This trek is a great long weekender, particularly if you live in or around
Melbourne. Our start and end point is only 120kms from Victoria's capital city and this trek is a wonderful introduction to the first time 4WDer with a good combination of tar and gravel roads. It is a 4WDer's dream - close to the city with plenty of tracks to explore.
The trek begins at
Aireys Inlet on the famous Great Ocean Road and finishes in the township of
Forrest. The Great Ocean Road follows the coast and there are numerous coastal towns, fantastic scenery and excellent fishing and surfing opportunities. At
Aireys Inlet, there are a number of great walks and a particular favourite is before
Lorne at the Cumberland River Reserve with walks to Jebbs Pool and Cumberland Falls. This is a great spot for camping if you can find a free space in the caravan park.
How to Use this Trek Note
If you'd like to download this Trek there are two options:
- Purchase our app ExplorOz Traveller. This Australian-made GPS & Navigation app will allow you to download all the ExplorOz Treks to your GPS enabled smartphone/tablet/iPad or laptop and enable active route guidance along the route as per the Directions shown on this page. The app enables offline navigation and mapping and will show where you are as you travel along the route. The app also allows you to edit/customise the route. Viewing the Trek in the Traveller app also includes all the words, images and POIs exactly as on the website (excludes Wildflowers). For more info see the ExplorOz Traveller webpage.
- Alternatively, if you already have another raster mapping software program (or an HN7 device) you can try downloading the route line data files via the Download Trek button shown below the map on this page (OR purchase EOTreks Route Files). Be aware that this doesn't include maps or text just the route line.
TIP | To purchase our maps for offline use, you will need to purchase an EOTopo map licence (available either in App Version, or Raster Version). |
Environment
There is a great variety of landscape in this region. The coastal heathlands and open
woodlands contrast greatly with the rainforests which are hundreds of years old. There is a large amount of wild life that may be seen throughout your trip to the Otways.
History
At the turn of the century most of the villages along the coast such as
Lorne were cut off by the Otway Ranges and the only way of communicating easily with the outside world was by sea. In 1916, during the middle of the war, it was suggested that returned servicemen be employed to build roads to cut off areas.
From this initiative the Great Ocean Road trust was founded to provide employment for returned service men, and to create the road as a memorial to those who had served in the war. The road was mainly hacked out of the earth by manual labour and was completed in 1932. It is a long and winding road that starts officially at
Torquay and finishes at Warrnambool.
The Otways or Otway Ranges were formed 150 million years ago when Gondwana began to break up.
Home to the Katabanut Aboriginal people, the steepness and tall forests of the ranges prevented
European settlement until the 1870's when some land was cleared. The Otways National Park was created in the mid-1980's. The Angahook-
Lorne State Park comprises the Eastern Otways.
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