Make Apollo Bay your launching point

A lot of you may be doing your Great Otway trek as a part of your larger Great Ocean Road itinerary. Whether that’s the case or not, Apollo Bay is the perfect place for you to start your Great Otway National Park adventure. While in Apollo Bay you can briefly explore the quaint little town before driving over to the park. There are some fun water activities that you can do like kayaking and surfing, and another worthy attraction to visit is the free stories of the Great Ocean Road QR Trail, which uses augmented reality, film, and art to tell the story of the Great Ocean Road. Don’t forget to grab a bite to eat before heading on your way for Otway.

Start off with some waterfall treks

As soon as you arrive at the park, we recommend taking a trek or two around some of the park’s nicest waterfalls. Hopetoun Falls, Beauchamp Falls, and Triplet Falls, are all nice places for a hike, each is very beautiful in their own way. These falls are all fairly close together and have walking trails for easy access. 

Hopetoun Falls falls 30 metres into the Aire River, you can either view these falls from the upper platform which is an easy 20 metres from the car park area or you can take the 1 kilometre return trip to the lower deck to get a closer view of the falls.  

The trek to Beauchamp Falls is a little bit more arduous, you will be walking from the picnic area by Airie Valley Road for about an hour return trip which will require you to be reasonably fit, but you’ll be rewarded with magnificent views of this stunning waterfall.

A one hour loop through an ancient rainforest is required for you to get to the stunning Triplet Falls. Reach a series of elevated platforms when you follow the walkways through Mountain Ash and Myrtle Beech forests, as you get to view the beautiful cascades that make up Triplet Falls.

Go on some adventures with Otway Fly Treetop Adventures 

Otway Fly Treetop Adventures is where you can see the treetops up close by either ziplining for $120 AUD or by walking above the trees while doing the elevated treetop walk for $25 AUD.

The Otway ZIp Line Tour takes passengers on a 2 and half hour adventure 30 metres above the forest floor. You’ll be zipping from one tree platform to another while a guide teaches you about the rich history of the forest. 

The Otway Fly Treetop Walk is a 600 metre long walk 30 metres above the forest floor. A fun fact about the cantilevers that you will be walking on, they can hold a maximum weight of 28 tonne which is equivalent to 14 elephants!

Don’t forget to visit Cape Otway Lighthouse

On your way back to Apollo Bay you can stop at the Cape Otway Lighthouse, Victoria’s oldest working lighthouse. During the winter and spring months, many will use the area around the lighthouse as a platform to watch migrating whales as the swim close up to the shore. Cape Otway Lighthouse is also at the heart of the very popular Great Ocean Walk, which you can learn more about here.