G’day friends, I recently took a short overnight trip with a few mates around Cape Otway in Southern Victoria and I’d like to share with you some great things to see and do there!
Cape Otway is a part of the Great Ocean Road drive and about an hours drive away from the famous Twelve Apostles. You can drive to Cape Otway from Melbourne a couple of different ways – either inland via Cape Otway Road or by the coast via the Great Ocean Road. Taking the coastal route adds about twenty minutes extra of driving (not including any stops to take photos). Seeing as we planned to stay only one night, we wanted to make the most of our time around Cape Otway, opting to take the inland route there and take the scenic route back the next day.
Our first stop at Cape Otway was the Redwoods. The Redwoods is a small walk where you are surrounded by towering Californian Redwood trees. It is extremely beautiful and fairy-tale like walking through here. The entire walk is not taxing at all and will only take about 15 minutes. It’s definitely worth a stop.
The Redwoods 
It’s me! 
A small pond in the Redwoods 
From the viewing platform
We then drove over to Beauchamp Falls, an extremely picturesque 20 metre waterfall. It’s a 3 kilometre round trip walk to the waterfalls from the carpark and somewhat strenuous. It takes about an hour to get there and come back. At the end of the walk, there is a viewing platform where you can watch the waterfall crash into the river. You can also hop the fence and walk down a steep path and rocks to the base of the waterfall. The waterfall is definitely a must do if you are in the area.
The waterfall from down below
Near this was Maits Rest Rainforest Walk. This is another short walk without much, if any, inclines so it’s a really easy walk. It’ll take you about 15 minutes to complete the round trip. Unless you’re into different trees and plants, I’d give this one a miss. It was nothing exciting and we all came up at the end saying, “was that it?”
Some interesting looking tree during the walk
After this, we decided to go beach side and drove to Blanket Bay. It is a quiet and serene beach with some nice rock formations. It was a great last stop for us as no one else was around and we could take a leisurely stroll, take in the fresh air and watch the waves come in.
Rock formations at Blanket Bay 
More rocks
After a long day of driving and sight seeing, we retired to our Airbnb in Apollo Bay. Apollo Bay is a small area by the beach with a few eateries and shops around and is a great place to kick back and sink a few beers.
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The next day, we didn’t go back through Cape Otway or take the one hour drive to see the twelve apostles but instead had a slow morning and took a slow drive back along the coast on the Great Ocean Road.
At a stop during the drive 
At another stop during the drive 
Yet another stop during the drive 
So pretty! 
A pier at a stop we made on the way back to Melbourne 
Took a walk along it
We only got to visit a few places on our trip but there are so many more places to see and things to do in the area. If you are coming from Melbourne, I would recommend to stay at least 2 nights in the area as the drive from Melbourne to Cape Otway takes 3+ hours depending on which part of Melbourne you’re coming from.
There are so many more things to see and do in the area, which I would have loved to gone to if I had more time. These would be:
Hopetoun Falls
Another waterfall that has a viewing platform 20 metres from the carpark. There is also a steep path down to the base of the waterfall. As the viewing platform and path is really close to the carpark, it would be a quick and easy stop to see this beautiful waterfall.
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Cape Otway Lighthouse
A landmark at Cape Otway with the beach nearby. It is part of the Great Ocean Walk which is a 100 kilometre walking trail starting at Apollo Bay. The Great Ocean Walk has many different options for hikes, which you can mix and match, creating itineraries ranging from leisurely strolls to a 7 night camping expedition. I wouldn’t want to do much hiking along this trail but would rather just go down to the beach at different points and take in the views.
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Melba Gully – Madsen’s Track Nature Trail
A short and relatively easy hike through a rainforest. It is one of the wettest places in Victoria and if walking this trail at night, you may be able to see the glow worms.
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Otway Fly Treetop Walk (at Otway Fly Treetop Adventure)
The Treetop Walk in the Otways is an elevated walk platform, which gives visitors a bird’s eye view of the forest. It’s a 1.9 kilometre round trip walk, which will take about an hour to complete.
It is a part of Otway Fly Treetop Adventures, where you can also do a zipline tour of the area, zipping through from ‘Cloud Station’ to ‘Cloud Station’ and see the forest from above.
But be aware, you’ll have to pay an admission fee to get into both and the place closes at 4pm. The Treetop Walk costs $25.00 per person for an adult and the Zipline Tour costs $120.00 per person for an adult (in AUD). They also have online deals and family deals, which you can see here http://www.otwayfly.com/
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Triplet Falls
Triplet Falls is as its name suggests, three distinct waterfalls through the rainforest. Triplet Falls is close to the Otway Fly Treetop Adventures and is an easy-moderately difficult walk that takes about an hour to complete.
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Twelve Apostles
I mentioned the Twelve Apostles before and although it isn’t in the area, it is an extremely iconic landmark in Victoria and would be worth the one-hour drive there to see it (two hours to go there and back).
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I think with an extra full day and being more active in the morning of the last day before heading back to Melbourne, we would be able to fit all of the above in (barring the zip line tour). The Otways is a beautiful part of Victoria and you could easily spend a week there relaxing, sightseeing and hiking. It’s a definite must go!
For more information on most of these places, check out https://www.visitotways.com/walks-and- waterfalls/
Until next time!
Deuces
Many thanks to my lovely boyfriend, Justin, for writing this post and for taking all of those gorgeous photos. <3
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