a viewing point over Currawong Falls. From the falls you continue upstream before crossing the creek and climbing uphill. The loose gravel climbs through a stand of sheoak before turning sharply to the west and crossing Loves Track at a trig point. The track from here to the sheer cliffs of Ironbark Gorge is rocky and eroded, but there are views of the coast and down into the gorge. It is now a short walk along the top of the gorge, eventually joining the Ironbark Gorge Track returning to the picnic area at Distillery Creek. Lower carpark, Distillery Creek picnic area Circuit Distance: 12 km Time: 4 hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Start/Finish:

Distillery Creek Nature Walk

This walk is a clearly marked interpretive trail with signs describing the diversity of plant and animal life in the ironbark forest and along Distillery Creek. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good walk for little kids and the elderly, with seats along the way to rest and take in the environment. The track crosses a couple of small creeks on footbridges and Ironbark Drive (a gravel road) as it wanders through the forest towards Distillery Creek. At the junction with the Currawong Falls track make sure you keep to the right as you head back through the messmates, swamp and manna gums along the creek towards the picnic area, crossing boardwalks on the way. Some of the signs on this walk are in a state of disrepair, but are still legible and relevant. This walk, or part of it, is a great walk to do at night with a torch, to check out possums, sugar-gliders and other nocturnal animals and birds. Lower carpark, Distillery Creek picnic area Circuit Distance: 2 km Time: 35 mins Difficulty: Easy (suitable for prams) Note: Most of the maps available show an incorrect route for this track. Start/Finish: Type:

Type:

Ironbark Gorge

As the name suggests, ironbark trees feature strongly on this walk that takes you into the usually dry gorge. It is most interesting in spring when the understorey plants are in flower. Painkalac Creek estuary, GS

260.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Moggs Creek picnic area Circuit Distance: 2 km Time: 45 mins Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Ocean View Walk

As the name suggests, this walk takes you through dry forest to a lookout with spectacular views over the coast from Lorne to the Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet. From the Distillery Creek carpark it is a short walk to the turnoff for the Currawong Falls circuit where you keep to the left and head towards the gorge. The track winds through the gorge, crossing six bridges as the rocky outcrops rise higher on each side. As you climb up the valley, the eucalypts get larger and the understorey gets lusher with a few pockets of tree ferns. After the sixth bridge at the end of the gorge the track doubles back along the creek as it climbs up the ridge towards Bambra Rd. At the higher points you get views to the coast and down into the creek. Just before you reach Bambra Rd, you descend to Distillery Creek picnic area. Lower carpark, Distillery Creek picnic area Circuit Distance: 5½ km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Moderate Note: Some materials we have seen incorrectly describe this walk as following Distillery Creek. Most maps available also show an incorrect route for this track. Start/Finish: Type:

Moggs Creek Nature Walk

It is then mostly downhill with the sound of the ocean becoming clearer as you approach Moggs Creek Track (4WD), where you turn left and continue downhill to a small track leading to the Ocean View Lookout. From the lookout take the small track back to and across Moggs Creek Track and follow a track lower down back to Moggs Creek picnic area. As an alternative, there is a track that leads from the lookout down to the Great Ocean Road between Moggs Creek and Eastern View, where you can access the beach. Moggs Creek picnic area Circuit Distance: 4½ km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish: Type:

This short well-graded track follows Moggs Creek over a number of small bridges through an area rich in birdlife. From the carpark, the track winds down into the grassy gully with ironbarks, messmates, blue and manna gums overhead. You then climb to a vantage point where there are views over the green fernlined gully, before returning to the picnic area.

Moggs Creek to Lorne, RE

From the carpark take the signposted track as it heads uphill through the forest of ironbarks, messmates and other eucalypts. You will cross a couple of tracks before coming to an area of grass trees where there are often grey kangaroos grazing on the slope below.

Walks Around Lorne 34 to 50 Lorne is often described as the town ‘where the mountains meet the sea’, so it’s not surprising that many of the walks in this area feature waterfalls and lookouts over the rugged coastline. There are waterfalls of all shapes and sizes, and dramatic cliffs and peaceful pools along the river valleys, as well as fascinating geological features like the Canyon. There is also a lot of history to discover

Activities

261.

Walk, Ride, Drive

– the timber industry began in 1849 and was followed by tourism from the 1870s. People have been walking the tracks around Lorne for more than 130 years. There are short nature trails, walks to ocean lookouts and along old timber tramways, and long, strenuous walks through rocky gullies filled with tree ferns. Birds thrive in the range of habitats, as do unique Australian fauna such as kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, echidnas and gliders. There are plants producing a riot of colour in the spring, some of them rare and threatened species. The Lorne Taxi Service (tel 0409 892 304) is handy if you want to be dropped off, or picked up.

Stony Creek, Lilypond Reserve

Five Mile Track

Erskine Falls, Lookouts 1 & 2

Erskine River Track

Lemonade Creek Track

Cora Lynn Cascades

Blanket Leaf picnic area to Allenvale Mill

Teddy’s Lookout, Queen’s Park Lookout Loop

Tramway Track

Ocean Walk

St George River Walk

Allenvale Mill to Phantom Falls

Sheoak Falls & Swallow Cave Walk

Sheoak picnic area Nature Walk

Five Mile Track

Henderson Falls & The Canyon

Kalimna Falls

Cumberland River Cascades

This walk is on a seasonally closed 4WD track. Wallabies and kangaroos frequent the understorey and some rare and threatened plant species may be found along the track.

More information this book

Map 2 & 10, Guide to the Coast, Great Otway National Park, Beaches & Surfing More information & maps

Lorne Taxi Service (shuttle service) 0409 892 304 Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 A Guide to Walks in the Angahook-Lorne State Park 2004 Melways Street Directory, Map 518

This walk starts tamely in a picnic area, and beside a creek in a grassy eucalypt woodland. It ends dramatically at the base of a long cascade. It’s a good walk for little kids and the elderly, with a wellformed path suitable for wheelchairs and prams. It is slippery on the rocks of the cascade even with no water coming over. It can be quite spectacular, and potentially dangerous, after a good fall of rain. Start/Finish: Carpark at Stony Creek bridge on Great Ocean Road north of Lorne Type: Return Distance: 1 km return Time: 20 mins return Difficulty: Easy

There are two river crossings and the track is mostly downhill, with some uphill sections, on a smooth clay base with some erosion on the steep sections. This track could be slippery after rain. Approaching Lorne, there are views across the Erskine River to Erskine Falls Rd as you skirt around the golf course and down to the end of the track at Waverley St, on the outskirts of Lorne. Start:

Deans Marsh Rd, 7 km north of Lorne locked gate at end of Waverley Ave, Lorne

Finish: Seasonally

Erkine River Bridge, Lorne, RE

262.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

River crossings on stones and logs are frequent in the first km of this walk. Straw Falls tumbles down into the river from the left and after about two km keep your eyes peeled for Splitters Falls, a double waterfall on Splitters Creek just above its junction with the river. This was an early source for Lorne’s water supply and old pipes and other structures can be seen. For a while the track climbs up and away from the river, with views down over the river valley. The track becomes easier as the valley opens out but there are still a few river crossings on stones to negotiate. Shuttle Distance: 8 km Time: 3 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Type:

Erskine Falls, Lookouts 1 & 2

Erskine Falls is one of the most popular falls in the Otways. The 30-metre falls are attractive even when there is little water tumbling into the deep pool below. It is an easy walk to the first lookout, providing a spectacular view over the falls. The steep climb on steps down to the second lookout is more strenuous, but well worth it for the view you get from down in the beautiful fern gully. Start/Finish: Erskine Falls carpark, 8½ km from Lorne on the Erskine Falls Rd Type: Return Distance: 1st lookout – 300 metres return; 2nd lookout – 700m return. Time: 1st lookout – 15 mins return; 2nd lookout – 30 mins return. Difficulty: 1st lookout – Easy; 2nd lookout – Moderate

Erskine River Track

From the base of the Erskine Falls you cross the river a number of times as you follow the Erskine River downstream past Straw and Splitters Falls and the natural amphitheatre of the Sanctuary before reaching the Rapids and the tidal section of the river at Lorne.

Erskine Falls, GOT

As you get closer to Lorne, you come to a footbridge over the river. Before crossing, walk downstream on the left hand bank of the river to a spot called the Sanctuary, so called because from 1840 to 1875, before a church was built in Lorne, services were often held here. As you approach the caravan park look up into the manna gums for koalas. Start: Erskine Falls carpark, 8½ km from Lorne on the Erskine Falls Rd Finish: Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park Type: Shuttle Distance: 7½ km one way Time: 3 hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: This walk is only recommended for experienced walkers. There are many river crossings and this walk should not be attempted when the river is high.

Lemonade Creek Track

The Lemonade Creek Track takes you through open woodland, tall eucalypt forest and fern-filled creek gullies, where you can see orchids in spring and may be lucky enough to hear or even see pink robins. This winding track is relatively steep in places, but you cross the creek on small bridges or boardwalks. There are some excellent views. After about 2½ km you come to a grassy area on private land where you turn right to cross Erskine Falls Rd. After crossing Erskine Falls Rd you return to a forest of tall eucalypts and a variety of ferns. Keep a look out for the beautiful star-shaped white flowers of the mountain clematis in this area during spring and summer. For the last 100

Activities

263.

Walk, Ride, Drive

metres after the Cora Lyn Cascades track junction, the track is quite wide and level through to the Blanket Leaf picnic area. Erskine Falls carpark Blanket Leaf picnic area Type: Shuttle Distance: 4 km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Moderate Start:

Finish:

Cora Lynn Cascades Walk

This walk takes you through tall eucalypts and shady tree ferns to an open area at the base of the stunning cascades, which flow over a series of exposed shale ledges and are framed by luxuriant ferns and mosses. Blanket Leaf picnic area takes its name from a tall shrub common in the area. Its large soft leaves explain its other common name – Bushman’s Toilet Paper. The walk to the cascades is mostly downhill and on a reasonably wide, well-formed track through eucalypts with an understorey that provides an excellent habitat for many birds. Some descriptions describe this walk as strenuous, and over rocky terrain and slippery rocks. This is not correct. However, this is true of the walk beyond Cora Lynn Cascades to Phantom Falls, which is recommended for experienced walkers only. Blanket Leaf picnic area off Erskine Falls Rd Cora Lyn Cascades Type: Return Distance: 4½ km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Start:

Finish:

Blanket Leaf Picnic Area to Allenvale Mill 40 This is the most strenuous walk described in this book, but it is well worth the effort. The first part of this walk is described in the Cora Lynn Cascades Walk (39). From below the Cora Lynn cascades down to Cora Lynn Crossing, the track is quite strenuous with more than 20 creek crossings. At times you need to look closely for

the orange-red arrows indicating where to cross. For the first 100 metres you scramble over rocks and logs and through wet tree fern glades along the creek. When the water level is low, it is possible to avoid getting your feet wet by stepping on river stones and logs, but it doesn’t take a lot of water coming down the creek for it to be more difficult, even to the point of being dangerous. It is downhill nearly all the way, and the track does get easier as you go along but even towards the carpark there are frequent creek crossings that are mostly on stepping stones rather than bridges. From Cora Lynn Crossing to Phantom Falls there is a well-formed, relatively easy track down to the St George River where you cross on a picturesque footbridge before heading upstream to the base of the falls. The last part of the walk is described in reverse in the Allenvale Mill to Phantom Falls Walk (45) in this section. Blanket Leaf picnic area Allenvale Mill carpark Type: Shuttle Distance: 8 km Time: 3½ hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: This walk is only recommended for experienced walkers. There are many creek crossings and this walk should not be attempted after heavy rain or when river levels are high. Cora Lynn carpark is only accessible to maintenance vehicles. Start:

Finish:

Cora Lynn Cascades, PT

264.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Geelong Otway Tourismis just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Geelong Otway Tourism Green Steps for Geelong region

To the environmentally minded tourism operator, a gold Green Globe rating is like an Oscar to an actor. As the pre-eminent international benchmarking and certification program for the travel and tourism industry, Green Globe is a proven way to boost environmental performance while reducing the bottom line. However, the costs associated with undertaking the Green Globe program have been prohibitive for many smaller tourism operators. That is, until Geelong Otway Tourism launched its ‘Green Steps’ program – fittingly, on United Nations World Environment Day in 2008. Green Steps is an achievable, affordable environmental management program that uses the same technology as Green Globe to enable tourism operators to record their water, waste and energy consumption. By recording their usage of these elements, operators can start to see where savings can be made, and compare performance year on year.

Spray Farm Estate overlooking Corio Bay, VofV

Focusing on these three most difficult elements of Green Globe (water, waste and energy), Green Steps is designed to help operators on the path towards the international accreditation. Geelong Otway Tourism is doing its bit, too. It holds Bronze Green Globe accreditation – and has done since 2005 – and is also a certified waste wise business. “We’re making the Green Steps toolkit available to all accommodation providers along the Great Ocean Road – to make it easier for them to reduce their waste, water and energy consumption.” Sarah Leaman www.geelongotway.org

Activities

265.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Teddy’s Lookout, Queens Park Lookout Loop 41 It is possible to drive to the rotunda at the end of George St and walk a few hundred metres to Teddy’s Lookout, but this circuit walk takes you through the wild bush of Queen’s Park and visits three lookouts with panoramic views along the coast and the Otway Ranges. Starting from the carpark near the intersection of George St and Francis St, you take the track to the left through dry scrub and walk along the ridge until you rejoin the road near the rotunda. From the rotunda it is only a few minutes over sometimes-rocky ground to Teddy’s Lookout, where you have a panoramic view. After Teddy’s Lookout you continue on a rocky track with steps to the lower platform and another viewpoint, where you have views across the St George River estuary to Mount St George. From here you climb back up to the road through open forest where you may be lucky to see koalas in the manna gums. Carpark, corner George St and Francis St, Lorne Circuit Distance: 1.6 km Time: ¾ hr Difficulty: Moderate Note: The signs at the carpark incorrectly indicate that Teddy’s Lookout is only 300 metres in either direction on the circuit track. Start/Finish: Type:

Tramway Track

This clearly marked interpretive trail mostly follows the route of the tramway used by teams of horses to haul timber from the St George River area to Lorne pier until the 1930s. Signs tell the history of the tramway and the local timber industry. The track starts on a wide grassy clearing above the Great Ocean Road, passing a replica of one of the tramway trolleys. Closer to the St George River, the old tramway has been destroyed in the construction and widening of the Great Ocean Road and the track climbs steeply uphill on stone steps, and on to a lookout where there are views over the river estuary and along the coast.

Start:

Corner of Hird St and the Great Ocean Road

Finish: St George River on the Great Ocean Road

Shuttle 1½ km Time: ½ hr Difficulty: Moderate Type:

Distance:

Ocean Walk

The Ocean Walk track runs uphill on the eastern side of the St George River where you have views over the river and the grassy river flats. After crossing the bridge over Cherry Tree Creek you turn right and begin a relatively steep climb through tall eucalypt forest above the creek. There are some great views across the valley. Just before Allenvale Rd the track divides, with a steep climb straight over the hill ahead or a less strenuous track around the hill, to the right. On reaching Allenvale Rd, you can turn left and walk 600 metres (10 mins) down the road to the Allenvale Mill carpark and pick up the St George River Walk back to the Great Ocean Road, making this into a 5½ km (2 hr) circuit. See notes for the St George River Walk (44) in this section. St George River on the Great Ocean Road Rd (Greenbreak Track Junction) Type: Shuttle Distance: 2.4 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Moderate Start:

Finish: Allenvale

Teddy’s Lookout, RE

266.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Allenvale Mill to Phantom Falls

This walk climbs above the rocky bed of the St George River on a dry track before descending to a pool at the base of Phantom Falls. From the Allenvale Mill carpark you cross Allenvale Rd and take the narrow track beside the river. After crossing a bridge you enter private property and skirt around the edge of an orchard before entering the national park. After the degraded environment closer to the road, the track climbs beside the river through tall eucalypts, with views over the rocky bed of the St George River. St George River Walk

The St George River track begins as a narrow track from the carpark and follows the river below the camping ground and beside the rocky pools and shady fern gullies along the river. It’s mostly flat and there are two river crossings – one which should not be attempted when the river is high and a bridge crossing where there are spectacular views of the towering eucalypts on the surrounding hills. In the lower reaches of the river, cross over the bridge on Cherry Tree Creek and follow the track down the eastern side of the river to the carpark on the Great Ocean Road. Before the bridge over Cherry Tree Creek you can turn left on to the Ocean Walk track and follow this up to Allenvale Rd, where you turn left and walk 600 metres (10 mins) down the road to the Allenvale Mill carpark. This makes this walk into a 5½ km (2 hr) circuit. See notes for Ocean Walk (43) earlier in this section. Allenvale Mill Carpark St George River on the Great Ocean Road Type: Shuttle Distance: 2.7 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Moderate Note: There is a low river crossing on the St George River that should not be attempted when the river is high. Start:

Finish:

Sheoak Falls, PT

The vehicle track is dry and uphill most of the way, with some steep sections of loose gravel that require care to keep your footing. On reaching the top of the falls, steep steps lead down to the shady pool at the bottom. The return walk is mostly downhill, but still requires some care on the steep sections of loose gravel. From the base of the falls, experienced walkers can take the strenuous walk to Cora Lynn Cascades. From above the falls there is a track leading to the Canyon and Sheoak picnic area. Allenvale Mill carpark Return Distance: 3½ km return (not 5 km as described in some material) Time: 1½ hrs return Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish: Type:

Sheoak Falls & Swallow Cave

This is a quick and easy walk. It is only 10 minutes from the carpark until you get a glimpse of the falls. While not spectacular, they are quite beautiful as they flow down the dark rock face to the deep pool below. Swallow Cave is best seen from spring to autumn, when nesting birds are present. Heading inland beside the creek the narrow track climbs steeply to a track junction where you get your first glimpse of the falls. The right fork takes you down to the base of the 15 metre falls, which are often just a trickle. The beauty of these falls is the natural amphitheatre that has been created and the deep, dark pool into which they fall.

Activities

267.

Walk, Ride, Drive

If you keep to the left at the track junction, after a few minutes you come to a set of steps leading down to a wooden platform overlooking the cascades above the falls and Swallow Cave. This is a shallow cave carved out of the soft rock by the creek, where tree martins build their mud nests in the honeycomb rock of the cave. They can be seen during spring, summer and autumn. The return walk to the carpark is on the same track. As an alternative you can walk on to Sheoak picnic area. Start/Finish: Sheoak Falls carpark, off Great Ocean Road, 3 km south of Lorne Type: Return Distance: 2.2 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Moderate Note: There is a creek crossing on stepping stones near Swallow Cave, which should not be attempted if the water is high.

Sheoak Picnic Area Nature Walk

Sheoak picnic area Circuit Distance: 1.3 km Time: Â˝ hr Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Henderson Falls & The Canyon 47

This is a short easy walk around the picnic area, taking you through ferny glades with tall manna gums overhead. It is a good walk for stretching legs after a barbecue and for learning something about the features of the forest from the interpretive signs along the way. This is also a suitable spot for a night walk. There is a small sign near the picnic area notice board with a rough map. If you take the track to the left you head through a ferny glade with manna gums overhead before crossing Sheoak Creek on a suspension bridge. Keep to the right at both track junctions and you will end up back at the picnic area where you started. After the second bridge you enter an area where koalas can sometimes be seen. Look for cuts in the smooth-barked eucalypts, evidence of sugar gliders and yellow-bellied gliders feeding on the sugar-rich sap. This is an ideal night walk to check out possums, sugargliders and other nocturnal animals and birds. Glow worms may also be seen near the suspension bridge.

The Canyon is a fascinating geological feature with sheer walls rising to 10 metres on either side. You reach it from Sheoak picnic area on a track that takes you past Won Wondah and Henderson Falls. From the Sheoak Picnic Area, follow the nature walk through Sheoak Creek and then take the left branch of the track up to and across Allenvale Rd. The track then climbs through dry forest to a low spur and then crosses Sharpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Track before coming to Henderson Creek, which you follow up to Won Wondah and Henderson Falls. Along the valley there are views down into and across the creek. There is a short track off to the right to a lookout over Won Wondah Falls. Just past these falls there is another junction, with the left track leading further up the creek (one km return) to Henderson Falls. There is a magnificent example of a mountain ash near one of the bridges on this track. Henderson Falls are attractive rather than spectacular. Returning to the junction you follow the track to the left and walk uphill into an area of dense tree ferns just before you reach a creek and the Canyon. You enter the Canyon down a steep, rocky and Won Wondah Falls, PT

268.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Returning to the track it is another km to the upper falls where you view the series of cascades from a timber platform surrounded by tree ferns. Watch out for stinging nettles on this section of the track.

damp track as the walls rise to 10 metres on either side. At the end of the Canyon you scramble up through the rocks to a viewing point back over the tops of the tree ferns and down in the Canyon. From the Canyon you can return to Sheoak picnic area by the same track or continue on to Phantom Falls (which is 2.2 km, not 1.2 km as one map indicates), and then down to the Allenvale Mill carpark and along Allenvale Rd back to the Sheoak picnic area. The total distance of this circuit is around nine km. Start/Finish: Lower carpark at Sheoak picnic area

Return 6½ km Time: 2½ hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Type:

Distance:

Kalimna Falls

The Kalimna Falls walk follows the route of timber tramway used for transporting timber to the Lorne Pier between the 1890s and 1920s. Head out from the picnic area and follow the creek on an easy, well-defined track that takes you through mountain ash with an understorey of ferns and grasses. It is a young forest with very few large trees that escaped the logging. Following Sheoak Creek you cross a number of small bridges in fern gullies, before arriving at Lower Kalimna Falls. These falls are not large, but are undercut, meaning you can get behind them and look out through the falling water to the large pool surrounded by mossy logs and rocks.

Cumberland River, KS

Returning to the picnic area you can take an alternative route to the left over a bridge two km from the picnic area. Travelling back up the gully of Little Sheoak Creek you walk through a tramway cutting where there are still some remains of the original tramway sleepers, before crossing the gully and coming down the north side of Sheoak Creek to Allenvale Rd. Cross the road and continue on the nature walk to the picnic area. Start/Finish: Lower carpark at Sheoak picnic area

Return Lower Falls – 6½ km; Upper Falls – 8½ km Time: Lower Falls – 2½ hr; Upper Falls – 3½ hr Difficulty: Easy Type:

Distance:

Cumberland River Cascades

This is one of the more beautiful river valleys in the Otways, with dramatic cliffs, and peaceful pools in which to cool off on a hot summer day. It is an easy walk to Jebb’s Pool but beyond that to the cascades there are numerous river crossings and some scrambling over rocks. As an alternative to returning down the river, you can to take the track to the left about a km below the cascades, which climbs steeply to the Garvey Track and on to Sheoak picnic area (six km in total) or to Sheoak Falls via Castle Rock (12 km). Start/Finish: Cumberland River Holiday Park carpark, Great Ocean Road Type: Return Distance: 6 km Time: 3 hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: There are several low river crossings on the Cumberland River that should not be attempted at high river levels.

Activities

269.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Walks Around Wye & Kennett Rivers 51

Wildlife is the theme of the walks in this area, with opportunities to see koalas, glow worms and a range of birds, as well as the evidence of sugar gliders and yellow-bellied gliders. These are all relatively short walks, the longest (Jamieson Track) being 1½ hours and the walks around Grey River taking about half an hour each. The valley near the Grey River picnic area was apparently regarded as special by early loggers and has never been logged, providing a unique opportunity to see the diversity of plants and animals in a near-pristine temperate rainforest. 51

Jamieson Track

Wye River Walk

Kennett River Walk

Grey River Walks

Grey River Lookout Walk

Glow Worm Walk

Carisbrook Falls

More information this book

Guide to the Coast, Great Otway National Park, Beaches & Surfing More information & maps

Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 Walks and Waterfalls brochure, Otways Tourism 2007

Jamieson Track

Start: Junction

of Jamieson Track and Wye River Rd Junction of Jamieson Track and Great Ocean Road Type: Shuttle Distance: 4½ km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: Wye River Rd is seasonally closed from 1 June to 31 October. Check with Parks Victoria to ensure it is open to vehicles. Finish:

Wye River Walk

The Wye River Walk is a short walk through a degraded river environment. It’s not highly recommended, although it’s worth a stroll if you are staying in the caravan park. Playground beside the Wye River Store Return Distance: 2 km Time: 45 mins Difficulty: Easy Note: Please respect the privacy of campers in the caravan park and keep within two metres of the riverbank. Start/Finish: Type:

The Jamieson Track takes you through blue gum forests on a steep 4WD track descending to the coast. Koalas can occasionally be seen in the treetops. There are some impressive views of the coastline as you descend but the track can be badly eroded or covered in loose dirt if it has been recently graded. A bush camping area is near the end of the track, as is the popular fishing spot at Artillery Rocks.

Kennett River Walk

Mown grass paths lead you past wetlands and up beside the tree-fern lined Kennett River, with impressive eucalypts overhead. There is abundant birdlife on this pleasant stroll. A short walk from the carpark you come to a platform with seating overlooking a small wetland area. Continuing upstream you pass behind houses on a mown grass path. As you travel inland, the Kennett River, RE

270.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

and pick up the track heading off through the rainforest to the lookout. You will see some very large buttressed mountain ash, ferns, mosses and fungi. It is also the perfect environment for the rare carnivorous Otway black snail – keep an eye out for these glossy black snails on the track. At the lookout you have a view up the river over ferny gullies to the forested hills. On the return walk from the lookout, you can take a short sidetrack down to the cool shade beside the river. Start/Finish:

river becomes narrower as it tumbles over river stones, and the bush closes in with tree ferns close to the river and eucalypts towering overhead. The track ends at a small pool in the river.

Grey River picnic area

Type: Return

1½ km hr Difficulty: Easy Distance: Time: ½

Glow Worm Walk Start/Finish: Picnic area upstream from Great Ocean Road bridge

Return Distance: 2 km Time: 45 mins Difficulty: Easy Type:

Grey River Walks The Grey River Rd out to the Grey River picnic area is a pleasant 5½ km drive from Kennett River, with the opportunity to observe koalas on the way. The picnic area is in a beautiful clearing from where you can take a short walk in nearpristine rainforest or observe glow worms along the road cutting at night. Kennett River Koalas Between one and two km up the Grey River Rd from Kennett River, pull over to the side of the road and get out your binoculars. Walk up and down the road, and look up into the trees. You should soon start spotting koalas, usually snoozing away high up in the forks of tree branches. You may be lucky to get a closer look at some koalas at lower levels or in trees on the slope down to the right of the road. In spring, keep an eye out for mothers with their babies. Grey River Lookout

Crossing back over the road bridge, follow the signs and take the path up past the bush toilet Grey River Picnic Area, GS

Arrive at the picnic area before dusk to familiarise yourself with the surroundings. Don’t forget a torch. Cross back over the road bridge, and walk back along the road where you will see glow worms in the cool damp environment of the road embankment on the left. Glow worms are not in fact worms, but the larvae of fungus gnats. Their abdomens glow to attract small insects. For this reason it is best to avoid wearing insect repellent. You should never touch the glow worms, and move quietly and use your torch sparingly, as noise and strong light will cause the glow worms to switch-off. Red cellophane over torch lenses will reduce the impact of the artificial light. Carisbrook Falls

This is a short and easy walk. It is only 10 minutes from the carpark on an evenly graded path to a lookout across the gorge to the falls. The falls are one of the highest along the Great Ocean Road. They do not drop vertically, however, but tumble down a sloping rock face. They are best after heavy rain. Start/Finish: Carisbrook Creek bridge, Great Ocean Road (7 km west of Kennett River) Type: Return Distance: 1 km Time: 20 min Difficulty: Moderate

Activities

271.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Walks Around Apollo Bay 57

The walks in this section are all close to Apollo Bay and are relatively short. There is a beach walk to Skenes Creek and another along the windswept shore of Mounts Bay to Marengo. Marriners Lookout gives you spectacular views over Apollo Bay and along the coast. The walk to Marriners Falls ends at a picturesque waterfall in a steep valley and the Shelly Beach Circuit gives you a taste of the Great Ocean Walk. You are in the heart of the Otways with mountains surrounding the town, and rivers and creeks tumbling down to the sea. The forests are generally wet and lush with tall eucalypts and wattles on the hills and fern gullies along the rivers, and they support a vast array of birds and wildlife including koalas. 57

Apollo Bay to Skenes Creek

Marriners Lookout

59 Marriners

Falls

Apollo Bay to Marengo (Section 1, Great Ocean Walk) 61 Shelly

Beach Circuit Walk (part of Section 2, Great Ocean Walk)

Apollo Bay Visitor Information Centre bay, west of Skenes Creek bridge on the Great Ocean Road Type: Shuttle Distance: 5½ km Time: 2 hr Difficulty: Moderate Note: Check tides and river levels. Wild Dog Creek can be difficult to cross after rain or in high seas. Crossing on the road bridge and avoiding the conservation area at the river mouth is advised. Start:

Finish: Parking

Marriners Lookout

More information this book

Map 3, Guide to the Coast, Great Otway National Park, Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary, Beaches & Surfing More information & maps

Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 Walks and Waterfalls brochure, Otways Tourism 2007

Apollo Bay to Skenes Creek

From the Apollo Bay Visitor Information Centre take one of the paths through the sand dunes onto the beach. To the mouth of Wild Dog Creek you can walk on sand, but for the remainder of the walk it is necessary to scramble over rocks.

The beach walk from Apollo Bay to Skenes Creek is an enjoyable way to soak up Apollo Bay’s magnificent setting, but only if the tide is low and the sea is calm.

The lookout has a spectacular view of the coastline, over Apollo Bay and out to sea. It is a short but steep walk on a well formed track, passing around the contour of the hill to an open paddock. When there is a good southeast wind you can expect to see paragliders and hang-gliders take off. Start/Finish: Carpark at the end of Marriners Lookout Rd, Apollo Bay Type: Return Distance: 1 km Time: ½ hr Difficulty: Moderate Note: Please respect this private property, open to the public

Marriners Lookout over Apollo Bay, KS

272.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Life Saving Club opposite the shops. After leaving the town area on a footpath beside the Great Ocean Road, you cross the road bridge on the Barham River and continue on a gravel path beside the Great Ocean Road and on to the Marengo Holiday Park at Hayley Point (Cape Marengo). Apollo Bay Visitor Information Centre Marengo Holiday Park at Hayley Point (Cape Marengo) Type: Car/Bike shuttle Distance: 3½ km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Easy Start:

Finish:

Marriners Falls

An evenly graded track takes you through open country and then under shady tree ferns as you follow a creek through a steep-sided valley with eucalypts towering overhead. There are several crossings on river stones before you reach the plunge pool below Marriners Falls. There are some very large and beautiful tree ferns on this walk. Another feature is trees that have crashed down from the steep hills above and now lean against the cliff-faces forming archways under which you walk. Start/Finish: Carpark at end of Barham River Rd, 12 km from Apollo Bay Type: Return Distance: 3½ km Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Moderate Note: The track is subject to flooding at times, so take care after rain. Take care on the narrow winding Barham River Rd. Single lanes and passing points become more frequent on the three km gravel section closest to the falls.

Apollo Bay to Marengo 60 part of Section 1, Great Ocean Walk

This is part of the first section of the Great Ocean Walk, a fairly suburban stroll on a footpath along the foreshore of Apollo Bay and then a formed gravel path around the windswept Mounts Bay to Cape Marengo, where there are views over the Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary. From the Apollo Bay Visitor Information Centre you walk along the grassy foreshore past the Surf Near Marriners Falls, RE

Shelly Beach Circuit Walk 61 part of Section 2, Great Ocean Walk

This is one of the best short walks in this area, following the coastal and inland options for a section of the Great Ocean Walk to complete a circuit that takes you through fern gullies, coastal scrub, tall wet forests and along rocky beach platforms. From the Shelly Beach picnic area you follow the Great Ocean Walk through coastal scrub and fern gullies back towards Apollo Bay, till you reach an eroded path leading steeply down to a small area of sand at Shelly Beach. This track can be wet and slippery. Spend a few minutes checking out the waves, to ensure the tide is low enough and the seas calm enough for you to safely proceed west over the rock platforms to the mouth of the Elliot River. As you climb back up to the picnic area from the mouth of the Elliot River keep an eye out for koalas. Start/Finish: Shelly Beach picnic area at the end of Elliot River Rd Type: Circuit Distance: 2 km Time: 45 mins Difficulty: Moderate Note: Only attempt to walk on the rock platforms between Shelly Beach and the mouth of Elliot River at low tides and calm seas.

Activities

273.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Walks & Drives Around Cape Otway 56

There are some short easy walks in the region around Cape Otway, such as to Stevensons Falls, or in the tall wet rainforest at Maits Rest or Melba Gully. There are also plenty of moderate walks to waterfalls and to Lake Elizabeth in the Otway hinterland. The more strenuous walks include one to Sabine Falls. This section also includes two drives to link up some of the walks. Then there is the ultimate 91 km Great Ocean Walk (see separate section) with spectacular coastal scenery, isolated sandy beaches, river crossings, evidence of shipwrecks and dinosaurs, which finishes with views of the world famous Twelve Apostles. Forest & Waterfalls Drive Turtons Track Rainforest Drive Lake Elizabeth Walks

Lake Elizabeth Walk Lake Elizabeth Circuit Walk

Parker River Inlet (Section 3, Great Ocean Walk)

Parker River to Cape Otway Cape Otway Lightstation Precinct

Cape Otway Lighthouse Walk

Cape Otway Cemetery Walk

Aire River Escarpment

Castle Cove Beach Walk

Johanna Beach Walk

Stevensons Falls

Sabine Falls

Melba Gully – Madsen’s Track Nature Trail

Moonlight Head and Wreck Beach

Beauchamp Falls

Hopetoun Falls

Triplet Falls

Little Aire Falls

Old Beech Trail Walk/Ride

Maits Rest

More information this book

Map 3, Guide to the Coast, Great Otway National Park, Cape Otway Light Station, Port Campbell National Park, Twelve Apostles Marine Park, The Arches Marine Sanctuary, Beaches & Surfing More information & maps

Great Ocean Road Shuttle Service; tel 03 5237 9278, mob 0428 379278 Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 Otways Walks and Waterfalls, Otways Tourism 2007 Great Ocean Walk, Information and Map Guide – Parks Victoria 2006 www.greatoceanwalk.com.au Old Beechy Rail Trail brochure, Colac Otway Tourism 2006

Near Triplet Falls

274.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Then head down to the coast at Skenes Creek from where it is just five km from where you started at Apollo Bay. Be sure to take the drive up to Marriners Lookout for views along the coast. Apollo Bay Circuit Distance: 125 km (without side trips) Time: 2 hrs (without stops or side trips) Note: Take care on steep winding roads and beware of logging trucks. Start/Finish: Type:

Turtons Track Rainforest Drive Forest & Waterfalls Drive You don’t need to put a complicated plan together before tackling a drive along the Great Ocean Road or inland through the Otways. Discovering the back roads of the Otways for yourself is always rewarding and it is difficult to get lost, though you may need to back track if you follow a road to a dead end or it gets too rough. If you are looking for a route that connects some of the walks described around Apollo Bay and Cape Otway, try the Forest & Waterfalls Drive. You experience the Great Ocean Road to Cape Otway and beyond to Lavers Hill, visiting tall forests, wet fern gullies and vast river valleys. This is a spectacular scenic drive that you can do in a few hours. But better still, take a few days and do some of the walks along the way. From Apollo Bay head west on the Great Ocean Road and take in the beauty of Maits Rest before turning off to visit Cape Otway and all it has to offer. Return to the Great Ocean Road and head west again through the Aire River Valley where you can take a turnoff down to the river mouth (eight km each way) on the way to Castle Cove, and then inland to Lavers Hill and the delightful Melba Gully. From Lavers Hill you travel through some of the highest rainfall areas in Victoria to Beech Forest. There are a number of waterfalls around Beech Forest: Triplet, Little Aire, Hopetoun and Beauchamp Falls. From Beech Forest experience Turtons Track Rainforest Drive through to the Forest – Apollo Bay Rd and nearby Sabine Falls. Hopetoun Falls, RE

Turtons Track is a section of road between Beech Forest and Haines Junction on the Skenes Creek– Forrest Rd. It is an alternative route through the Otway Ranges that connects you to number of waterfalls and other features of the upper Aire Valley. Turtons Track was for a long time a gravel road meandering through rainforest with giant messmates and beech trees on either side of the road, with an understorey of ferns. It is now a sealed road designed especially for a slow drive through picturesque rainforest, with a few spots where you can safely pull over to take photos. Some might argue the asphalt detracts from the wilderness experience, but the road is smooth! There are other unsealed roads that are more spectacular, but getting bogged can take the gloss off your discovery. Particularly at the eastern end there are some superb stands of unlogged wet sclerophyll forest featuring tall, straight mountain ash and messmate, as well as two sections of temperate rainforest. The western end of the track is through lower quality forest regenerating on previously cleared farmland. Haines Junction on the Skenes Creek – Forrest Rd Mt Sabine Rd – Seaview Ridge Rd junction Distance: 12 km Time: 20 mins

Start:

Finish:

Activities

275.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Lake Elizabeth Walks Lake Elizabeth is hidden deep in the Otways near the town of Forrest. After one of the heaviest periods of rain on record in 1952, the East Barwon River stopped flowing. When an exploratory party was sent to find out why, they discovered a massive landslide had dammed the river and created a new lake, subsequently named Lake Elizabeth. Lake Elizabeth Walk

The walk from the carpark to the lake is well signposted, past the landslip and beside the new course of the East Barwon River, through rainforest to the lake. Interpretive signs along the way provide information about the lake, and the plants and animals in and around it. Return to the carpark by the same track. Lake Elizabeth carpark Return Distance: 1Â˝ km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy. While there are a couple of steep sections on this well formed track, it could still be negotiated by wheelchairs and prams. Start/Finish: Type:

Lake Circuit Walk

This walk starts on the Lake Elizabeth Walk 62 described earlier. On reaching the lake you can continue on a narrower and at times steep track, completing a loop of the lake. For a lot of the time you walk in the cool shade of tree ferns and more often than not on a carpet of leaves and blossoms from the blackwood trees towering overhead. Watch out for stinging nettles on this track. The lake is home to a colony of platypus, some of which may be seen at dusk or dawn if you are lucky. Lake Elizabeth carpark Return Distance: 4 km Time: 2 hr Difficulty: Easy to moderate Start/Finish: Type:

Stevensons Falls

This is a beautiful waterfall. It is a pity about the surrounding hills, which are dominated by clear-felled pine plantations. There is a longer walk from the campground, but given the degraded landscape you pass through, river levels permitting, it is best to drive to the day visitor area and take the shorter walk along the banks of the Gellibrand River. Day visitor/picnic area Return Distance: 1 km return Time: Â˝ hr return Difficulty: Easy. Pram and wheelchair access to the steps leading to the viewing platform at the end of the walk. Note: Beware of logging trucks on the narrow winding forest road from Barramunga to the Stevensons Falls campground. Do not attempt to cross the river after heavy rain or in peak flows. Start/Finish: Type:

Sabine Falls

The walk to Sabine Falls is strenuous, but clearly marked and well worth the effort, finishing with a spectacular display of a cascading waterfall. Sabine Falls is on the headwaters of Smythe Creek near Mt Sabine and consists of three waterfalls. At 130 metres high this is the tallest waterfall complex in the Otways. Apart from the evidence of earlier logging, you have a real sense of isolation as you climb through lush rainforest on a narrow track leading to a lookout across the valley to the falls.

Near Lake Elizabeth, RE

276.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Triplet Falls

Consisting of three cascades, this is one of the more spectacular waterfalls in the Otways. The walk is quite close to the Otway Fly. It is set amongst ferns and rainforest of myrtle beech trees, and is reached on a track through tall mountain ash forest with large sections of expanded metal boardwalks.

Start/Finish: Mt Sabine Falls picnic area, Sunnyside Rd (off Skenes Creek–Forrest Rd) Type: Return Distance: 3½ km Time: 2½ hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: There are two creek crossings that should not be attempted at high water levels. Branches and smaller trees down over the track can make walking more difficult.

Beauchamp Falls

Although the start of the walk is through regrowth, the track to Beauchamp Falls takes you through magnificent mountain ash forests into the temperate rainforest of Deppeler Creek, and ends at a platform with a lookout over the falls as it crashes into a large pool. Beauchamp Falls picnic area, off Aire Valley Rd Return Distance: 3 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish: Type:

Hopetoun Falls

A viewing platform near the carpark offers a view of the falls as they crash into the Aire River, or you can take the strenuous walk down to the pool at the base of the falls. Hopetoun Falls carpark, off Aire Valley Rd Return Distance: 1 km Time: ½ hr Difficulty: Strenuous Start/Finish: Type:

Triplet Falls, RE

The walk begins with some sections of steep steps, so while it is not long, it is not suited to people with limited mobility. There are some very large mountain ash trees along the track, which are estimated to be around 200 years old. Continuing on the loop back to the carpark you come to the site of Knott’s No 1 Mill, which operated for more than 20 years from 1909. The remains of a steam boiler overgrown by ferns is now the only evidence of one of the largest timber mills that operated in the west Otways region. Start/Finish: Triplet

Falls carpark, Phillips Track

Type: Circuit Distance: 2 Time:

1 hr

Difficulty:

Moderate

Little Aire Falls

The track to Little Aire Falls is a newly developed walk through mountain ash and rainforests, ending at a cantilevered viewing platform with spectacular views over the falls. There are some creek crossings on bridges and you pass through beautiful fern gullies before reaching a cantilevered viewing platform suspended out over the edge of the cliff. It’s a steep climb back up to the carpark. Triplet Falls carpark, Phillips Track Return Distance: 5 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Moderate

Start/Finish: Type:

Activities

277.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Old Beechy Rail Trail Walk/Bike Ride 70 The Old Beechy Rail Trail is a walking/cycling trail between Colac and Beech Forest, mostly following the original path of ‘The Beechy’ narrow gauge railway. There are large sections of purpose-built, compacted-gravel trail, on-road sections of gravel roads and some bitumen roads. It is suitable for walkers and bikes with wide tyres. The railway was opened to Beech Forest in 1902, and in 1911 was extended 22 km west to Lavers Hill and Crowes, mainland Australia’s most southerly station. The railway ceased operation in 1962. Because of the difficult terrain, road building was prohibitively expensive so ‘The Beechy’ was the first reliable transport into this area, encouraging closer settlement and the systematic removal of the forest timbers. Farm produce and timber were transported from the area to Colac and special trains ran for social events and activities along the line. The trail passes through suburban Colac, forestry plantations, rich farmland and wet forests of eucalypt and blackwoods with abundant birdlife. Cycling the length of this rail trail in one day would be possible – taking about four to five hours plus time for rests. Trying to walk it in one day is not recommended. You can walk it in either direction, with access to/from the trail at a number of points along the way. Sections vary in their difficulty. In this book the Old Beechy Rail Trail has been described in four shorter, easily accessible sections. Colac Railway Station, Gellibrand St Finish: Beech Forest information bay Type: Shuttle Distance: 45 km Difficulty: Easy to strenuous; see details in separate sections below Note: Some sections are on local roads, with some gravel sections. Be aware of traffic, including logging trucks, when walking along roadsides. The trail passes through private property in several sections – please respect the landowners’ privacy. Start:

Colac to Barongarook Starting on the north side of the Colac Railway Station you cross the footbridge over the railway line and follow suburban streets and gravel roads through Colac and Elliminyt. Climbing up unsealed Forest St you have views back over Colac. On reaching Barongarook Rd it is downhill to the Barongarook Hall on a sealed road. This is not the most interesting part of the Rail Trail to walk and would probably only be done if you were intent on walking the whole trail. Colac Railway Station, Gellibrand St Barongarook Hall, Barongarook Rd Type: Shuttle Distance: 10.6 km Time: 3.5 hrs (Ride 1 hr) Difficulty: Moderate Note: This section is all on local roads, with some gravel sections. Be aware of traffic when walking along roadsides. Start:

Finish:

Barongarook to Kawarren Leaving Barongarook Hall turn right into Alford Rd and then left onto the original rail line. Look out for the 103 mile post at the chicane. From here it is a gentle descent on a gravel path through bushland before reaching the site of Watson & Faceys Station. At Cashins Rd you will find a second chicane and the Birnum Station Picnic Area on the left. Between Birnum and Kawarren the trail leaves the original rail line and there are steep climbs and descents on gravel to the Kawarren toilet block, where you will find the Loves Creek Picnic Area opposite. Gellibrand Station, RE

278.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Banool to Beech Forest

Barongarook Hall, Barongarook Rd Kawarren toilet block Type: Shuttle Distance: 9.8 km Time: 3 hrs (Ride 1 hr) Difficulty: Easy through to Birnum Station Picnic Area; moderate from Birnum Station to Kawarren Note: Some sections are on local roads, with some gravel sections. Be aware of traffic when walking along roadsides. Start:

Finish:

Kawarren to Banool Pass the tennis courts and continue on the undulating trail through bushland, with several road crossings and a footbridge over the Gellibrand River, before reaching the town of Gellibrand. Look out for the 110 mile post just before the site of the Lovat Station. At the former Gellibrand Station building, there is information about the trail and its history. Leaving Gellibrand it is a steady uphill climb on a gravel path with some loose stones. Look out for a ballast siding, 115 mile post and remnants of an old bridge as you travel through picturesque farmland and bush between Gellibrand and Banool Station site. Just past Banool Station you reach the chicane on Old Beech Forest Rd. Kawarren toilet block Banool Chicane (Old Beech Forest Rd) Type: Shuttle Distance: 12.3 km Time: 4.5 hrs (Ride 1.5 hrs) Difficulty: Moderate Note: Take care at Colac-Lavers Hill Rd crossings. Start:

Finish:

View to the north from the Beech Forest Ridge

There are several crossings of the Old Beech Forest Rd and a short on-road section as the trail climbs uphill through farmland, bush and timber plantations towards Dinmont Station site. You may need to use Old Beech Forest Rd if the trail is closed due to plantation harvesting. At Dinmont Station, look out for the remains of an original water tank and steam boiler. From Dinmont Station site you use the Old Beech Forest Rd to reach the information bay at Beech Forest, where you will find some interesting photos and the 124 mile post. Past the hotel you will find the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Balloon Loopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; turning circle at the end of the line. There is a short walk with scenic views towards Ferguson from Old Main Rd, near the end of the trail in Beech Forest. Banool Chicane (Old Beech Forest Rd) Beech Forest Information Bay. Type: Shuttle Distance: 12.1 km Time: 4.5 hrs (Ride 1.5 hrs) Difficulty: Strenuous Note: Some sections are on local gravel roads. Be aware of traffic, including logging trucks, when walking along roadsides. Start:

Finish:

Maits Rest

Although this is a popular walk and is right beside the Great Ocean Road, it is an absolute gem, in an area of rainforest that has been completely protected from logging. It includes plants that are remnants of the forests that dominated this area 100 million years ago when it was part of Gondwanaland. The massive mountain ash trees give you a sense of what the ancient Otway forest might have looked like before the arrival of Europeans. A highlight is a 300-year-old myrtle beech. Start/Finish: Maits Rest carpark, 17 km west of Apollo Bay on Great Ocean Road Type: Circuit Distance: 800 metres Time: 40 mins Difficulty: Easy. Would suit prams and wheelchairs, though a little steep in spots.

Activities

279.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Parker River Inlet 72 part of Section 3, Great Ocean Walk

Parker River Inlet is a beautiful, unusual place to explore. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a stopping point on the Great Ocean Walk (see separate section following). From the Parker Hill campground the view down into the Parker Inlet is nothing short of spectacular. Often with waves crashing through the narrow inlet surrounded by rocky cliffs, the inlet opens up onto a sheltered, sand-floored valley cut by two streams. It is a 250 metre walk down a steep eroded track to the river where, when tide and river conditions are right, you can see the ribs of the American ship Eric the Red, which was wrecked in 1880. Parker River played a major role in the development of the nearby Cape Otway Lightstation. Sandstone for the lighthouse was quarried here and dragged to the cape by bullock teams (on a wooden tramline up the steep hill) and the infrequent supply boats for the lighthouse would sometimes unload here. Parker Hill campground Return Distance: 1 km Time: 40 mins Difficulty: Strenuous Note: The Parker River can be difficult or dangerous to cross at high tides or after heavy rain. Start/Finish: Type:

Parker River to Cape Otway 73 part of Section 3, Great Ocean Walk

This walk is part of the Great Ocean Walk (description follows) and the first section from Parker Inlet to Pt Franklin can either be a low tide rock platform and beach walk, or a clifftop walk. From Parker Inlet (described earlier) you can take the coastal route, if the tides and seas are low enough. There are plenty of rock scrambles before reaching Pt Franklin. The inland alternative is to climb the steep track up to the Parker Hill campground and then follow the clifftop trail through gnarled eucalypts and then windswept coastal scrub. This track follows the cliffs before cutting across the ridge to Pt Franklin, where there is a basic campground.

From Pt Franklin you head inland around private property to Parker Hill Gate on a rough vehicle track. After passing through the gate you turn west and walk under manna gums inhabited by sleepy koalas, before merging with a track beside the Lighthouse Rd and walking on to the Cape Otway Lightstation carpark. Parker Hill campground Cape Otway Lightstation carpark Type: Shuttle Distance: 5Â˝ km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Note: The coastal route can be impassable at high tides and during rough seas. Be sure to check the tides and weather reports if planning to walk this route. At Pt Franklin you should take the inland route to avoid a sensitive cultural area. Start:

Finish:

Cape Otway Lightstation Precinct Cape Otway Lightstation is the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Australian mainland; it was only the second constructed. The Lightstation is now leased to a local company, which operates tours and provides accommodation in the old lightkeepers houses. The Lightstation is open daily from 9:00 am and there is an entry fee. See more details in the Parks & Reserves chapter. Cape Otway Lightstation Walk

From the carpark entrance you can wander through the Lightstation precinct checking out the two residences and assorted outbuildings as you approach the lighthouse itself. See more details in the Parks & Reserves chapter. Parker River, RE

280.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Aire River Escarpment 76 part of Section 4, Great Ocean Walk

The track to the escarpment starts as a 4WD vehicle track in loose sand beside the Aire River and then climbs through coastal woodland of tea tree, acacias and wind-blown and stunted eucalypts to the escarpment above the river mouth, where you have views along the coast to Moonlight Head and the wetlands of the Aire River estuary.

Cape Otway Lightstation Carpark Return Distance: 1 km Time: 45 minutes Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Cape Otway Cemetery Walk 75 part of Section 4, Great Ocean Walk From the carpark you head north through the sandhills to Payters Hill, where there are views of the lightstation and the coastal panorama from Cape Patton in the east and Moonlight Head in the west. You will also find information about the wreck of the SS City of Rayville. Shortly after descending from Payters Hill, it is worth taking the track off to the right leading to the Cape Otway Great Ocean Walk campsite, where you will usually find koalas feeding and sleeping in the stunted manna gums. Rejoining the track it is only a short walk to a clearing in the coastal tea tree where you will find Cape Otway Cemetery containing the graves of light keepersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; families and shipwrecked sailors. Start/Finish:

Cape Otway Lightstation carpark

Return 2 km Time: 45 minutes Difficulty: Easy Type:

Distance:

Starting on the east side of the picturesque Aire River bridge, you trudge through the loose sand of the 4WD track towards the river mouth for about 200 metres, before taking a track to the left and climbing up the ridge. The track turns back to the west and you come out of the woodland to the edge of the escarpment where you have glimpses of the estuary and the coast. Continue along the edge of the escarpment to a lookout where you have an uninterrupted view over the river mouth and along the coast to Moonlight Head. There are campgrounds on either side of the Aire River, and there is also a launching place for canoes if you are interested in exploring the Aire River estuary with its prolific bird life. Aire River Bridge Return Distance: 4 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish: Type:

Castle Cove Beach 77 part of Section 5, Great Ocean Walk

The walk to Castle Cove starts right beside the Great Ocean Road. The lookout with information about nearby Dinosaur Cove is adjacent to the carpark and it is only a short, though steep, climb down to the beach. The beach is renowned for its big waves and popular for surfing and fishing. Castle Cove carpark, near Glenaire Return Distance: 1.2 km Time: 45 minutes Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish: Type:

Aire River, EH

Activities

281.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Johanna Beach 78 part of Section 5, Great Ocean Walk

Johanna Beach is one of the most dramatic beaches on the coast, flanked by broken headlands and nearly always with big surf. A visit to the beach is a reminder of the mighty forces unleashded by the Southern Ocean. From the road entrance to the Johanna Beach campground, proceed southeast behind the dunes until you come to a lookout and set of steps down to the beach. The lookout here has views to the east over Johanna Beach to Rotten Point and beyond to Cape Otway. To the west are Lion Headland and on to Pt Reginald and Moonlight Head which, at 100 metres, feature some of the highest coastal cliffs in mainland Australia. About half way along the beach you come to the mouth of the Johanna River, which can be difficult to cross after heavy rains. You may need to wade across, but only attempt this if it is safe to do so. Browns Creek marks the eastern end of Johanna Beach and the point at which you turn back to the campground. Johanna Beach campground Return Distance: 5 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Note: Johanna Beach can be regularly covered by rising tides and waves. Check tides before planning this walk and only walk on the beach if it is safe to do so. The Johanna River can be difficult or dangerous to cross at high tides or after heavy rain. Start/Finish: Type:

Melba Gully – Madsen’s Track Nature Trail 79 Near Lavers Hill, in the upper reaches of the Johanna River, Melba Gully is an area of great biological diversity with a rich and fascinating human history (see the separate section in the Parks & Reserves chapter). A short walk takes you through a lush green remnant of the ancient Otway forests filled with myrtle beech, blackwoods and tree ferns. It’s a good spot to see the remarkable glow worms.

A section of the timber tramway built in the 1920s to get timber to a sawmill in Melba Gully can be seen near Anne’s Cascades. Timber produced at the mill was shipped out of nearby Crowes station at the end of the narrow-gauge railway connecting to Beech Forest and Colac. It is a steep climb up to view the Big Tree, a 300-year-old Otway messmate measuring 27 metres in circumference. While you can return directly to the carpark on the track you came in on, completing the circuit takes you on through the forest where you can see many magnificent specimens of tall eucalypts. If you come here at night you should see glow worms beside the walking tracks. Arrive before dusk to familiarise yourself with the surroundings, and bring a torch. The glow worms’ abdomens glow to attract small insects. For this reason it is best to avoid wearing insect repellent. You should never touch the glow worms. Move quietly and use your torch sparingly (preferably mask it with red cellophane), as noise and strong light will cause the glow worms to ‘switch-off ’. See the Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna chapter. Melba Gully carpark Circuit Distance: 1.2 km Time: 30 mins Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish: Type:

Johanna, PV

282.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Start/Finish: The Gable carpark, at the end of Moonlight Head Rd Type: Return Distance: 5½ km Time: 2½ hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: Wreck Beach can be impassable at high tides and during rough seas. Be sure to check the tides and weather reports before accessing the beach.

Moonlight Head & Wreck Beach 80 part of Section 8, Great Ocean Walk

From the Great Ocean Road there is a turnoff at the site of the old Wattle Hill Hotel down Moonlight Head Rd towards the Gable and Wreck Beach. After the Old Coach Rd junction you will find the Moonlight Head Cemetery. See Moonlight Heads in the Guide to the Coast section for more information. From the Gable carpark it only takes a few minutes through a beautiful grove of casuarinas to reach the Gable Lookout, where, from 130 metres above the Southern Ocean, you have commanding views towards Moonlight Head and over the reefs below. Returning from the lookout, take the track on the left through heathland leading to the 366 steps down to Wreck Beach. On reaching the beach, head to the right and you will soon come to wreckage from the Marie Gabrielle, a three masted French barque that was driven ashore in 1869. No lives were lost but the crew faced a long overland trek to civilisation. Further along you will find the anchor of the Fiji cemented into rocks at the top of the beach. The Fiji was wrecked in 1891 and 12 crewmen lost their lives. See Shipwreck Heritage in the European History chapter for more information on the wrecks of the Marie Gabrielle and the Fiji.

Wreck Beach, PV

The Great Ocean Walk is an iconic walk along the coast passing through Great Otway and Port Campbell National Parks and overlooking the Twelve Apostles Marine National Park and Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary. The walk starts in Apollo Bay and mostly follows the coastline along rock platforms, deserted sandy beaches and isolated clifftops with spectacular views. On the inland sections you walk through tall forests, coastal woodlands and grazing land on sometimes rough vehicle tracks. It finishes with spectacular views of the 12 Apostles. You can tackle all 104 km of the walk in around eight days, camping at the Great Ocean Walk hike-in campsites, or you can do selected sections either as circuit walks, day hikes or shorter overnight walks. Increasingly there are luxurious accommodation options springing up close to the walk and the hosts can arrange pick-up and drop-off services. There are also a number of companies offering guided and supported walking tours. There’s no need to carry a heavy pack and sleep under canvas if ‘roughing it’ does not appeal. Details of the options can be found at www.greatoceanwalk. com.au. There are plans for further development and rerouting of the Great Ocean Walk, including between Moonlight Head and The Twelve Apostles. As with all the walks in this book, it is important to get up-to-date information from the Great Ocean Walk website or by contacting Parks Victoria (tel 13 19 63, www.parkweb.vic.gov.au)

Activities

283.

Walk, Ride, Drive

or the Great Ocean Road Visitor Information Centre (Apollo Bay). Visitor Information Centre, Apollo Bay Glenample Homestead * Type: Shuttle Distance: 104 km Time: 8 days Difficulty: Easy to strenuous, see notes for each section below. Start:

Finish:

Section 1 – Apollo Bay to Shelly Beach

Section 2 – Shelly Beach to Blanket Bay Section 3 – Blanket Bay to Cape Otway

Apollo Bay to Shelly Beach

Section 4 – Cape Otway to Aire River – with side trip to Rainbow Falls 85 Section 5 – Aire River to Johanna Beach

Section 6 – Johanna Beach to Milanesia Beach Access Gate 87 Section 7 – Milanesia Beach to Moonlight Head 88

Section 8 – Moonlight Head to Devil’s Kitchen 89

Section 9 – Devil’s Kitchen to Glenample Homestead * 90 Beaches along the walk may be impassable at high tides or rough seas. Some creeks and rivers are unbridged and you may need to wade across. There are a number of ‘decision points’ on the walk, where you need to decide if the conditions are suitable before proceeding. In unfavourable conditions you may need to take an inland option or, where no inland track exists, wait until conditions improve. Check weather and tides before starting any sections of the walk. Note:

82 Section 1, Great Ocean Walk

Section 1 begins with a suburban stroll along the foreshore of Apollo Bay and then continues around the windswept Mounts Bay to Cape Marengo with views over the Marengo Reefs. It then goes through farmland and coastal scrub with some beach walking and rocky platforms before it climbs up through fern gullies to a picnic area among tall eucalypts. See Apollo Bay to Marengo Walk (60) and Shelly Beach Circuit Walk (61) in Walks Around Apollo Bay, earlier in this chapter. After Hayley Point the walk becomes more rural, passing through farmland and occasionally dropping down to the beach. From Three Creeks Beach the inland track climbs through coastal forest to a track junction where you meet the Shelly Beach Circuit and can either drop down to Shelly Beach or continue on to the picnic area on the inland track. The inland route has spectacular views over a blowhole and the beach route can only be attempted at low tide and when there are small swells. Apollo Bay Visitor Information Centre Shelly Beach picnic area Type: Shuttle Distance: 8 km Time: 3½ hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: This walk should only be attempted at low tide. At Storm Point, Three Creeks Beach and west of Bald Hill you need to walk on the beach, as there is no inland track. Start:

You need to apply for a camping permit and pay a fee if you intend to use the Great Ocean Walk campsites. * At the time of writing the Great Ocean Walk finished at the information bay on the Great Ocean Road adjacent to Glenample Homestead, which was closed to the public. There are plans to extend the walk another km or so through to the Twelve Apostles Visitor Information Centre.

Finish:

Shelly Beach, DW

284.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Blanket Bay to Cape Otway 84 Section 3, Great Ocean Walk

Section 3 is an evenly graded walk through coastal woodlands to dramatic Parker Inlet and then on to historic Cape Otway Lightstation, passing koalas along the way.

Shelly Beach to Blanket Bay 83 Section 2, Great Ocean Walk

Section 2 is an occasionally steep walk through tall wet eucalypt forests on old vehicle tracks ending at historic Blanket Bay. From Shelly Beach picnic area, it is a short walk down to the mouth of the Elliot River where you cross on stepping stones before a steady climb up the Elliot River Walk past the Great Ocean Walk campsite and then left onto Elliot Rd. You pass through tall wet eucalypt forests on Parker Rd, Johnson Track and Blanket Bay Track (all 4WD tracks) before turning on to the Telegraph Track (walking track) leading down to Blanket Bay beside Blanket Bay Creek, where you will find a Great Ocean Walk campsite. Be sure to check out the stone ruins at Blanket Bay, a reminder of when the bay was used as a landing point for provisions to the Cape Otway Lightstation until the early 1900s. At Blanket Bay you can take a short stroll on the Katubanuut Walk past a waterfall on Blanket Bay Creek. Shelly Beach picnic area Blanket Bay campground Type: Shuttle Distance: 14 km Time: 5 hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: You may need to wade across at the mouth of Elliot River and Blanket Bay Creek. Assess the depth and flow carefully. Start:

Finish:

Aire River, RE

You start on a boardwalk and, after a gentle climb, the track follows the contours through coastal forests. You cross a number of small creeks on footbridges before coming out at lookouts above the spectacular Parker River and Inlet. It is a steep climb down to the river where you may need to wade across. See previous separate sections for the Parker River Inlet Walk (72), and Parker River to Cape Otway Walk (73) for descriptions of the rest of this section. Blanket Bay campground Cape Otway Lightstation carpark Type: Shuttle Distance: 10 km Time: 4 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Note: Make sure you clean your shoes at the Phytophora Hygiene Stations at Blanket Bay and Parker River. You may need to wade across the Parker River. Assess the depth and flow carefully. At Pt Franklin you should take the inland route to avoid a sensitive cultural area. Start:

Finish:

Cape Otway to Aire River â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with side trip to Rainbow Falls 85 Section 4, Great Ocean Walk

Section 4 features the historic Cape Otway Cemetery, beach walking, a colourful waterfall, koalas and spectacular views over the coast and the Aire River valley. See previous separate sections on the Cape Otway Lightstation Walk (74) and Cape Otway Cemetery Walk (75) earlier in this section. From the cemetery you continue on through sand hills and along the rocky clifftop until you reach a junction, where the track to the left leads to a boardwalk over loose sand down to Station Beach. At the beach a left turn brings you to Rainbow Falls after about one km of soft sand.

Activities

285.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Returning along Station Beach, you can continue to walk along the beach or return via the boardwalk to the track junction and take the inland track on to Aire River. The inland track traverses some loose sand areas and can be obscured after wind, so keep an eye on the Great Ocean Walk signs. See the separate section on the Aire River Escarpment Walk (76) earlier in this section. Cape Otway Lightstation carpark Aire River Bridge Type: Shuttle Distance: 10 km (13 km with the side trip to Rainbow Falls) Time: 4 hrs (5 hrs with the side trip to Rainbow Falls) Difficulty: Moderate Note: The coastal sections of this walk should only be attempted at low tide and in calm seas. In unfavourable conditions use the clifftop track. Start:

Finish:

Aire River to Johanna Beach 86 Section 5, Great Ocean Walk

Section 5 is a clifftop walk through to Castle Cove where you can find out about the local dinosaurs before continuing on through coastal woodlands and down on to the windswept Johanna Beach. From the east side of the Aire River, cross the bridge to the campground and look for the Great Ocean Walk track signs, which are not prominent. The track climbs up to the Great Ocean Walk campsite and then follows the clifftop for about three km, with views of the Aire River estuary and along the coast, before dropping down to follow the base of the escarpment as you approach Castle Cove. See the earlier section on Castle Cove Beach (77). From Castle Cove Lookout, the track twists along the top of the cliff again, with views to Dinosaur Cove and back along the coast, before heading north on the badly eroded and sometimes wet Dinosaur Track. Turn onto the Rotten Point Track for about 200 metres before taking a track to the right through an area of eucalypts and grass trees and then down to the mouth of Browns Creek at the eastern end of Johanna Beach. It is a two km walk along Johanna Beach and a wade through Johanna River before reaching the Johanna Beach

campground. See the separate section on Johanna Beach (78). Aire River Bridge Johanna Beach campground Type: Shuttle Distance: 12Â˝ km Time: 5 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Note: This walk should only be attempted at low tide and calm seas. You need to walk on Johanna Beach, which can be regularly covered by rising tides and waves, and there is no inland track. The Johanna River can be difficult or dangerous to cross at high tides or after heavy rain. Start:

Finish:

Johanna Beach to Milanesia Beach Access Gate 87 Section 6, Great Ocean Walk

This is not a particularly interesting section of the Great Ocean Walk, as it mostly follows roads shared with vehicles. You would really only walk this section if you plan to complete the entire length of the Great Ocean Walk. From the Johanna Beach campground the track follows the line of the Old Coach Rd for about one km before it doubles back to the Johanna Beach Great Ocean Walk campsite, perched on the edge of the escarpment above Slippery Point, with views back over Johanna Beach. From the campsite the grassed track continues through lush farmland above the valley of the Johanna River, with views over Sutherlands Beach. There are a series of gates along this section of the track and often cattle grazing.

Milanesia Beach, DW

286.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Check out the ‘cannonball’ rocks while walking along the beach to the next creek, where you can either continue along the beach if the conditions are suitable or begin a steady climb up a small valley behind the escarpment. After about one km the beach track rejoins the inland track and you continue to climb up and down some steep hills behind Bowker Point and on past the junction with the Ryans Den Track to the Great Ocean Walk campsite.

After the last gate, the Old Coach Rd becomes a well-formed gravel road through tall tea tree scrub with a steep climb just before the junction with Hiders Access Rd. Continue up this road through grazing country and then left onto the Milanesia Track through tea tree scrub and heathland. There are some great coastal views before you enter tall eucalypt forest near the locked gate marking the end of this section of the track. Johanna Beach campground Milanesia Beach access gate Type: Shuttle Distance: 10 km Time: 4 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Note: Be alert for cars on Hiders Access Rd and the Melanesia Track. Don’t disturb grazing cattle and leave all gates as you find them. Start:

Finish:

Milanesia Beach to Moonlight Head 88 Section 7, Great Ocean Walk

This is the most difficult section of the Great Ocean Walk, with steep climbs up to the clifftops and down into the valleys, some with long sections of steps/stairs. The rewards are some sensational views of cliffs along the coast. From the locked gate on the Milanesia Track take the steep, eroded track down to Milanesia Beach, where you may need to wade across the mouth of Milanesia Creek. There is a small private cottage back up the creek. Please respect the privacy of the occupants.

Milanesia Beach to Moonlight Head, RE

From here you continue on a steep and winding track, through coastal forest, until you join the Cape Volney Track (a steep and eroded 4WD track). When the 4WD track becomes a walking track again you climb through grazing country bordering the national park, finishing at the carpark at the end of Parkers Access Rd, above Moonlight Head. Milanesia Beach access gate Carpark, end of Parkers Access Rd Type: Shuttle Distance: 11 km Time: 4½ hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: This walk should only be attempted at low tide and calm seas. You need to walk on Milanesia Beach, which can be regularly covered by rising tides and waves, and there is no inland track for the first 300 metres. Melanesia Creek can be difficult or dangerous to cross at high tides or after heavy rain. Start:

Finish:

Moonlight Head to Devil’s Kitchen 89 Section 8, Great Ocean Walk

Section 8 begins on roads shared with vehicles through to the Gables carpark, where it is a short walk to the lookout. There is a strenuous but rewarding walk down to Wreck Beach to see the wreckage from the Marie Gabrielle and Fiji embedded in the reef. The first part of this walk, along Parkers Access Rd and Moonlight Head Rd to the Gable carpark, is on roads shared with vehicles and is not particularly interesting. See the earlier separate section on the Moonlight Head and Wreck Beach (80) for a description of the walks to the lookout and down to Wreck Beach.

Activities

287.

Walk, Ride, Drive

If you’re going through to Devil’s Kitchen, after the wrecks, continue along the beach until a steep track heads up from the beach to the Devil’s Kitchen Great Ocean Walk campsite, where you have spectacular coastal views. This section of the walk can be done as part of a two-day walk from Moonlight Head to Glenample Homestead, with an overnight stop at Devil’s Kitchen Great Ocean Walk campsite. If you do this as a one-day circuit walk, leave the campsite back along the track you came up from the beach, taking the right turn out to the Old Coach Rd, where you turn right again and head back along an eroded track with deep sand areas to the junction with the Moonlight Head Rd. This will add approximately three km or one hour to your day’s walk. Carpark, end of Parkers Access Rd Devil’s Kitchen Great Ocean Walk campsite or junction of Moonlight Head & Old Coach Rd Type: Shuttle Distance: 11 km or 14 km Time: 3½ hrs or 4½ hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: Be alert for cars on Parkers Access Rd and Moonlight Head Rd. Wreck Beach can be impassable at high tides and during rough seas. Start:

Finish:

Devil’s Kitchen to Glenample 90 Section 9, Great Ocean Walk

The first part of this walk, along the Old Coach Rd to Princetown, is on an eroded sandy 4WD track through sand hills and coastal scrub. This track can be hard going through some areas of deep, loose sand and large wet potholes. It is not the best part of the Great Ocean Walk. From the Devil’s Kitchen campsite, head out to the Old Coach Rd, where you turn left along the boundary of the national park with views over the farmland along the Gellibrand River valley. As you approach Princetown, you walk through sand dunes before coming out at the Gellibrand River, where a short diversion downstream will bring you out on to Princetown Beach and the mouth

of the river, below Pt Ronald (see separate section in the Parks & Reserves chapter). Turning upstream (right) at the river takes you over the bridge on the Gellibrand River where there is a boardwalk through the interesting wetland areas. At the Great Ocean Road, the Old Coach Rd continues off to the left through coastal scrub, until you reach the Port Campbell National Park boundary where a walking track heads off over the sand dunes, with boardwalks in the soft and fragile areas. Above Clifton Beach you walk along the rocky clifftop with stunning views of the Twelve Apostles, before turning inland and down to the information bay on the Great Ocean Road. Walking in the early morning with the sun on the Twelve Apostles or late afternoon with the sun setting behind them is ideal for aspiring photographers. At the time of writing the Great Ocean Walk finished at the information bay on the Great Ocean Road adjacent to Glenample Homestead, which was closed to the public. There were plans to extend the walk a km or so through to the Twelve Apostles Visitor Information Centre. Devil’s Kitchen Great Ocean Walk campsite Great Ocean Road information bay near Glenample Homestead Type: Shuttle Distance: 14 km Time: 5 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Note: Be alert for cars on sections of the Old Coach Rd Start:

Finish:

Ryans Den, PV

288.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Princetown Beach & Pt Ronald

Princetown is a small hamlet (see separate section) perched above the meandering estuary of the beautiful Gellibrand River. The one km beach to the east is wild and dangerous – not recommended for swimming. To get to the beach, turn off the Great Ocean Road 500 metres west of Princetown onto a gravel road, cross the bridge, go past the recreation reserve and turn right (before the track turns to sand) into a small parking area. The beach is a 600 metre walk along the eastern bank of the river.

Walks Around Port Campbell 91

Viewing most of the famous sites in the Port Campbell National Park and Bay of Islands Coastal Reserve involve (usually) relatively short walks of 15 to 45 minutes, on well formed tracks. Seeing all the sites will involve quite a lot of walking! 91 92

Princetown Beach & Pt Ronald Walk Gibson Steps Walk

Start/Finish: Carpark beside Gellibrand River, one km from Great Ocean Road Type: Return Distance: 1½ km Time: ½ hr Difficulty: Moderate

Gibson Steps

Probably originally built by Aboriginals, then further maintained by Hugh Gibson from nearby Glenample Homestead, the steps give access to a wild and spectacular beach – great for walking and viewing the Twelve Apostles from the beach. There’s a carpark right beside the Great Ocean Road. Allow at least one hour if you go down to the beach on the steep steps. Gibson Steps carpark on Great Ocean Road Return Distance: 2 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Strenuous Start/Finish: Type:

Loch Ard Gorge Walks

Geology

The Wreck

Living on the Edge

Port Campbell Discovery Walk

Bay of Martyrs

More information this book

Map 4 & 11, Guide to the Coast, Port Campbell National Park, Bay of Islands Coastal Reserve, Beaches & Surfing

Gibson Steps, RE

Loch Ard Gorge Walks

93 94 95

Many day visitors rush to view the famous gorge, then disappear back into their vehicles – but there’s a lot to see at Loch Ard Gorge and it is worth exploring. There are three self-guided walks; two start from the main eastern carpark to the left of the entrance; a third can also be started at the smaller carparks to the right of the entrance from the Great Ocean Road. Allow about three hours to complete the three walks.

Activities

Geology

289.

Walk, Ride, Drive

The first walk focuses on the geology of the Gorge and the forces which shaped this coastline. From the main eastern carpark head left (southeast) towards the Twelve Apostles. It’s an easy walk, with views over the Twelve Apostles, the Razorback and the Island Archway from a number of lookouts along the way. Eastern Loch Ard Gorge carpark Return Distance: 1 km Time: ½ hr Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

The Wreck of the Loch Ard

The second walk at Loch Ard Gorge, the Wreck of the Loch Ard walk, follows the tragic story of the Loch Ard shipwreck out to the site of the cemetery. See the Port Campbell National Park section for more information.

Alternatively, you can move your car to one of the western carparks and tackle the longer Living on the Edge Walk from there. This takes you past the Loch Ard Cemetery to a lookout over Muttonbird Island, the Blowhole, Thunder Cave and Broken Head, and continues on along the clifftop to the Sherbrook River Estuary. Western Loch Ard Gorge carparks Return Distance: 3 km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish:

From the main eastern carpark this walk first heads southwest, out to the Loch Ard Wreck Site Lookout at the tip of the eastern promontory of the gorge. It then returns to the main eastern carpark and the Loch Ard Gorge Lookout over the end of the gorge. This will only take 20 minutes or so.

Type:

Continuing alongside the road towards the smaller western carpark, you will pass steps down to the beach before visiting the Loch Ard Cemetery, where you’ll find the graves of Eva Carmichael’s mother and sister. From here you can return to the carpark or continue on to the Living on the Edge Walk.

Follow this gentle trail for an introduction to the coastal heathland and terrain which characterises the Port Campbell National Park.

Eastern Loch Ard Gorge carpark Return Distance: 3 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Living on the Edge

Discover life on the edge of the sheer cliffs as you visit the Blowhole, Thunder Cave, Broken Head and Muttonbird Island lookout. If you’ve already done the other Loch Ard Gorge walks, you can start this walk from the cemetery.

Port Campbell Discovery

The walk can start on the western side of Campbell’s Creek, or by following the signs from the Scenic Town Lookout carpark just off the Great Ocean Road, west of the township (after you’ve headed north out of town, crossed the creek and climbed the bluff ). Highlights of the first part of the walk include the jetty used for landing settler’s supplies and a limestone quarry that supplied road material. The walk leads up onto a bluff with low coastal heath, and great views across Port Campbell to the township and east towards Sentinel Rock and the Twelve Apostles from Two Mile Bay Lookout. On reaching Two Mile Bay carpark return to the start. Alternatively, you could organise a car shuttle for a shorter walk. Port Campbell from lookout, RE

290.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Volcano Walks 98

105

There are a number of opportunities to walk in and around some of Western Victoria’s spectacular volcanoes. This section includes some of the walks close to the coast between Warrnambool and Portland. Tower Hill, adjacent to the Princes Highway west of Warrnambool, is an ideal stopping-off point to explore some easy walks in volcanic country. Mt Eccles and Mt Nelson are further inland and have a real sense of remoteness, and are surrounded by basalt plains. At these sites, there are some longer, more strenuous walks taking you to some spectacular volcanic features such as lava tunnels and caves. Start/Finish:

Mouth of Campbell’s Creek

Return Distance: 4 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Easy Type:

Tower Hill 98

Peak Climb

Lava Tongue Boardwalk

100 101

Bay of Martyrs

This is a short walk starting near the site of the Falls of Halladale shipwreck, with distant views of the rock stacks of the Bay of Islands. There’s a beautiful sandy beach accessible from the carpark, ideal for walking. Starting near where the Falls of Halladale ran aground in heavy fog in 1908, the walk from Peterborough to the Bay of Martyrs is particularly fine at sunset. Alternatively, you could organise a car shuttle to the Bay of Martyrs carpark, for a shorter walk. Peterborough Golf Course (Halladale Point) Return Distance: 4 km Time: 1½ hrs Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Journey to the Last Volcano Wagon Loop Walk

Mt Eccles 102

Crater Rim Walk

103

Lake Surprise Walk

104

Natural Bridge Walk

105

Lava Canal Walk

106

Mt Napier Walk

More information this book

Map 4 & 5, Guide to the Hinterland, Mt Eccles National Park, Mt Napier State Park, Mt Richmond State Park, Volcanos More information & maps

Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 The Walks of Volcano Country by Ken Martin, Seadrift Publishing 2005

Tower Hill Reserve Tower Hill, just west of Warrnambool, is the largest example of a nested maar volcanic formation in Bay of Martyrs, RE

Activities

291.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Victoria. You can drive around the rim of the volcanic crater, taking in its size and islands, but it is not until you enter the park and take some of the walks that you really appreciate its diversity and beauty. There are a number of walking tracks through the reserve, including some easy self-guided walks ranging from 30 minutes to an hour – across the wetlands, past a bird hide or up to the peak of Tower Hill. Or you can take a guided tour led by Aboriginal guides, who provide insights into the reserve’s fauna and flora, including bush tucker, and the ongoing importance of ‘country’. Peak Climb

This short but steep climb to the summit of Tower Hill provides an introduction to the geology of the park and sweeping views down to the coast. From the picnic area, you head along a track running close to the access road before heading west up the steep slope. The mini volcano Yatt Mirrng, one of forty eruption points within the park, is on your left. From the summit of Tower Hill you will gain an appreciation of the natural habitat as you look out across the lake, islands and cone-shaped hills dotted through the reserve to the rim of the volcano. You can also see south to the coast and Southern Ocean. Along the way you are likely to spot wildlife – koalas, emus, kangaroos, magpie geese and other waterbirds, as well as eagles and other birds of prey. Picnic Area Return Distance: 1½ km Time: ½ hr Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish:

the picnic area. As well as waterbirds, you are also likely to see Australia’s largest native birds, the flightless emus, which are plentiful in the park. Picnic Area Circuit Distance: 2 km Time: ½ hr Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Journey to the Last Volcano

100

On this self-guided walk you will learn about the geology of the park and observe native wildlife. From the picnic area this circuit walk takes you past some interesting geological features and gives you an insight into the formation of Tower Hill. The shallow crater was formed following an eruption 32,000 years ago, and subsequent eruptions created the islands and cone-shaped hills dotted through the reserve. Look out for koalas in the manna gum woodland near Wagon Bay.

Type:

Lava Tongue Boardwalk

Picnic Area Circuit Distance: 3 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish: Type:

This leisurely walk introduces you to life in the wetlands of Tower Hill Reserve. From the picnic area, head north towards the bird hide. Here, you will have the opportunity to observe waterbirds at close range. The track, including sections of boardwalk, then loops through the wetland area out to Fairy Island and back to the bird hide, from where you return to

Wagon Bay Loop

101

Observe koalas and other wildlife on this walk around the rim of one of the smaller volcanic cones in the park. From the picnic area, this circuit walk takes you out on the same track as the Journey to the Last Volcano Walk, but you continue in an antiTower HIll, RE

292.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

then reach a lava cave. You can explore this cave (if you have a torch with you) before checking out the lava canal below the cave, formed when large sections of the roof of a lava tunnel collapsed. (The Lava Canal Walk takes off from here.) Climbing up out of the lava canal you return to the crater rim and follow the track above the west side of the lake where you have views across to Mt Eccles. At the southern end of the crater you pass over a dry crater and look beyond to a series of smaller volcanic vents. Keep a look out for peregrine falcons that like to nest on the crater walls. clockwise direction around the edge of Wagon Bay – one of the smaller craters that was formed after the main eruption. As you pass through manna gum woodland be sure to look out for koalas. Picnic Area Circuit Distance: 1½ km Time: ½ hr Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Mt Eccles National Park Mt Eccles National Park contains vivid evidence of volcanic activity that started about 20,000 years ago, in the last phase of volcanic activity in southeast Australia. Mt Eccles (Budj Bim) itself is a broad, rounded scoria cone, the summit of a large and complex volcanic structure. There are good opportunities for walking in the Lake Surprise Area (which is the most accessible part of this extensive national park) and visiting the various volcanic features – the lake, the ‘lava canal’, the natural bridge and the lava tubes and caves. See the Parks & Reserves chapter for more information. Crater Rim

102

Following around the crater rim in an anticlockwise direction, you pass through manna gum woodland, which dominates the park. This woodland is home to koalas that were relocated here in the 1970s; unfortunately the population now exceeds sustainable levels, prompting Parks Victoria to try contraceptive implants in females. A photograph point at the north end of the crater provides spectacular views down over the lake. You Lake Surprise, Mt Eccles, RE

From here you head up the east side of the crater rim, past the steps leading to the Lava Canal and Natural Bridge walks before you climb to the summit of Mt Eccles. From the summit you have views down to the lake and out into the surrounding farmland. To the northeast is Mt Napier, a classic volcano-shaped mountain which also produced a large lava flow. Descending from the summit of Mt Eccles you return along the east side of the rim to the carpark. (See information about Budj Bim and Lake Condah.) Carpark at end of Mt Eccles Rd Circuit Distance: 3 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Moderate. Wheelchair access is available to the photograph point about 300 metres from the start of the walk. Note: Take a torch to explore the lava cave Start/Finish: Type:

Lake Surprise

103

This walk offers a close-up view of the lake and the volcanic features of the crater. Three craters have joined to form the 700 metre lake. The path descends steeply on steps down to the edge of the lake, but then it’s an easy walk following the water’s edge. The lake is fed by run-off and natural springs, and can be turquoise to deep green in colour, depending on the amount of sediment and algae in the water. Carpark at end of Mt Eccles Rd Circuit Distance: 2 km Time: ¾ hr Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish: Type:

Activities

293.

Walk, Ride, Drive

Natural Bridge

104

A short walk takes you to a natural bridge to the south of the lake. Follow the Crater Rim Walk (see Walk 102) down the east side of the lake, and take the steps to the left past the summit of Mt Eccles. The walking track continues around the east side of the dry crater to the south of Lake Surprise before crossing and then following to the south of the Natural Bridge Track (vehicular track) until you reach the Natural Bridge. You can return to the carpark or continue on a lengthy Lava Canal Walk 105 . Carpark at end of Mt Eccles Rd Return Distance: 3 km Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Lava Canal

You reach the summit through a manna gum and blackwood forest, past impressive volcanic features including a lava canal, dramatic rock formations and tumulus. Start/Finish: Menzels

105

Pit carpark Return Distance: 4 km Time: 1½ hours Difficulty: Moderate Note: Access is from the Hamilton – Port Fairy Rd, Murroa Lane, Coles Track and then left into Menzles Pit Rd to the Menzles Pit carpark Type:

This circuit walk can be taken in either direction and has been described here in an anti-clockwise direction. See Crater Rim Walk 102 for the first part of this walk. After the lava cave you continue to follow the lava canal for about 2½ km, as it heads off in a southwest direction. You then climb out of the canal and head east towards the Natural Bridge. From here you follow the track back to the carpark described in the Natural Bridge and Crater Rim walks. This is a strenuous walk over rocky terrain amongst bracken and small trees. Leeches can be a problem. Along this walk, as well as koalas, you may encounter wallabies, echidnas and diverse and noisy birdlife. Carpark at end of Mt Eccles Rd Circuit Distance: 6½ km Time: 3 hrs Difficulty: Strenuous Note: Take a torch to explore the lava cave. Start/Finish: Type:

Mt Napier

enjoy views from the Grampians to the sea.

106

A short walk to the summit of the most recently active volcano in Victoria, from where you can

Walks Around Portland & Cape Bridgewater 107

110

Many of the best walks around Portland – and as far west as Nelson – have been incorporated into the Great South West Walk (see Walks 111 to 127 below). Described below are some short coastal walks around the Great South West Walk at Cape Nelson and Cape Bridgewater. The Cape Nelson State Park protects the rare soap mallee (Eucalyptus diversifolia), which can be seen on the Sea Cliff Nature Walk where you are experience magnificent sea views. The Enchanted Forest walk takes you through a unique landscape of ancient moonah and eroded limestone gullies on the east coast of Cape Nelson.

Cape Bridgewater, RE

294.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

the damp, sheltered location to form a canopy overhead and filtered light below. Vines grow over the limestone boulders and sedges grow where water seeps from the cliff face. From the carpark, the track descends to where it intersects with the Great South West Walk. Here, you enter the moonah forest. There are lookouts with views over Nelson Bay and surrounding cliffs. When the track starts to climb back to the clifftop, retrace your steps to the carpark. You could also walk back along the road, but be careful of traffic. The walks at Cape Bridgewater take you to viewing platforms over the ocean, where you can see a colony of seals that live in the sea caves and rock platforms, as well as to the freshwater springs emerging from the limestone cliffs on the west side. Cape Nelson Walks

107

Enchanted Forest Walk

108

Sea Cliff Nature Walk

Cape Bridgewater Walks

109

Seal Walk

110

Freshwater Springs

More information this book

Map 6, Guide to the Coast, Cape Nelson State Park, Beaches & Surfing More information & maps

Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 The Great South West Walk Walking Map, Parks Victoria and Discovery Coast & Hinterland Tourism 2001 Short Walks On and Around the Great South West Walk, Friends of the Great South West Walk 2003

Cape Nelson Walks Enchanted Forest 107 part of Stage 16, Great South West Walk The Enchanted Forest grows in an area formed by an old landslide. The area is covered with dense vegetation, dominated by very tall moonah (Melaleuca lanceolata), which have thrived in Whites Beach, Cape Bridgewater, RE

Enchanted Forest carpark beside Scenic Drive Return Distance: 2 km Time: Âž hr Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Sea Cliff Nature

108

From the carpark, the track heads west through coastal scrub which includes the soap mallee (Eucalyptus diversifolia) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a rare, small tree which fills the air with its rich scent each spring. Cape Nelson is the Victorian location of the species. On reaching the coast head north on the Great South West Walk, along the limestone cliffs made of compacted shell fragments laid down over volcanic basalt thousands of years ago. Keep a look out for kestrels and peregrine falcons circling near the cliffs, and gannets out to sea. After about 300 metres the return track to the carpark heads off to the east through the scrub. Start/Finish: Carpark at junction of Scenic Drive and Cape Nelson Rd Type: Circuit Distance: 3 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Easy Note: Take care near coastal cliffs

Cape Bridgewater Walks Seal Colony 109 part of Stage 14, Great South West Walk This walk takes you along the eastern shore of Cape Bridgewater. At the tip of Cape Bridgewater,

Activities

295.

Walk, Ride, Drive

there are a number of caves and rock platforms that are home to up to 650 Australian fur seals. From the carpark on the hill above the surf club, it is a one hour walk to Lookout Point. From Lookout Point, steps lead down to a viewing point 70 metres above the seals. Keep your eyes peeled for blue whales during summer (see the section on the Bonney Upwelling). From the viewing area, you can return to the carpark the way you came; alternatively you can leave a vehicle at the Blowholes & Petrified Forest carpark and do this as a shuttle walk (of about eight km). The walk between Lookout Point and the Blowholes and Petrified Forest carpark is a bit longer than the return walk (about 1Â˝ hours), but is less demanding. Carpark 100 metres past Bridgewater Bay Kiosk, at the junction of Scenic Drive and Cape Nelson Rd Type: Return Distance: 5 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Moderate Start/Finish:

Freshwater Springs 110 part of Stage 14, Great South West Walk From the carpark, you head north on the Great South West Walk, following the cliffs on the west side of Cape Bridgewater to a series of viewing platforms. The last viewing platform is above the freshwater springs. The cliffs are composed of basalt, and covered in limestone made from calcified dunes. Fresh water drains through the limestone and emerges at the edge of the cliffs, collecting in pools. In the early days of settlement, a stone ramp was constructed so cattle could be led down to the water. Blowholes and Petrified Forest carpark Return Distance: 4 km Time: 2 hrs Difficulty: Easy Start/Finish: Type:

Great South West Walk 111 to 127 The Great South West Walk passes through Cobboboonee National Park, Lower Glenelg & Mt Richmond National Parks, Discovery Bay Coastal Park, Cape Nelson State Park and farming land in the far southwest of Victoria. It is a long circuit walk passing through Portland and the smaller settlements of Nelson and Cape Bridgewater. You will experience peaceful forests, beautiful river gorges, sandy beaches and windswept clifftops with panoramic views. If you are really keen, you could complete the whole track in one go, over 16 or 17 days, staying at the 16 campsites. With easy access by car to many points along the walk, you can instead complete selected sections either as circuit walks, day hikes or shorter overnight walks. Details of some of the options can be found in the information listed above or on the website (www. greatsouthwestwalk.com). Sections of the walk in Cobboboonee National Park and Lower Glenelg National Park can be flooded at certain times of the year, causing you to use nearby forest roads. Beaches along the walk may be impassable at high tides or rough seas. There are several points on the walk where you need to decide if the conditions are suitable before proceeding. In unfavourable conditions you may need to take an alternate route or inland option â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or wait until conditions improve when no alternative exists.

Overlooking Swan Lake, RE

296.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

As with all the walks in this book, it is important to contact Parks Victoria or the Visitor Information Centres in Portland or Nelson to get up-to-date information on track conditions.

Stage 1 – Portland to Cubby’s

112

Stage 2 – Cubby’s to Cut-out

113

The walk can be broken into a series of day hikes.

Stage 4 – Cobboboonee to Fitzroy

Start/Finish: Type:

Portland Visitor Information Centre

Stage 5 – Fitzroy to Moleside

(via beach routes) or 254 km

(via inland routes) Time: 16 or 17 days Difficulty: Easy to moderate

114

115

116

Stage 6 – Moleside to Post & Rail Stage 7 – Post & Rail to Murrells

Circuit

Distance: 241km

Stage 3 – Cut-out to Cobboboonee

117 118

Stage 8 – Murrells to Pattersons

119

Stage 9 – Pattersons to Simsons

120

Stage 10 – Simsons to White Sands

121

Stage 11 – White Sands to Lake Monibeong Stage 12 – Lake Monibeong to Swan Lake Stage 13 – Swan Lake to The Springs Stage 14 – The Springs to Trewalla Stage 15 – Trewalla to Mallee

126

Stage 16 – Mallee to Portland

127

122

123

124

125

More information this book

Map 6, Guide to the Coast, Cape Nelson State Park, Discovery Bay National Park, Lower Glenelg National Park, Cobboboonee National Park, Mt Richmond National Park More information & maps

Best Of The Great Ocean Road Walks, by Digby Williamson, BestShot 2009 The Great South West Walk Walking Map, Parks Victoria and Discovery Coast & Hinterland Tourism 2001 The Great South West Walk (Strip Maps and Track Notes) 4th Edition, Friends of the Great South West Walk 2007 Short Walks on and Around the Great South West Walk, Friends of the Great South West Walk 2003

Suttons Rocks, Discovery Bay, RE Great South West Walk, Cape Nelson, near Portland, RE

297.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Great Ocean Ecolodge @ the Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Great Ocean Ecolodge @ the Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology A luxurious showcase for sustainable living and design,

The Ecolodge is an outstanding example, not just of sustainable tourism, not just of sustainable living, but of two people living a dream – and making a difference. In 2000 Lizzie Corke and Shayne Neal asked themselves ‘What if we dare to do what we most want to do?’ And what they most wanted to do was to create an environmentally sustainable guesthouse and ecological research centre in the Otways. So they did.

The Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology opened in 2004 and later that year won the Victorian Tourism Award for Best New Business. The following year, Lizzie was named the Prime Minister’s Environmentalist of the Year, the first female and youngest-ever recipient of the award. See the Wildlife Watching section in the A – Z Activities chapter for Lizzie’s wildlife watching tips.

The Great Ocean Ecolodge is a luxurious, environmentally sustainable lodge, offering food and accommodation within the grounds of The Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology. The mud brick, passive solar lodge is powered by the sun, collects its water from the skies and leaves an almost imperceptible footprint upon the earth. Produce from the organic kitchen garden is featured in every meal.

“The Cape Otway Centre is unique in that we offer opportunities for guests to become actively engaged in nature interpretation and biodiversity conservation by contributing to ongoing research and conservation projects.”

Guests are invited to join a guided nature walk where the native flora and fauna is explained and the small signs and sounds of the bush are expertly interpreted. There are likely to be kangaroos within metres of your bedroom window when you wake in the morning.

Lizzie Corke and Shayne Neal Address: Otway Lighthouse Rd, near Cape Otway Tel: 03 5237 9297 Email: greatoceanecolodge@capeotwaycentre.com.au www.greatoceanecolodge.com.au

298.

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

CHAPTER TITLE

299.

SECTION TITLE

GUIDE TO THE COAST

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

300.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Short showers reduce water and energy consumption.

The Guide to the Coast covers the coastline from Geelong to Queenscliff, and then from Queenscliff to Nelson near the South Australian border. See the Guide to the Hinterland section for any places more than 20 km from the sea. See the map section at the front of the book for regional maps, and also for detailed maps: Around Torquay, Around Anglesea, Around Aireys Inlet and Around Lorne Heritage sites that are registered by Heritage Victoria have a Heritage Victoria logo alongside, and their Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) number is also listed. This can be used to reference the information on the Heritage Victoria database, which can be accessed via the Internet at www.heritage.vic.gov.au. Where possible, population figures have been given. These are the numbers taken from the 2006 census and reflect permanent populations. Along the coast in peak summer periods, the population can be 10 times higher with the influx of holidaymakers, and higher again if day visitors are counted. The permanent figures do, nonetheless, give a reasonably accurate indication of the facilities that can be expected. Once numbers get up around 1000 you can expect a medical centre, perhaps a district hospital, banking facilities, and a range of accommodation and eating options. Anything under 500 and you’ll be lucky to find much more than a general store and maybe a hotel. Viewpoints that give visitors an opportunity to orient themselves – or that are especially beautiful in their own right – have been suggested.

Previous Page: Eumeralla cliffs from Anglesea River mouth, KS From Bells Beach to Barwon Heads, GS

It is important to cross-reference with the sections shown under the ‘More info this book’ heading. Information about history, ecology, parks and reserves, and activities has not been repeated in this section. The Internet, and sites like www.greatoceanrd.org.au, are invaluable.

Guide to the Coast

Geelong

301.

GEELONG Aboriginal name: Djilang / Djalang Population: 208,000 Viewpoints: You Yangs Regional Park; Ceres Lookout, Highton; Portarlington Rd, Leopold More info this book: Activities, You Yangs Regional Park, Geelong Art Gallery, Map 2

Geelong is a substantial city, with an outstanding regional art gallery, regular cultural and sporting events, an interesting architectural heritage, and a vital city centre with a couple of large shopping centres. The waterfront is now a striking visitor precinct with a lot of things to do. In addition to the National Wool Museum, Ford Discovery Centre, Eastern Beach and the Botanic Gardens, there are boat and helicopter tours, and a variety of restaurants and cafĂŠs. From Geelong, it is less than 30 minutes to an incredible range of places, including the Bellarine Peninsula and the Great Ocean Road as far as Anglesea. All the activities (beaches, walks, wineries, golf coursesâ&#x20AC;Ś) around the Bellarine Peninsula and the eastern end of the Great Ocean Road are easily accessible from Geelong. North sculpture, Geelong Waterfront, GS

302.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

purporting to show that the shortest and quickest road from Geelong to Ballarat was via Melbourne. Geelong’s population did not reach 30,000 for another 60 years.

History The first European settlers arrived in Geelong in 1836 and many of these pioneers founded great pastoral empires that continue today. The first Geelong Customs House was built in 1838, as a modest moveable structure that was placed near the first pier. It is Victoria’s oldest surviving building and can now be seen at the Geelong Botanic Gardens. By 1839 the first wool stores were opened and there were regular ferry services between Geelong and Melbourne. In 1851, the Geelong Advertiser made the first announcement of the discovery of rich alluvial goldfields at Clunes near Ballarat, kicking off one of the world’s greatest gold rushes. By 1852, 90,000 people had arrived to try their luck, and Geelong was often their first port of call. Geelong’s population dipped as people disappeared to try their luck, but then grew rapidly – from 8000 in 1851 to 20,000 in 1854 – making it the fourth largest town in Australia.

View of Geelong, 1856, Eugène von Guérard, Geelong Gallery Buckley’s Falls, PT

Momentum did not last, however. Geelong was quickly overtaken in size by Ballarat and Bendigo, and dubbed ‘Sleepy Hollow’ by Melburnians – who were not beyond issuing a false map

In 1868 Geelong investors built the first woollen mill on Barwon Terrace, east of Landy Athletics Field. It was called the Victorian Woollen & Cloth Manufacturing Company. Over the coming decades, wool scouring plants and textile factories lined the Barwon River, and Geelong’s woollen products became world-famous. Geelong entrepreneurs built mills that employed hundreds of people, and wool brokers built their huge wool stores by the bay. Manufacturing industries have an important role to this day, but since the late 1990s Geelong has increasingly focused on service industries like health, education and tourism. The waterfront has undergone a major redevelopment, and the city has begun to reorient itself towards Corio Bay. Today, the Geelong waterfront is a vibrant and fascinating place – nothing like the idyllic lagoon of Wathaurong days, and nothing like the 19th century port that was filled with the world’s fastest sailing clippers – but it is still a beautiful bay (now surrounded by the Gothic towers of refineries and factories), and still a working harbour (now with huge bulk carriers). All this, plus restaurants and good coffee! Footy The history of Geelong is inextricably linked to the history of Australian Rules Football. Four men are credited with first codifying the rules on 17 May 1859, making Australian Rules Football the oldest officially codified football game in the world. Tom Wills, his cousin Henry Harrison, William

Guide to the Coast

303.

Geelong

Hammersley and James Thompson met at the Parade Hotel in Wellington Pde, Melbourne, and drew up 10 rules. Many believe these men initially drew on at least two sources: the informal games already played in the colony, and especially rugby. Gaelic football has also had a long-term impact on the development of the game. There is also a fourth possible influence, which although undocumented, seems quite likely. This was an Aboriginal game, known as marngrook, which was played, by the Djab Wurrung and Gunditjmara (or Dhauwurd Wurrung) of western Victoria, as well as many other language/culture groups. Harrison’s and Wills’ families both had properties in western Victoria – the Harrisons near Moyston and the Wills near Mt William. It is known Tom Wills had a close association with the local Djab Wurrung and that, unusually for a European, he even learnt some of the language. It is not hard to imagine that when both men were youngsters they saw – perhaps even played – marngrook. The game was described in 1841: ‘The men and boys joyfully assemble when this game is to be played. One makes a ball of possum skin, somewhat elastic, but firm and strong. The players of this game do not throw the ball as a white man might do, but drop it and at the same time kicks it with his foot. The tallest men have the best chances in this game. Some of them will leap as high as five feet from the ground to catch the ball. The person who secures the ball kicks it. This continues for hours and the natives never seem to tire of the exercise.’

Geelong Football Club Three days before the rules were codified at the Melbourne pub in May 1859, the same group of four men established the Melbourne Football Club. Tom Wills was also involved when the code’s second club – the Geelong Football Club – was formed on 18 July of the same year. Tom went on to play with a number of teams, but he and his brothers ended up with a clear allegiance to Geelong. Tom captained Geelong for six years from 1864 to 1869. The Geelong team was originally known as the Seagulls, but from the 1870s the team was known as the Pivotonians – based on Geelong’s importance as the commercial pivot for the Western District and Port Phillip Bay. Geelong became the Black Cats in 1923 after a poor start to the season, which prompted a cartoonist to suggest that the team needed a black cat for luck. Steamers Although the importance of the role played by coastal steamers declined with the completion of the Melbourne railway in 1862 and the Queenscliff branch line in 1879, a number of

Skilled Stadium Skilled Stadium

304.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

for day trips around the bay. In 1886, the specially commissioned Ozone reached the bay. It was 79 metres long, with unusually large paddle wheels that were nearly 6½ metres in diameter. It housed a dining room, bars, a ladies’ salon and new-fangled electric lights. It was known as the ‘Greyhound of the Bay’, was capable of speeds of 20 knots and could make the trip between Geelong and Melbourne in less than two hours.

greatly-loved steamers continued to ply the waters of Port Phillip Bay up to 1942. They transported millions of passengers between Melbourne and Geelong and carried millions of holidaymakers to Mornington, Sorrento, Queenscliff, Portarlington – and Pt Henry. Until a channel was dredged through the sandbar between Pt Henry and Pt Lillias, all ships over about 200 tonnes were forced to load and unload at Pt Henry. To meet this need, several jetties and a township, including hotels and warehouses, were built. After the channel allowed shipping into the inner harbour, Pt Henry became a popular holiday destination, attracting tens of thousands of visitors who arrived by steamer to enjoy tea rooms, music, dancing, entertainment, pony rides, picnic areas, and a camera obscura. Today nothing of this resort remains, and the entire point is engulfed by the massive Alcoa smelter. Only the views across to the You Yangs remain unchanged. Ozone Wreck of the Ozone, Indented Head, GS

A number of entrepreneurs and companies ran steamers that catered

The Ozone is still a part of day-today life on the Bellarine Peninsula. In 1925 it was stripped and taken to Indented Head to be used as a breakwater and pier. The old girl refused to cooperate, however; in bad weather she swung around until she was parallel to the shore – where she stuck firmly. Part of her boilers and one of her paddle wheels can still be seen. The Greyhound of the Bay now provides a diving platform for kids and an artificial reef for a myriad of fish.

Highlights & Heritage Waterfront Since Deakin University opened a campus in an abandoned wool store, Geelong has refocused on the waterfront as the natural place for kids to play, for fishermen to fish, and for everyone else to go for a walk, a coffee, a meal or a swim. Customs House One of the finest buildings in Geelong, Customs House is a classically proportioned Georgian-style building, built in 1856 from locally quarried basalt and sandstone. The northern side backing onto the bay is three storeys, while its entry fronting Brougham St

Guide to the Coast

305.

Geelong

is only one storey. A small park with a water feature runs from the building to the Esplanade, past Sailors Rest Café and Restaurant. As you would expect, Customs House was sited at what was the bustling heart of the waterfront, surrounded by wool stores (most remain) and piers lined with clipper ships. The Colonial Georgian style is rare in public buildings in Victoria and most of those built have been demolished. As a result, Geelong Customs House is often considered one of the finest public buildings in western Victoria. Where: Cnr VHR:

Moorabool St and Brougham St

H1892

Wool Stores Across the road from Customs House, and once lining both sides of Brougham St, are a number of massive wool stores that were built to store the Western District’s golden fleece. Wool bales were brought into the Geelong stores, graded, displayed for buyers (under skylights on the well-lit top floor), auctioned and then dispatched around the world on the clipper ships lined up at the Cunningham and Yarra St piers. Part of the old Dalgety wool stores between Gheringhap St and Moorabool St have been converted into Deakin University’s waterfront campus. Much of the buildings’ character has been retained, and it’s worth wandering through. The old Dennys Lascelles wool store has been converted into the Wool Museum (see separate section) which tells the fascinating story of the Western District wool industry and the role it has played in the development of Geelong. The Carousel Opposite Sailors’ Rest and Customs House, the Geelong Carousel began

life in bustling New York in 1892. At the turn of the century every carnival and circus worth its salt would have had a steam driven merry-go-round, but today less than 200 hand-carved wooden carousels survive. In its long life the Geelong Carousel must have given pleasure to countless children, and there is a particular magic seeing delighted children enjoying what seems – in 21st century terms – very innocent entertainment. North North, an outstanding sculpture by Mark Stoner, sits on the edge of the Quay at the end of Moorabool St. The sculpture is framed by the trees at the south end of Moorabool St and can seem almost to float. The seven large pieces of the sculpture are ochre and grey, representing sails (some see shark fins) but they also connect with the profile of the You Yangs on the other side of the bay. Cunningham Pier Cunningham Pier is one of the most important Geelong piers, and is now the only one that survives from the 19th century. Once home to the fastest and most beautiful sailing ships in the world, it now hosts an all-you-can-eat

North sculpture and Carousel, RE Carousel and sea plane, VofV

306.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

restaurant. The pier is still used by the rare passenger vessels that call in, but its glory days were when clipper ships like the Thermopylae and Cutty Sark loaded wool in Geelong then raced back to Britain in under 80 days, at times reaching speeds of 20 knots (nearly 40 km per hour). Bollards & Bay Walk

Geelong Waterfront, GS Eastern Beach, VofV

There is a pleasant bay walk between Limeburnerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point (where in 1847 Governor La Trobe found mysterious buried keys) and Rippleside Park. Along the way there are clusters of painted timber sculptures, or bollards, which are the work of local artist Jan Mitchell. They reflect local history and historical characters. A small souvenir guidebook explaining the sculptures is available at the Carousel and the Wool Museum.

Eastern Beach Sea bathing at Eastern Beach has a history that goes back at least as far as 1844 when the first segregated baths were built. By the 1880s six sea baths, a hot sea bath and natural mineral springs operated along the beachfront. Redevelopment of the area began in 1924 and it was gradually improved through to 1939. Eastern Beach is a unique art deco-inspired complex that was designed to make Geelong the ideal summer holiday destination! It is certainly a justifiably popular place for swimming and picnicking â&#x20AC;&#x201C; particularly for families with young children. VHR:

H0929

Geelong Botanic Gardens Daniel Bunce began planting the

Guide to the Coast

gardens in 1851, making Geelong’s the fourth oldest gardens in Australia. Thirty trees are now on the National Trust register of significant trees. Three of the most interesting are the Chinese Gingko, or Maidenhair Tree (planted in 1859), the Chilean Wine Palm (planted in 1869) and the bizarre Cork Oak. There are more 19th century features with shady lawn areas, hothouses and floral displays. In 2002, a striking extension to the gardens was opened, and sits in dramatic contrast to the original 19th century layout. Geelong has had a number of years of serious drought so one important design parameter was to feature plants that have evolved to live in arid environments. Local indigenous plants, especially from around the Brisbane Ranges, are featured – but there are also central Australian desert plants and a collection of succulents from southern Africa. While most of the new section is young, some feature trees have been transplanted from within the gardens. These include the spectacular eight metre high Grass Tree, and a Dragon Tree that was originally planted by Daniel Bunce in 1851. The oldest building in Victoria – the modest Customs House dating from 1838 – can also be seen in the gardens. It looks very much like an unremarkable garden shed, which, given the importance of sheds in subsequent Australian culture, seems appropriate. The gardens are open from 7:30am to 5:00pm on weekdays, and 7:30am to 7:00pm on weekends. Entry is free and the Friends of the Garden operate a small café in a shady corner. Eastern Park, Garden St H2095

Where: VHR:

307.

Geelong

Museums National Wool Museum Wool has been an essential part of Australia’s growth as a nation, and was the central plank to Geelong’s development for the first 100 years. Geelong, more than any other city in Australia, has ridden on the sheep’s back. The National Wool Museum is in an historic 1872 bluestone wool store not far from the waterfront. Today, the ground floor, which would have stored bulk wool, has changing exhibitions, souvenirs and sales of Australianmade wool and wool-related products. There’s also a working example of a 1910 Axminster Carpet Loom operated by skilled carpet weavers. The first gallery focuses on the human effort, both past and present, involved in husbanding sheep and producing fleece. You can follow the path of the fleece through the stages of shearing, classing, wool pressing and dispatch to the world. Interactive displays offer the opportunity to taste what life in the shearing industry was like by walking through the recreated shearing quarters and watching sheep being shorn in the shearers’ shed.

Learn about the history and ecology of the places you visit and get involved in protecting them.

Gallery Two offers an insight into the people and processes involved in the textile industry. The transformation of fleece to fabric is demonstrated by machinery actually used in the process. For many years, the rhythm of daily life for the thousands of mill workers in Geelong was determined by the sound of the mill whistles. You can sit in the kitchen of the mill worker’s house and hear stories about their lives. Open: Weekdays, 9:30am to 5:00pm; Weekends, 1:00pm to 5:00pm Admission: adult $7.30, concession $5.90, child $3.65, family $20 Where: 26 Moorabool St Tel: 03 5227 0701 VHR: H0587

Geelong Botanic Gardens, new extension, RE Geelong Botanic Gardens, cafe, RE National Wool Museum, RE

308.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Notable Buildings & Constructions Barwon Grange Barwon Grange is an elegant Gothic Revival mansion overlooking the Barwon River. It was built for a successful businessman, Jonathan Porter O’Brien, in 1855 and features steep gables, attic dormer windows and wide verandas. A fine collection of early Victorian objects and furniture has been gathered to match an authentic ‘List of Contents’ made in 1856, and is one of the most authentic and complete collections the trust owns. Ford Discovery Centre After wool, came motorcars… The Ford Motor Company began assembling Model T Fords, just across the road from the current location of the Ford Discovery Centre, in 1925. The Ford Discovery Centre is aimed at anyone who is interested in the past, present and future of cars – but will especially appeal to Ford fanatics. It provides a unique opportunity to discover how cars are designed and built, but it also takes you through the Australian history of Ford. There is an impressive display of rare and historic cars, from the world-changing Model T, the first XK Falcon, Bathurstwinning Falcons and GTs, to the latest models hot off the production line. The Centre’s most famous exhibit is a 1934 ute – the world’s first utility vehicle, designed in Geelong by Lew Bandt. The Ford Discovery Centre is in a wool store in the waterfront precinct, a short walk from the National Wool Museum and the bay. 10:00am to 5:00pm daily, except Tuesdays adult $7, concession $4.50, child $3, family $18 Where: cnr Gheringhap and Brougham Sts Tel: 03 5227 8700 Open:

Admission:

Corio Villa, VofV

The National Trust property captures a particular interval of time – a tableau from August 1855 to July 1856 – reflecting the family’s affluent lifestyle in Geelong prior to their return to Liverpool, England. The Gothic Revival architecture reflects nostalgia for the Old Country and the unique veranda balustrade design, rare smoking room and early conservatory are glimpses into this era. Barwon Grange alone survives intact from many fashionable mid 19th century river frontage residences built along the Barwon – it is now surrounded by industrial properties. Fernleigh St (off Fyans St West) 11:00am to 4:30pm, Wed and Sun Tel: 03 5221 3906 VHR: H1102 Where: Open:

Christ Church Christ Church (Anglican) at the top of Moorabool St was designed by Edmund Blacket, and built from local sandstone. Edmund Blacket arrived in Sydney in 1842 and was appointed Colonial Architect in 1849. He is best known for his church architecture and for his designs for the University of Sydney. Christ Church was built from

Guide to the Coast

1843 to 1847 and is the state’s oldest church in continuous use. cnr McKillop St and Moorabool St H0186

Where: VHR:

Corio Villa Although there is plenty of evidence that local artisans and tradesmen had superb skills, a number of wealthy homebuilders preferred to buy houses that were prefabricated in Europe. One of the most striking of these prefabricated buildings is Corio Villa. It occupies a prime site overlooking Eastern Beach and is famous for its elaborate cast iron filigree. It is an outstandingly beautiful building. Corio Villa was prefabricated in Edinburgh in 1854 but the owner died before the parts arrived in Geelong. Another Geelong businessman and the eventual owner of the Geelong Advertiser, Alfred Douglass, bought the house components cheap because there were no plans. The house was successfully pieced together in 1856. It is now an exclusive guesthouse. cnr Fitzroy St and Eastern Beach Rd H0193

Where: VHR:

309.

Geelong

St Mary of the Angels Whichever road you travel to enter Geelong, the profile of the city is dominated by the fine profile of this majestic basilica, crowning the highest hill. If a single building were to stand as a Geelong icon, this would have to be the one. In 1852, architects Dowden and Ross drew up plans for a magnificent cathedral-like building, which was 200 feet long, 130 feet wide and would cost £40,000. It was to feature a giant bluestone steeple and an exquisite rose window. Work commenced in 1854 but, perhaps because the parish took to the goldfields, ceased in 1856.

Construction did not commence again until 1871 and the church was finally dedicated in 1872 – despite the fact that the western steeple and two eastern spires were not installed. In 1931 work began on the completion of the church as it appeared in the original plans. Finally, in June 1937, the work was completed and St Mary of the Angels took full command of her hill. In 2004, the church was recognised by Rome as a basilica, a term which means it has great architectural significance. There are only five churches in Australia that are considered basilica; two of these are in Melbourne, namely St Patrick’s Cathedral and Our Lady of Victories in Camberwell. Yarra St H1026

Where: VHR:

The Heights House & Garden The Heights, like Corio Villa, is prefabricated. In this case the 14room timber house was imported from Hamburg, Germany, in 1855 for Geelong businessman Charles Ibbotson. Other buildings, including stables, dovecote, water tower and timber outbuildings, were constructed on-site. There have been many modifications and additions over the years, including an internal remodelling in the 1930s; however the exterior below the eaves is original. The home is set in 1.6 hectares of Heritage-listed gardens, regarded as a significant example of a large 19th century landscaped urban garden. The house contains a large collection of Georgian furniture. The property is owned and run by the National Trust. 11:00am to 4:30pm, Wed and Sun 140 Aphrasia St Tel: 03 5221 3510 VHR: H0429 Open:

Where:

St Mary of the Angels, RE

310.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Practicalities Geelong has a broad range of places to eat, from very expensive and very high quality, to very cheap with generous quantities. Restaurants are scattered around the centre of the city. There are restaurant zones on Malop St and Little Malop St between Gheringhap St and Moorabool St, and along the waterfront between Moorabool St and Yarra St. Further afield, there are a number of places worth trying on Pakington St, and even further afield there are a number of outstanding restaurants at wineries.

Geelong Waterfront, JM Opposite: The Dell, Clifton Springs, RB

There is also a wide range of accommodation options, from topend hotel chains to basic caravan park cabins, with prices to match. There are a couple of boutique hotels and B&Bs, as well as short-term apartment rentals. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s even a backpackers.

Geelong is linked to Melbourne by a four-lane highway that can be congested at peak hours during the week, as well as at the beginning and end of weekends and other holiday periods. There is a fast train connection to Melbourne (less than one hour) and trains continue (slowly) to Warrnambool. Avalon Airport, which is used by Jetstar, is about 20 minutes from Geelong and about 45 minutes from Melbourne by bus or car.

CHAPTER TITLE

SECTION TITLE

311.

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

312.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Bellarine Bayside & Portarlington Seaside Resort is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Bellarine Bayside & Portarlington Seaside Resort Bellarine is in good hands

Near Portarlington, the brown quail and growling grass frog were on the brink of extinction – until the crew at Bellarine Bayside became active managers of the 59-hectare Pt Richards Flora and Fauna Reserve about twenty years ago. Today, tourists are encouraged to wander along the boardwalks throughout the reserve, and try to spot the endangered frogs and birdlife that make the place their home. Bellarine Bayside is a community-managed coastal committee, which is also responsible for managing the six caravan parks dotted along Corio Bay. Tim Page-Walker, CEO of the committee, believes they face an ongoing task to educate visitors about the local environment. “For example, look at the cyprus trees in Portarlington. To most people, the town wouldn’t be the same without them – yet they weren’t here originally. We want to educate people about the vegetation we should be seeing on the peninsula, and slowly reintroduce it,” he said.

One of the more innovative environmental steps taken by Bellarine Bayside has been the introduction of removable power heads in many of its seaside caravan parks. By removing power heads from the parks in winter, the spaces become open parkland – instead of bleak and deserted caravan parks. Other initiatives include an integrated water management plan at the 1000-site Portarlington Seaside Resort, abutting the Point Richards Flora & Fauna Reserve, which saves significant quantities of water each year. “As one of the biggest accommodation providers in the local area, it’s our responsibility to demonstrate good environmental management in all our actions.” Tim Page-Walker Tel: 1800 222 778 www.bellarinebayside.com.au

Guide to the Coast

Bellarine Peninsula

313.

BELLARINE PENINSULA With the exception of the Borough of Queenscliffe, ‘The Bellarine’ is part of the City of Greater Geelong – often to the chagrin of the distinctive towns and villages on the peninsula. Like other parts of the Great Ocean Road region, the Bellarine is struggling to avoid the fate of becoming a series of Geelong suburbs, but this is already to a large extent the case for Leopold and Drysdale, and increasingly for Ocean Grove. The Bellarine was settled early and has been almost completely cleared of its natural vegetation. The sandy soil and maritime climate means the land has great agricultural potential, and increasingly this potential is realised by a number of acclaimed wineries. Portarlington, Indented Head and St Leonards have their devotees among boating and fishing enthusiasts, and their large caravan parks are full every Christmas. The gems, however, are Queenscliff, a 19th century town with a remarkable location; the Rip, which is the dramatic entrance to Port Phillip Bay; Barwon Heads, with its fascinating bluff, famous golf courses and surf breaks; and little known Breamlea/Bancoora. Spray Farm Lane, near Portarlington, RE

314.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

still much quieter than it was in its glory days. There are several excellent places to eat, and a number of nearby wineries. Every year, Portarlington is home to the National Celtic Festival (see Music Festivals).

Geelong To Queenscliff The Geelong–Portarlington Rd has some superb views – over Geelong from the Leopold Hill and over Corio Bay to the Melbourne skyscrapers from Portarlington. The ancient silhouette of the You Yangs, on the northern side of Corio Bay, is ever-present. Portarlington Population: 3300 Viewpoints: Portarlington Pier, Geelong–

Portarlington Rd More info this book: Activities,

Map 2

Portarlington was once just over an hour from Williamstown by steamer. With sheltered north-facing beaches, sea baths, gardens and great views over the bay to the You Yangs, Mt Macedon and the Dandenongs, it was an immensely popular destination for day-trippers. The Grand Hotel was built in 1888 to cater to thirsty Melbournians.

Portarlington, GS Portarlington Mill, RE Portarlington, GS

Improved roads and a fresh appreciation for smaller communities have seen Portarlington flourish in recent years, although – except for a couple of summer weekends – it is

The pier – built to serve the flourmill and the local farmers – led to the first tourist boom and it is still central to the life of the town. The original Portarlington fishing fleet was crewed largely by Chinese; today there are still a number of boats, and a growing aquaculture industry based on mussel farming. Fresh mussels are sold, straight out of the water, from a boat at the pier. Portarlington Mill The National Trust-owned Portarlington Mill is one of Victoria’s once ubiquitous flourmills. The fourstorey building was built from locallyquarried sandstone in 1857 on what is thought to be a former corroboree site. The closure of the mill in 1874 reflected the successful establishment of wheat growing in western Victoria – the Portarlington Mill and a number of other iconic flourmills in central Victoria were made redundant at about the same time. The enterprising builder of the mill, Tom Widdicombe, bought the redundant mill and converted it into a brickworks; the building has had many other roles over the years. Now fully restored, it contains displays relating to the history of the mill and the area. Turner Ct off Sproat St noon to 4:00pm, weekends and public holidays Tel: 03 5259 2804 VHR: H0389 Where: Open:

Guide to the Coast

315.

Bellarine Peninsula

St Leonards & Indented Head Population: 2500 Viewpoints: The Esplanade,

St Leonards Pier More info this book: Walks & Rides

Around the Bellarine Peninsula, European Heritage, Activities, Steamers in Geelong, Map 2

Originally, the entire Bellarine Peninsula was known as Indented Head, so-named by Matthew Flinders when he viewed it from Arthur’s Seat on the other side of the bay, perhaps in a reference to the dent that Swan Lake made on the peninsula. On a clear day, the curve of the planet means the skyscrapers of Melbourne seem to rise disconcertingly from the waters of the bay, from just below the edge of the horizon. When John Batman, the founder of Melbourne, made his camp at St Leonards in 1835, the escaped convict William Buckley marched in after spending 32 years with the Wathaurong. James Langdon took up his St Leonards pastoral station in the area in 1849, possibly taking the name from the town of that name in Sussex, England. Holidaymakers started camping on the foreshore in substantial numbers at least as early as 1920. Today the foreshores of both St Leonards and Indented Head remain popular camping destinations; the sheltered beaches are ideal for families and people who like messing about in boats. There are a number of boat ramps, and sailing, water-skiing, fishing and snorkelling (especially around the wreck of the Ozone) are all popular.

Queenscliff & Pt Lonsdale Aboriginal name: Nherrin boor-woork Population: 4,800 Viewpoints: Stevens St and Shortland

Bluff, Queenscliff; Rip View Lookout and Lighthouse, Pt Lonsdale More info this book: Walks Around

the Bellarine Peninsula, Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park, Beaches & Surfing, Music Festivals, Fishing, Diving & Snorkelling, Map 2

Together, the townships of Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale make up the Borough of Queenscliffe (with an ‘e’), the smallest borough in Victoria, covering just 13 sq km. They are very different towns although they are virtually connected: Queenscliff has always been both a working town and a holiday resort; Pt Lonsdale was always smaller, and has primarily been a holiday and retirement town. Both have magnificent views of the dramatic Port Phillip Heads – and the Rip. The township of Queenscliff is virtually an island, connected to Pt Lonsdale by a slender sand-dune isthmus called the Narrows, which separates Port Phillip Bay from Swan Bay. It is also joined, by hourly car ferries, to Sorrento on the

Play detective. Ask your accommodation provider about what they are doing to reduce emissions.

St Leonards, GS Queenscliff, RE

316.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

the Queenscliff Fort. The Bellarine Peninsula Railway runs regular steam trains from Queenscliff to Drysdale. And in late November every year, the Queenscliff Music Festival brings big crowds to enjoy an eclectic selection of national and international musicians. Pt Lonsdale has incredible views of the Heads, a historic pier jutting into the Rip, a sheltered back beach suitable for families and perfect for learning to snorkel, and a wild and beautiful surf beach. Queenscliff History

Mornington Peninsula – which makes it easy to add the Mornington Peninsula to a tour of the Great Ocean Road. Queenscliff ’s heritage architecture is striking, but even more impressive is the range of activities. Both Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale make great bases for exploring the Bellarine’s wineries. Both towns have interesting, highquality golf courses. Both towns have a range of accommodation options – from luxurious hotels in Queenscliff to campsites on the foreshore at Pt Lonsdale. And both towns have great places to eat.

Swan Lake and Queenscliff, JM Tower, Queenscliff, VofV

From Queenscliff, trips take divers and snorkellers to explore the Port Phillip Marine National Park and to swim with seals and dolphins. The impressive marina at Queenscliff is home to a large professional fishing fleet, as well as private boats, including a fleet of couta boats (see European Heritage). There are a number of museums and it is possible to tour

Queenscliff was first and foremost a government town. It provided postal, customs, health, telegraph, lighthouse, and pilot services – and there was also a substantial military presence. But it was also always a tourist destination, initially serviced by the bay steamers. The town is still defined by magnificent architecture from the 19th century. Viewed from the ridge behind Swan Bay, on the Queenscliff–Portarlington Rd, Shortland Bluff is almost completely surrounded by water, and with its profile defined by lighthouses, Norfolk Pines and Victorian architecture, it looks as if much of the 20th century passed it by – which it did. After the demise of the bay steamers in the 1930s, Queenscliff dropped out of tourist fashion. The government and fishermen stayed on, but tourism became a very low-key business, based around sailing and fishing. The daytrippers’ numbers dropped to a trickle and the grand hotels were largely empty for 60 years. European settlement of Queenscliff began only one year after Port Phillip was surveyed because it was immediately clear the Rip was a major hazard. In 1838 a pilot service was established: four men in a whaleboat ventured out in all weather to guide

Guide to the Coast

317.

Bellarine Peninsula

ships through the heads. In 1842 the first lighthouse was built out of sandstone quarried from Shortland Bluff, and the same year the first boat excursions from Melbourne were recorded. In 1852 the Geelong Town Council petitioned Governor La Trobe to establish a post office, customs office and jetty; later that same year they also suggested a town be established as a place of recreation. La Trobe agreed and later actually built himself a holiday house in the town. The fishing industry took off in the 1860s and a sizeable fishing fleet developed. Some of the fishermen were Chinese, who supplied dried fish to their countrymen on the goldfields, but many other nationalities, including Maoris, Italians, Dutchmen and Frenchmen, were involved in the industry. They built their huts on the sand flats around the current location of the railway station. In 1863 the famous black lighthouse was built. Fort Queenscliff was primarily built between 1879 and 1889, after the Crimean War, when the wealthy citizens of Melbourne feared a Russian (yes Russian!) invasion. By 1886, Port Phillip was the most heavily fortified port in the southern hemisphere, with Fort Queenscliff the command centre for a string of forts and gun batteries around the bay. The fort, including many historic buildings, is open for public tours and the fort museum has one of Australia’s largest collections of war memorabilia and WWI and WWII guns. Although it has never fired a shot in anger, Fort Queenscliff may have come under attack… According to the Queenscliffe Historical Museum, on 1 September 1942 at 2:15am, a certain Gunner Hulston was found missing from his sentry post. Heavy marks

were discovered on the beach and a servicemen searching for Hulston was fired upon and wounded. Nine days later Hulston’s body was found in the sea. The mystery remains unsolved, but one theory proposes Hulston was captured and killed by raiders from a Japanese submarine. Partly to support the military presence, a railway line was built from Geelong to Queenscliff in 1879. This still operates to/from Drysdale on weekends. Thanks to the train services and the bay steamers, tourism boomed through the 1880s; Geelong visitors would make the journey by train in an hour, and the steamers from Melbourne only took two hours. The boom led to the construction of grand hotels: in 1881, the Baillieu Hotel, later renamed the Ozone, was built; in 1883 the Vue Grand was built (it was refashioned in 1927 after a fire); and in 1887 the Queenscliff Hotel in Gellibrand St was built. Pt Lonsdale History The Rip has claimed numerous wrecks and the European history of Pt Lonsdale begins with attempts to make the passage safer. A signal station was established in 1852, and after the famous clipper

Hesse St, Queenscliff, VofV Queenscliff Hotel, VofV

318.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Lightning struck a reef in 1862 an old wooden lighthouse from Queenscliff was re-erected at Pt Lonsdale. The township itself remained undeveloped until shortly before the extension of the railway line from Geelong to Queenscliff in 1879. In 1876, there were land sales at Pt Lonsdale, and in 1885 a boarding house was opened. Between WWI and WWII there were six or seven guesthouses and all but two have gone. One that survives is the newly refurbished Pt Lonsdale Guesthouse (previously known as the Terminus Guesthouse) dating from 1895. Highlights & Heritage Bellarine Peninsula Railway

Queenscliff Harbour, Swan Island, GS Bellarine Railway, VofV

The Queenscliff Railway Station in Symonds St is now home to the Bellarine Peninsula Railway, which is run by the Geelong Steam Preservation

Society. It has a collection of vintage steam locomotives and carriages that take passengers on scenic trips to Drysdale and Laker’s Siding, taking in views of Swan Bay, the Bellarine Hills, Corio Bay and Port Phillip Bay. Return trips to Drysdale take 1¾ hours; to Laker’s Siding and return takes 40 minutes. Tel:

03 5258 2069

More info: www.bpr.org.au VHR:

H1586

Diving, Snorkelling & Seal Swims The snorkelling and diving around Queenscliff and Pt Lonsdale is amongst the best in the world. The colour and diversity of the Rip rivals the Great Barrier Reef. To cap it all, it is possible to snorkel with friendly Australian fur seals and dolphins. The Visitor Information Centre can provide further information. Also see the Diving & Snorkelling chapter.

Guide to the Coast

319.

Bellarine Peninsula

Fishing & Fishing Charters Queenscliff is a noted surf, boat and pier fishing area. Popular fishing areas are Queenscliff pier, the rock walls and jetties of Queenscliff anchorage and the sheltered waters of Swan Bay. The Visitor Information Centre can provide information on a number of fishing charter operators, which run trips to reefs around Port Phillip, into the Rip or beyond into Bass Strait. Fort Queenscliff In the early days of Victorian settlement, the defence of the heads was considered crucial. Fort Queenscliff, in its advantageous position overlooking the shipping lanes, was built as an enclosed battery armed with heavycalibre cannons in the 1860s, and became the headquarters for an extensive chain of forts around Port Phillip Heads. Fort Queenscliff was designed to attack enemy shipping, and to withstand a small-scale land attack, so it has a surprisingly medieval appearance. There is a dry moat, once crossed by drawbridge, a fort wall complete with rifle loopholes, and a castellated keep. It is claimed that the first shots the British Empire fired in WWI came from a gun at Fort Nepean, aimed at preventing the escape of a German freighter. The orders to fire came from Fort Queenscliff. Today, the museum celebrates the wartime history with a collection of rare and significant memorabilia; as well as refurbished and reinstalled original guns and equipment that are faithfully placed throughout the restored seven ha site. Tours take approximately 1Â˝ hours.

Open: tours

at 1:00pm and 3:00pm, weekends, public and school holidays Where: King St Tel: 03 5258 1488 More info: www.fortqueenscliff.com.au VHR: H2074

Marine Discovery Centre The Marine Discovery Centre is an educational facility that features the wonders of southern Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marine environment. The centre offers an insight into local marine life, has aquariums and touch tanks, and organises boat trips, snorkelling and rockpool rambles. The centre conducts special programs for adults and children throughout the year, during school holidays and on weekends. Tel:

5258 3344

Ocean View, Shortlands Bluff Continue past the fort at the end of Hesse St, for a viewpoint behind the fort that gives a commanding view of the Rip. Pt Lonsdale Lighthouse & Pier The Pt Lonsdale lighthouse, believed to be the first reinforced concrete building in Victoria, was built in

Pt Lonsdale, GS Queenscliff Fort, PT

320.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

collection of artefacts from daily life in the homes, hotels and guesthouses. Open: 2:00pm to 4:00pm, weekends and most weekdays Cost: donation Where: next door to Post Office, Hesse St Tel: 03 5258 2511

Queenscliff Maritime Centre & Museum

1902. It replaced an earlier wooden lighthouse that had been relocated from Queenscliff. Below the lighthouse is another Pt Lonsdale icon, the pier, which was built in 1890 to house a lifeboat. The end of the pier, which housed the lifeboat, was swept away in storms in 1984, but it’s still a favourite with fishermen. There are also a number of gun and searchlight emplacements that were constructed for the defence of Port Phillip during WWII. VHR:

1517

Queenscliffe Historical Museum

Swan Bay, JM Pt Lonsdale, GS

The Queenscliffe Historical Museum is next door to the old post office. Run by enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteers, the museum has an outstanding collection illustrating the history of the region. It also has a number of brochures describing walking tours around the town. The collection is well organised and displayed. There are approximately 8000 photographic prints dating from 1862, covering shipwrecks, bay steamers, the fishing industry, and family albums. Black and white copies of the photos can be ordered at a small cost. The museum also has an extensive

The Queenscliff Maritime Centre and Museum presents the history and heritage of the Port Phillip area: the dangers, wrecks, rescues and people who made its history. Highlights include the lifeboat ‘Queenscliffe’ (1926-1976), a fisherman’s cottage (1879) lighthouse equipment and a fisherman’s shed painted with ships entering Port Phillip (1895-1947). The dangers of the Rip are explained in graphic detail, with a hydrographic model, maps, charts and photographs. The Fisherman’s Shed originally sat on Fisherman’s Pier. The pier was demolished around 1960, but the shed was saved. It was used by professional fishermen as a clubhouse and meeting place for the Fishermen’s Union. Between 1895 and 1946, fisherman Henry Zanoni painted an internal mural featuring the ships and ferries that came into Queenscliff. Open: 10:30am to 4:30pm, weekdays and holidays; 1:30pm to 4:30pm, weekends Where: Weerona Pde Tel: 03 5258 3440 more INFO: www.maritimequeenscliffe.org.au VHR: H2074

Queenscliff Pier and Lifeboat Complex The Queenscliff Pier (formerly Steamer Pier) and a shelter shed are all that remain of an extensive series of jetties and lifeboat sheds that catered for the thriving 19th century township and played a key role in the lifeboat

Guide to the Coast

321.

Bellarine Peninsula

service, the sea pilot service, the famous bay ferries and paddle steamers. The development of the pier and lifeboat complex began in about 1856, when the first jetty, Fisherman’s Pier, was built at the end of Wharf Street. The Steamer Pier was built between 1884 and 1889 to the south of this first pier. A shelter shed was added in 1886–87 and a new lifeboat shed between 1926 and 1929 to house the newly acquired lifeboat ‘Queenscliffe’, which is now housed at the Maritime Centre. The lifeboat shed is a rare intact example of a jetty mounted lifeboat shed – and the launch must have been spectacular. Symonds St H1515

Location: VHR:

Queenscliff White Lighthouse, Hesse St Overlooking the notorious Rip at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, the White Lighthouse in Queenscliff has guided ships through this treacherous passage since 1862. It operates in partnership with the Black Lighthouse, forming the front, or low, of a system of lights that gives mid-channel direction when in line with the higher light. It is built of the same bluestone that was used to build the Black Lighthouse but was painted white to distinguish it in daylight. The lamps and housings were manufactured by Chance Brothers in England. The light was converted to gas in 1890 and later converted to electricity in 1924. Where:

Hesse St

The Rip The Rip is the entrance to Port Phillip Bay, and is also known as Port Phillip

Heads. Here, the sheltered waters of the bay are funnelled through a 3½ km gap to meet the surging swells of Bass Strait. The bay covers almost 2000 sq km, and an outgoing tide, which pours out to meet a strong incoming swell, creates one of the most spectacular maritime views in the world. This is especially so when the orange pilot ship smashes its way through the waves to meet a ship outside the Heads, or when a big ship – seemingly close enough to touch – muscles its way through the swell along the narrow, navigable channel. The best viewpoints are from Shortland Bluff, behind the fort in Queenscliff; from the Pt Lonsdale Pier, below the Pt Lonsdale lighthouse; or from the Rip View Lookout, which is signposted at the lighthouse end of Pt Lonsdale Rd. Practicalities Today, Queenscliff is a popular destination, and the gourmet capital of the Bellarine Peninsula. Some of the grand hotels that faded in the 20th century have been revived and

Pt Lonsdale, JM

322.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

are luxury weekend escapes once again. Hesse St is lined with cafés, shops and galleries. There is a range of accommodation alternatives, with B&Bs, self-catering options, and camping grounds. Pt Lonsdale is a favourite with well-todo retirees, and is a prosperous little town. There are a number of cafés in Pt Lonsdale Rd, the main street overlooking the Rip, with good coffee and quality light meals. There are regular buses to/from Geelong. Queenscliff–Sorrento Ferries Peninsula Searoad Transport offers a car-and-passenger ferry service to Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. The trip takes 40 minutes, and there are two vessels, so there are departures from both Sorrento and Queenscliff every hour, on the hour, from 7:00am to 6:00pm. It’s not cheap, but it’s a great experience, with impressive views and the strong possibility of seeing dolphins. Tel:

03 5258 3244 www.searoad.com.au

MORE INFO:

Queenscliff To Torquay There’s no direct link between Queenscliff and Torquay, and if you’re in a hurry it is just as quick to go via Geelong as to go via the slightly tortuous minor roads. If you do go via Geelong, however, you’ll miss out on a spectacular view over Pt Lonsdale and the Rip from the outskirts of old Ocean Grove (where Tuckfield St becomes The Parade at a sharp 90 degree turn).

Pt Lonsdale, Back Beach to Ocean Grove, GS

You will also miss out on the beautiful bridge and estuary where the Barwon River meets the sea, and some excellent cafés in Barwon Heads proper. It’s then worth following the coast road above 13th Beach, where the classic Hollywood movie On The Beach was filmed, and, if you have time, having a ramble along the beach at Breamlea/Bancoora.

Guide to the Coast

323.

Queenscliff to Torquay

Ocean Grove Population: 12,000 Viewpoint: cnr Tuckfield St and The Parade More info this book: Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, Walks Around the Bellarine Peninsula, Beaches & Surfing, Map 2

Ocean Grove is the largest town on the Bellarine Peninsula, and it has grown rapidly over the last 20 years. Many residents commute to Geelong, but it is still a thriving holiday resort, blessed with one of the longest, safest sandy beaches in the state, as well as the Barwon estuary. It is believed the first European settler was William Bonsey in 1854, but Ocean Grove’s development is really thanks to a group of American Methodists. In the 1870s, the American Methodist church established a successful beach camp known as Ocean Grove in New Jersey, USA. In 1879 they took their idea abroad; a temporary camp at Pt Lonsdale attracted decent crowds so in 1882 they decided to acquire nearby land. More than 30 streets were laid out and named after famous Methodists – and covenants prohibiting the sale of alcohol were put in place. Their ambitious plans were not realised, however, and the town ended up developing as a normal holiday centre – with the important exception that there is still no hotel! The Methodist Church that was built in 1888 at 100 Eggleston St is now the Ocean Grove Uniting Church. See the Parks & Reserves chapter for information on the important Ocean Grove Nature Reserve, one of the last remaining untouched woodland environments on the Peninsula, and the internationally-significant Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve.

Barwon Heads Aboriginal name: Kolo:oit Population: 3000 Viewpoint: The Bluff More info this book: Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve, Barwon Bluff Marine Park, Walks Around the Bellarine Peninsula, Beaches & Surfing, Fishing, Diving & Snorkelling, Golf, Map 2

The township of Barwon Heads has an outstanding position. There are commanding views of the coast from the Bluff (or Flinders Point) and the town features a combination of sheltered estuary waters and great ocean beaches. The sandy estuary is ideal for paddling, fishing and boating. Inland from the ocean it is lined with mangroves, and it then opens up into a large wetland and lake system. On the ocean side, 13th Beach is a wonderful stretch of sand and reefs, with some often underrated, but top-quality waves. Behind 13th Beach there are two of Australia’s finest golf courses, the traditional links-style Barwon Heads Golf Club, and the new Thirteenth Beach Golf Club designed by Tony Cashmore and Nick Faldo. The Bluff at the mouth of the Barwon River was an important meeting and camping area for the Wathaurong

Raffs to Ocean Grove, VofV The Parade, Ocean Grove, RE

324.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

people. There is now a picturesque football ground, caravans and prefabs. It is still a great place to camp: sheltered and shady, with great fishing and a reef teeming with life. In recognition of its outstanding environmental qualities, the Bluff is now a protected Marine Reserve and the estuary, Reedy Swamp and Lake Connewarre make up a State Game Reserve that has been listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international significance. Barwon Heads’ beauty has been recognised over the years by film and television makers. 13th Beach featured in the apocalyptic film On the Beach (based on the book by Neville Shute) starring Ava Gardner, Gregory Peck, Fred Astaire and John Meillion. At the time, Ava’s unforgettable (although disputed) quote, when asked what she thought of Melbourne, was that Melbourne was a very suitable place to film the end of the world! Certainly, if you stand on the Bluff and look into a southwest gale you are left in no doubt you are standing on the southern edge of a southern continent and there is nothing between you and Antarctica. Barwon Heads, GS Hitchcock Ave, RE

Barwon Heads’ current prosperity is in part due to the interest created by the

ABC’s much-loved Sea Change series that starred Sigrid Thornton as Laura. Laura’s cottage, in the Barwon Heads Caravan Park, is available for rent, and Diver Dan’s House is now part of At The Heads café/restaurant. The Connewarre region was first settled by the Vagg family in the 1840s. Because of its relatively easy accessibility, development began on the Ocean Grove side of the river around 1854. Settlement on the other side at Barwon Heads was delayed until 1875. Barwon Heads was initially a boating, fishing and shooting destination, with a coffee palace, later named the Mt Colite Hotel, on the site of the present hotel. In the 1930s there was a significant fleet of 30 boats fishing primarily for barracouta; the fleet declined through the 1940s. Barwon Heads Bridge The bridge between Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads is the longest wooden bridge in Victoria, and was completed in 1927; prior to its construction an open boat ferried people across the river. The bridge is an exceptionally long timber road bridge with 34 spans, over 308 metres. It is the second longest timber-piered bridge

Guide to the Coast

325.

Queenscliff to Torquay

in Victoria and the longest bridge with timber stringers. Because the bridge was such a late development, Barwon Heads is historically considered the starting point for the Great Ocean Road. There has been considerable debate on how the bridge might be renovated or replaced to deal with the demands of modern traffic. VHR:

H1848

Jirrahlinga Koala & Wildlife Sanctuary The Jirrahlinga Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary is a few minutes drive north of Barwon Heads. Injured and orphaned birds and animals are brought in by government officers from various departments, as well as members of the public. The hospital and nursery, with its small enclosures and humidicribs, accommodates animals like kangaroos, joeys, wallabies, possums, reptiles and birds. In the larger outdoor enclosures there are wombats, kangaroos, koalas, echidnas and dingoes. A host of aviaries house a variety of native bird life. Over a period of 25 years, thousands of creatures have been rehabilitated and released back into the bush and the sea. The Sanctuary receives no government funding and relies on entry fees and donations from the public, along with income derived from extensive pet boarding facilities. 10:00am to 5:00pm, daily Rd Tel: 5254 2484 Open:

Where: Taits

Breamlea/Bancoora Aboriginal name: Bancoora Population: 200 More info this book: Beaches & Surfing, Walks Around the Bellarine Peninsula, Map 2

Breamlea is a small township sheltered in the lee of high sand dunes covered

with tea tree, looking north over the wetland formed by Thompsons Creek (also known as Bream Creek). Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a general store attached to a caravan park, but nothing else. Bancoora Beach, to the east of the township, is a beautiful beach with a Surf Life Saving Club.

Only camp in designated camping areas.

To the north of Breamlea, Thompsons Creek runs through a fascinating wetland of salt marshes and reedy canals and widens before it enters Buckleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bay, which was named after William Buckley, an escaped convict who spent many years living in this area (see separate section in the European History chapter). The creek, the inland swamps and the sea reefs were, and are, rich in birdlife and seafood, and they are still an important breeding ground for bream. The same resources that sustained the Wathaurong and Buckley, eventually attracted Europeans. During the Great Depression, squatters built permanent huts and eked out a living as best they could, again relying on the bounty of the sea and land. Freehold land was finally subdivided for residential purposes in 1942. Bancoora Beach is a beautiful crescent beach about one km long, between basalt, rocky points and reefs, and backed by a tea tree-covered dune.

Barwon Heads Bridge, RE

326.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

327.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Great Ocean Walk is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Great Ocean Walk Leaving only footprints

After a long day’s hike along one of the most magnificent stretches of coastline in Australia, weary walkers can put their feet up at one of the seven campsites dotted along the length of the walk and rest easy in the knowledge their vacation is having a minimal impact on the environment. Meticulous planning even before the various pathways – including tracks, boardwalks, steps, sandy beaches, rock platforms and vehicle tracks – were laid has minimised the impact on the environment, with the track realigned during the construction phase to protect various endangered species. Parks Victoria has thought of everything to ensure that walkers can enjoy the scenery and not get tangled in the coastal scrub along the way. They have also thought of the impact on the natural vegetation, providing hygiene stations at two points along the walk. Here, hikers can clean their boots to minimise transfer of soil and water that may carry cinnamon fungus, which infects the roots of native plants.

The dedicated hike-in campsites – at Elliot Ridge, Blanket Bay, Cape Otway, Aire River, Johanna Beach, Ryans Den and Devils Kitchen – feature odourless composting toilets, three-sided shelters built from recycled timbers from a Docklands wharf, and untreated rainwater tanks. “This outstanding long-distance coastal walking experience protects the ecological integrity and cultural heritage of the park.” Will Cox, Ranger in Charge, Parks Victoria www.greatoceanwalk.com.au

Opposite: Triplet Falls, RE Great Ocean Walk, VofV

328.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Guide to the Coast

329.

Torquay to Lorne

TORQUAY TO LORNE The Great Ocean Road officially begins at Spring Creek, the boundary between Torquay and Jan Juc. Although the road does not meet the coast until Anglesea, it is a mistake to miss the section of coast between Torquay and Anglesea, because it has some of the best surf and coastal scenery in the world. The best way to enjoy the views is to take advantage of sections of the Surf Coast Walk, which follows the coast from Torquay to Moggs Creek, and has planned extensions to Breamlea and Lorne. Torquay is a thriving town, forever linked to the surf industry, because of its position alongside some outstanding surf breaks – not the least of which is Bells Beach – and because it is the home of Rip Curl and Quiksilver. See the Surfing section in the European Heritage chapter. There are a series of beautiful beaches to Torquay’s west. Pt Addis is arguably the most beautiful beach on the Great Ocean Road, and there are some great walks in the Ironbark Basin behind the cliffs. Anglesea is more low-key than Torquay, but it is also a diverse community, partly thanks to the coalmine and power station in the hills behind the town. Anglesea has some great beaches, and is becoming known as a centre for mountain biking, surf schools and other bush/river/beach activities. There are a number of thriving school camps around the town because of the range of activities that are available. After Anglesea and Pt Roadknight, the road meets the coast and you get your first, literally breathtaking view down the coast, past the Split Point Lighthouse at Aireys Inlet. Aireys Inlet has a strategic location – between Anglesea and Lorne, with at least seven beaches within a 15-minute drive, and the Angahook forest immediately behind. The six km stretch of beach from Aireys to Spout Creek is one of the finest in the world. Lorne is special – and European visitors have known this for well over 130 years. It is sheltered from the prevailing southwest winds, and the beach will often catch a shaft of sun when everywhere else is overcast. The thickly forested hills behind Lorne have some of the best walks and most spectacular waterfalls in the Otway Ranges.

Opposite top: Fairhaven, RE Opposite bottom: Torquay, RB Guvvos to Aireys Inlet, RE

330.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

The Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach has become an annual Easter pilgrimage for surfers. It is the world’s longest running professional surfing event, with a history stretching back to 1961, when the first contest was held. The natural amphitheatre at Bells Beach makes for an atmosphere unmatched anywhere in the world. History

Torquay Aboriginal name: Doorangwar Population: 12,000 Viewpoints: Pt Danger, Rocky Point More info this book: Surfing (European Heritage), Beaches & Surfing, Walks Around Torquay, Point Danger Marine Sanctuary, Pt Addis Marine Sanctuary, Golf, Map 2 & 7

Torquay is close to Geelong, but even closer to great waves. For many years it was a modest holiday town with uninspiring fibro shacks, and a large temporary population of cheery campers. Today, Torquay is known worldwide as the centre for an innovative surf industry. It’s a busy township surrounded by new housing developments. There are coffee shops, cafés and restaurants around every corner and several excellent wineries nearby. Torquay is eight km northeast of Bells Beach, and the entire coast between Torquay and Bells can be surfed. The beaches in Torquay are hectic on summer weekends – justifiably because they’re great for families. There are a number of major hotel operators, new resorts, and two excellent golf courses.

Back beach, Torquay, JM

Robert Zeally took up land in the vicinity in 1851. Torquay was referred to as Jan Guck on one early map of the area, and Puebla in the 1882 Victorian Municipal Directory, but the first common name for the small township was Spring Creek, which flows through the town and marks the divide between today’s Torquay and Jan Juc. By the 1860s, nearby Geelong was already a substantial city and picnickers, campers and fishermen began to make regular excursions to Spring Creek. James Follett settled in the area in 1871, built a boarding house, a bathing house on the beach, and provided a wagonette service to and from Geelong. He built the Pioneer Coffee Palace soon after the first land sale in 1886. Follett, who must have been a redoubtable entrepreneur, came from Torquay, in Devon, England. It can hardly be a coincidence that, in 1889, the Torquay Improvement Association was formed and in 1892 the name of the town was formally changed to Torquay. Another early family has given their name to a number of local places: the Bell family farmed behind Bells Beach; their homestead, Addiscott, was at Bellbrae.

Guide to the Coast

331.

Torquay to Lorne

Highlights Surf City Plaza Surf City Plaza is a shopping centre and a tourist attraction in one. Whether you’re a fanatical surfer with your boards strapped to your roof racks, whether you’re essentially amphibious, or you’ve got no intention of immersing yourself in Bass Strait, Surf City Plaza will fascinate. It is the largest conglomeration of surf shops and surf gear in the world. And surf gear does not just mean boys, boards, wetsuits and wax. Surf gear means fashion! Surf gear means jeans, t-shirts, bikinis, watches, hats, jewellery… and yes, there are still some superb handcrafted surfboards for sale. Surfworld Surfing Museum In addition to the surf shops in Surf City Plaza there are a number of cafés and the excellent Surfworld Museum. The museum goes beyond a narrow definition of surf and celebrates Australia’s beach culture, including clothing and musical fashions. It has one of the most extensive displays in the world of historical surfing gear and memorabilia, including an extraordinary collection of surfboards dating back to 1915, and a Surfing Hall of Fame. The museum also includes a theatre that screens surf movies, a wavemaking tank, a paddling machine to test fitness, a machine to test balance on a surfboard, and board-shaping demos. 9:00am to 5:00pm daily Surf City Plaza Tel: 03 5261 4606 MORE INFO: www.surfworld.org.au Open:

Where:

Practicalities In addition to having significant industry in its own right, Torquay has become a dormitory suburb to Geelong. The township has a substantial residential area, and plenty of accommodation options, including two camping and caravan parks, a backpackers, resorts, and self-catering options. There are three main restaurant zones: around Surf City Plaza, along Gilbert St (the main street, with banks, post office, etc.), and Bell St, across the road from the beachfront camping ground.

Many towns have limited waste and recycling facilities, so leave all unnecessary packaging at home, and take as much rubbish as you can back home with you.

Regular buses run through Torquay on their journey between Apollo Bay and Geelong.

Torquay to Anglesea Some of the best surf breaks and most beautiful beaches on the Victorian coast are found between Torquay and Anglesea. There is an unbroken string of surf breaks, and a beautiful stretch of the Surf Coast Walk between Jan Juc and Bells Beach. Southside, just west of Bells, is a little known, low tide gem. Pt Addis is a superb beach, and there is another spectacular stretch of Near Boobs, Jan Juc, PT

332.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Anglesea Aboriginal name: Kuarka-dorla Population: 2500 Viewpoints: Great Ocean Road (above the

surf live saving club), Pt Roadknight, end of Inverlochy St More info this book: Beaches & Surfing, Walks Around Anglesea, Great Otway National Park, Golf, Mountain Biking, Map 2 & 8

the Surf Coast Walk between Pt Addis and Anglesea. This takes you along the edge of sheer cliffs, with views as far as Kennett River. Pt Addis Aboriginal name: Viewpoints: Pt Addis More info this book: Beaches & Surfing, Walks Around Torquay, Pt Addis Marine Sanctuary, Map 2, 7 & 8

Pt Addis is one of the most beautiful beaches on the Great Ocean Road – a vast crescent of sand, backed by spectacular cliffs and a bowl of ironbark forest. A handful of homes are scattered throughout the area, but none impinge on the landscape. Especially in the morning and evenings, look out for eastern grey kangaroos in the paddocks on the west side of the road that leads to the point. There’s a short boardwalk at the very end of the point, with magnificent views up and down the coast. There is a popular nude beach at the Bells Beach end of Addiscot Bay, and a protected family beach at the carpark end. It’s a steep walk to the beach. There are also a number of walks through the ironbark forest, and the Surf Coast Walk runs through it too. Anglesea to Pt Addis, RE

Many people think they know Anglesea – after all, it’s right where the Great Ocean Road meets the sea – but it’s still one of the region’s best-kept secrets. It is a low-key town strung along the edge of the Anglesea River at the western end of some of the most magnificent coastal cliffs in Australia. There are at least 10 beaches within a 15-minute drive, offering shelter from every wind, challenging surf, and family-friendly coves. Immediately behind the town there are numerous walks and bike trails through a fascinating mosaic of stringybark forest and unique coastal heathland. The town has built a reputation as a centre for outdoor adventure activities: mountain biking, learn-to-surf classes, walking, surfing, fishing, biking, canoeing and golfing. From the 1860s, Geelong residents camped at Swampy Creek, as the Anglesea River was known, to take advantage of the fishing and hunting. A number of boarding houses were established in the 1880s. In 1886, Alice Jackson established Anglesea House (which definitely has more of a ring to it than Swampy Creek House) on the site of today’s Anglesea Hotel.

Guide to the Coast

333.

Torquay to Lorne

Highlights Anglesea River Anglesea River is a favourite spot to learn to fish, and there are boats and canoes for hire near the bridge. A trail follows the river upstream from the bridge and there are several good spots to throw in a line before you reach Coogoorah Park, a playground complete with a pirate ship. Anglesea Heath Millions of years ago heathlands covered huge areas of Australia, but very little remains today. The patches of heathland (especially in the Anglesea Heath itself ) that surround the town are among the surviving remnants of this vegetation type. In spring, a blanket of bushes and windswept vegetation erupts into a dazzling mosaic of colour.

Pt Roadknight Pt Roadknight is rapidly eroding away, creating some beautiful rockpools in the process. It’s also home to nesting hooded plovers; please observe the signs and stay close to the water’s edge. The beach is one of the safest and most sheltered on the coast.

There are more than 620 species in the area around Anglesea, one quarter of the total number of Victorian flora, and nearly half the total flora found in the British Isles. Orchids are an outstanding feature of the heathlands, from the tiny Helmet Orchid to the Great Sun Orchid. Seventy-nine orchid species make it one of the most orchidrich sites in the world. See Walks Around Anglesea for the Springtime Wildflower Experience Walk.

Practicalities

Golf

Aireys Inlet & Fairhaven

The Anglesea Golf Course is more famous for its unofficial members – a large number of eastern grey kangaroos that enjoy the grassy fairways as much as the golfers do – than it is for its high quality woodland course. To see the kangaroos, take a stroll down Golf Links Rd, but do not wander out onto the links. The only thing more frightening than an irritated two-metre tall kangaroo is an irritated Anglesea golfer.

Even the accommodation is more lowkey in Anglesea, although there are a couple of well-run caravan parks with self-catering options, a backpackers, a motel and a range of B&Bs and shortterm rentals. There’s a busy shopping centre and hotel, but only a couple of good restaurants. Anglesea is on the Great Ocean Road bus route between Apollo Bay and Geelong.

Aboriginal name: Mangawhawz Population: 1100 Viewpoints: Spence Ave, Lighthouse More info this book: Beaches & Surfing, Walks Around Aireys Inlet, Great Otway National Park, European Heritage, Map 2 & 9

The iconic Aireys Inlet lighthouse stands at dramatic Split Point and is a constant reference point wherever you are from Anglesea to Lorne. Below the

Anglesea River, RE Pt Roadknight to Anglesea, GS Anglesea River, RE

334.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

area, and in the 1890s the lighthouse and first hotel were built. Virtually every building in the town was burnt to the ground in the disastrous 1983 bushfires. Highlights & Heritage The Bark Hut

lighthouse, Painkalac Creek winds its way to the sea, separating Aireys from Fairhaven. The coastline around Aireys has some dramatic cliffs and coves – the last of the ochre limestone that dominates the coast from Torquay westwards. There are plenty of interesting options for beach activities. The two most popular family beaches are the Gully Beach and the estuary of Painkalac Creek. There are some great walks along the cliffs on the Anglesea side of the lighthouse, and a number that explore the forest behind Aireys, Fairhaven and Moggs Creek. A diverse and interesting population of sea changers have made their homes in the bush at Aireys and Fairhaven. The towns, while welcoming visitors, make up a real community with a focus on local institutions like the Fairhaven Surf Life Saving Club, the pub, the primary school, and the farmers’ market. History

Aireys Inlet, KS Painkalac Creek, Aireys Inlet, GS General Store, Top Shops, Aireys Inlet, GS

Aireys Inlet is named after John Eyrie, a squatter who settled in the region in the 1840s. Until the Great Ocean Road was opened, Aireys was the end of the road (from Anglesea) and it developed slowly. There was timber milling in the

The Bark Hut, below the lighthouse, probably dates from some time in the 1850s when it was built for Thomas Pearce, a local pastoralist. Thomas and his wife Alice are buried near the lighthouse. Unfortunately, the original hut was burnt in the 1983 bushfires but it was rebuilt to the original specifications: undressed round timber poles and frame, forming a simple gable structure clad with bark sheets and having a brick chimney and earthen floor. Lighthouse & Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary The lighthouse was built in concrete in 1891. It has a commanding view of the coast and overlooks two stacks and the Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary (see separate section). The stacks – Eagle Rock (to the east) and Table Rock (to the south) – are a long way from the Twelve Apostles. They have basalt bases from a nearby undersea volcano but are topped with ochre limestone, which is filled with fossils. Basalt ‘bombs’ from the undersea volcano can be found scattered along the Aireys shoreline. Originally there were three lighthouse keepers and their families accommodated in the nearby cottages, but the lighthouse is now automated. It flashes four times every 20 seconds, and can be seen for 30 km. The lighthouse is now open for regular 45-minute tours.

Guide to the Coast

335.

Torquay to Lorne

There is a famous story about one of the keepers who set up a system so he could spend more time at the hotel. He apparently scratched a small hole in the black paint on the back of the lantern, which is meant to prevent light shining inland, so he could see from the hotel whether the light was still flashing. Practicalities Aireys Inlet has a motel, a smattering of B&Bs and self-catering options, short-term rentals, a pub and a couple of low-key places to eat. There are two shopping areas: the ‘top shops’ which include the town’s general store, on the Anglesea side of town, and the ‘bottom shops’ alongside Painkalac Creek. There are no shops between Lorne and these bottom shops.

Fairhaven to Lorne The magnificent stretch of sand west of Split Point and Fairhaven runs for at least six km, past Fairhaven (with its patrolled section), Moggs Creek (loved by surf fishers), Eastern View (with the Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch) and Spout Creek. After Spout Creek the Great Ocean Road is literally cut into the side of the hills above the surf. There’s an impressive view looking back to Aireys Inlet from Cinema Point, and a great surf spot at Cathedral Rock (see the Beaches & Surfing chapter). Memorial Archway Although the eastern end of the Great Ocean Road is technically at Spring Creek in Torquay, it is not until you reach the Memorial Arch at Eastern View, five km west of Aireys Inlet,

that you really feel sure you are on the Great Ocean Road. The Great Ocean Road Memorial Arch was built to commemorate the 3000 returned servicemen from WWI who built the Great Ocean Road between 1918 and 1932. The road itself was built as a memorial to those killed in the war. The memorial arch that stands at Eastern View today is the fourth of its kind; there is also a bronze statue. The first arch, which was further west at Cathedral Rock, was the ‘The Springs’ tollgate; demolished when tolls were abolished. The second archway, which was built in 1939 at Eastern View, was knocked over by a truck. The third arch, which was similar to the current one, was reduced to charcoal in the 1983 Ash Wednesday fires.

Memorial Arch to Pt Grey, RE

336.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

LORNE TO APOLLO BAY For many, the road between Eastern View and Apollo Bay is the quintessential Great Ocean Road. This is the section of road that is literally carved into the side of almost vertical, forest-covered cliffs, which plunge into a turquoise ocean. Sometimes the road is 100 metres above the surf, with nothing but a safety rail between you and the precipice. The hills behind the road run back to the main ridge of the Otway Ranges and the Great Otway National Park. They catch the moisture-laden air rolling in from the Great Southern Ocean and are rich in green foliage â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even in the driest summer. From the main ridge of the range, numerous creeks and rivers tumble down to the ocean and a number of picturesque winding roads follow the valleys. The rivers and creeks are steep, and often broken by picturesque waterfalls. Before they meet the ocean there is often a sheltered valley with river flats or wetlands, then a sandy beach. These sheltered estuaries tucked between steep hills, where fresh water meets salt water are, without exception, idyllic places to be. These are the places where the Gadubanud people camped; where the first European timber-getters settled; and then, when the road was opened, where European campers and holidaymakers came for holidays. Rough and ready fibro-cement shacks served a couple of generations well, but these relics are now increasingly displaced by luxury beach homes. Cumberland River has a beautiful caravan park, and the road climbs to one of its most dramatic points, Mt Defiance Lookout, before descending to Artillery Rocks, a favourite fishing spot with extremely unusual rock formations and the lonely memorial associated with the wreck of the WB Godfrey. The next towns are Wye River and Kennett River, both originally timber towns, now small holiday villages. Wye River has a pub with a great view, and a general store. Kennett River only has a general store. The Grey River Rd, behind Kennett River, is a favourite spot for tourists to see koalas.

Near Cumberland River, KS Wild Dog Rd, near Skenes Creek, RE

As you round Cape Patton you are greeted with one of the Great Ocean Roads, most spectacular views: 18 km of green hills tumbling into the ocean, all the way to Apollo Bay. Sometimes you can see Cape Otway, and you also often get your first unprotected exposure to Cape Otwayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wild weather. Carisbrook Falls are one km to the west of Cape Patton.

Guide to the Coast

337.

Lorne to Apollo Bay

Lorne Population: 1000 Viewpoints: Teddy’s Lookout, Lorne

Country Club, Lorne Pier More info this book: European

Heritage, Beaches & Surfing, Walks Around Lorne, Great Otway National Park, Map 2, 3 & 10

At times in its history, timber and fishing have both been important; but pretty much right from the start Lorne has been a holiday destination – and a fashionable one at that. It is one of the very few places in Australia where you can have a sea view and northerly aspect at the same time, and it is one of the very few coastal towns in Australia that is protected from the prevailing coastal winds. It’s a sheltered and beautiful spot with trees literally overhanging the beach. Pt Grey’s tree-covered slopes protect Lorne from the wind, and hide some of the most expensive real estate in Victoria. There are luxury resort/apartment developments, and boutique B&Bs dotted around town. A budget holiday is still possible, however. The beautiful estuary of the Erskine River is the location for a YHA and a backpackers’ hostel, as well as one of the coast’s best-positioned caravan parks, which has a range of self-catering units and cottages. Mountjoy Pde, which runs immediately behind the beach, is a continuous strip of shops – ranging from takeaway joints to expensive restaurants, from surf shops to fashionable boutiques. And of course there’s the legendary Arab Restaurant & Café, home to the first cappuccino outside Melbourne and once the centre of a trendy, bohemian milieu that has never quite gone away. These days, this atmosphere is most in evidence around New Years Eve, when the enormously

successful Falls Festival is underway. There’s really only one beach at Lorne, and it’s a serious scene in summer: grey-haired businessmen conference in their Speedos, and girls in micro bikinis studiously ignore the lifesavers. Lorne Point, when it works, has a small but very enjoyable wave, where Wayne Lynch and Gail Couper caught their first waves. The Lorne Country Club’s golf course is on top of the ridge behind town and has nine challenging holes. Probably what has made Lorne most famous, however, is the hinterland, with a range of the most beautiful waterfalls and walks – all close to town. They can be tackled in bite-sized, after-lunch chunks, or strung together to make some demanding treks. History The first settler at Louttit Bay, in 1849, was timber-getter William Lindsay. The graves of two of his children, who died when a sand tunnel they were digging collapsed, can be seen not far from the suspension bridge over the mouth of the Erskine River. Initially, timber was loaded onto boats that were beached near the mouth of Erskine River and refloated at high tide, but several boats were wrecked in the process.

Big Hill to Lorne, RE Mountjoy Pde, Lorne, GS The Arab, Lorne, GS

338.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Highlights & Heritage Erskine House The original Erskine House, the oldest and largest guesthouse in the popular seaside town of Lorne, was built by the enterprising Mountjoy brothers well before the construction of the Great Ocean Road.

The Mountjoy brothers arrived in 1864 and established the Temperance Hotel in 1868 (now the site for the Mantra Erskine Beach Resort), and by 1877 it was claimed Lorne was attracting 3000 holidaymakers every summer.

Avoid using single-serve products such as sugars, butters and coffees.

Pt Grey to Lorne, RE Lorne Beach, GS Grand Pacific Hotel and Lorne Pier, RE

The first pier at Pt Grey was constructed in 1879, but it never provided a completely safe and protected berth. Some visitors arrived by sea, but many chose to make the six-hour journey by road from the railhead at Winchlesea. The Grand Pacific Hotel and the local school, both of which operate today, also opened in 1879. In 1904, a timber tramway was built from the St George River to the pier to transport timber; this is now the route for a walk (see Walks Around Lorne). From the time the tramway ceased operating in 1934, a fishing industry built up. In the 1960s the pier was home to 28 couta boats that were hoisted up and stored on the pier itself. By the 1980s, however, the fishermen were gone; they left behind their coop, which still sells fresh fish – some of which comes from Apollo Bay.

Erskine House has been in continuous operation since 1868, and although it is now swallowed up by swathes of modern hotel buildings (the Mantra Erskine Beach Resort), the original house and grounds still give some inkling of times gone by. You can still take the original driveway to the entry and enjoy a game of croquet on the original croquet lawn, which is protected from the sea breezes by towering hedges and remnant cypress plantings. The ‘old’ Erskine House was constructed between 1868 and 1939, with many additions and alterations occurring in the post-WWI period. Some late 19th and early-20th century building fabric survives and the 1939 buildings, designed by Geelong architects Laird and Buchan, are broadly intact. Rudyard Kipling stayed here in 1891. 35 Mountjoy Pde H1812

Where: VHR:

Grand Pacific Hotel The Grand Pacific Hotel was opened in 1879, and was obviously wellplaced to welcome passengers straight off the wharf. It was also well-placed to quench the thirst of fishermen, when Lorne was home to a substantial couta fleet. The Pacific is also legendary as the home of the Jet Bar in the 1950s, and for the many wild nights in the 1970s and 80s when it hosted some of Australia’s best rock and roll bands.

Guide to the Coast

339.

Lorne to Apollo Bay

Jura Built in 1919 as the family beach house for Clive Campbell, Jura is a striking presence overlooking Lorne Point – it was one of the largest and grandest of the holiday homes built in Lorne by successful Western District graziers. Built in an unusual Federation/Arts & Crafts style, it employs a concrete block construction technique (Knitlock), evolved and patented by Walter Burley Griffin. 242 Mountjoy Pde H0822

Where: VHR:

The Pier & Fishing The new Lorne Pier was opened in 2007, and is now primarily a very expensive fishing platform and promenade. There are great views of Lorne and Louttit Bay from the end of the pier. The Lorne Pier, in all its incarnations (through the days of the timber and fishing industries, and passenger transport) has also always been a top spot for pier fishing. On weekends and holidays it’s best to arrive early to get a good spot and avoid the crowds. Target species include snapper, salmon, trevally, couta, garfish and calamari. There are plenty of spots for rock fishing around Lorne, and there is a boat ramp beside the pier. Waterfalls & Walks The walk to beautiful Erskine Falls and down the river back to town is probably the best-known walk, but there are at least a dozen more, each special in its own way. Even if you’re not a keen walker, the short walk to Erskine Falls is a must. There’s another short walk to Teddy’s Lookout, at the tip of Pt Grey, which gives you a great view over the St George River Valley and a lovely stretch of the Great Ocean Road. See Walks Around Lorne.

Practicalities Lorne has had nearly 150 years of practice at meeting the needs of jaded city people looking to shed their stress. There is a big choice of cafés and restaurants, and a range of places to stay, from camping, to backpackers, to luxury resorts. There are lots of shops, and a couple of interesting art galleries. Lorne is on the main bus route between Geelong and Apollo Bay.

Around Lorne Deans Marsh Population: 600

Twenty-three km inland from Lorne, Dean’s Marsh is in the fertile foothills of the Otway Ranges. There are two famous berry gardens which are great for expeditions when it’s too cold for the beach; you can pick (and eat) your own strawberries, blueberries, blackberries… Partly because of its proximity to the coast, the surrounding area has attracted a number of artists and there are a number of galleries, gift shops and cafés. There are also some beautiful self-catering cottages tucked away in the bush.

Grand Pacific Hotel, JM Jura, GS Lorne Pier, JM Deans Marsh, RE

340.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

river gorge. There’s a swimming hole in the river, and a small ocean beach (see the Beaches & Surfing chapter). Artillery Rocks & Godfrey Creek The views looking up to Mt Defiance from Artillery Rocks are as spectacular as the views from the top. Perhaps partly because of the view, this is a favourite fishing spot.

Lorne to Apollo Bay This is the most dramatic section of the Great Ocean Road. Other parts are equally beautiful, but on this section you don’t need to get out of your car. There’s often nothing between you and the ocean, other than sand and rock. It is a trap however, not to stop and explore. There are great beach rambles wherever you stop, and just inland from the coast there are some beautiful walks and waterfalls with opportunities to see amazing wildlife. The villages along the way have minimal facilities – but that’s why people like them. Cumberland River Cumberland River is seven km southwest of Lorne. It’s one of the most beautiful of the river valleys along this stretch, overlooked by the spectacular Castle Rock and Langdale Pike Lookouts, which you can walk to from Lorne (see Walks Around Lorne). There’s no township, but there is a very secluded and special caravan park, with a number of self-catering cabins. Artillery Rocks, PT Wreck of the Godfrey, KS Cumberland River, KS Wye Beach Hotel, GS

Jebbs Pools and Cumberland Falls are a short way up the narrow cliff-walled

The rocks themselves are geological oddities of international significance. Various types of concretions ranging from almost spherical cannon balls to columns and honeycomb forms are found in the sandstone. The concretions consist of quartz, feldspar and shale fragments cemented by calcite. As they are more resistant to erosion than the sandstone, they project abruptly from the surface. One km to the south, there’s a rather confusing monument associated with two men who lost their lives trying to salvage cargo from the wreck of the WB Godfrey in 1891. More than 30 years later, workers constructing the Great Ocean Road stumbled across a small wooden peg, with a vague inscription about the tragedy. They mistakenly assumed they had discovered a gravestone and erected a permanent headstone. It is now known that one body was not recovered, and the final resting place of the second is unknown. The Godfrey’s winch and anchor can be seen at very low tides. Wye River Population: 100 More info this book: Beaches & Surfing, Walks Around Wye & Kennett River, Map 3

Given the difficulty of access, Wye River was settled relatively early. A jetty was built in 1899 to load timber, dairy

Guide to the Coast

341.

Lorne to Apollo Bay

produce, potatoes and onions from a farm owned by the Harrington family. The piles of the original jetty are still visible on Pt Sturt (at the south end of the beach), and are partly covered by rocks from the construction of the Great Ocean Road. In 1919 John Hay & Co established a major timber mill. Tramways ran up the valley from the pier, and there were major facilities, including houses and a school for 19 children. The mill only lasted for two years, and was closed partly because of the difficulty and expense of shipping out the timber. When the Great Ocean Road was finished in 1932, the bachelor quarters from the old John Hay mill were converted into a guesthouse. Today Wye River has the Wye Beach Hotel, the perfect spot for a pub lunch; as well as a general store and a caravan park. A large number of holiday houses are hidden in the steep hills above Separation Creek and Wye River. Kennett River Population: 50

Wye & Kennett River). This is also a good spot to see glow worms (see Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna). Skenes Creek Population: 100 Viewpoints: Skenes Creek Rd

More info this book: Beaches & Surfing,

Walks Around Wye & Kennett River, Map 3

Map 3

The Harrington brothers from Wye River also farmed the rich river flats at Kennett River, and a sawmill and jetty were constructed on the northern side of the river mouth.

Skenes Creek is at the junction of the Forrest–Apollo Bay Rd and the Great Ocean Road. There are fantastic views over Apollo Bay from several points as the road descends from the ridge. Skenes Creek was settled in the late 19th century and once boasted a school; today it’s a small holiday town with a camping ground and a famous restaurant. The locals head into nearby Apollo Bay for supplies.

Today, there’s a small general store and caravan park. Kennett River is now most famous for the koalas that can nearly always be seen in manna gums overhanging the Grey River Rd behind the town. The Grey River Reserve, about five km from town, is a beautiful spot for a picnic and there’s a walk through ferns up the river (see Walks Around

Skenes Creek, GS Kennet River, GS Kennet River, RE

342.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

APOLLO BAY TO WARRNAMBOOL Apollo Bay is strategically located for an exploration of Cape Otway and the Great Otway National Park. Many of the falls and most interesting drives are within easy reach. Cape Otway is just 35 minutes away. The Great Ocean Road turns inland after Marengo, just to the south of Apollo Bay. Initially, there are some great views over Apollo Bay, but the road is soon swallowed by wet sclerophyll forest with some impressive tree ferns and mountain ash. Mait’s Rest, just beside the road, has a short but beautiful walk through a section of undisturbed rainforest, including some massive beech trees. Cape Otway is 10 km south of the Great Ocean Road. The lighthouse complex is interesting, and the adjoining coastline is superb. Koalas and eastern grey kangaroos are often seen on the drive in to the lighthouse. There’s a popular camping and fishing spot at the mouth of the Aire River and a spectacular beach at Castle Cove. Wild Johanna Beach takes the full brunt of the prevailing weather, and has surf when everywhere else in Victoria is flat. There is a range of selfcatering cottages in the green hills behind. The road takes another inland loop through Lavers Hill, one of the wettest spots in Victoria, near the rainforest walk at Melba Gully. There are a number of rough roads running south to the coast, but to get to the beach from the end of the track, there’s usually a walk: explore! The one not to be missed is the Moonlight Heads Rd, which takes you to the Gable Lookout, high on the cliffs overlooking Wreck Beach.

Gibsons Steps, DS

Guide to the Coast

Apollo Bay to Warrnambool

343.

Princetown, Port Campbell and Peterborough are small towns with a limited range of places to stay. Port Campbell is the biggest of the three and is angling to catch the tourist trade with a number of motels, restaurants and souvenir shops. There are some interesting gourmet foods produced inland around Cobden and Timboon. The most important beaches from Apollo Bay to Warrnambool are all described in the Beaches & Surfing chapter, but there are also plenty more beaches and surf spots waiting to be discovered. For detailed descriptions of the entire coastline between Apollo Bay and the Twelve Apostles, see the Walks Around Cape Otway and Great Ocean Walk sections. The Great Ocean Walk traverses the entire coast of Cape Otway. The Port Campbell National Park covers the coast from Princetown to Peterborough – see the Parks & Reserves chapter for details. The Bay of Islands Coastal Park covers the coastline west of Peterborough – again see the Parks & Reserves chapter for details.

Apollo Bay Aboriginal name: Krambruk Population: 1800 Viewpoints: Marriners Lookout, harbour More info this book: Walks & Drives Around Apollo Bay, Walks Around Cape Otway, Great Otway National Park, Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary, Beaches & Surfing, Fishing, Map 3

Apollo Bay has experienced a rapid transition over the last decade. In the old days, despite the spectacular beauty of the town’s position, and despite the rich hinterland and productive sea, the locals had to be pretty tough to survive. The timber workers, dairy farmers, potato farmers and fishermen

all had to work hard and take daily risks to wrest their living from the environment. Apollo Bay’s isolation, harsh winters and resourceful workers created a self-sufficient town. Even after the first all-weather road from Colac was pushed through in 1927 (the first reliable link in the town’s 80-year history) the quality of the roads and the cars of the day meant that a trip to or from Apollo Bay was not undertaken lightly. It was only in the 1980s that the travel time from Melbourne dropped below three hours and people seriously began to consider Apollo Bay as a weekend destination. But now they do. Smart holiday homes have mushroomed around the town and adjoining Marengo. The Great Ocean Road (the main street through town) now boasts more good cafés and restaurants than Lorne. There’s an engaging multicultural vitality as visitors from around the world stretch their legs and top up their caffeine levels before tackling the next leg of their journey. And yet, you’re still a long way from the big smoke, and Apollo Bay is still a small town. The surrounding environment – with its steep hills, wide, cloud-torn skies, and clean, cold

Apollo Bay Harbour, RE Great Ocean Rd, Apollo Bay, GS Bay Beach, Apollo Bay, RE

344.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

and the population fluctuated widely depending on the railway’s demands. More settlers were attracted to the area when the forests were opened for selection from 1869. Apollo Bay’s first guesthouse, Milford House, opened in 1873. Early tourists came by boat although once the railway reached Forrest in 1889 there were also regular coaches. Tourism started to become important after the arrival of the Great Ocean Road in 1932, although it is only since the 1980s that it has dominated. sea – is still a lot bigger than anything else. The opportunity to explore this environment is Apollo Bay’s big drawcard. Aside from the beach, which is better for families than for surfers, there are walks and drives in the nearby ranges, golf, fishing (there are boat trips and charters), sea kayaking (to see the seals in the Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary) and surfing lessons. History The Gadubanud people left extensive middens on the coastline around Apollo Bay. There are also relics of their occupation on the Barham River flats, and a rock well on Pt Bunbury. The first Europeans to spend any length of time here were whalers and sealers, but they left behind nothing more enduring than a pile of whalebones on Pt Bunbury – and this has since disappeared.

Apollo Bay to Cape Patton, from above Marengo, RE Southern rock lobster, LB Old Cable Sation Museum, Apollo Bay, GS

The first permanent residents in the 1850s were timber cutters. Middleton, as Apollo Bay was first known, was surveyed in 1853. There were some very difficult inland tracks, but the early settlers depended on the sea for transport. The first jetty was built at Pt Bunbury in 1855. The town primarily produced railway sleepers

Highlights & Heritage Old Cable Station Museum The Old Cable Station Museum is 1½ km east of Apollo Bay. The cable station was the point where the submarine telephone cable to Tasmania came ashore, thus enabling (from 1936) voice communication for the first time. The building now houses a local museum, which tells the story of local industries and coastal shipping. One notable inclusion in the museum is shipwreck memorabilia, including the wheel from the stricken Casino, which came to rest 250 metres offshore, one km west of Wild Dog Creek. The ship’s boiler, keel, a winch and other heavy fittings remain at the wreck site and are still visited by recreational divers in calm weather. Where: 1½ km east of Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road When: open 2:00pm to 5:00pm weekends and holidays

Harbour & Co-op The working harbour is a great spot, with an interesting fleet of boats, great views across to the hills north of town, and excellent fishing. It’s a popular spot, so get there early on weekends

Guide to the Coast

Apollo Bay to Warrnambool

345.

and holidays if you want a good position; salmon, snapper and squid are target species. The fishing co-op sells fresh fish, including rock lobster (in season). Around Apollo Bay Walks, Waterfalls & Lookouts There are a number of walks, waterfalls and viewpoints near Apollo Bay. It’s hard to resist a visit to Paradise, on the banks of the Barham River, which you can do on your way to the Marriners Falls walk. The best view over town is from Marriners Lookout (signposted at the north end of town). See the Walks Around Apollo Bay section. There are many more possibilities a bit further afield; see the Walks & Drives Around Cape Otway section. Beech Forest See the separate section on Beech Forest – the jumping off point for Turtons Track, Triplet Falls, and the Otway Fly. Turtons Track, Triplet Falls & Little Aire Falls Triplet Falls and the Otway Fly are within easy day-tripping distance. Take the Forrest–Apollo Bay Rd from Skenes Creek and turn west along the beautiful Turton Track. Triplet Falls and Little Aire Falls are southwest of Beech Forest and can both be reached by well-designed walking tracks. See the Walks & Drives Around Cape Otway section. Otway Fly The Otway Fly, near Triplet Falls, is a 600-metre-long, 25-metre-high treetop walk that climbs gently until you are actually among the treetops of a rainforest gully, surrounded by myrtle beech, blackwood and young

mountain ash. There’s a 45-metre-high lookout and a disturbingly bouncy cantilevered section. There’s a smart licensed restaurant and café, and an entry charge. Where: Phillips Track, 20 minutes from Lavers Hill, one hour from Apollo Bay Tel: 1800 300 477 More info: www.otwayfly.com

Forrest See the separate section on Forrest, which is about 45 minutes from Apollo Bay, and worth remembering for mountain biking and the possibility of a platypus tour of Lake Elizabeth. Mariners Falls, RE Otway Fly Lookout, RE Otway Fly cantilevered section, RE

346.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

hit the coast at memorable Castle Cove. You get a taste of the wet and wonderful ranges, and there are a number of opportunities to detour to the coast. Cape Otway, Johanna Beach and the Gables Lookout (Moonlight Heads) are not to be missed. The Great Ocean Walk traverses this entire stretch of coast (see the Walking chapter for details).

Practicalities Apollo Bay has an enormous range of accommodation. There are motels, some brilliant luxury villas and apartments, and a very wide range of self-catering options. There are many interesting cottages and B&Bs. At the budget end there is a YHA hostel, a backpackers and several caravan parks with on-site cabins.

Avoid using insect repellents if you plan to swim in rivers or observe glow worms.

There is a wide choice of cafés open during the day, and although many close at night, there are still plenty of options. Apollo Bay is at the end of the bus route that runs to Geelong and connects with the Melbourne train. To explore Cape Otway, you’ll need your own wheels to get there, unless you’re ready to tackle the start of the Great Ocean Walk and get there on foot.

Apollo Bay to Princetown Glenaire, RE Cape Otway Lighthouse, RE

The Great Ocean Road runs inland for most of the section between Apollo Bay and Princetown, although it does

From Apollo Bay to Princetown the harder, grey Otway sandstones resist erosion and form steep cliffs with shore platforms that provide habitat for a variety of marine and intertidal flora and fauna. West of Princetown as far as Warrnambool, soft, ochre limestones erode to produce the famous coastal formations, such as the Twelve Apostles. Cape Otway Aboriginal name: Bangurac More info this book: Cape Otway Lightstation (Parks & Reserves chapter), Walks & Drives Around Cape Otway, Great Ocean Walk, Map 3

There’s a well-signposted turnoff to Cape Otway 20 km west of Apollo Bay. Turn left and you could easily spend three or four days exploring the cape. There are beautiful beaches and camping grounds at Blanket Bay and Parker River, and some spectacular coastal walks including a number of sections of the Great Ocean Walk. Initially the drive is through attractive forest dominated by tall, straight messmates. The cleared hilly country immediately behind the Lightstation is formed from uplifted sand dunes. The dominant trees are often strangely twisted manna gums, the preferred breakfast, lunch and dinner for koalas. Keep your eyes peeled for koalas, and drive slowly. On the grassy sections, especially early in the morning or in

Guide to the Coast

Apollo Bay to Warrnambool

347.

the evening, you’re also likely to see mobs of eastern grey kangaroos. Cape Otway Lightstation The lighthouse was the second to be built on the Australian mainland, and it is the oldest to survive. It is the focal point of a significant collection of heritage buildings, including cottages, a telegraph station, and a radar station. There’s a café in an 1858 building, serving light meals and coffee, and it is possible to stay in the lighthouse keeper’s and manager’s houses. The Lightstation is privately operated, so there is an entrance fee. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the lighthouse and the surroundings, or join one of the regular free tours. See the section in the Parks & Reserves chapter for more information. VHR:

H1222

Johanna & Lavers Hill Population: 200 More info this book: Melba Gully

(Parks & Reserves chapter), Great Otway National Park, Walks & Drives Around Cape Otway, Map 3

There’s nothing at Johanna Beach except a small and basic camping ground – and a wonderful beach. The camping ground is lacking in shade and shelter, but it’s still a popular spot in summer. There are a surprisingly large number of self-catering cottages in the hills – and some of them are brilliant. Lavers Hill is the main town at the western end of the Otways, on the Great Ocean Road about 15 minutes north of Johanna, and roughly 50 km from Port Campbell, Apollo Bay and Colac. There are a couple of large café/stores and a pub that sells counter lunches and dinners.

This central location makes Lavers Hill (and Johanna) a good base. Triplet Falls and the Otway Fly (see sections under Apollo Bay) are only 20 minutes away, Cape Otway is 40 minutes, the Gables Lookout near Moonlight Head is 30 minutes. Beautiful Melba Gully (see Parks & Reserves chapter) is just three km to the west, near the site of Crowes, once Australia’s most southerly railway station. Lavers Hill was first settled in 1891 by Stephen and Frank Laver. After clearing a couple of hundred acres, the wet conditions and isolation defeated them. One of the early settlers at Johanna was William Evans, an assistant lighthouse keeper at Cape Otway. Some of his descendants still live in the area. Later settlers have managed to make a living from the land, not least because this is one of the wettest spots in the state and there was, for four decades, a train. Weeaproinah just to the east consistently gets more than two metres of rain a year, and the train from Forrest to Crowes, which operated from 1911 to 1954, passed by the town. The production of virus-free seed potatoes, thanks to elevation and isolation, has been a long-term industry on the farms between Lavers Hill and Beech Forest.

Johanna, VofV Johanna, Johanna Seaside Cottages Johanna, VofV

348.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Moonlight Head Lodge (formerly Wattle Hill Hotel) When a Mr Frank Harty had a lucky win on the Melbourne Cup at the turn of the 20th century, he poured the winnings into the Wattle Hill Hotel. The hotel, built in 1903, has miraculously survived the many bushfires that have destroyed virtually all the old buildings in the area.

Moonlight Head More info this book: Walks & Drives

Around Cape Otway, Map 3

The explorer Matthew Flinders is credited with naming Moonlight Head when he was exploring the coast in 1802 and caught sight of the headland in bad weather. He recorded, ‘I have seldom seen a more fearful section of coastline.’ There are spectacular views of the coast, including Moonlight Head as seen from the Gable Lookout at the end of Moonlight Head Rd, which intersects with the Great Ocean Road 15 km west of Lavers Hill. The anchors from the Marie Gabrielle and Fiji on Wreck Beach below the lookout are among the most striking sights on the coast.

Moonlight Head from Gable Lookout, RE Wattle Hill Hotel, near Moonlight Head, RE

Moonlight Head was the site for a brief and unsuccessful gold rush in the 1850s. Gemstones, including agate and chalcedony, are often found on the nearby beaches, including the aptlynamed Pebble Point. The Moonlight Heads Cemetery includes the graves of local people who were buried between 1906 and 1975; the grave of the sailors lost during the wreck of the Fiji is on the cliff above Wreck Beach.

In the early 1900s, the hotel was a meeting place for the many farmers who operated small farms near the lower Gellibrand River. Its glory days came after the opening of the railway station at Crowes (near Melba Gully) in 1911, and then through to the Great Depression in the early 1930s. During this time large crowds gathered for horse racing on a track that was cleared behind Wreck Beach. Over the years, many of the small local farms proved to be unprofitable and were abandoned. In 1927 the hotel was de-licensed – but continued to operate. The hotel had a bar, ladies’ lounge, kitchen, scullery, dining room and seven bedrooms. Internally the bar, remaining seats and storage shelves in the public and lounge bars, the bedrooms and the 1920s kitchen and scullery are largely unaltered. Today the hotel is privately owned, and part of the Moonlight Head Lodge. Moonlight Head Rd, Wattle Hill 0609

Where: VHR:

Princetown to Warrnambool For many, the section of the Great Ocean Road from Princetown to Warrnambool (it officially ends at Allansford) is the most iconic. This is the coastline where ochre, marine

Guide to the Coast

349.

Apollo Bay to Warrnambool

limestone is eroded into fantastic shapes and, most famously, the Twelve Apostles. Despite its fame, however, it is still easy to escape crowds. This part of the world is a long way from Melbourne. While you can certainly explore some of the key sites in the course of a weekend, and many people actually visit on day trips, it’s too far away for there to be a huge number of weekend holiday houses. That means there’s nothing like the infrastructure you find further to the east (between Queenscliff and Apollo Bay) or indeed further to the west (between Warrnambool and Portland). The Great Ocean Road emerges from the Otway Ranges to greet the ocean again at Princetown. Princetown is a small country town, Port Campbell is a small tourist town, and Peterborough is a small holiday town. Princetown Population: 50 Viewpoints: end of Post Office Rd More info this book: Port Campbell

National Park, Great Ocean Walk, Walks Around Port Campbell, Beaches & Surfing, Map 3 & 4

Princetown overlooks the estuary of the beautiful Gellibrand River, which winds through the western flanks of the Otway Ranges. It’s worth driving up Post Office Rd to get the view over the estuary. The beach east of Pt Ronald is wild and beautiful, as is the beach at Gibson Steps to the west (see the Beaches & Surfing chapter). The flats around the estuary are alive with fauna. Kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas and many native birds can be seen and there are some great walks. The river estuary is broad enough to allow fishing, canoeing and swimming; and if the surf is not too

wild there is good beach fishing. Princetown is on the border of the Great Otway National Park and the Port Campbell National Park (the Twelve Apostles are just six km to the west) so it has a great position. There are only a small number of accommodation options, but these include cabins, a camping ground by the river and budget accommodation. There’s a general store/café and a tavern, but plan on some self-catering if you’re staying. Port Campbell Aboriginal name: Parreeytiwurrung Population: 600 Viewpoints: Town Lookout, west of

Campbells Creek More info this book: Port Campbell

National Park, Bay of Islands Coastal Park, The Arches Marine Sanctuary, Twelve Apostles Marine National Park, Walks Around Port Campbell, Beaches & Surfing, Map 4

Port Campbell is a small town, sheltering in the gorge at the mouth of Campbells Creek, below the windswept clifftops to the east and west. The

Pt Ronald, RB Gellibrand River estuary, RE

350.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

The main attraction is obviously the Port Campbell National Park and the Bay of Islands Coastal Park, but it’s also interesting to explore the rich farming country around Timboon (see separate section) to sample the range of interesting gourmet produce – which includes ice cream, chocolate and whisky! There are a number of helicopter operators offering spectacular flights along the coast, and boat charters (for unusual views, fishing and diving) are also available.

gorge provides the only (more-or-less) safe anchorage between Warrnambool and Apollo Bay, so the town played an important role in coastal shipping and, from 1918, was the home port to a number of fishing boats. The beach is also particularly safe. From 1892, when the railway reached nearby Timboon, people arrived to see the coast, ‘bath’ in the bay, and to attend the horse races at a track that was built on the cliffs to the west of town. Despite some traditional ambivalence to the influx of visitors, the town is now a busy tourist centre and the main street is lined with restaurants and motels. Initially a campsite for the Keerray Woorroong, then probably known to sealers and whalers, Port Campbell took its name from Captain Alexander Campbell, who hunted whales, traded out of Port Fairy and occasionally took shelter in the bay. Pastoralists settled the region in the late 1840s. Glenample Station, which featured in the story of the Loch Ard, originally extended from Moonlight Head to Sherbrooke River and was first leased in 1846.

Port Campbell beach and jetty, RE Port Campbell, RE

The local Visitor Information Centre in Morris St can help put together a gourmet itinerary. It also has an impressive display of artefacts from local wrecks including the Loch Ard. The display has an accompanying video presentation that details the recovery of some of the artefacts on display and tells the story of the final minutes of the Loch Ard. Port Campbell has a decent range of accommodation, including motels, self-catering cottages, farm stays, backpackers, and a caravan park. There are quite a few restaurants on the main street. Peterborough Aboriginal name: Narrogote Population: 175 More info this book: Bay of Islands Coastal Park, Beaches & Surfing, Map 4

Peterborough lies at the mouth of the broad Curdies River estuary, which is home to a multitude of water birds, including a large number of black swans. There’s a sandy beach backed by sand dunes to the east of the river mouth (part of the Port Campbell National Park), and the spectacular limestone stacks of the Bay of Islands Coastal Park to the west. The Bay of Islands Coastal Park is less famous than its spectacular neighbour

Guide to the Coast

351.

Apollo Bay to Warrnambool

to the east, but it is still very dramatic, with many island stacks and a ragged limestone coastline. The crowds are smaller and it’s possible to find sheltered beaches. There’s not much more than a scattering of holiday houses and a general store at Peterborough. There are a few self-catering options, a B&B and a caravan park. It’s quiet. And it’s a great base for exploring the coastline, east and west. As you would expect of a place that has long been a favourite for well-todo Western District farmers, there’s also a golf course. And, lastly, there’s a boat ramp and short jetty giving access to the estuary, a favourite when the bream are biting.

Timboon Aboriginal name: Timbonn Population: 1200

Timboon is an attractive, bustling little town sheltered in a green-treed valley. Once at the end of a railway line, Timboon was a centre for timber milling, and it is still an important dairy production centre. It is famous for high-quality cheese, chocolate and ice cream, among other special regional delights, like berries, wine and whisky.

Near Peterborough, RE Timboon, RE

352.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

353.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Great Ocean Road Coast Committee Caring for the coast

The Great Ocean Road Coast Committee is charged with maintaining 37 km of prime coastal reserves between Torquay and Lorne. The ongoing mission is to care for the coast, whether by protecting the heathland from invasive weeds or by preparing for climate change-related events like rising sea levels. It’s a balancing act between protecting the local environment, and creating a place that visitors can enjoy too. As the 2008 recipients of the Premier’s Sustainability Award, GORCC was noted for its leadership role in working to protect and enhance the conservation, recreation and tourism values along the coast.

or simply appreciating the good health of the native vegetation. Other ongoing environmental initiatives include waste minimisation and water and energy conservation strategies. They also help to pass on the sustainability message, conducting regular environmental work with schools, community groups and local coast care committees. “The coast is valued by all comers. We want to ensure it’s protected in the future.” David Clarke, CEO www.gorcc.com.au

Visitors to the area will encounter the work done by GORCC – whether it is by enjoying a walk on a well-maintained track, taking in an ocean vista from a beautifully-designed lookout,

Opposite: Near the Arch, RE

354.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

WARRNAMBOOL TO PORTLAND Exploring the far southwest of Victoria is exhilarating and exciting. Despite the fact that it is rarely, if ever, featured in the capital city news programmes and rarely, if ever, featured in tourist propaganda, this region has some of the most interesting towns, best beaches, and most important sights in Victoria. It’s not a wilderness, but it is uncrowded. Outside the main summer holidays, visitors will quickly feel they are on their own unique voyage of discovery. The southwest is in many ways a different country, and in many ways a richer country. Unlike most of Victoria and Australia, it’s not dry and arid. It was the heart of important Aboriginal cultures that were among the most populous in Australia. It was the first part of Victoria to be settled by Europeans and there is a rich architectural heritage. The wildlife is prolific, from kangaroos and emus to wedge-tailed eagles and whales. Warrnambool is a decent-sized city and a thriving regional centre; Port Fairy was frozen in time, in this case the 19th century; and Portland combines a major deep water port, industry, and Victoria’s oldest heritage buildings. Near the Crags, RE

Guide to the Coast

Warrnambool to Portland

355.

Warrnambool Aboriginal name: Warrnambool Population: 32,000 Viewpoints: Cannon Hill Lookout (end of

Liebig St), Pt Ritchie Lookout More info this book: Beaches & Surfing,

Whale Watching, Arts – Performing & Visual, Merri Marine Sanctuary, Tower Hill State Game Reserve, Map 4

Warrnambool has a dramatic location, although this is not apparent until you give yourself a chance to explore south beyond Raglan Pde (the Princes Hwy). There are some interesting historical buildings, but perhaps the biggest surprise is the range of beaches. The main city centre is a grid, thanks to Robert Hoddle who also designed Melbourne’s layout. It’s built on a plateau behind a steep bluff overlooking sheltered Lady Bay and defined by rivers to the east and west. Flagstaff Hill, a fascinating recreation of an 1870s coastal port with an entire recreated town, tumbles down the bluff. Part of the complex is at the top, along with a historic lighthouse and fort, and steep cobbled streets descend to a lake complete with heritage boats and harbour buildings. The Merri River comes around the city from the west, and part of the old wetlands below the bluff have been transformed into the 20 ha Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground. The Hopkins River estuary is on the eastern side of the city. It’s a beautiful estuary with an important role in the lifecycle of short-finned eels (see the Eels section in the Aboriginal Heritage chapter). There are some elaborate heritage boatsheds, now converted into a restaurant complex. To the east of the Hopkins lies Logan’s Beach and a specially constructed platform designed to overlook a whale nursery

that is used every year by female southern right whales and their calves. Warrnambool has a vibrant shopping precinct, with some particularly good clothes shops, perhaps as a legacy of the town’s connection to Fletcher Jones. There is a good selection of interesting restaurants and cafés, particularly at the south end of Liebig St (the main street, left off the Princes Hwy). The arts precinct, including an excellent regional gallery (see the Arts – Performing & Visual section) is also at the south end of Liebig St. There is a complete range of accommodation options, from a resort-style hotel with a great location between Lake Pertobe and Lady Bay, motels, self-catering apartments, B&Bs, a backpackers, and caravan parks complete with cabins. There’s a major Fun 4 Kids festival held in the winter school holidays, which attracts major acts, and people (well, kids and parents) from around the state. Boat charters for trips to Lady Julia Percy Island and whale watching are available. History The Peek Woorroong people lived

Proudfoot’s Boathouse, VofV Whale watching platform, Logans Beach, RE Lake Pertobe, KS

356.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

were daily shipping services. Long jetties were constructed into Lady Bay to reach ships beyond shallow water, but ships continued to be wrecked when the southeasterlies blew. Work on the construction of a breakwater finally began in 1880, but this created sand movements that filled the harbour and made it virtually unusable. In 1912 an attempt was made to dredge the harbour and the breakwater was extended, but after it collapsed the project was abandoned. around Warrnambool, which was a rich environment with plentiful seafood, eels and birdlife. The sealers and whalers who settled in Port Fairy and Portland knew the bay, for although it did not give shelter to the dreaded easterlies, it did give some shelter from the west. Altogether, however, there are 29 known shipwrecks in Lady Bay. The first permanent settlers were graziers, including the Manifolds, and a township began to emerge in the 1840s. Despite the dangers of Lady Bay, the rich hinterland needed an outlet for its agricultural produce (wool, wheat, potatoes, and onions). There was enormous competition between Portland, with the Henty family’s interests, Port Fairy, which was effectively owned by James Atkinson and William Rutledge, and Warrnambool, which was a free port. A number of companies were started by interested parties from Port Fairy, Koroit and Warrnambool in a bid to compete with the Hentys. Ultimately, Port Fairy was the loser, and for a while Warrnambool’s port rivalled Melbourne’s and Geelong’s.

Logans Beach to breakwater, RE

It took 1½ days to get to Melbourne by ship, anything up to six weeks by bullock dray, and by the 1880s there

In any event, by the 1890s competition from the railways had ended much of the coastal trade. Shipping to the smaller settlements along the Great Ocean Road kept a fleet of ketches and schooners going until the 1920s. Sand dunes now cover the area where one of the main jetties stood. Warrnambool has continued to grow steadily with a healthy mixture of industry (especially dairy processing, woollen mills and clothes factories), services (especially schools and hospitals) and tourism. Highlights & Heritage Botanic Gardens The construction of a botanic gardens began remarkably early in the history of the town – in 1858 on a site near the Hopkins River. This coastal site proved difficult, however, and a new site was selected in 1866. In 1877 William Guilfoyle, who had been busy designing the Melbourne gardens, was asked to provide the plans for a new layout. The design is natural and picturesque with winding walks, clumps of trees dotted here and there, rockeries and a lake. The garden retains remnants of the original flora on the site, plus a fernery with flora from the Otway Ranges.

Guide to the Coast

Warrnambool to Portland

357.

cnr Queens Rd and Cockman St H1674

Where: VHR:

Flagstaff Hill As a living historical recreation of an entire 19th century town, Flagstaff Hill rivals Sovereign Hill, the recreated gold mining town in Ballarat. Flagstaff Hill is a maritime village, much like Warrnambool would have been. It’s a beautiful site, and although extensive (there are more than 40 buildings and ships), it’s not too overwhelming, even for young kids. The complex includes two historic lighthouses that were originally erected on Middle Island in 1859, but which were relocated to Flagstaff Hill in 1872. The associated buildings are fully-furnished time capsules. In 1887, as part of the colony’s response to the fears of a Russian invasion, a fort was constructed near the lighthouses to house two muzzle loading cannons with a range of 5½ km. The fort and the cannons have been restored. A tour of Flagstaff Hill begins with a sound and light presentation about 19th century immigrant ships, then leads into a museum. The museum includes many treasures that have been rescued from shipwrecks that occurred along the coastline between Warrnambool and Cape Otway. The artefacts include many of the tools that were part of a 19th century ship’s inventory: a doctor’s medicine chest; the time piece owned by the captain of the Fiji, wrecked at Moonlight Head; a diamond ring from the Schomberg, wrecked near Peterborough. Most incredibly, a superb Minton porcelain statue of a peacock that stands at nearly two metres was rescued from the Loch Ard, with nothing more than a small chip on its beak, and it now takes pride of place in the museum.

After the museum, visitors can wander down the cobbled streets of the township, which has working examples of the shops, businesses, trades and professions of a typical 19th century maritime village: a newspaper, bank, chapel, working blacksmith, ship’s chandler, hotel and bond store, among many others. The harbour at the bottom of the hill has a number of interesting boats. After sunset, it is also the site for a dramatic sound and light show, projected on a nine metre high fountain, against the background of Flagstaff Hill, which recreates the story of the Loch Ard. Open: daily 9:00am to 5:00pm Shipwrecked sound and light show: from 7:20pm to 9:00pm depending on sunset Entry fee: adult $15.95, concession $12.50, child $6.50, family $39.00 (slightly more for Shipwrecked show) Where: Merri St Tel: 03 5258 2511 More info: www.flagstaffhill.com VHR: H1520

Aboriginal archaeological sites, artefacts and places should not be disturbed or removed.

Flagstaff Hill, VofV Sound and light show, Flagstaff Hill, VofV

358.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Fletcher Jones Gardens David Fletcher Jones (1895–1977) started his career as a hawker in the Western District. He first came to Warrnambool in 1924 and opened a clothing store in Liebig Street. His business gradually expanded, and in 1948 he constructed a clothing factory on a site in East Warrnambool, which had once been a quarry. The site at Pleasant Hill, on your left as you enter the city from Melbourne, was occupied by several houses and a large quarry. In a classic piece of Fletcher Jones thinking, he asked. ‘Why should a factory look like a factory?’ The factory buildings were sited to the south of the block and a garden was created in the area occupied by the quarry.

Cannon Hill Lookout and Lake Pertobe, RE Fletcher Jones Gardens, RE

In the late 1940s, Jones began to turn his business into a co-operative: Fletcher Jones & Staff Pty Ltd. The business was structured so every employee owned shares. Initially the

Jones family had a two-thirds interest and the staff one-third, but the balance gradually swung so that by the 1970s the staff held more than 50 per cent of the shares. The working conditions were, not surprisingly, excellent and the company was famously innovative. At its peak, there were 55 stores and over 2,700 employees. It was sold in 1998, and still continues to trade successfully. Unfortunately the factory in Warrnambool no longer produces clothes, but the garden survives. cnr Flaxman St & Raglan Pde H2101

Where: VHR:

Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground Lake Pertobe is a 20 ha adventure playground with giant slides, flying foxes, a maze and boat rides. There are walking tracks around the lakes and several sheltered picnic areas. Where:

Pertobe Rd

Guide to the Coast

Warrnambool to Portland

359.

Logan’s Beach Between June and September every year, female southern right whales return to Logan’s Beach to calve. There is a great viewpoint from a specially constructed viewing platform on the sand dunes. See the Whale Watching section in the Activities chapter. Proudfoot’s Boathouse Proudfoot’s Boathouse is an unusual, highly ornamented Victorian boathouse. Thomas Proudfoot first applied for a jetty license in 1885 and established a leisure-boat business. The early single storey sections are thought to date from this period. The two-storey second stage probably dates from 1893. The complex has been renovated and now includes reception facilities, several bars and a restaurant – but many original features remain. It was a great spot with a lovely view in 1885, and it still is today. 2 Simpson St (on Hopkins River) 0620

Where: VHR:

Streetscapes & Christ Church The centre of Warrnambool has retained some attractive 19th century architecture. The Visitor Information Centre has a suggested walk that takes in the highlights. Some of the earliest commercial buildings are on Lieberg St and include the Cramond & Dickson building and the Commercial Hotel, which were erected in the 1850s. The west side of tree-lined Kepler St (between Timor & Koroit) has a series of single storey buildings that were – and still are – used as professional offices. The majority of the façades have not been altered, and the wide street, hitching posts and trees contribute to its heritage value. There are a number of fine churches in Warrnambool, but the oldest is Christ

Church, on Koroit St. It is a complex of buildings that have been constructed in stages in Gothic Revival style from 1855, when the foundation stone for the south nave of the church was laid. The north nave was built in 1861, and the tower was built in 1879. VHR:

H0387

Practicalities Warrnambool is around three hours by car from Melbourne, via Colac and Camperdown. It is also at the western end of a railway line from Melbourne. The train takes three hours and 20 minutes, and connects with a number of tours that, depending on the day, cover Flagstaff Hill, the Twelve Apostles, Tower Hill and Port Fairy. The train is also particularly useful for those planning to ride bikes along the Great Ocean Road. Warrnambool has a complete range of shops, services and facilities. Blue Hole, mouth of the Hopkins River, RE Liebig St, RE Christ Church, RE Merri River mouth, KS

360.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Around Warrnambool Warrnambool is only 30 minutes from Port Fairy, and about an hour from Port Campbell. The coastline west of Warrnambool to Port Fairy is low, with a line of sand dunes, backed by shallow lakes and wetlands, then rich volcanic soil. The beach can be accessed at Killarney, where thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a camping ground and some reef-protected beaches that are great for fishing.

The volcano is believed to have erupted 32,000 years ago, and was an important site for the Koroit Gundidj people. There is an unusual visitor centre (designed by Robin Boyd) run by the Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Cooperative. There are several good walks and plenty of wildlife. The visitor centre sells Aboriginal crafts, and it is possible to book a walking tour with an Aboriginal guide. See the Parks & Reserves and Walk, Ride, Drive chapters for more information. VHR:

Tower Hill

Tower Hill, Eugene von Guerard, Warrnambool Art Gallery Koroit Post Office, RE Koroit Hotel, RE

Tower Hill, 14 km west of Warrnambool on the Princes Hwy, is one of the most fascinating geological formations in Victoria. It has a volcanic crater rimmed by beds of volcanic ash. The floor of the crater contains conical hills of red and black scoria, which are surrounded by a shallow lake after good rains. From the high northern rim of the crater there are impressive views over the top of the low southwest section of the rim and Port Fairy.

H2114

Koroit Aboriginal name: Koroitj Population: 1400 More info this book: Tower Hill State

Game Reserve, Map 4

Thanks to William Rutledge (see the Port Fairy section), Koroit reflects the strong Irish influence across the countryside between Warrnambool and Port Fairy. It lies on the sheltered northern slopes immediately behind Tower Hill, and there are a couple

Guide to the Coast

361.

Warrnambool to Portland

of cafés in the main street, which is dominated by striking 19th century architecture. The first Europeans in the district were the Boldens, one of whose employees was the novelist Rolf Boldrewood. Some believe Terrible Hollow, in his famous novel Robbery Under Arms, was based on Tower Hill. The rich volcanic soil made the district suitable for intensive cultivation, and William Rutledge imported Irish laborers (refugees from the 1840s famine) to the area to work on his massive 5000-acre landholding. Potatoes soon became the major crop. The relative density of population in the district allowed Koroit to grow, despite its proximity to Warrnambool and Port Fairy. The novelist Henry Handel Richardson moved to Koroit with her family in 1878. Her father was suffering from a mental illness and her mother took the position of town postmistress in the bluestone post office at the corner of Commercial Rd and High St. Her father’s death inspired her most famous work, The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney, and it is thought that Koroit was the model for Gymgurra.

Port Fairy To Portland Port Fairy is a beautiful bluestone town that has been frozen in time. It became a backwater when its role as a port declined, but it has for a long time been a quietly popular holiday resort for those in the know. These days, million dollar shacks nestle in the sand dunes, and cafés and restaurants thrive. The road to Portland from Port Fairy skirts the edge of Portland Bay, so to get to the coastline you have to make a special effort. The landscape

is green, rich and rural, and there are some enticing glimpses of sand dunes. Curiously, and unfortunately, private land runs to the high tide line, and there are very few points where you can get access to the beach. There are a couple of spots that are worth exploring. There are dramatic views across to the sheer volcanic cliffs of Lady Julia Percy Island (Deen Maar), from the Crags and Lake Yambuk. And you can also access the coast at the Fitzroy Rivermouth and Narrawong. There are camping grounds at Lake Yambuk, Fitzroy Rivermouth and Narrawong. This entire area – the coastline west to the Hopkins River, the wetlands, and the country inland to the Mt Eccles and Mt Napier volcanoes – was once occupied by the Gunditjmara, a large and significant Aboriginal languageculture group. There are many, many signs of their long occupation, including major middens at many points along the coast, and their stone villages around Lake Condah.

River Moyne, Port Fairy, RE Potatoes, near Port Fairy, RE

362.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

History The region, apart from the wetlands along the rivers, was once heavily forested and supported a large Aboriginal population. Hugh Donnolly described the scene in 1836: ‘One would see hundreds of blacks and little townships of mia-mia’s. Go where you would, you would see and hear them, or their “cooee” from the Hopkins to Port Fairy.’

Port Fairy Aboriginal name: Nyamat Population: 2500 More info this book: Beaches & Surfing,

Golf, Music Festivals, Map 4 & 5

The coastline around Port Fairy is relatively flat and exposed, especially in comparison to the dramatic cliffs of the Shipwreck Coast – but the wide Port Fairy streets with their bluestone cottages and verandas, sheltering beneath grand old Norfolk pines, have great charm. The sheltered River Moyne gives anchorage to a fleet of fishing and pleasure craft, but it has not been used seriously for transport since the late 19th century. The remnant of what was a major fishing fleet chases abalone, crayfish, shark and squid, and there are also charter boat operators. Extensive bluestone walls run along the river’s edge and out to sea past Griffiths Island.

Port Fairy streetscape, KS Mechanics Institute, RE Caledonian Inn, RE

There are literally dozens of accommodation options, often in heritage buildings, and a huge range of cafés and restaurants. The Port Fairy Folk Festival, held every Labour Day weekend in March, is one of the most important and successful festivals in Australia, attracting tens of thousands of music lovers.

The first regular European visitors, of which Donnolly was one, were sealers and whalers. It was probably around 1828 that Captain James Wishart, on a whaling expedition in his cutter Fairy, found shelter in a bay he subsequently named after his ship. By 1835 a whaling station was established on the island at the mouth of the Moyne River. A John Griffiths purchased it. It was also around this time that two sealers, John and Charles Mills, began whaling. Their houses still stand in the town. By the late 1830s settlers from Tasmania had begun to clear and cultivate the rich volcanic soils, and by 1839 John Cox had opened a store at what is now the corner of Cox St and Gipps St. In 1843 two Irish settlers, James Atkinson and William Rutledge, each purchased 5120 acres from the Crown – Atkinson basically around the Moyne, Rutledge to the east around Koroit. Both were Irish Protestants and both were extraordinary men. Atkinson laid out a township on his land and named it Belfast. It became the largest privately owned town in Australia and the few local residents, who had simply squatted prior to Atkinson’s purchase, suddenly found themselves owing rent to their new landlord. Irish immigrants were encouraged, and their influence is still obvious in

Guide to the Coast

363.

Warrnambool to Portland

the area’s place names, architecture and culture. The population increased rapidly and by 1857, 2190 people lived in the municipality of Belfast, not very different from the population today. After building a modest capital base in New South Wales, Rutledge had moved to Belfast and founded the firm of William Rutledge & Co. The company exported wool and gold to England, and imported a wide variety of goods, using their own ships and wharf. They also issued their own currency. Rutledge brought out Irish tenant farmers to work his land holdings around Koroit. Although he was credited with being a decent landlord, there is no doubt who kept the lion’s share of the profits. William Rutledge & Co flourished until 1862 when, partly as a result of competition from Warrnambool and Portland, it went bankrupt, devastating Belfast. The town survived, but only as a fishing port and a regional centre for the surrounding agricultural district. Few important buildings were added after this date. ‘Terrible Billy’ Rutledge was famous for his warmth and generosity but also for having an explosive temper. He had frequent conflicts with other settlers and the authorities. Despite this, he had a finger in every pie, was a magistrate, and for a time a member of the Legislative Assembly. He succeeded in rebuilding his personal fortune, and it seems he was forgiven by most; he died a respected figure in Belfast in 1876. In 1887, the town was renamed Port Fairy. Highlights & Heritage

maritime activities. Historic features sheltering under the Norfolk pines in the Fishermen’s Wharf area include stone retaining walls, a ‘swinging basin’ (now the yacht marina), rocket shed, fishermen’s shed and lifeboat shed. The cottage of the first Harbour Master, Captain Mills, is also nearby (the original section may date from 1840), as is the original customs house. The battery precinct features fortifications and a cannon. Battery Hill Overlooking the mouth of the Moyne River, the guns and emplacements at Battery Hill mark an early observation site that was of strategic military importance in the late 1800s.

Patronise restaurants offering fresh, local produce – to save on transport – and enjoy the authentic flavours unique to the area you visit.

The bluestone and concrete fortifications were built in 1886–87 and include two guns, concrete bunkers, and storage compartments. The excessive fortification was in response to a much-feared Russian attack and widespread hysteria about invasion. Needless to say, the guns have only ever been used only for training purposes and civic celebrations. Battery Hill H1504

Where:

The buildings and structures on either side of the Moyne River retain many 19th century elements associated with

VHR:

Battery Hill, RE

364.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

his firm went bankrupt. It has been significantly altered over time, and has now been converted into a youth hostel. 8 Cox St H0252

Where: VHR:

Griffiths Island Griffiths Island is an isolated basalt outcrop overlain with sand. It has been used as a whaling station, an Aboriginal mission, a quarry, for shipbuilding, and for a lighthouse complex. Captain Mills Cottage (Exterior) Port Fairy, or Belfast as it was originally known, was one of the busiest ports in colonial Victoria. One of the original whalers, later the harbour master, Captain John Mills, deserved a house of note – and he got one overlooking the Moyne. The well-preserved timber cottage was built in three stages, the earliest, featuring simple timber framing with split boards, shingles and casement windows, dates back to 1840. Later stages have more sophisticated fittings such as double hung sash windows. The prefabricated structure of the front building has a sheet iron roof and cast iron columns from Sydney, and veranda flagstones, possibly from Scotland. 40 Gipps St VHR: H7321 Where:

Emoh  Emoh was built around 1847 by William Rutledge who, at the time, was known as the King of Port Fairy. Rolf Boldrewood, who wrote Robbery Under Arms, recalls the wonderful hospitality that Rutledge offered before he was forced to sell-up when Captain Mills Cottage, RE Griffiths Island, RE

At the time of European settlement, the island consisted of three separate islands (Griffiths, Rabbit and Goat Island). Since the 1860s, however, ongoing harbour improvement works to improve the quality of the bay anchorage and the navigability of the Moyne River have resulted in them joining into one. The island is home to a number of small swamp wallabies and a large colony of 15,000 short-tailed shearwaters, or mutton-birds (see the Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna chapter). The birds arrive in late-September, after an amazing migratory flight, and stay until mid-April. They can be seen at dusk returning to their burrows. Please keep to the tracks on the island, as a careless footstep can collapse a burrow and bury a chick. There’s an enjoyable circuit walk of the island that takes you out to the lighthouse. at the mouth of the Moyne River H1659

Where: VHR:

Guide to the Coast

365.

Warrnambool to Portland

Griffiths Island Lightstation The Port Fairy lighthouse squats at sea level, still at its original location, although its address has changed since it was built in 1859. Its first home was Rabbit Island, which later joined to Griffiths Island during harbour improvement works. The lighthouse marks the entrance to the Moyne River and Port Fairy Harbour, and was important at a time when the town was a thriving trading port for western Victoria. Unusual for its sea-level location, the lighthouse stands only 11 metres above the high water mark. Lighthouse keepers’ quarters were also built nearby, as was a flagstaff, for signalling tide heights, and a small basalt jetty to service the lighthouse with fuel and supplies. The lighthouse keepers’ quarters and compound were demolished after the harbour master was relocated to near Battery Hill in 1956, and the lighthouse now operates remotely. The foundations of the lighthouse keepers’ quarters can still be seen, and a group of Norfolk Island pines marks the compound perimeter. Where: Griffiths VHR:

Island

H1659

Lifeboat & Rocket Shed Back in the hazardous days when western Victoria relied on coastal shipping – and was at the mercy of wind and waves – lifeboats rowed by volunteers played an important role. The Port Fairy lifeboat was built in 1857, and is believed to be the oldest self-righting lifeboat in the world. When it was in use, a crew of 10 oarsmen, two sweep oars, a bowhand and coxswain were capable of dashing out to sea and rescuing 24 people at a time.

It is the only early lifeboat surviving in its original context and location in Victoria. Originally moored at the Moyne, a cantilevered boathouse was built in 1861 on the East Beach jetty. The jetty was poorly positioned and was abandoned in about 1873 and the shed moved to its present position on the east bank of the river. The bluestone rocket shed was built in 1886; rockets were used to fire ropes out to ships that had grounded near shore. Griffiths St H1431

Where: VHR:

Merrijig Inn Opposite the jetty at the mouth of the Moyne River, the Merrijig Inn would have been a welcome home away from home for whalers and seamen. Billy Rutledge used it as his first headquarters. Despite many modifications, it remains significant as one of the oldest surviving structures in Victoria. The Merrijig Inn was only licensed until 1852, when the government purchased it for police offices. It was then used as a courthouse and municipal offices, and now operates as a small private hotel and restaurant. Merrijig Inn, RE

366.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Practicalities Trains run to Warrnambool and there are connecting buses to Port Fairy. Port Fairy has a huge range of accommodation, from luxurious small hotels to a youth hostel and camping grounds. There is a huge range of places to eat; Port Fairy is a gourmet destination.

A two-storied section in Campbell Street was demolished around 1900. The surviving section – a cementrendered stone structure – has a distinctive colonial quality that is rarely seen in Victoria. The high, hip roof and pivoting window frames are interesting features. 1 Campbell St H0248

Where: VHR:

Motts Cottage The humble but beautifully proportioned Motts Cottage is thought to have been built around 1845, soon after the town was first surveyed. The original house was a single storey, two-room timber dwelling, but in later years a twostorey stone section was added then, later still, a skillion was attached. The cottage acquired its name from owner and occupant Sarah Jane Mott, who lived there from 1918 until 1944. The Mott family worked as fishermen, boatmen and labourers in Port Fairy around this time. The cottage is now owned by the National Trust and is open to the public on certain days (check with the Visitor Information Centre for times), so you can explore a slice of Port Fairy’s history. 5 Sackville St H0254

Where: Lady Julia Percy Island (Deen Maar), RE Motts Cottage, RE

VHR:

Unless you book ahead and get the logistics organised, it’s best to avoid the Labour Day weekend in March when the Port Fairy Folk Festival happens. Tens of thousands descend on the town and every available bed and table is booked; the road traffic is also very heavy.

Around Port Fairy Lady Julia Percy Island (Deen Maar) The impressive remnants of an offshore volcano, Deen Maar lies five km off the coast. It is a basalt plateau rising up to 46 metres above sea level, surrounded by steep, often vertical cliffs. Around the base of the cliffs there are rocky coves and sea caves and a few shingle or boulder beaches. The island is windswept and treeless, with bracken and scrub on thin black peaty soils, and it is uninhabited except for seals, seabirds and rabbits. Europeans plundered the seal population, but this has now recovered. It supports the largest known breeding colony of Australian fur seals with an estimated population of more than 27,000 individuals. Australian sea lions and southern elephant seals visit occasionally. There are large breeding colonies of short-tailed shearwaters as well as

Guide to the Coast

Warrnambool to Portland

367.

little penguins, fairy prions, common diving-petrels and kelp gulls. Deen Maar is an important spirit place for the Gunditjmara. Traditionally it was believed that Deen Maar was the last stepping-stone for the spirit before it departed this world prior to being reborn. All bodies buried on the coast were placed with their heads facing Deen Maar so their spirits could travel to the island. It is also believed to be the place where Bunjil, the eagle and creator, and his brother Pallian departed the earth in sheets of flame after creating the land and sea and all living things. There are also traditional beliefs about spirits and creation beings that link Deen Maar to places on the mainland, including Mt Eccles (Budj Bim) and Mt Napier. There is archaeological evidence that the Gunditjmara regularly visited Deen Maar. Today, boat charters from Port Fairy and Warrnambool fish the rich nearby waters. The Crags The Crags is one of the few spots between Port Fairy and Portland where you can easily access the coast, and it has great views of Lady Julia Percy Island. It is also an important archaeological site with significant middens that date back at least 3000 years. Yambuk Aboriginal name: Yambuk Population: 500 Viewpoints: Giant slide, Lake Yambuk

Numerous archaeological sites within the Yambuk area are evidence of thousands of years of occupation by the Yambeet gundidj. Yambuk itself is a small settlement with a famous hotel, the distinctive bluestone Yambuk Inn, built in 1870.

A short drive from the Princes Hwy brings you to Lake Yambuk at the mouth of the Eumeralla River, the river that gave its name to the war between the Gunditjmara and European settlers. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a small caravan park at Lake Yambuk and, oddly, a giant slide! From the top of the dunes there is dramatic view of Lady Julia Percy Island (Deen Maar Island). Eumeralla Backpackers & Deen Maar The Framlingham Aboriginal Trust has acquired a superb property on the western side of the Eumeralla River, taking in much of the estuary wetlands and the dunes to the mouth of the river. The dunes are now the site for a number of windmills, but it is still an extraordinary landscape. Eumeralla Backpackers is in Yambuk itself, in a converted 19th century schoolhouse. It has comfortable, though somewhat Spartan, selfcatering accommodation in the schoolhouse itself, appropriate for a couple or family; and there are bunkhouses suitable for a larger group behind. The best bit about staying at the Backpackers, however, is that you are allowed to access the Deen Maar property.

The Crags to Lady Julia Percy Island (Deen Maar), RE Eumeralla Backpackers, Yambuk, RE

368.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

wetlands within and around stony rises. Beginning thousands of years ago, the Gunditjmara people developed this landscape and manipulated the wetlands to grow and harvest eels and fish. They used stones from the lava flow to construct channels to link wetlands, weirs to dam water, and fishtraps for harvesting.

Make a positive impact – which could just be by picking up rubbish you see along a walking track.

The property has spiritual significance to local Aboriginal people, in part because of its visual connection to Deen Maar Island (Lady Julia Percy Island), in part because it was such an important environment (rich in food resources), and in part because Aboriginal casualties of the Eumeralla War were buried here. When the farm was first acquired in 1993, the wetland had been drained, and the environment was highly degraded. There has been considerable work on rehabilitation. Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape More info this book: Aboriginal

Heritage chapter, Mt Eccles National Park, Map 5

About 20,000 years ago the Gunditjmara witnessed the volcanic eruption of Mt Eccles, which was the way the dreamtime creation being, Budj Bim, revealed himself in the landscape. Dreamtime beings were an integral part of the Aboriginals’ changing physical and social landscape.

Lake Condah Mission, RE

The lava flow from Mt Eccles rearranged the region’s pre-existing drainage patterns and created large

Similar systems were created in other parts of the Western District, like Lake Bolac, although Europeans and their agriculture have effectively erased most signs of these. Freshwater fish traps recorded in other parts of Australia provided a system for channelling fish into traps, but were not designed for fish husbandry. The system of eel aquaculture developed by the Gunditjmara enabled the development of a settled society with large populations living in villages of stone huts. In Gunditjmara tradition, a system of hereditary chiefs also developed. As was the case on many other frontiers, conflict between Europeans and Aborigines was endemic in the Lake Condah area. The Gunditjmara people resisted European encroachment, using the region’s ubiquitous stony rises (rugged stony lava flows, perfect for guerrilla warfare), for more than 20 years during what is now known as the Eumeralla War. As this conflict drew to an end in the 1860s, many Aboriginal people were left as refugees, and the Victorian Government began to develop reserves to house them. A good number of Gunditjmara wanted to remain on their ancestral land and refused to move. Eventually, the government reluctantly agreed to build a mission at Lake Condah, close to some of the eel traps and within sight of Budj Bim.

Guide to the Coast

369.

Warrnambool to Portland

The impact of the white invasion was as profound here as elsewhere in Victoria. Not only was the bulk of the Gunditjmara population killed by disease and war, but their villages and houses were largely destroyed. Despite repeated government attempts to move them, Gunditjmara continued to use the mission until 1957 when the church and houses were actually blown up by the authorities. Despite ongoing attempts by the government to break up families in an era now characterised by the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Stolen Generationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tragedy, Gunditjmara continued to live in the area and protect their heritage. Yet they were powerless to stop the lakes and swamps, including Lake Condah, being drained to facilitate European agriculture â&#x20AC;&#x201C; changes that have had

disastrous ecological consequences for the entire region. The Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape, centred at Lake Condah, was one of the first three places to be listed on the National Heritage List in July 2004. On 30 March 2007 the Gunditjmara won native title to 140,000 ha of crown land and water, including several national parks, and the remnants of their land around Lake Condah. The Victorian Government has also agreed the lake will be restored. The infrastructure is still being developed, but it is now possible to experience a number of guided tours of the lake, stone houses, fish traps and the mission. The tours are operated by the Gunditjmara-owned and operated Budj Bim Tours.

Lake Condah in flood

370.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

was reduced from 2000 to 800 acres. Belatedly, in 1910, the government recognised the cruelty of the 1886 act, and made changes to allow ‘half-castes’ access to services and rations provided at Lake Condah and other missions.

Lake Condah Mission The Lake Condah Mission was established in the 1860s. There were strict controls over the Aboriginal population and rations were given as a reward, not a right. St Mary’s Anglican Church was built in 1883, constructed by Aboriginal men who carried the bluestone from the east side of Darlot’s Creek. In 1886, the ‘Half-Caste’ Act mandated the expulsion of mixed race people from missions, and greatly reduced the population of Lake Condah. Many moved close by to Greenvale and Little Dunmore so they could continue to visit family still living on the mission, and the church. Partly because of the drop in population, in 1902 the mission reserve

Lake Condah Mission, RE Fish trap, Lake Condah, RE

In 1919 Aboriginal requests to run the reserve as a farming cooperative were refused and the mission was closed. The reserve was then largely broken up for soldier settlement, and although Lake Condah residents fought in both world wars, their requests for soldier settlement blocks in the area were denied. The mission school continued to operate until 1948. The church, which had become an important meeting place for the community, continued even longer. It was finally demolished by explosives in 1957, and the remaining residents were expelled from the reserve. In 1987 the last 53 ha of governmentowned reserve land was finally returned to the Gunditjmara community. The ruins of the church and a number of houses can be visited as part of the tours organised by the Gunditjmaraowned and operated Budj Bim Tours. Where: Budj Bim Orientation Centre, 21 Scott St, Heywood Tel: 03 5527 1699 More info: www.budjbim.com www.lakecondah.com

371.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Lemonade Creek Cottages, Lorne is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Lemonade Creek Cottages, Lorne Solar hot water generates huge savings

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. That’s Ray Neilson’s philosophy, anyway. As the owner of Lemonade Creek Cottages he says he felt guilty when they first built the six cottages on site, worried about the amount of energy and resources they were consuming. Now he figures the people who stay in the cottages are using less energy at Lemonade Creek than they would in their own homes. Each cottage on the property uses water collected in three 60,000-gallon tanks; and the sewerage is treated on-site and reused on the lush gardens. The cottages are also equipped with solar panels to heat the water for the getaway staple: the spa bath. Ray estimates that they saved a staggering $10,000 in electricity bills last year alone, thanks to the investment in solar hot water panels and solar electricity panels. Not only is that a lot of money, but it points to huge reductions in electricity consumption too.

Ray says that the visitors who ‘get it’ will always ask about the solar panels that are plainly visible on the cottage’s rooftops. He’s happy to pass on pamphlets and information about how to install them, helping to spread the sustainability message. “When you start to see the local springs drying up, and the water table dropping so significantly, it hits home that we’ve all got to do the right thing.” Ray Neilson Address: 690 Erskine Falls Road, Lorne Tel: 03 5289 2600 www.lemonadecreekcottages.com

Old apple tree near Moonlight Head, RE

372.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

PORTLAND TO NELSON The stretch of coastline from Portland to Nelson is as dramatic and interesting as any along the length of the Great Ocean Road. It is less well-known, and considerably harder to get to, so it is in many ways a journey of discovery – and an exciting one. Portland is the site of the first permanent European settlement in Victoria and it has retained an impressive 19th century architectural heritage with more than 200 historical buildings. Its magnificent deep-water port – the only one between Adelaide and Melbourne – has facilitated continuing commercial and industrial development. The capes at Nelson and especially Bridgewater have scenic grandeur in their own right, but the Bonney Upwelling creates an amazing marine ecosystem, the pinnacle of which is the blue whale. The surfing, too, is outstanding; see the Beaches & Surfing chapter. From Cape Bridgewater to Nelson the coast is protected by the Discovery Bay Coastal Park. The main characteristic is very large mobile sand dunes, sometimes behind low cliffs, sometimes fronting directly onto the beach. The beach is wild Yellow Rock, near Portland, RE

Guide to the Coast

373.

Portland to Nelson

and wonderful, continually reshaped by waves and wind. Behind the dunes lie wetlands and lakes. The land beyond the coastal dunes consists of coastal grasses, sedges and some pasture. In the hinterland beyond the coastal zone there are extensive plantings of pines, but also big areas of national park and native forest. See Cobboboonee National Park, Mt Richmond National Park and Lower Glenelg National Park in the Parks & Reserves chapter. The Glenelg River is a special and largely hidden landscape with dramatic limestone cliffs, blue waters and the historic township of Nelson. The entire region is traversed by the challenging Great South West Walk, which begins in Portland, loops inland through national parks to the Glenelg River, follows the river to Nelson, then follows the coast all the way back to Portland.

Portland Aboriginal name: Leywhollot, Pulambeet Population: 10,000 Viewpoint: Wade St Water Tower, Lighthouse Ave, Battery Point More info this book: Aboriginal Heritage, European Heritage, Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna, Beaches & Surfing, Fishing, Cape Nelson State Park, Discovery Bay Coastal Park, Cobboboonee National Park, Mt Richmond National Park, Map 5 & 6

Portland has a long European history, which is proudly reflected in its

architecture. Its ideal situation, with a sheltered harbour and access to the rich agricultural land of the Western District, is why it has been settled so long and successfully. It is also why the town is more complex and interesting than a regional centre that simply provides services – the port has connected the city to the world and attracted industry. A bit like Corio Bay in Geelong, Portland Bay is now overshadowed by an enormous aluminium smelter – a particularly curious location given the alumina comes from Western Australia, and the electrical power comes from Gippsland. On the positive side, the smelter provides Portland with 600 direct jobs, and many more indirectly. Similarly, the vast soft and hardwood timber plantations in the region employ many people. And a large company manufactures and installs wind farms, many of which are also sprouting nearby. There is a substantial fishing fleet that exploits the region’s marine riches – and when the southern blue fin are biting the foreshore is packed with hundreds of big blokes in large four-wheel-drives towing sizable fishing boats. Portland makes a great base for exploring the region. It’s roughly an hour from Port Fairy, 20 minutes from Cape Bridgewater, and an hour from Nelson. Mt Eccles (Budj Bim) and Lake Condah are also less than an hour away.

Portland foreshore, GSC Nuns Beach, GSC Lighthouse, RE

374.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

and he definitely planned to stay. His first hut was built in the vicinity of the Richmond Henty Hotel. Prompted by Major Mitchell, who reached Portland from Sydney in 1836, the Hentys seized the rich grazing lands to the north of Portland and by 1839 had 30,000 sheep.

It has all the facilities you would expect of a town this size, including a range of motels, hotels, B&Bs, self-catering options and caravan parks. There are a small number of restaurants, some of which are part of hotels that have been dispensing hospitality for 150 years. History Named by Lieutenant James Grant in 1800, Portland was visited by whalers and sealers soon after, in particular by Captain William Dutton who many argue was actually the first permanent resident. Probably around 1833 or 1834, Portland was the site for one of the region’s worst massacres. It was first reported to George Robinson, Chief Protector of Aboriginals, by Edward Henty, who believed it had been sparked by a fight over the carcass of a whale that had drifted to shore. The whalers wiped out all but two members of the Kilcarer Gunditj – possibly as many as 200 people – at what is now known as the Convincing Ground, at the eastern end of Fergusons Beach Rd, Allestree, about 10 km north of Portland. Nuns Beach and foreshore, RE Burswood Homestead, RE Portland architecture, RE

Edward Henty, soon followed by his brothers, arrived at Portland in 1834

The family went on to dominate the commercial development of the town for many years, including the port and coastal transport to/from Melbourne. Quite soon their houses were somewhat better than huts… Edward’s mansion, Burswood, was built in 1855 and is now a boutique hotel. In 1839 Foster Fyans, the Police Magistrate for Geelong, was sent to Portland to investigate another massacre of Aboriginals. On his return, his report made no mention of a massacre but, against the arguments of the Hentys, he did recommend Portland be developed as an official port and township. The township was laid out and the first land sale was made in October 1840. In the period to 1842, six hotels (including the Steam Packet Inn, 33 Bentinck St; the Portland Inn, 4 Percy St; and the London Inn, cnr Julia St and Bentinck St) were established. There were also four churches. To round out the essential services required by European civilisation, the first bank appeared in 1846. As the hinterland was more closely settled, the importance of the port increased. The first jetty was built in 1846. Shipping activity was further intensified by the goldrushes of the 1850s and 1860s. In an attempt to reduce congestion, ships were diverted from Geelong and Melbourne to outlying ports, including Portland. Mary McKillop, Australia’s first and only saint, arrived in Portland in 1862,

Guide to the Coast

375.

Portland to Nelson

aged 19, to be a governess to a local family. She subsequently moved her financially-strapped family to Portland and taught at the local Common School (now All Saints Primary School), then started a ‘Seminary for Young Ladies’ in Bayview House (now part of Bayview College). Financial problems overtook the family again, and in 1866 Mary left for Penola in South Australia where she took the religious name, Sister Mary of the Cross. In 1867, with Father Julian Woods, she co-founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart. She died in 1909 and was beatified in 1995. Portland has always competed with Geelong, Port Fairy and Warrnambool for the role of the main Western District port. Geelong enjoyed an ascendancy through much of the 20th century thanks to its bulk handling facilities, but as bigger ships increasingly dominate international trade, it may well be that Portland will turn the tables. Geelong is basically restricted to vessels with a draught of 11 metres whereas Portland can handle at least 12 metres. Highlights & Heritage The Visitor Information Centre is on the harbour, and shares a building with the Maritime Discovery Centre. A visit to both is a must. The Visitor Information Centre has a considerable amount of information, which includes a history walk that takes in a crosssection of the more than 100 heritagelisted buildings. There is another walk for those interested in Mary McKillop, Australia’s first saint. Botanic Gardens The Botanic Gardens are an excellent example of a provincial garden and include plantings of specimen trees

and a wide range of plants, including a number of rarities. The flower displays feature more than 300 rose varieties, and 130 varieties of dahlias. William Allit started the gardens in 1857, with paths and garden beds laid down in the 1860s. Allit’s picturesque cottage of quarry-faced bluestone was built in 1858 and features massive chimneys. It has been restored and furnished in the style of a 19th century workman’s cottage. Wed & Sun, 2:00pm to 4:00pm Glenelg St

Cottage open: Where:

Cable Tram The Portland Tram is a 19th century cable tram that runs from the Powerhouse Museum (which has a collection of veteran, vintage and classic cars and motorbikes) alongside Fawthrop Lagoon, to the Botanic Gardens, the Maritime Discovery Centre and on to the WWII Memorial at the Wade St Watertower.

Portland tram, GSC Allit’s Cottage, Portland Botanic Gardens, RE

376.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Where: Cliff St Entry fee Tel: 5522 2266 VHR: H0234

Maritime Discovery Centre, Lifeboat

Where: tickets from Portland Visitor Information Centre When: seven days a week, and you can hop on and off all day Fare payable More info: www.portlandcabletrams.com.au

Customs House Portland Customs House is the only surviving customs house from the state’s pre-Separation period, and it is still in use. Built in 1849, the building was also the collection point for tariff duties prior to the introduction of the federal income tax in 1915. Stepping inside, you gain an idea of the operations of colonial and federal customs through the retention of the Long Room, offices and, below on the ground floor, the bond store and accommodation for the customs master. Cliff St H1844

Where: VHR:

History House (Old Town Hall) History House is dedicated to local history, featuring maritime displays, a photographic collection and information for family research. It is in the old bluestone town hall which was built to a Classical design in 1863. The central chamber features a basalt pediment and Tuscan pilasters. History House (Old Town Hall), GSC Mac’s Hotel Bentinck, RE Customs House and bank, RE

Open: daily, 10:00am to 12:00noon, 1:00pm to 4:00pm

The Portland Maritime Discovery Centre shares a building with the Portland Visitor Information Centre. The centre takes you on a voyage into the rich history of Portland, when it was a thriving port city that provided shelter and fresh water to the whalers and sealers plying their trade in the treacherous waters of Bass Strait. Along with an impressive whale skeleton, the Portland Lifeboat is one of the standout exhibits. It’s one of the oldest surviving examples of Australian boat building, built in Williamstown in 1857. It remained in service until 1915. It made its name in 1859 when a crew used it to dramatically rescue 19 people from the horrific Admella shipwreck, which took 89 lives. Open: daily,

9:00am to 5:00pm Lee Breakwater Rd Entry fee Where:

Steam Packet Inn In Portland’s first land sales, in October 1840, the site of the Steam Packet Inn was bought by Samuel Hutchinson, a convict who had been transported to Van Diemen’s Land in the early 1800s. Quick to capitalise on his purchase, Hutchinson built a double-storey timber building (the timber came from Tasmania) and opened for business on 1 July 1842. It remains one of Victoria’s oldest hotel buildings, and is an extant example of Colonial Georgian architecture, with the original lapped boards and decorative finishes largely surviving beneath the ground floor linings. The first floor rooms are fairly intact,

Guide to the Coast

with many accumulated layers of wallpaper. Throughout its lifetime, the building operated as a licensed hotel, a police barracks, a brothel, a guesthouse and a private home. 33 Bentinck St H0239

Where: VHR:

377.

Portland to Nelson

Around Portland Gannet Colony, Lawrence Rocks Australian gannets are a large and beautiful seabird with a distinctive yellow head, a sweeping, soaring flight, and a spectacular dive. Pt Danger, near the aluminium smelter, is their only mainland colony and 6000 pairs nest here. Gannets spend most of their lives at sea and return to breed from around September through to late February.

Cape Nelson More info this book: Cape Nelson State Park, Walks Around Portland & Cape Bridgewater, Beaches & Surfing, Map 6

Cape Nelson has high cliffs that are constantly battered by wild seas. The eastern side is more sheltered, and there are several interesting and enjoyable short walks (notably the Enchanted Forest Walk through unusual Moonah forest) and some outstanding surf breaks. Originally, large amounts of limestone were laid down in the Miocene age and volcanic activity followed. Evidence of basalt flows is visible and much of the area is covered by calcareous sand. The sandy soils favour low stringybark woodlands and heathlands. Exposed volcanic features, limestone outcrops and caves contrast with the sand dunes and undulating country of the hinterland. There are several very large Aboriginal middens and caves west of the headland. Picnic Hill is the most southern point reached by Major Mitchell.

Cape Nelson, GSC Gannet Colony, GSC

378.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

eastern lee of Cape Bridgewater and has a range of accommodation options although, sadly, nowhere to camp. At the centre of the community sits a kiosk/post office/pub, where you can get the basic necessities of life.

Cape Nelson Lightstation The Cape Nelson Lightstation is a sprawling collection of buildings, including the 24-metre tower, head keepers’ and assistant keepers’ quarters and storeroom. The complex was built from locally quarried bluestone and completed in 1884 on a windswept and remote stretch of coastal cliff. Today, the complex remains remarkably intact. Visitors can enjoy the café, take tours of the lighthouse itself (there are great views) or stay in the cottages. VHR:

H1773

Cape Bridgewater More info this book: Discovery Bay Coastal Park, Discovery Bay Marine National Park, Walks Around Portland & Cape Bridgewater, Beaches & Surfing, Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna, Map 6

Bridgewater Bay lies between the two capes, Bridgewater and Nelson, and is fringed by a perfect crescent of white sand. Cape Bridgewater is a brutally spectacular headland with the tallest cliffs in Victoria.

Bridgewater Bay from Cape Bridgewater, RE Cape Bridgewater, GSC Cape Nelson Lightstation, RE

Shelly Beach is 16 km from Portland, and a short walk from the carpark. There are magnificent views of the bay, and some popular fishing spots. Bridgewater township lies in the

The beach in front of the kiosk has a pretty ordinary shorebreak, patrolled by the Portland Surf Life Saving Club. There is a range of exciting walks and activities on and around the cape itself, including surfing, walking, and seal and whale watching (blue whales visit from November to May). See the Discovery Bay Coastal Park section, the Beaches & Surfing chapter, and the Walks Around Port Fairy & Cape Bridgewater section. The Great South West Walk follows the coast closely, and there are a number of short sections that can be tackled.

Nelson Aboriginal name: Koorong Population: 250 More info this book: Lower Glenelg

National Park, Discovery Bay Coastal Park, Great South West Walk, Fishing, Map 6

Nelson is a small and sleepy township at the mouth of the Glenelg River, just five km from the South Australian border and 70 km west of Portland. Entering Nelson is a bit like stepping back in time – to a time when Australian coastal holiday towns were about fishing and barbecues, not shopping and cappuccinos. Major Mitchell was the first European to explore the Glenelg River and reach the estuary. The earliest building in the town, built in 1848, has been licensed as the Nelson Hotel since 1882. There was a punt across the river for many years. The first bridge was built in 1893, and the modern concrete bridge was built in 1997.

Guide to the Coast

379.

Portland to Nelson

Nelson’s greatest asset is the Glenelg River, with its limestone gorges and turquoise estuary. This is one of the most beautiful estuaries on the Australian coast, and a favourite with fish, pelicans and fishermen – in that order. Nelson is also the best starting point for an exploration of the Lower Glenelg National Park and the Discovery Bay National Park (see separate sections in the Parks & Reserves chapter). In addition to the pub, there’s a roadhouse, a general store, a motel, and a boat hire business – but not much more. There’s a surprisingly large range of accommodation options, but they’re mostly low-key B&Bs or self-catering options. There are also a couple of caravan parks. There are some excellent bush camping grounds in the Lower Glenelg National Park, including 11 special canoe camps designed to enable canoeists the opportunity to navigate the section of the river that flows through the national park. There are also a limited number of campsites in the Discovery Bay National Park. The Nelson Visitor Information Centre handles bookings for all these sites. It’s possible to hire small motorboats in Nelson for a fishing trip up the river, or canoes if you’re more ambitious. Canoes are also available from Winnap. There are river cruises from Nelson upstream to the Princess Margaret Rose Cave (see following).

Around Nelson Princess Margaret Rose Cave The Princess Margaret Rose Cave is beside the Glenelg River. First discovered in 1936, the caves were formed by erosion from the river and water trickling through limestone. Visitors are taken on a 45-minute tour. These caves have an unusual variety of forms and colours: stalactites (from the roof ), tubular stalactites (or straws), stalagmites (from the floor), helictites (that grow in different directions), cave coral, rimstone pools, shawls, blankets and bacons (accurately described by their names). The caves can be reached by road or river from Nelson. There is a kiosk, three basic cabins and a small number of unpowered campsites. 17 km north of Nelson at 10:00am, 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm, 3:30pm and 4:30pm; reduced times in winter – 11:00am, 12:00pm, 1:30pm and 2:30pm Entry fee Tel: 08 8738 4171 More info: www.princessmargaretrosecave.com Where:

Tour Times: daily

Nelson, GSC Nelson, GSC Nelson, GSC

380.

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

CHAPTER TITLE

381.

SECTION TITLE

GUIDE TO THE HINTERLAND

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

382.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

The Guide to the Hinterland covers the countryside lying in a band between 20 and 100 km from the coast. It includes the northern slopes and foothills of the Otway Ranges and the volcanic plains that extend from Geelong to the South Australian border. The northern border follows the Princes Hwy (A1) from Geelong to Terang; then, when the Princes Hwy turns southwest to Warrnambool, the northern boundary becomes the Hamilton Hwy (B140). See the Guide to the Coast for any places within 20 km of the coast. Heritage sites that are registered by Heritage Victoria have a Heritage Victoria logo alongside, and their Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) number is also listed. This can be used to reference the information on the Heritage Victoria database, which can be found on the Internet at www.heritage.vic.gov.au. Where possible, population figures have been given. These are the numbers taken from the 2006 census and reflect permanent populations. They give a reasonably accurate indication of the facilities you might expect in each town. Once numbers get up around 1000 you can expect a medical centre, perhaps a district hospital, banking facilities, and a range of accommodation and eating options. Anything under 500 and you’ll be lucky to find much more than a general store and maybe a hotel. Viewpoints that give visitors an opportunity to orient themselves – or that are especially beautiful in their own right – have been suggested.

Previous pages: Otways, RE Old train bridge near Deans Marsh, RE

It is important to cross-reference with the sections shown under the ‘More information this book’ heading. Information about history, ecology, parks and reserves, and activities has not been repeated in this section.

Guide to the hinterland

383.

The Otways

THE OTWAYS The northern slopes and foothills of the Otway Ranges were opened up to settlement when railways were pushed into the hills around the turn of the century. As well as making closer settlement and farming possible, it also allowed for the systematic removal of the forest timber. A number of mills were established at remote sites in the Otways, often with settlements around the mill. Tramways transported logs to the mills, and sawn timber to the small rail lines, for transport to towns like Colac and Birregurra where they were again transhipped on to the main rail lines to supply timber to centres throughout western Victoria, including Colac, Geelong, Hamilton and the Ballarat goldfields. There are a number of old mill sites throughout the Otways. Myrtle beech and epiphytes, RE

384.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Forrest Population: 170 More information this book: Walks & Drives Around Apollo Bay, Mountain Biking, Spectator Sports & Events, Great Otway National Park, Platypus, Map 3

Knott’s No. 3 Mill Knott’s No.3 was a large and technologically sophisticated sawmill, which operated in the Otway Ranges between 1922 and 1928. There are relatively intact remains demonstrating the entire sequence of sawmilling operations. Where: Wait-a-While Rd & Phillips Track, Wyelangta VHR: 1818

Henry’s No. 1 Mill This was the largest sawmill in the eastern Otways, operating from 1904 to 1927. The mill site, on the West Barwon River, features intact tramway formations, extensive scatters of domestic debris, mature exotic trees, and numerous foundations of industrial and residential buildings which included a boarding house, bakery, store, billiard room, post office and school, with huts for single men and cottages for families. Where: West Barwon Track and off Mt Sabine Rd, Barramunga VHR: H1815

Deans Marsh Lake Elizabeth platypus tour, VofV Primary school forest, RE Mountain biking expedition, RE Winch, RE

See the Around Lorne section in the Guide to the Coast chapter.

Forrest was settled in the late 1880s after the area was opened up for settlement with the arrival of the Birregurra to Forrest railway. By the early 1900s, as well as a railway station, Forrest boasted several timber mills, a bank, general store, boarding house, post office and telephone exchange, police station, bakery, butcher and hotel. Many of these historic buildings still exist – even if they no longer perform their original function. The railway closed in 1957 as road transport improved; and the West Barwon Reservoir, part of the water supply for the Greater Geelong region, was built in 1965. After the last of the mills closed in 2003, an economic impact study suggested that mountain bike trails be established as a focal point for a new tourism industry. Forrest now boasts over 60 km of trails and hosts mountain bike events throughout the year. Nearby Lake Elizabeth, hidden deep in the Otways, has an interesting history. After one of the heaviest periods of rain on record in 1952, the East Barwon River stopped flowing. An exploratory party discovered a massive landslide had dammed the river and created a new lake, subsequently named Lake Elizabeth. Mountain bike tracks head from Forrest out to the lake where there are several walks and a camping area. You can take a tour exploring the lake by canoe and observe the unique platypus. Forrest has a guesthouse with restaurant, a caravan park and several B&Bs, and there are self-catering

Guide to the hinterland

385.

The Otways

cottages in the town and surrounding countryside.

Beech Forest Population: 80 Viewpoints: short walk from Old Main Rd More information this book:

European Heritage, Walks & Drives Around Apollo Bay, Introduction; Walks & Drives Around Cape Otway; Apollo Bay section in the Guide to the Coast chapter; Map 3

Beech Forest is a small hamlet sitting high on a ridge with spectacular views over the surrounding Otway Ranges, fertile farmland and timber plantations. It was first settled by Europeans in the 1880s, at the same time as other parts of the Otway Ranges were opened up for settlement. The opening of the Beechy narrow gauge railway from Colac to Beech Forest in 1901 enabled closer settlement and the systematic removal of timber. Beech Forest became the heart of the timber industry, with 29 timber mills in the district. The railway closed in 1962, but the Old Beechy Rail Trail, a 45 km walking and cycling trail from Colac, closely follows its original path (see Walk, Ride, Drive chapter). The rail trail finishes at the information bay in Beech Forest, where there are some interesting photos depicting the history of the timber industry and pioneers of the Otways. There is also a display of old farm machinery and, past the nearby hotel, the Balloon Loop – a turning circle at the end of the line. Today Beech Forest is principally known for nearby attractions: waterfalls, Turton’s Track and the Otway Fly Tree Top Walk. Meals and accommodation are available at the pub and there are self-catering cottages in the surrounding countryside. Just up the road, the Ferguson general store has a historical museum, decent

coffee, local produce and arts and crafts for sale.

Gellibrand Population: 145 in the district More information this book: Walks

& Drives Around Cape Otway, Map 3

Gellibrand was established in the 1880s as a timber, farming and quarrying area, and was serviced by the Beechy narrow gauge railway between Colac and Beech Forest. The Old Beechy Rail Trail now passes through town and at the former Gellibrand Railway Station building there is information about the trail and its history. Nearby rivers offer excellent fishing, especially for blackfish and trout – Gellibrand is renowned as the Home of the Blackfish. The town boasts a historic pub, which serves meals, and you can get a coffee and a bite to eat at the general store. There’s a caravan park, with cabins, and several self-contained cottages in the surrounding countryside.

Gellibrand Station, RE Gellibrand River, RE

386.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

THE VOLCANIC PLAINS A vast volcanic plain – the sixth largest in the world – stretches from Melbourne into South Australia. Virtually every hill north of the Otway Ranges and south of the Grampians and Pyrenees has a volcanic origin. In 2008 the United Nations declared this region a globally significant geological area. Known as the Kanawinka Geopark, it is the first geopark in Australia, and the 57th in the world to be recognised by UNESCO. There are more than 400 volcanoes dotted across the plain, including Mt Eccles (20–30,000 years old), Mt Rouse (300–400,000 years old), Mt Napier, Harman’s Valley Lava Flow and the Byaduk Caves (8000 years old). Visitor Information Centres in the region distribute a map/information kit for the Volcanic Discovery Trail; Penshurst has a Volcanoes Discovery Centre. While this volcanic activity shaped the landscape and provided the fertile soils for the excellent grazing country that has been the source of wealth in the area, in some places the volcanoes left behind stones that covered the plains. These stones were used during the 19th century to build an extensive network of dry stone walls. Barwon Park, GS

Guide to the hinterland

387.

The Volcanic Plains

Most of the walls were built after the gold rush and the introduction of rabbits, but there is evidence of dry stone walls being built in the area from the late 1840s and early 1850s. In some cases, walls were a way of clearing the stones to make ploughing possible, but they were also built to protect homesteads and livestock. In the 1870s, many earlier walls were rebuilt in an attempt to rabbit-proof properties. Most of the walls were built by skilled craftsmen from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England, particularly Cornwall. A brochure produced by Corangamite Arts describes the Dry Stone Walls Heritage Trail, which guides you to areas of significant walls including some near Noorat and Camperdown. The brochure is available from the Camperdown Visitor Information Centre and can be downloaded from the Internet at www.corangamite.vic.gov.au/Files/ stonewalls.pdf. The major regional centres – Casterton, Hamilton, Camperdown and Colac – have interesting historical architecture and because they are large enough to support hospitals, high schools, local government offices, and shopping centres are continuing to thrive. There are a number of smaller historic towns that have impressive bluestone public buildings (courthouses, schools, mechanics’ institutes, post offices and pubs) that reflect the historic wealth and importance of the surrounding farms. Some of these towns, like Birregurra and Koroit, are finding a new lease of life through tourism, some are just holding their own, and some are struggling. This second tier of historic towns includes Birregurra, Coleraine, Koroit, Macarthur, Mortlake, Noorat, Terang and Winchlesea. Information

about those with an important attraction have been included in this chapter, which certainly does not mean the others do not have historical interest and charm.

Winchlesea Aboriginal name: Walart Population: 1300 More information this book:

Invading Species (Rabbit), Map 1

Winchlesea is a small town built beside the Barwon River, the centre for a rich grazing region dotted with substantial bluestone homesteads. The first European settlers in the area were squatters who established grazing runs from the mid-1830s. The town developed when the Barwon Hotel and a general store were built in 1842. The hotel was a popular stopping place for coaches on the Geelong– Warrnambool Rd. There are a number of old buildings scattered around the town, including the shire hall, public library, early bank buildings and timber shops with their wide verandahs. There is an Aboriginal scar tree – a 300-year-old red gum – in the former Winchelsea Common, which was recorded by Daisy Bates in about 1900. A heritage trail brochure

Winchlesea streetscape, GS Old town hall, GS

388.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

to import Lincoln sheep. He seems to have lived in the manner of the wealthy country squire, entertaining royalty and enjoying his hunting. As the leader of the Acclimatisation Society he introduced quails, pheasants, foxes and rabbits. Largely in its original condition, the square bluestone, two-storey building is enhanced by a distinctive cast iron verandah, elaborate entry hallway, staircase and high quality crafted interior. The mansion hosts a number of events through the year. is available at the Visitor Information Centre near the bluestone bridge. Winchelsea has several hotels, a motel, cottages in the surrounding countryside, and a caravan park. Barwon River Bridge The finely-proportioned three-span bluestone bridge (1867) over the Barwon River is one of the most impressive stone structures in Victoria. There are a number of picnic spots beside the river. Early in the morning, or in the evening, look for platypus. VHR:

H1465

Around Winchlesea Barwon Park Barwon Park, a National Trust property, is a majestic 42-room bluestone mansion built for Thomas and Elizabeth Austin. When completed in 1869, Barwon Park was the finest and most celebrated mansion house in western Victoria and survives as perhaps the most notable homestead designed by architects Davidson and Henderson.

Barwon River Bridge, GS

Thomas Austin became a noted and wealthy sheep-breeder, being the first

Where: 105 Inverleigh Rd (three km north of town) Open: Wednesdays and Sundays, 11:00am to 4:00pm VHR: H0365

Tarndwarncoort Homestead Alexander Dennis took up the Tarndwarncoort run on the Barwon River in 1841. He built a two-storey house in 1848, which was extended in about 1854â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5 and again in 1877, as his fortunes improved. It is built primarily of bluestone with local blackwood used for the furniture. The Polwarth breed of sheep was developed on this property in the late 19th century; Polwarth fleeces and special yarns are available from the farm. There are also two comfortable cottages available. Princes Highway Warncoort 03 5233 6241 VHR: H0281 Where: tel:

Birregurra Aboriginal name: Burai-gurray Population: 500 Viewpoints: Mt Gellibrand, corner of

Bowden St and Beal St, Map 1

After beginning life as Bowdenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point on Birregurra Creek in the 1860s,

Guide to the hinterland

389.

The Volcanic Plains

Birregurra moved to its present location on the Barwon River. It became a thriving town when the Birregurra to Forrest railway line opened in 1891. The carefully restored façades of Main Street give the town a striking 19th century atmosphere. A number of historic landmarks are described in a heritage walk brochure – available from Visitor Information Centres, the general store or the Birregurra & District Historical Centre (open Sundays from 2:00pm to 4:00pm). One of the most beautiful buildings in Birregurra is the Anglican Christ Church, a notable early English Gothic style parish church designed by Leonard Terry, built in the 1870s of local Mt Gellibrand bluestone. The bell from the nearby Bunting Dale Aboriginal Mission, established in 1838, hangs in the tower. There are several other historic churches and other buildings in town, including the Native Youth Hotel in Main St, which was constructed in the 1860s as a Cobb & Co coaching station between Inverleigh and Lorne. Today Birregurra has a gourmet food store and a number of galleries, gift shops, bookshops and cafés. There are also self-catering cottages in the town and surrounding countryside, and a B&B in the beautiful 1865 Elliminook homestead. The Birregurra Weekend Festival in October features music, art, markets, wholesome farm foods, children’s activities and local wines. Summer markets, held on the 2nd Sunday of each month from December to April, showcase local crafts and produce.

Colac Aboriginal name: Kolac Population: 11,000 Viewpoints: Lookout at Red Rock More information this book: Old Beechy Rail Trail (Walk, Ride, Drive chapter), Map 1

Colac is a bustling regional centre, built on the side of Lake Colac, once the largest freshwater lake in Victoria, but now dry as the result of an extended period of drought. Colac has a wide range of shops and services, and caters to a highly productive agricultural region that produces everything from onions and potatoes, to timber, sheep and cattle. Hugh Murray was the first European to settle in the area when he set up camp near Barongarook Creek at the southern end of Lake Colac. He built his first homestead in 1840 in what is now Chapel St. Colac was one of the first townships in the Port Phillip district, emerging around a coaching inn established in 1844. By the early 1850s much of Colac’s infrastructure was in place, including the post office, churches, courts and schools. A heritage walk takes you to a number of historic

Colac War Memorial (and Ford memorial), GS Colac streetscapes, GS

390.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Around Colac Red Rock Volcanic Reserve The Red Rock complex is the result of many volcanic explosions; 40 separate eruption points have been counted. The result is a number of dramatic scoria cones, some of which can be filled with water. There are panoramic views from two lookout points. To the southeast is Lake Colac with Colac clearly visible at its southern end, and to the northeast is Lake Beeac. To the northwest the volcanic peaks of Mt Porndon, Mt Sugarloaf and Mt Elephant are visible. To the west is the huge saltwater expanse of Lake Corangamite, regarded as Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest permanent natural inland lake. buildings; a brochure is available at the Visitor Information Centre. The railway from Geelong and Melbourne arrived in Colac in 1877 and was followed by the narrow gauge Beechy line to Beech Forest in 1901. The Old Beechy Rail Trail, a 45 km walking and cycling trail from Colac, closely follows the original path of the railway. Colac has a number of motels and hotels offering accommodation and meals. There are also B&Bs, apartments, cottages and caravan parks in and around town. There are a number of cafĂŠs and bakeries, and several good restaurants.

Red Rock Volcanic Reserve, GS

The Eastern Lookout overlooks Coragulac House, a 26-room bluestone mansion built in 1873 by George Pringle Robertson. Red Rock is 17 km northwest of Colac, near Alvie. There are public toilets and a BBQ area. Lake Corangamite Lake Corangamite, 15 km to the west of Colac, is the largest permanent saline lake in Australia and the largest natural lake in Victoria. Geological evidence suggests that it was once up to seven times its current size. It is listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention and supports over 70 species of birds, providing large areas of shallow water, an abundance of food, and islands and sheltered areas for roosting, moulting, feeding and breeding.

Guide to the hinterland

391.

The Volcanic Plains

Camperdown Aboriginal name: Lawarra Population: 3200 Viewpoints: Summits of Mt Leura and Mt

Sugarloaf More information this book:

Aboriginal Heritage, Ecosystems, Flora & Fauna, Map 4

Camperdown is an attractive regional town, with a beautiful location at the foot of several extinct volcanoes. The town’s architectural heritage – and, notably, the towering clock tower overlooking the Avenue of Honour in the main street – owes much to the pioneering Manifold family.

George) which can be found in the Camperdown Cemetery.

History

Highlights & Heritage

Before the arrival of Europeans the Tyarkoort Woorroong people occupied the country around Camperdown, between Mt Emu Creek and Lake Corangamite.

Many of Camperdown’s unique historic buildings, wide streets and parks dating from the mid-1800s have been preserved. Details of heritage walks and driving tours are available at the Visitor Information Centre in the old Court House in Manifold St.

The first European settlers were John, Thomas and Peter Manifold, who took up a 100,000-acre run in 1839, on Lake Purrumbete. They built Purrumbete homestead in 1842 and the family were major benefactors in the town, funding a public hospital, a road to the top of Mt Leura, extensions to the high school library and the town’s fine clock tower. Two local settlers, James and Isabella Dawson, left one of the most important and sympathetic accounts of the Western District’s Aboriginal cultures and languages. James wrote Australian Aborigines: The Language and Customs of Several Tribes of Aborigines in the Western District of Victoria, Australia (1881). They were responsible for the the large obelisk memorial to the Aboriginals of the district, and the grave of Wombeetch Puyuun (also known as Camperdown

Notable buildings include the post office, Masonic Hall, Theatre Royal, Mechanics Institute, court house and the AJ Thomas Motor Garage – all in Manifold St. Finlay Avenue of Elms & Manifold Clock Tower The Finlay Avenue of Elms and the Manifold Clock Tower form a dramatic central landscape feature in the town. The 30-metre-high, red brick clock tower of 1896–97 was built with a bequest from Thomas Manifold, in memory of a son who died in a shooting accident. Manifold St H0647

Where: VHR:

Manifold Clock Tower, RE Masonic Temple, RE Camperdown streetscape, RE

392.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Mt Leura & Mt Sugarloaf Mt Leura and Mt Sugarloaf provide a dramatic backdrop for the township. They are part of a much larger volcanic complex known as the Leura Maar. There are walks to the summit of both Mt Leura and Mt Sugarloaf with spectacular views of the surrounding district, including many of the other cones and craters of the plains. There’s also a road to the top of Mt Leura. Details are available at the Visitor Information Centre. Purrumbete Homestead Around Camperdown Lake Colongulac To the north of the town, Lake Colongulac’s silts have produced fossil evidence of the mega-fauna that inhabited the area during the late Pleistocene period (1 million years ago), including the giant kangaroo (Diprotodon) and marsupial lion (Thylacoleo). The international Ramsar Convention recognised its importance as a wetland, and it is thought to support five per cent of the state’s population of black swan.

As well as the homestead, at least six of the 20 outbuildings built in the late 1800s survive.

Lake Gnotuk & Lake Bullen Merri

Tel:

The two lakes to the west of town, in twin volcanic craters, are separated only by a narrow stretch of land. The best view is from the Botanic Gardens on the town outskirts. Lake Gnotuk is one of the best examples of a hyper saline maar lake in southeast Australia. It is less than 20 metres deep and 30 metres lower than Lake Bullen Merri, which has fresh water and is more than 60 metres deep. Lake Bullen Merri and Lake Purrumbete are stocked by Fish Victoria and are popular fishing spots. View from Mt Leura, RE Lake Bullen Merri, RE

The Manifold brothers squatted at Purrumbete in 1839 and in 1850 their land was converted to freehold. The Purrumbete property became a highly prosperous and substantial farming complex during in the late-19th century and the homestead grew from a core built in 1857–60. It was extended in 1882 and extensively altered again in 1901, and now provides luxury accommodation.

3551 Princes Highway 03 5594 7374 VHR: H0301 Where:

Practicalities For accommodation or meals in Camperdown, you can try one of the historic hotels or apartments at a converted mill, or the luxury accommodation at Purrumbete Homestead. There are also several motels, B&Bs and cottages, a caravan park next to the Botanic Gardens, and a camping reserve at nearby Lake Purrumbete.

Guide to the hinterland

The Volcanic Plains

393.

Simpson Population: 800

Simpson was settled in the 1960s as part of the Heytesbury Settlement – the last Government-sponsored, largescale clearing of forest for agricultural settlement in Victoria. Land clearing started in the Heytesbury Forest in 1956. Ultimately, 50,000 hectares were converted to pasture and 400 dairy-farming families were settled. Ironically, significant areas are now being planted with blue gum plantations. The Heytesbury Settlement Historical Park in the centre of town has information about the development and there is some forest-clearing machinery, including a 5-tonne landclearing High Ball.

Noorat Aboriginal name: Noorat is said to be

named after Ngoora (an Aboriginal elder) Population: 250 Viewpoints: Mt Noorat More information this book:

Aboriginal Heritage, Map 1

Noorat is a small village north of Terang at the foot of Mt Noorat, Australia’s largest dry volcanic crater, which stands 313 metres above sea level. Mt Noorat was a traditional meeting and trading place for Aboriginal clans from as far away as Geelong, Portland and the Wimmera. Mt Noorat was included in the Glenormiston run which, in 1840, was taken up by Niel Black, the Western District patriarch and Scottish pioneer. As selectors moved in and the sheep and cattle runs were broken up for closer settlement, wheat was grown and dairy farming commenced. Descendants of Neil Black still farm in

the area, and there are many examples of buildings reflecting the family’s influence on the district over the years: the Niel Black Presbyterian Memorial Church (1883), the Dalvui Homestead (1908) and the Mt Noorat Cottage. Rabbits became a pest in the area in the 1860s. Many of the dry stone walls erected to keep them out of paddocks still remain. I Can Jump Puddles Alan Marshall, the much-loved Australian author, was born in Noorat in 1902. He was best known for his novel, I Can Jump Puddles, which told the story of his childhood battle with polio. Marshall’s early life can be relived by following the Alan Marshall Discovery Trail, which leads from his home, to his childhood fishing and swimming spots, and to the summit of Mt Noorat where you can admire spectacular views of the surrounding volcanic plains and other outlying cones. Parsonage, Noorat, RE Alan Marshall’s birthplace, Noorat, RE

394.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Several Lutheran churches testify to the arrival of Germans from the Barossa Valley in the 1850s. Exquisitely worked bluestone was used in the construction of some of the local homesteads, including Kolor Homestead (1868), which can be seen from the summit of Mt Rouse.

Penshurst Aboriginal name: Mortom Population: 460 Viewpoints: Summit of Mt Rouse More information this book: Horse Racing (Spectator Sports & Events), Map 1

Penshurst is a small village near the foot of Mt Rouse (360 metres), an extinct volcano known as Collorer by the local Aboriginals. A large marsh to the southeast of Penshurst was the meeting place for many clans who came to barter, feast, hunt and socialise. After the establishment of sheep stations around Mt Rouse from the 1840s, the Aboriginal population declined rapidly and the Mt Rouse Protectorate Station was established in response. The freshwater spring at Penshurst is said to be near the centre of the station. The Aboriginal population continued to decline and the station soon closed.

Penshurst streetscape, RE Volcanoes Discovery Centre, RE Volcanoes Discover Centre interior, VoV

For a while Penshurst thrived, and it was thought that it would become a major centre. As a result, it is an attractive town with many historic buildings. A brochure outlining a walk of the town’s historic buildings is available from the post office and Volcanoes Discovery Centre.

Mt Rouse is a massive accumulation of scoria rising 120 metres above the surrounding volcanic plain. The short walk to the summit offers fine views of the southern Grampians, volcanic plains and other cones in the area, notably Mt Eccles and Mt Napier. Penshurst has a hotel, restaurant, a caravan park and other accommodation. Annual events include the Boxing Day races and the Rouse Rodeo in February. Volcanoes Discovery Centre For a detailed understanding of the region’s volcanic eruptions and lava flows, visit the Volcanoes Discovery Centre, open Friday to Sunday and school holidays, 10:00am to 4:00pm. It has information about the Kanawinka Geopark and the Volcanoes Discovery Trail. There’s an interesting sound and light show.

Hamilton Aboriginal name: Mulleraterong Population: 9400 More information this book:

Hamilton Art Gallery (Arts – Performing & Visual), Map 1

Hamilton is a thriving regional centre, with an attractive – and busy – town centre. The tree-lined streets still exude prosperity. When Major Mitchell travelled through the future site of Hamilton in 1836, he noted that it was home

Guide to the hinterland

395.

The Volcanic Plains

to several Aboriginal clans who lived a relatively settled existence due to the richness of the land, lakes and swamps that supported an abundance of animal and bird life. Acheson French first settled at Monivae, to the south of Hamilton in 1841. Originally named Grange Burn, the township was gazetted in 1851 and the settlement grew to become known as the Wool Capital of the World. The region’s farming and domestic history can be explored at the Hamilton Pastoral Museum. The squatters were of fundamental importance to the town and they emphasised their special social status by building large, elegant homesteads and residences. Hamilton became a town of churches and an important educational centre. Guides of local heritage buildings and sites are available from the visitor information centre, and many treasures from the homesteads are now part of the Hamilton Art Gallery’s collection.

Hamilton also became a centre for aviation after Sir Reginald Ansett moved to Hamilton in 1931 and began to build his transport empire. The first Ansett Airways flight took place in 1936. This part of Hamilton’s history can be explored at the Sir Reginald Ansett Transport Museum near Lake Hamilton. The town is surrounded by a vast and beautiful landscape of green rolling hills, ancient red gums, extinct volcanoes and impressive waterfalls. The Wannon and Nigretta Falls, on the Wannon River, along the Glenelg Highway, have been celebrated by early European artists and have long attracted the interest of tourists. After heavy rains these falls can be truly spectacular. Hamilton has plenty of accommodation options, including many hotels, motels, B&Bs and cottages, and several caravan parks. There are a number of cafés and restaurants. Hamilton, SGSC Wannon Falls, SGSC

396.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

highlights of the muster is an auction where the top dogs change hands for more than $5000. The breed originated from two shorthaired Sutherland collies and one of their pups, which was bred to a Scottish collie – but there is a strong belief the breed also includes dingo, the Australian wild dog. Around Casterton Warrock

Casterton Aboriginal name: Nhullam Population: 1700 Viewpoint: Mickle Lookout More information this book:

Warrock, Map 1

Casterton is a substantial service centre for the surrounding agricultural region. First explored by Major Mitchell, the Henty brothers were quick to seize the region’s rich grasslands for their flocks of sheep. The town site, on the Glenelg River, surrounded by rolling hills and magnificent river red gums, was surveyed in 1840. There are substantial hotels and public buildings, a secondary school and hospital. Kelpies In June each year, Casterton hosts the Kelpie Muster, celebrating the famous working dogs that were first bred at nearby Warrock (see following).

Casterton, GSC Kelpie and sheep, GSC

Kelpies play a crucial role on Australian cattle and sheep farms, and are renowned for their skill, intelligence, hard work and loyalty. For a farmer, a good kelpie can be more important than a human worker. One of the

A visit to Warrock is a journey back in time – back to the middle of the 19th century when Europeans first settled western Victoria. Among them was George Robertson, a Scottish cabinetmaker, who built an extraordinary village of colonial farm buildings sheltered by ancient river red gums. Fifty-seven structures date from the 1840s. They are mostly built from local sawn timber and include the original homestead, woolshed, grain store, dairy, stables, bacon house, blacksmith’s shop and belfry. Not only do the buildings remain, but also many of their contents – a treasure trove of old buggies, tractors, tools, machines, crockery – even biscuit tins. Everything is covered in dust, and so perfectly unchanged it is almost as if a spell has been cast. The privately owned property is open daily, and it provides a unique insight into life on an isolated sheep station where all essentials had to be made or grown on site. Where: Warrock is 30 km north of Casterton. Six km east of Casterton, turn north onto Chetwynd Rd; after 15 km take the signposted left-hand turn (west) into Warrock Rd; the homestead is a few km further. Tel: 03 5582 4222 VHR: H0295

397.

Sustainability

Sustainability Broad sustainability will only be achieved when every business and every person implements many small (and perhaps even large) changes. Fortunately, many businesses in the Great Ocean Road region are introducing sustainable business practices. The Mantra Deep Blue, Warrnambool is just one example. See the list of Featured Sustainable Businesses & Organisations on p59 for more. This list highlights a small number of examples from a range of business types, and gives some idea of the diversity of responses, big and small, to the challenge of sustainability.

Mantra Deep Blue, Warrnambool Warm waters in Warrnambool

On the chilly south west coast of Victoria, patrons of the Mantra Deep Blue Resort stay warm all year round, guilt-free, thanks to an innovative and eco-friendly heating system. The unique resort uses geothermal water sucked from an aquifer 800 metres underground, which is piped throughout the resort at a toasty 45 degrees. This warmed water is all that’s needed for heating, which means saves around 400 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere each year. That’s the equivalent of taking 95 cars off the road. It is the first hotel in Victoria to use geothermal heating. In addition to heating the resort, the geothermal water is also used in the bathhouse, massage treatment rooms and inroom showers.

Guests can also enjoy the benefits of geothermal water in the spa facility, which includes a large indoor heated pool, a hydrotherapy spa pool and four private pool rooms. “Every business today has a responsibility to the environment; and if you do it the right way then you will also reap benefits in other ways.” Paul Schmeja Address: 16 Pertobe Rd, Warrnambool Tel: 03 5559 2000 Email: deepblue.res@mantraresorts.com.au www.mantradeepblue.com.au

Lady Bay, with Mantra, KS

398.

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

CHAPTER TITLE

399.

SECTION TITLE

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Sample Caption to be filled out, Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ?? Sample Caption to be filled out, ??

400.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Visitor Information Centres Anglesea

Geelong

Anglesea Satellite Visitor Centre Opposite Anglesea Shopping Centre

Geelong and Great Ocean Road Visitor Information Centre

15 Cameron Road Anglesea

Cnr Princes Hwy & St Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rd

Apollo Bay

Tel:

03 5275 5797

Great Ocean Road Visitor Information Centre

Freecall: 1800 620 888 (within Australia)

100 Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay 3233

Email:

03 5237 6529

Tel:

Email: Web:

gorvic@colacotway.vic.gov.au

www.visitapollobay.com

Camperdown Camperdown Visitor Information Centre 179 Manifold St, Camperdown 3260 Tel:

03 5593 3144

Web:

gotvic@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

www.greatoceanroad.org

Geelong Visitor Information Centre 26 Moorabool St, Geelong 3220 Tel:

03 5222 2900

Freecall: 1800 620 888 (within Australia) Email: Web:

gotvic@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

www.greatoceanroad.org

Colac

Hamilton

Colac Visitor Information Centre

Hamilton Visitor Information Centre

Cnr Queen & Murray St, Colac 3250

Lonsdale St, Hamilton 3300

Tel:

03 5231 3730

Email: Web:

Previous page: Warrock, near Casterton, RE

Corio 3214

colacvic@colacotway.vic.gov.au

www.visitotways.com

Freecall: 1800 807 056 (within Australia) Email: Web:

hvic@sthgrampians.vic.gov.au

www.sthgrampians.vic.gov.au

401.

Practical Information

Lorne

Queenscliff

Lorne Visitor Information Centre

Queenscliff Visitor Information Centre

15 Mountjoy Pde, Lorne 3232 Tel: 03 5289 1152 or 1300 89 1152 (local call cost in Australia) Email: Web:

lornevic@surfcoast.vic.gov.au

www.visitsurfcoast.com

55 Hesse St, Queenscliff 3225 Tel: 03 5258 4843 or 1300 884 843 (local call cost in Australia) Email: Web:

Nelson Nelson Visitor Information Centre Leake St, Nelson 3292 Tel:

08 8738 4051

Email:

nelsonvic@hotkey.net.au

Port Campbell Twelve Apostles Visitor Information Centre 26 Morris St, Port Campbell 3269 03 5598 6089 or 1300 137 255 (local call cost in Australia) Tel:

Email: Web:

pcvic@corangamite.vic.gov.au

www.visit12apostles.com.au

Port Fairy Port Fairy Visitor Information Centre Railway Place, Bank St, Port Fairy 3284 Tel:

info.centre@queenscliffe.vic.gov.au

www.queenscliff.org

Torquay Torquay Visitor Information Centre Surf City Plaza, Beach Rd, Torquay 3228 Tel:

03 5261 4219

Email: Web:

torquayvic@iprimus.com.au

www.visitsurfcoast.com

Warrnambool Warrnambool Visitor Information Centre Flagstaff Hill, 23 Merri St, Warrnambool 3280 Tel:

03 5564 7837

Freecall: 1800 637 725 (within Australia) Email: Web:

visitor@warrnambool.vic.gov.au

www.visitwarrnambool.com.au

03 5568 2682

Email: Web:

vic@moyne.vic.gov.au

www.visitportfairy.com.au

MORE WEBSITES

Portland

Parks Victoria

Portland Visitor Information Centre

www.parkweb.vic.gov.au

Lee Breakwater Rd, Portland 3305

www.greatoceanwalk.com.au

Tel:

03 5523 2671

1800 035 567 (within Australia) Freecall:

Email: Web:

portlandvic@glenelg.vic.gov.au

www.visitdiscoverycoast.com

Heritage Victoria www.heritage.vic.gov.au Victoria Heritage Database: http://vhd.heritage.vic.gov.au/vhd/heritagevic

402.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Medical Most towns in the Great Ocean Road region have a doctor’s surgery or medical centre. Ask at the nearest Visitor Information Centre or even the general store. If the surgery is closed, or there isn’t one nearby, you can seek general medical advice at the local pharmacy, or use the Victorian Government’s ‘NurseOn-Call’ service (1300 606 024), which also has an interpreting service for people not confident speaking in English. In an emergency, dial 000 for an ambulance. Accident and Emergency Departments are also located at the following hospitals: Apollo Bay Otway Health and Community Services 37-43 McLachlan St, Apollo Bay, 3233 Tel:

03 5237 8500

Colac Hospital 2-28 Conner St, Colac 3250 Tel:

03 5232 5100

Email:

cah@swarh.vic.gov.au

Geelong Hospital Cnr Ryrie & Bellarine Sts, Geelong 3220 Tel:

03 5226 7111

Web:

www.barwonhealth.org.au

Lorne Community Hospital Note: this is a 24-hour ‘Urgent Care’ service, not an Accident and Emergency Department 1 Albert St, Lorne 3232 Tel:

03 5289 4300

Email:

hospital.lorne@swarh.vic.gov.au

Web:

www.lornecommunityhospital.com.au

Camperdown Hospital

Portland Hospital

South West Healthcare

Bentinck St, Portland 3305

Robinson St, Camperdown 3260 Tel:

03 5593 7300

Tel:

03 5521 0333

Email:

pdh@swarh.vic.gov.au

Warrnambool South West Healthcare Ryot St, Warrnambool 3280 Tel:

03 5563 1666

403.

Practical Information

Weather The Great Ocean Road region’s climate can vary dramatically from the west to the east – depending on the winds and pressure systems. It may be 40ºC in Geelong, and a very pleasant 25ºC in Warrnambool if a cool southerly wind is blowing along the coast. The weather can change very quickly in the region, with temperatures plummeting up to 20ºC in a day and storm fronts moving in at a surprising pace – so if you are heading outdoors, you should be prepared for all weather contingencies. The Great Ocean Road region sits just north of the Roaring Forties region, where the prevailing westerly trade winds are strong and steady. Along the coast and the hinterland, prevailing winds are northerly in winter, north through west to southwest in spring, south in summer, and north through west to southwest in autumn. Easterlies

occur sporadically in summer and autumn – but you wouldn’t wish for them, because they make beach trips most unpleasant. In summer, southeast to southwest winds with afternoon sea breezes can be expected, with high systems bringing hot northerlies for one to three days backing to cooler, but strong southwest winds, before backing further to the south. Northwest to southwest gales lasting three or four days occur in winter. Generally, the most settled weather in the region occurs in February and March, when the average temperatures are in the mid-twenties along the coast. The most rainfall occurs in July and August, and the coastal regions around Cape Otway and the Otway Ranges receive the bulk of the rain.

Summer, Surf Life Saving Carnival, AM

404.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

The following table provides a guide to average climatic conditions in key locations in the Great Ocean Road region: Aireys Inlet Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Annual

Mean maximum temperature (°C)

22.4

22.9

21.3

18.9

16.2

13.8

13.3

14.4

16.0

17.9

19.3

20.9

18.1

Mean minimum temperature (°C)

13.9

14.5

13.4

11.4

9.9

8.1

7.3

7.4

8.0

9.2

10.7

12.2

10.5

Mean rainfall (mm)

34.3

39.0

30.1

51.9

48.4

57.6

67.6

64.7

58.3

59.3

60.5

39.7

613.3

Apollo Bay Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Annual

Mean maximum temperature (°C)

21.9

21.8

20.1

18.0

15.7

13.6

13.1

14.0

15.8

17.6

19.2

20.6

17.6

Mean minimum temperature (°C)

13.9

14.6

12.8

11.5

9.5

8.3

7.3

7.9

8.9

9.5

10.6

12.2

10.6

Mean rainfall (mm)

51.8

50.0

67.0

82.6

97.4

108.4

115.4

124.4

108.8

98.2

80.7

63.9

1050.6

Portland Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Annual

Mean maximum temperature (°C)

21.8

21.9

20.7

18.4

16.1

14.1

13.6

14.4

15.8

17.3

18.8

20.5

17.8

Mean minimum temperature (°C)

12.7

13.1

12.0

10.3

8.7

7.5

6.5

6.9

7.8

8.9

10.3

11.6

9.7

Mean rainfall (mm)

35.3

33.0

42.6

65.0

88.7

99.8

108.3

107.8

84.9

69.2

52.3

44.6

830.1

Forrest Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

July

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Annual

Mean maximum temperature (°C)

24.6

24.0

22.4

18.1

14.6

12.1

11.7

12.6

14.9

17.0

18.6

21.8

17.7

Mean minimum temperature (°C)

10.3

11.4

10.0

7.5

5.8

3.9

3.4

3.7

4.7

6.1

7.4

8.9

6.9

Mean rainfall (mm)

44.6

48.3

57.6

80.9

97.6

112.1

118.6

127.9

110.6

100.0

78.0

60.2

1035.5

405.

Practical Information

Health risks Sunburn Unfortunately, Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, caused mainly by overexposure to the sun. If you are planning to spend the day at the beach or any sunny spot in the region, sun protection is a must to avoid painful sunburn and an increased risk of skin cancer. SunSmart recommends the five S’s to protect yourself: Slip (clothing), Slop (sunscreen), Slap (hat), Seek (shade) and Slide (sunglasses). Particular care should be taken between 10:00am and 2:00pm (11:00am to 3:00pm daylight saving time), when UV levels reach their peak. If you do get sunburnt, avoid further sun exposure until the redness and pain have disappeared. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, and apply a moisturising cream when it becomes comfortable to do so. Exposure With the dramatic changes in weather that can occur in the Great Ocean Road region, exposure is a risk for anyone spending extended periods outdoors. Cold exposure can occur in weather that is not freezing – wind, humidity and moisture remove body heat, which can eventually lead to hypothermia. To avoid it, wear or carry several layers of loose clothing and a warm hat; wear waterproof, insulated shoes; carry cold weather gear such as extra socks, gloves, blankets and a thermos of hot liquid. And be sensible. Check weather forecasts before you travel, and if it looks likely that inclement weather is on its way, then stay indoors!

When to Visit If you like bustling crowds, long queues of cars and busy beaches, then come to the Great Ocean Road region during the peak season – between Christmas and the end of January; and at Easter. During peak season, the populations in popular resort towns such as Torquay, Anglesea, Lorne and Apollo Bay swell to as much as ten times their off-peak size. To avoid the crowds, steer clear of the region during school holidays (check www.education.vic.gov.au for term dates each year). Weekends between October and Easter can be busy too. If you are driving down from Melbourne, the Princes Highway in and around Geelong can get quite congested on Friday and Sunday afternoons (the completion of the Ring Road, due in 2010, should alleviate this somewhat). The most settled weather – with warm temperatures and low rainfall – is generally in February and March. However, the region has great appeal in winter, with wild weather pounding the coastline and plenty of opportunities to rug up for bracing beach walks, to see waterfalls at their best, or to explore the wineries and other attractions without the crowds.

Apollo Bay Visitor Information Centre, GS

406.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

your hand to alert lifesavers, or swim across the rip to calmer water (don’t swim against it). If you need emergency aid on a beach that is not patrolled, seek out the nearest yellow triangle sign on the beach (if there is one), call 000 and quote the beach number on this sign. Bushfire

Dangers On the road The twists and turns along the Great Ocean Road are what make it so picturesque – and also so dangerous. Take care when driving along this popular route. Australian wildlife and livestock often graze on the roadside and can stray onto the road. Be very careful when driving at sunrise, sunset and at night, when animals are most active. If an animal crosses in front of you, brake gently – do not swerve wildly to avoid it. At the beach Lifesavers patrol many of the beaches in the Great Ocean Road region throughout the summer months, and it is advisable to swim only at these beaches. Seek out the red and yellow flags and swim between them, as they mark the safest place to swim. Many surf beaches have strong currents, called rips, which can drag you out to sea. If you find yourself caught in a rip, do not panic. Stay calm, float with the current and raise Fire near Aireys Inlet, RE

Fire has been present on the Australian continent for millions of years, shaping the landscape and contributing to many ecosystems’ survival. For many thousands of years, Aboriginal people have used fire for a variety of purposes – such as to create grasslands for hunting purposes, or to clear tracks through dense vegetation. Today, bushfires are a common part of the Australian summer – particularly in drought-prone areas like Victoria. The scale and danger of bushfires depends very much on the local conditions and weather. Know how to recognise a high fire risk day – high temperatures, strong northerly winds and low humidity – and consult the local papers, local ABC radio or weather bureau for warnings. On days of high fire danger, you must have a fire plan that covers two crucial decisions: when you will stay (and therefore how you will protect yourself ); when you will evacuate (and what you will take and where you will go). You must evacuate early – if you see flames it is too late to flee. In addition, longer term visitors and property owners should be aware of local municipal emergency plans and assembly areas; maintain houses to prevent the entry of burning materials; clear undergrowth and other combustible materials from around their homes; organise fire-

407.

Practical Information

fighting equipment such as petroldriven pumps, sprinklers, hoses and an independent water supply; build houses with appropriate design and fire-resistant materials – and support the local CFA (Country Fire Authority). Dangerous Animals Sharks Shark attacks occur rarely, but when they do, they can be fatal. In the Great Ocean Road region, the last serious shark attack was in 1992 at Pt Lonsdale, although there have been a number of ‘nibbles’ since then at popular surfing spots like Winkipop and Warrnambool. Some commonsense precautions to reduce the risk of a shark attack (taken from the Australian Shark Attack File) include: • Always swim, dive or surf with other people • Do not swim in dirty or turbid water • Avoid swimming well offshore, near deep channels, at river mouths or along drop-offs to deeper water • If schooling fish start to behave erratically or congregate in large numbers, leave the water • Do not swim with pets and domestic animals • If possible do not swim at dawn, dusk or at night • Do not swim near people fishing or spear fishing • If a shark is sighted in the area leave the water as quickly and calmly as possible

Snakes While reports of snakebites are rare, the venomous copperhead, tiger and black snakes are found in the Great Ocean Road region. Remember, they will usually only attack if provoked. If you are going into the bush, it is important to familiarise yourself with basic first aid. The ‘pressureimmobilisation’ technique, which slows the movement of venom through the lymphatic system, is recommended for dealing with a snake bite: • Apply firm pressure over the bite site, and wrap a broad bandage (clothing or a towel will do if you have nothing else) along the entire length of the limb. It should not be so tight that numbness or tingling occurs • Immobilise the limb with a splint or sling • Monitor the airways, breathing and circulation; and be ready to do CPR if required • Where possible, bring transportation to the patient (avoid walking), and seek medical treatment as soon as possible Do not cut out or suck on the wound, and do not remove a pressure bandage until you have reached medical treatment – as the venom can move through the body very quickly once the bandage is removed. Stings & Bites Sadly, more people die from insect bites than they do from sharks or snakes. Some people have serious allergic reactions, which require immediate medical attention. While treatment depends on the bite or sting, the first steps are to remove the stinger (if there is one), apply an ice pack and take an

408.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

antihistamine. If there is any evidence of an allergic reaction, seek urgent medical attention as bites and stings can lead to anaphylaxis. Ants Bull ants have a fearsome reputation, and deservedly so. With their long, powerful jaws and potent, venomloaded sting, they attack intruders of any size that come too close to their nest. They will even chase an intruder a good distance from the nest. A small species of bull ant, known as jack jumpers or skipjacks, aggressively jump toward intruders and deliver painful stings, which will develop into a very itchy bite over a couple of days. If there is evidence of an allergic reaction when the bite occurs, medical attention should be sought immediately – it may cause anaphylactic shock. Redback Spiders Redbacks are found throughout Australia, identified by their obvious orange to red stripe down their back. The female – which has the venomous bite – can grow to the size of a pea. Redback bites occur frequently, particularly over the summer months. However, since redback spiders rarely leave their webs, you are not likely to be bitten unless you directly disturb the web. Because of their small jaws, many bites are ineffective. If you are bitten, common early symptoms are pain (which can become severe), sweating (always including local sweating at bite site), muscular weakness, nausea and vomiting. Antivenom is available, and should be sought as soon as possible. Do not apply a pressure bandage as this worsens the pain.

Mosquitoes Mosquitoes are a part of life in the great outdoors. They are most active in the evenings and early mornings – covering up with loose clothing and applying repellent can help to ward them off. Bees & Wasps The introduced honeybee, apis mellifera, is the only bee in Australia that stings humans. These introduced insects are now found all over Australia. If you are stung, scrape out the stinger with the back of a knife or fingernail (do not use tweezers, as this will squeeze more venom into the body). Two types of wasp are found in Victoria: the European and the English. These predatory insects become most aggressive in spring and summer; and can swarm to attack if you are considered a threat to their nest. Wasp stings are more painful than bee stings; and one wasp may sting the victim many times. Use pain relieving medication and creams, and be alert for signs of anaphylaxis. Leeches Leeches are blood-sucking creatures that attach themselves to the skin, where they will happily stay until forcibly removed. They are relatively harmless, but because they excrete an anticoagulant, the wound site can bleed for some time after the leech has been removed. The simplest way to remove a leech is to use a fingernail to break the seal of the oral sucker at the smaller, thinner end of the leech, then repeat at the other end and flick the leech away. Other methods, less advisable, are to apply a flame, a lit cigarette, salt, soap, alcohol or vinegar. These cause the leech to regurgitate its stomach contents in to the wound and detach, which may cause infection.

409.

Index

Index Symbols 13th Beach 170

A Abalone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Abel Tasman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Aire River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Aire River Escarpment . . . . . . . . 280 Aire River to Johanna Beach . . . . 285 Aireys Inlet . . . . . . . . . 179, 256, 333 Bark Hut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334 Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214, 334 Gully Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Lighthouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334 Aireys Inlet Cliff Walk . . . . . . . . 258 Aireys Inlet Lighthouse . . . . . . . . 334 Aireys Inlet to Distillery Creek . . 257 Aireys Inlet to Moggs Creek . . . . 257 Airshow Avalon . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Alan Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Alan Marshall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 Allansford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32, 41 Allenvale Mill to Phantom Falls . 266 Anglesea . . . 114, 146, 177, 253, 332 Anglesea Golf Club . . . . . . 117, 142 Anglesea Golf Course . . . . . . . . . 333 Anglesea Heath . . . . . 215, 216, 333 Anglesea River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 Anglesea River Walk . . . . . . . . . . 255 Anglesea to Aireys Inlet . . . . . . . 255 Anglesea to Pt Roadknight . . . . . 255 Ansett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395 Apollo Bay . . . . 88, 89, 94, 173, 183, 184, 216, 271, 343–344 Casino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Harbour & Co-op . . . . . . . . . 344 Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary . 219 Middleton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88 Old Cable Station Museum . . 344 Apollo Bay Fishing Co-op . . . . . . 63 Apollo Bay Harbour & Fishing Co-op 344 Apollo Bay to Marengo . . . . . . . 272 Apollo Bay to Shelly Beach . . . . . 283 Apollo Bay to Skenes Creek . . . . 271 Apollo Bay to Warrnambool 342–346 Arab Restaurant & Café . . . . . . . 337 Artillery Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 Ashley, Peter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Atkinson, James . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362 Australia Felix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Australian Rules Football . . 152, 302 Avalon Australian International Airshow . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Avenues Of Honour . . . . . . . . . . . 94

B Bancoora . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 171, 325 Banksia Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Bark Hut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334 Barracouta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Barwon Bluff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Barwon Bluff Marine Sanctuary . 205 Barwon Bluff Walk . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Barwon Grange . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Barwon Heads . . . . 90, 92, 170, 323 Jirrahlinga Koala & Wildlife Sanctuary . . . . 325 Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Barwon Heads Bridge . . . . . . . . . 325 Barwon Heads Golf Club . . . . . . 143 Barwon Heads River . . . . . . . . . . 170 Barwon Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88, 388 Thomas Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Batman, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85, 87 Battery Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Baudin, Nicholas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Bay of Islands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Bay of Islands Coastal Park . 206–207 Bay of Martyrs . . . . . . . 46, 207, 290 Beacon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 Beauchamp Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Beech Forest . . . . . . 89, 93, 277, 385 Belfast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362, 363 Bellarine Bayside & Portarlington Seaside Resort . . . . . . . . 100 Bellarine Peninsula . . 38, 87, 160, 245, 313–320 Bellarine Peninsula Railway . . . . . 318 Bellarine Rail Trail . . . . . . . . . . . 246 Bell, Klemm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Bells Beach . . . . . . . 43, 98, 175, 215 Bells Beach Rip Curl Pro . . . 98, 154 Bells Beach to Pt Addis . . . . . . . . 252 Bells Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176 Big 4 Holiday Park, Anglesea . . . 125 Big Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Big Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Bird Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99, 174 Birregurra . . . . . . . . 86, 93, 105, 388

Black, Niel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75, 393 Blacknose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Blacks Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Blackwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Blanket Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198 Blanket Bay to Cape Otway . . . . 284 Blanket Leaf Picnic Area to Allenvale Mill . . . . . . . . 263 Blowhole, Cape Bridgewater . . . . 212 Blue Hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Blue Whales . . . . . . . . . . . . 121, 208 Boat Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Bollards & Bay Walk . . . . . . . . . 306 Bonney Upwelling . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Boobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175 Both Feet, Johanna . . . . . . . . . . . 161 Breamlea . . . . . . . . . . . 40, 171, 325 Breamlea to Pt Impossible . . . . . 250 Brian Singer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Bridgewater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Bridgewater Bay . . . . . . . . . 190, 211 Bridgewater Lakes . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Brushtail possum . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Budj Bim . . . . . . . 54, 130, 148, 221 Budj Bim National Heritage Landscape 78, 129, 368–369 Budj Bim Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Bundjil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Bureau of Meteorology website . . . 61 Burswood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Bushfire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Byaduk Caves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222

C Camperdown . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 391 Finlay Avenue of Elms . . . . . . 391 Manifold Clock Tower . . . . . . 391 Camping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Canberra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Canoeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Cape Bridgewater 49, 184, 190, 211, 293, 378 White’s Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Whites Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Cape Nelson . . . . . . . . . 69, 211, 377 Cape Nelson Lightstation . . . . . . 378 Cape Nelson State Park . . . . . . . 208 Cape Otway . . 83, 91, 209, 273, 346 Cape Otway Lighthouse . . . . . . 45 Cape Otway Lightstation Precinct . . . . . . . . . . . . 279 Parker River to Cape Otway . . 279

410.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Rainbow Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284 Cape Otway Cemetery Walk . . . 280 Cape Otway Lightstation . . . 45, 208, 279, 347 Cape Otway Lightstation Walk . 279 Cape Otway to Aire River . . . . . 284 Cape Patton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Captain Mills Cottage . . . . . . . . 364 Carbon Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Carisbrook Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Carousel, Geelong . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Casino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Casterton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 Warrock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Castle Cove . . . . . . . . . . . . 184, 280 Cataraqui . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Cathedral Rock . . . . . . . . . . 94, 181 Charlie’s Hole Walk . . . . . . . . . . 247 Childers Cove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Christ Church . . . . . . . . . . 308, 359 City of Rayville . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Clark, Ian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71, 75 Clendinnen, Inga . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Clippers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Coastal Woodland Walk . . . . . . . 247 Cobb & Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Cobboboonee National Park . . . 210 Colac . . . . . . . . . . 89, 93, 277, 389 Coleraine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Convincing Ground . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Cool Temperate Rainforest . . . . . 157 Coragulac House . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Cora Lynn Cascades Walk . . . . . 263 Corayo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Corio Bay, Geelong . . . . . . . . . . 137 Corio Villa, Geelong . . . . . . . . . 309 Cosy Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Couta Boats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Crags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Crater Rim Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Crawford River Regional Park . . 210 Cricket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Crimson Rosella . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Crowes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 93, 277 Crowne Plaza Torquay . . . . . . . . 192 Crumpets/Tease . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Cumberland River . . . . . . . 182, 340 Cumberland River Cascades . . . . 268 Cunningham Pier, Geelong . . . . 305 Curdies Inlet . . . . . . . . . . . 187, 206 Currawong Falls Circuit . . . . . . . 259 Currawong Track . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Cycling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

D Damp Sclerophyll Forest . . 111, 156 Dangers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Deakin University . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Dean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Deans Marsh . . . . . . . . . . . . 93, 339 Deen Maar . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366, 367 Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area . . . . . . . 129 Devil’s Kitchen to Glenample . . . 287 Dhauwurd Wurrung . . . . . . . . . . 303 Digby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Dinosaur Cove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Discovery Bay Coastal Park . . . . 211 Discovery Bay Marine National Park . . . . . . . . . . . 105, 141, 213 Distillery Creek Nature Walk . . . 259 Diving & Snorkelling . . . . . . . . . 193 Djab Wurrung . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Dolphin . . . . . . . . . . . 119, 154, 198 Doug ‘Claw’ Warbrick . . . . . . . . . 98 Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Dry Sclerophyll Forest . . . . . . . . 112 Drysdale Bellarine Peninsula Railway . . 318 Dry Stone Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Duke Kahanamoku . . . . . . . . . . . 95

E Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary 214, 334 East Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Eastern Beach . . . . . . . . . . . 167, 306 Eastern Grey Kangaroo . . . . . . . . 117 Anglesea Golf Club . . . . . . . . . 117 Eastern View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Echidna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Eels (kuuyang) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Eliza Ramsden . . . . . . . . . . 194, 232 Emoh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Enchanted Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 Eric the Red . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Erskine Falls, Lookouts 1 & 2 . . 262 Erskine House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338 Erskine River Track . . . . . . . . . . 262 Eugene von Guerard . . . 70, 235, 360 Eumeralla Backpackers . . . . 130, 367 Eumeralla cliffs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

F Fairhaven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 333 Falls Festival, Lorne . . . . . . . . . . 199 Falls of Halladale . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Farmers’ Markets . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Fiji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92, 217 Finlay Avenue of Elms . . . . . . . . 391

Fishermans’s Beach . . . . . . . . . . . 172 Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 Five Mile Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Flagstaff Hill . . . . . . . 207, 230, 357 Fletcher Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358 Fletcher Jones Gardens . . . . . . . . 358 Flinders, Matthew . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Flying . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152, 302 Ford Discovery Centre . . . . . . . . 308 Forrest . . 52, 93, 110, 147, 216, 384 Platypus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Fort Queenscliff . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Four-Wheel-Driving . . . . . . . . . . 140 Freshwater Springs . . . . . . . . . . . 295

G Gable Lookout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Gadubanud . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76, 215 Gannet Colony . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Geelong . . . 139, 158, 167, 301–308 Barwon Grange . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Bollards & Bay Walk . . . . . . . .306 Botanic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . 306 Carousel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Christ Church . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Corayo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Corio Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Corio Villa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Cunningham Pier . . . . . . . . . . 305 Customs House . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Deakin University . . . . . . . . . . 304 Eastern Beach . . . . . . . . . 167, 306 Ford Discovery Centre . . . . . . 308 Jillong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Limeburners Point Keys . . . . . . 83 National Wool Museum . . . . . 307 North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 St Mary of the Angels . . . . . . . 309 The Heights . . . . . . . . . . . 96, 309 Wool Stores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Geelong Botanic Gardens . . . . . . 306 Geelong Customs House . . . . . . 304 Geelong Football Club . . . . . . . . 303 Geelong Gallery . . . . . . . 70, 74, 132 Geelong Otway Tourism . . . . . . 264 Geelong West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Gellibrand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385 Gellibrand River . . . . . . . . . 116, 216 Geology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289 George Bass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Gibson Steps . . . . . . . 186, 228, 288 Gill Surfboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Glenaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184 Glenample Homestead . . . . . . . . 228 Glenelg Plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

411.

Index

Glenelg River . . . . . . . . . . . 213, 218 Glow Worms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Glow Worm Walk . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Godfrey Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142 Anglesea Golf Club . . . . . . . . . 142 Barwon Heads Golf Club . . . . 143 Port Fairy Golf Club . . . . . . . . 143 The Sands Golf Club . . . . . . . 143 Thirteenth Beach Golf Club . . 143 Gondwanaland . . . . . . . . . . 102, 106 Governor La Trobe . . . . 83, 158, 209 Grand Pacific Hotel . . . . . . . . . . 338 Grassland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Great Circle Sailing Route . . . . . . . 91 Great Ocean Ecolodge @ the Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology . . . . . . . . . 297 Great Ocean Road . . . . . . 37, 41, 93 Howard Hitchcock . . . . . . . . . . 93 William Calder . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Great Ocean Road Coast Committee . . . . . . . . . . 353 Great Ocean Road Memorial Archway . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 Great Ocean Walk 217, 282–286, 327 Great Otway National Park . 214–215 Great Southern Touring Route . . . 32 Great South West Walk . . . . . . . 295 Grey River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 Grey River Lookout . . . . . . . . . . 270 Grey River Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Glow Worms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Griffith Island . . . . . . . . . . 189, 364 Gulidjan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77, 215 Gully Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163 Gunditjmara . . . 72, 75, 78, 79, 303 Guvvo’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178

H Halladale Point (Massacre Pt) . . . 207 Hamilton . . . . . . . . . . . 95, 102, 394 Hamilton Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . 132 Hang Gliding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Harmans Caves . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222 Health Risks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 Heathlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114, 156 Heights, Geelong . . . . . . . . . . . . 309 Henderson Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Henderson Falls & The Canyon . 267 Henry Handel Richardson . . . . . 361 Henry’s No. 1 Mill . . . . . . . . . . . 384 Henty Family . . . . . . . . . . . . 87, 374 Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144 Holyhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Hopetoun Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276 Hopkins River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Horse Racing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 Horse Riding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145 Hotspur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Howard Hitchcock . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Howard Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Hume and Hovell . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

I I Can Jump Puddles . . . . . . . . . . 393 Indented Head . . . . 83, 85, 167, 315 Inlet Beach & Bark Hut . . . . . . . 258 Ironbark Gorge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259 Ironbark Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

J James Grant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Jamieson Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269 Jan Juc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173, 174 Jan Juc to Bells Beach . . . . . . . . . 251 Japs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 Jillong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Jirrahlinga Koala & Wildlife Sanctuary . . . . 325 Johanna . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 185, 347 Johanna Beach . . . . . . . . . . . 31, 281 Johanna Beach to Milanesia Beach 285 Joseph H. Scammell . . . . . . . . . . 224 Journey to the Last Volcano . . . . 291 Jura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339

K Kalimna Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268 Kanawinka Geopark . . . . 51, 53, 386 Keerray Woorroong 77, 206, 215, 226 Kelpies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396 Kennett River . . . . . . . 182, 269, 341 Grey River Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Kennett River Koalas . . . . . . . . . 270 Kennett River Walk . . . . . . . . . . 269 King Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Knott’s No. 3 Mill . . . . . . . . . . . 384 Koala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Koroit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360 Kulin Federation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

L Lady Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Lady Julia Percy Island . . . . . . . . 366 Lake Bullen Merri . . . . . . . 105, 392 Lake Circuit Walk . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Lake Colongulac . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 Lake Condah . . . 54, 71, 73, 78, 115, 129, 130, 148 Lake Condah Mission . . . . . . . . 370

Lake Connewarre . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Lake Connewarre State Game Reserve . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218 Lake Corangamite . . . . . . . . 66, 390 Lake Elizabeth . . . . . . 216, 275, 384 Lake Elizabeth Walk . . . . . . . . . . 275 Lake Gnotuk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 Lake Monibeong . . . . . . . . 212, 213 Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground . . . . . . . . . . 358 Lake Surprise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292 Latham, Isobel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Laughing Kookaburra . . . . . . . . . 108 Lava Canal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Lava Tongue Boardwalk . . . . . . . 291 Lavers Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347 Law, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Lawrence Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377 Lemonade Creek Cottages, Lorne 371 Lemonade Creek Track . . . . . . . . 262 Lifeboat & Rocket Shed, Port Fairy . . . . . . . . . . . 365 Lighthouse Olive Oil & Loam Café . . . . . . . . . . 239 Lighthouse Precinct, Aireys Inlet 258 Limeburners Point Keys . . . . . . . . 83 Little Aire Falls . . . . . . . . . . 276, 345 Little (Fairy) Penguin . . . . . . . . . 123 Little River Earth Sanctuary . . . . 223 Living on the Edge . . . . . . . . . . . 289 Loch Ard . . . . . . . 90, 196, 226, 229 Loch Ard Gorge . . . . . . . 90, 92, 230 Loch Ard Gorge Walks . . . . . . . . 288 Logans Beach . . . . 47, 155, 207, 359 Southern Right Whales . . . . . . 121 London Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Lonsdale Wall . . . . . . . . . . . 194, 233 Lorne . . . 44, 89, 94, 97, 181, 216, 260, 337–339 Arab Restaurant & Café . . . . . 337 Erskine House . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338 Grand Pacific Hotel . . . . . . . . 338 Jura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339 Louis Whyte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 Loutitt Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Pier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .339 Lorne Pier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339 Lorne to Apollo Bay . . . . . . 336–340 Louttit Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337 Lower Glenelg National Park 105, 218 Lowland Copperhead Snake . . . . 113

M Mahogany Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Maits Rest . . . . . . . . . . 45, 217, 278 Major Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 87 Malibu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

412.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Manifold Clock Tower, Camperdown . . . . . . . . 391 Manna Gum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Mantra Deep Blue, Warrnambool 397 Marathons & Endurance Events . 145 Marengo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183 Marengo Reefs Marine Sanctuary 219 Marie Gabrielle . . . . . . . 91, 92, 217 Marine Discovery Centre, Queenscliff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319, 409 Marriners Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272 Marriners Lookout . . . . . . . . . . . 271 Mary McKillop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 McKillop, Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 Medical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402 Melba Gully . . . . . . 89, 93, 110, 220 Big Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Crowes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89, 93 Glow Worms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Melba Gully Madsen’s Track Nature Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281 Memorial Archway . . . . . . . . . . . 335 Merrijig Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 Merri Marine Sanctuary 188, 198, 220 Messmate Stringybark . . . . . . . . 110 Middens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Middleton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344 Milanesia Beach to Moonlight Head . . . . . . 286 Moggs Creek . . . . . . . . . . . 180, 215 Moggs Creek Nature Walk . . . . . 260 Moonah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Moonlight Head . . . 91, 92, 282, 348 Gable Lookout . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Wattle Hill Hotel . . . . . . . . . . 348 Wreck Beach . . . . . . . 91, 217, 282 Fiji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Marie Gabrielle . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Moonlight Head Lodge . . . . . . . 348 Moonlight Head to Devil’s Kitchen . . . . . . . 286 Morgan, Pat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Mortlake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 Motts Cottage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366 Mountain Ash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Mountain Bike Races . . . . . . . . . 153 Mountain Biking . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Anglesea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 Forrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Mountain Bike Races . . . . . . . 153 Torquay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 You Yangs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Moyne River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362 Mt Defiance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30, 94 Mt Duneed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205 Mt Eccles . . . . . . . 54, 141, 221, 292 Mt Eccles National Park . . . 221, 292 Mt Leura . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392

Mt Napier . . . . . 141, 222, 226, 293 Mt Napier State Park . . . . . . . . . 222 Mt Noorat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Mt Richmond National Park . . . 223 Mt Rothwell Conservation & Research Centre . . . . 223 Mt Sugarloaf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392 Mud Islands (Great Sands) . . . . . 232 Mulloway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Murray, John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Murrels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Music Festivals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 Muttonbirds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Mutton Birds (Shearwaters) . . . . 124 Myrtle Beech . . . . . . . . . . . 103, 106

N Narana Creations . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 National Celtic Festival . . . . . . . 149 National Wool Museum . . . . . . . 307 Native (Austral) Mulberry . . . . . 107 Natural Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293 Nelson . . . . . . . . . 50, 213, 218, 378 Newfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206, 226 Nigretta Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395 Nobles Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Noorat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54, 393 North . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Nuns Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

O Ocean Grove . . . . . . . . 97, 169, 323 Ocean Grove Nature Reserve . 224 Ocean Grove Nature Reserve 224, 248 Ocean View Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Ocean Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 Old Beechy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 Old Beechy Rail Trail . . . . . . . . . 277 Old Cable Station Museum . . . . 344 Open Water Swims & Fun Runs 150 Otway Black Snail . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Otway Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 Otway Forest Park . . . . . . . . . . . 215 Otway Plain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Otway Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51, 105, 141, 216, 383–384 Otway Ranges Environment Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Ozone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91, 304

P Parker Inlet . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217, 279 Parker River to Cape Otway . . . . 279 Peak Climb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Peek Woorroong . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355

Penguin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Penshurst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 Volcanoes Discovery Centre . . 394 Peterborough . . . . . . . . . . . 187, 350 Petrified Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Phytophthora Cinnamomi . . . . . . 68 Platypus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Popes Eye . . . . . . . . . . 198, 232, 234 Portarlington . . . . . . . . . . . 167, 314 Portarlington Mill . . . . . . . . . . . 314 Port Campbell . . . . . . . 92, 114, 186, 195, 230, 288, 349 Little (Fairy) Penguin . . . . . . . 123 The Arches Marine Sanctuary . 235 Twelve Apostles Marine National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 Port Campbell Discovery . . . . . . 289 Port Campbell National Park 225–227 Loch Ard Gorge . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 Port Fairy 49, 188, 197, 198, 362–365 Battery Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363 Captain Mills Cottage . . . . . . . 364 Emoh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .364 Griffiths Island . . . . . . . . . . . . 364 Lifeboat & Rocket Shed . . . . . 365 Merrijig Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365 Motts Cottage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366 Port Fairy Folk Festival . . . . . . . . 149 Port Fairy Golf Club . . . . . . . . . 143 Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84, 86, 87, 89, 155, 189, 196, 293, 373–376 Bonney Upwelling . . . . . . . . . 120 Botanic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . 375 Cable Tram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375 Cobboboonee National Park . . 210 Customs House . . . . . . . . . . . 376 Henty Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 History House (Old Town Hall) 376 Maritime Discovery Centre, Lifeboat . . . . . . . . . . . . 376 Steam Packet Inn . . . . . . . . . . 376 William Dutton . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Portland Botanic Gardens . . . . . 375 Portland Cable Tram . . . . . . . . . 375 Portland Customs House . . . . . . 376 Portland History House (Old Town Hall) . . . . . 376 Portland Maritime Discovery Centre, Lifeboat . . . . . . . . . . . . 376 Portland to Nelson . . . . . . . 372–375 Port Phillip Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Port Phillip Heads . . . . . . . . 92, 194 Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park . . . . . . . . 231 Portsea Hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Princess Margaret Rose Cave 218, 379 Princetown . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185, 349

413.

Index

Pt Ronald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Princetown Beach . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Princetown Beach & Pt Ronald . 288 Proudfoot’s Boathouse . . . . . . . . 359 Pt Addis . . . . . . . . . 44, 66, 177, 332 Addiscott Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Pt Addis Koorie Cultural Walk . . 253 Pt Addis Marine National Park . . 224 Pt Addis to Anglesea . . . . . . . . . . 254 Pt Danger Marine Sanctuary . . . 224 Pt Danger to Jan Juc . . . . . . . . . . 251 Pt Henry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304 Pt Impossible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 Pt Impossible to Pt Danger . . . . . 251 Pt Lonsdale . . . . . . 95, 97, 168, 233, 247, 315, 315–319 Grace Wooten (nee Smith) . . . . 95 Pt Lonsdale Lighthouse . . . . . . . 319 Pt Lonsdale Pier . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Pt Nepean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Pt Roadknight . . . . . . . . . . 178, 333 Pt Roadknight to Urquhart . . . . 256 Pt Ronald . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 Public Transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Purrumbete Homestead . . . . . . . 392 Pyke Surfboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Q Queenscliff . . . . 39, 89, 95, 167, 168, 247, 315, 315–319 Bellarine Peninsula Railway . . 318 Fort Queenscliff . . . . . . . . . . . 319 Historical Museum . . . . . . . . . 320 Marine Discovery Centre . . . . 319 Maritime Centre & Museum . 320 Pier & Lifeboat Complex . . . . 320 Shortland Bluff . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 White Lighthouse . . . . . . . . . . 321 Queenscliffe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315 Queenscliffe Historical Museum 320 Queenscliff Maritime Centre & Museum . . . . . . . . . . 320 Queenscliff Music Festival . . . . . 149 Queenscliff Pier & Lifeboat Complex . . . . . 320 Queenscliff - Sorrento Ferries . . . 322 Queenscliff White Lighthouse . . 321 Quiksilver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

R Rabbits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Raffs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169 Rainbow Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

Recreational Fishing Licence . . . 136 Red Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Red Rock Volcanic Reserve . . . . . 390 Rip Curl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81, 98 Roaring Forties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Robbery Under Arms . . . . . . . . . 361 Rolf Boldrewood . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

S Sabine Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 Sailing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153 Schomberg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226 School Holidays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Sea Cliff Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 Seal Colony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294 Sealers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Seals . . . . 154, 198, 212, 294, 318 Serendip Sanctuary . . . . . . . . . . . 234 Sharks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 Shearwaters (Mutton Birds) . . . . 124 Shelly Beach Circuit Walk . . . . . 272 Shelly Beach to Blanket Bay . . . . 284 Sheoak Falls & Swallow Cave . . . 266 Sheoak Picnic Area Nature Walk 267 Ships Graveyard . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195 Shipwreck Coast Historic Shipwreck Trail . . . . . . . 226 Shopping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151 Shore dives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197 Shortland Bluff . . . . . . . . . . . 82, 319 Simpson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393 Skandia Geelong Week . . . . . . . . 153 Skenes Creek . . . . . . . . . . . 183, 341 Sleepy Hollow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302 Snapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122 Soft Tree Fern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Southern Right Whales . . . 121, 208 Southern Rock Lobster . . . . . . . . 123 Southside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176, 252 Sparrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Spectator Sports & Events . . . . . 151 Split Point Circuit Track . . . . . . . 258 Spout Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 Spring Creek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Springtime Wildflower Experience 256 Squatters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Steamers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303 Steam Packet Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . 376 Steps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174 Stevensons Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275 St George River Walk . . . . . . . . . 266 Stings & Bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407 St Leonards . . . . . . . . . . . . 167, 315 St Mary of the Angels . . . . . . . . . 309

Stony Creek, Lilypond Reserve . . 261 Stony Rises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Sugar Glider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Sunnybrae Restaurant . . . . . . . . . 311 Surf City Plaza . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 331 Surf Coast Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Surf Industry Alan Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Brian Singer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Doug ‘Claw’ Warbrick . . . . . . . 98 Gill Surfboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Howard Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 John Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Pat Morgan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Peter Ashley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Pyke Surfboards . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Quiksilver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Rip Curl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Surfing Competitions . . . . . . . . . 153 Rip Curl Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 Surfing Industry Klemm Bell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98 Surf Life Saving Carnivals . . . . . . 153 Surfworld Surfing Museum . . . . 331 Sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57–63 Anaconda Adventure Race . . . . 56 Bellarine Bayside & Portarlington Seaside Resort . . . . . . . . 100 Big 4 Holiday Park, Anglesea . 125 Both Feet, Johanna . . . . . . . . . 161 Budj Bim - Lake Condah . . . . 148 carbon offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Crowne Plaza Torquay . . . . . . 192 Falls Festival, Lorne . . . . . . . . . 199 Geelong Otway Tourism . . . . . 264 Great Ocean Ecolodge @ the Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology . . . . . . . . . 297 Great Ocean Road Coast Committee . . . . . . . . . . . 353 Great Ocean Walk . . . . . . . . . 327 Lemonade Creek Cottages, Lorne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371 Lighthouse Olive Oil & Loam . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Mantra Deep Blue, Warrnambool . . . . . . . . 397 Marine Discovery Centre, Queenscliff . . . . . . . . . . 409 Rip Curl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Sunnybrae Restaurant . . . . . . . 311 Swan Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 Swan Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212, 213 Swimming with Seals & Dolphins 154

414.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road

Tarerer Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 Tarndwarncoort Homestead . . . . 388 Tarragal Caves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Teddy’s Lookout, Queens Park Lookout Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 The Arch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 The Arches Marine Sanctuary . . . . . . . 195, 235 The Beechy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 The Crags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 The Falls Music & Arts Festival . 149 The Flume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188 The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney, . . . . 361 The Great Ocean Road Region . . . 32 The Grotto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231 The Heights . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96, 309 The Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189 The Rip . . 39, 91, 194, 231, 315, 321 The Sands Golf Club . . . . . . . . . 143 The Spot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180 The Wreck of the Loch Ard . . . . 289 Thirteenth Beach Golf Club . . . . 143 Thomas Austin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Tiger Snake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Timber Plantations . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Timboon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351 Torquay . . . . . . 32, 96, 97, 146, 172, 248, 330 Pt Danger Marine Sanctuary . . 224 Surf City Plaza . . . . . . . . . 43, 331 Surfworld Surfing Museum . . . 331 Torquay to Lorne . . . . . . . . 329–332 Tower Hill . . 49, 129, 131, 235, 290, 360 Tower Hill State Game Reserve . 235 Tramway Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265 Triplet Falls . . . . . 52, 105, 276, 345 Turtons Track . . . . . 51, 52, 274, 345 Twelve Apostles . . . . . . . . . . 46, 228 Twelve Apostles Marine National Park . . . . . . . . 236 Two Bays Lookout Walk . . . . . . . 247 Two Mile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186 Two Mile Bay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230 Tyarkoort Woorroong . . . . . . . . . . 77

Urquhart Bluff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

V Victorian Volcanic Plain . . . . . . . 105 Visitor Information Centres . . . . 400 Volcanic Plains . . . . . . . . . . 386–388 Volcanoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53, 102 Mt Eccles . . . . . . . . . . . . 221, 292 Mt Eccles (Budj Bim) . . . . . . . . 54 Mt Napier . . . . . . . . . . . . 222, 293 Mt Noorat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Red Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Volcanoes Discovery Centre . . . . 394 Volcano Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

W Wagon Bay Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . 291 Wallaby Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248 Wannon Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395 Warrnambool 48, 187, 197, 355–358 Blue Hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Botanic Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . 356 Christ Church . . . . . . . . . . . . 359 Flagstaff Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357 Fletcher Jones Gardens . . . . . . 358 Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground 358 Logans Beach . . . . . . 47, 207, 359 Mahogany Ship . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Merri Marine Sanctuary . . . . . 220 Proudfoot’s Boathouse . . . . . . 359 Southern Right Whales . . . . . . 121 Warrnambool Art Gallery . . . . . . 133 Warrnambool Botanic Gardens . 356 Warrnambool Plain . . . . . . . . . . 105 Warrnambool to Portland . . 354–358 Warrock . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, 85, 396 Watertower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Wathaurong 76, 83, 85, 205, 215, 302 Wattle Hill Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . 348 Wayne Lynch (The Fish) . . . . . . . 97 WB Godfrey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403 Weeaproinah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Wellness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115, 157 Wet Sclerophyll Forest . . . . . . . . 109 Whalers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Whale Watching . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Logan’s Beach (Warrnambool) 155 Portland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 When to Visit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405 Whites Beach . . . . . . . 101, 163, 191 Wild Dog Cove . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Wild Dog Rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Wildlife Watching . . . 156, 156–157 Cool Temperate Rainforest . . . 157 Damp Sclerophyll Forest . . . . . 156 Heathlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156 Wetlands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 William Buckley . . . . . . 85, 169, 205 William Calder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 William Dutton . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374 William Rutledge . . . . . . . . . . . . 362 Winchlesea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387 Wind Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Wine . . . . . . . . . . . . 158, 158–159 Wineries Gosling Creek Winery . . . . . . . 27 Winkipop . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 98, 175 Wool Stores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305 Wreck Beach . . . . . . . . . 91, 217, 282 Fiji . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92 Marie Gabrielle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Wye River . . . . . . . . . 182, 269, 340 Wye River Walk . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

Y Yambuk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 Yellow Rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 You Yangs . . . . 83, 87, 102, 147, 236 You Yangs Regional Park . . . . . . 236

www.bestshot.com.au

Best of The Great Ocean Road Series Highlights

Beaches & Surf Spots

Detailed maps, the best of the best and the highest highlights of the Great Ocean Road. A 52 page practical souvenir.

Detailed information about the 65 best beaches. 48 pages of inside information, including the history of surfing on the Surf Coast.

$9.95

$14.95

Best of Portland & The Discovery Coast

Walks

A 36 page souvenir and guide to discovering the best-kept secrets of southwest Victoria.

Detailed information and maps for over 120 walks. 96 pages to help you explore the greatest walks along the Great Ocean Road.

$9.95

$24.95

www.bestofgreatoceanroad.com.au also

The Traveller’s Guide to the Goldfields A detailed guide to the Goldfield’s natural and historic heritage. 312 pages. $39.95

Geelong & The Bellarine Peninsula A lavishly photographed coffee-table guidebook. $34.95

The Heart of Victoria: Bendigo, Castlemaine, Daylesford, Macedon More great photos, and fascinating text. $34.95

The Bellarine via Rambler’s Road by Rick Wilkinson A travel book, without going very far. $24.95

416.

The Complete Guide to The Great Ocean Road