Nature & Wildlife

The Great Ocean Road region offers so many different wildlife experiences – on land and in water in their natural habitat or ready made opportunities to get up close to the native fauna.

Beaches

From Torquay to Portland and beyond there are literally hundreds of bay and ocean beaches to choose from, and they are magnificent all year round. In summer they act as a cool retreat, while in...

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National Parks

Incredible coastal and inland national parks including the famous Great Otway National Park and Port Campbell National Park amongst...

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Rivers & Lakes

Beautiful lakes and rivers are scattered throughout the Great Ocean Road region, each with their own unique...

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Trails & Lookouts

Trails that lead to waterfalls, lookouts, iconic ocean vistas and volcanic plains. The diverse landscape of the Great Ocean Road region is just waiting to be...

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Waterfalls

With its diverse terrain and coastal margin, the entire Great Ocean Road region is a natural for waterfalls. Typically they offer shady respite from summer days and walkable access through forest...

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Whale Watching

Each year, the coastline plays host to 25 different species of migrating whales, including Southern Right Whales, Humpback Whales, Blue Whales and Orcas. Try the Winter Whale Trail from the 12...

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Wildlife

The Great Ocean Road region locals inlude kangaroos, wallabies, echidnas, platypus, koalas, glow worms, birds, seals, penguins and even the occasional migrating whale...just to name a...

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Explore All Nature & Wildlife in Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Panoramic view of Deep Lake
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Deep Lake Recreation Reserve

Deep Lake is just 4.5km from the beautiful township of Derrinallum in South West Victoria and is located just off the Hamilton...

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Boat Fishing on Lake Bullen Merri with a rainbow centered on the boat
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Lake Bullen Merri - South Beach

Find your own space on this crystal clear volcanic lake on the southern outskirts of...

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View of the jetty leading into Lake Elingamite
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Lake Elingamite

The crater rim above the lake offers great views and a strong impression of the volcanic nature of the...

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Person sitting at the end of the jetty at Lake Tooliorook
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Lake Tooliorook

Picturesque sand bottomed Lake Tooliorook is located 5km from Lismore. The lake offers good fishing and boating amenity and...

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2 black swans and cygnets
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Yatmerone Reserve

With over 30 species of birds living in the wetlands, Yatmerone is a popular bird-watching area providing a place where visitors...

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Panoramic view of lake Purrumbete
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Lake Purrumbete

Lake Purrumbete is an attractive volcanic lake that fishes well for trout and chinook salmon. With an average depth of 45m and a...

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Male standing looking towards sunset on the summet of Tower Hill overlooking the crater lake
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Ancient Views: Our Volcanic Lakes & Plains

The unique volcanic landscape in south-western Victoria was most likely formed from about two million years ago, when lava flowed...

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Panoramic view of Lake Corangamite
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Lake Corangamite

Lake Corangamite is the largest permanent salt-water lake in Australia, with a surveyed area of over 23,000...

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Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Friends of the Forgotten Woodlands Inc.

Meet the Friends of the Forgotten...

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View of the rotunda
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Tandarook Botanic Gardens

Tandarook Botanic Gardens, established in 1981, are located in a part of town and on a property that has had many...

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View of the lake and rotunda at Penshurst Botanical Gardens
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Penshurst Botanic Gardens

Tucked away just off the Hamilton Highway with entry via Cox Street, the Penshurst Wetland Gardens are located within the...

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Couple standing at Red Rock Lookout overlooking the volcanic plains
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Red Rock Lookout

Enjoy the views over Victoria’s largest permanent inland lake.  Look over to the west and you will see scattered volcanic...

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Female touching the dry stone walls with Mount Elephant in the background
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Nature in the North

As residents of the area, how lucky we are to be used to the sight of rolling green hills, quaint towns and dramatic...

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Lady sitting at the edge of the lake with her feet over the edge of a deck
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Cobden Lake

Cobden Lake is fed by Cobden Creek and has a paved walk and viewing platforms around it’s circumference. Visitors can enjoy...

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Female walking through the main entrance of the Camperdown Botanic Garden
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Camperdown Botanical Gardens

These magnificent  gardens are perched above the two volcanic crater lakes of Lake Bullen Merri and Lake Gnotuk and are a...

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Be Inspired

Visit Great Ocean Road

Top 7 things to do these Easter Holidays around the Great Ocean Road

A visit to the Great Ocean Road region during the Easter holidays will keep you so busy you will work off those Easter Eggs in no time! Whether you...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

A Sustainable Great Ocean Road Getaway

The Great Ocean Road is one of Australia’s most epic road trips, and a visit to Victoria would not be complete without spending some time in...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

Dusk Discovery Tours at Wildlife Wonders

The perfect addition to your weekend plans. Running every Saturday...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

How and where to find Glow Worms

Do you know there are glow worms in the Great Otway National Park, just 10 minutes from Lavers Hill on the Great Ocean...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

Want to know the most scenic spots? Here's your checklist.

The Great Ocean Road region, from Torquay to Nelson and inland to places like Casterton and Colac, has some of the beautiful and diverse scenery in...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

My favourite places to recentre and commune with nature

When I feel like it’s time to clear the cobwebs, I like to explore new places, commune with nature and re-centre myself. This time, I chose the...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

The rock formations of the Great Ocean Road

These massive rock formations, carved from the crashing waves and weather elements are big, beautiful and display the most magnificent colors that...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

6 Ways nature can soothe the soul

Spending time in nature on the Great Ocean Road at any time of the year is good for the soul. Here are six top spots revealed by a Parks Victoria...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

Close encounters at Great Ocean Road Wildlife Park

The Great Ocean Road region is abundant with wildlife. You can see animals in the wild or, in our case, we visited them at the Great Ocean Road...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

Q & A with Area Chief Ranger for Shipwreck Coast and Hinterland

Michael D Smith, is the Area Chief Ranger for Shipwreck Coast and Hinterland, Parks Victoria. Find out about his top tips for exploring the...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

Farm Stays - a fun holiday for everyone

Staying on a farm is a unique way to holiday! Not only do you have lots of fresh air, open space and cute farm animals to yourself, you might just...

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Visit Great Ocean Road

Tower Hill: A geological, wildlife and cultural wonder

Travel writer Silke was thrilled to find a dormant volcano near Warrnambool and to discover more about its geology and resident...

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Portland

Casterton - an inland trip worth exploring

If you’ve set up base in Portland for your summer holiday, you should know that there are some great inland day trips you can take to mix up your...

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Portland

Moonscapes & Mystical Caves

This stretch of the Great Ocean Road is much less visited than the icons to the east but rewards the intrepid traveller with some incredible sights...

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Otways

Only have 48hrs in the Otways? Here's your guide.

The Otways is enchanting, captivating, picturesque and just two hours west of Melbourne. If you’ve only got 48-hours to spend in the area,...

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Warrnambool

10 Outings with the kids in Warrnambool

Warrnambool is a fantastic family-friendly destination. with bucket loads of things to do, from exciting locations to explore to wildlife and...

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Warrnambool

First time visiting Warrnambool? Here's your ultimate guide.

There’s lots to see, do and experience in Warrnambool, so we’ve hand-picked a few essential need-to-knows to settle you into your beach...

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Torquay

A Nurtured Environment

The entirety of the Surf Coast region is renowned for its pristine environment and there’s a strong local culture that has created...

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Aireys Inlet

Must do's in Aireys Inlet

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Aireys Inlet

Get a feel for Aireys Inlet

Aireys Inlet, a gorgeous coastal hamlet, gateway to the peaceful curves of the Great Ocean Road and the dramatic nature of the Great Otway National...

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Apollo Bay

Let the locals guide you in Apollo Bay

The team at Great Ocean Road Escapes are all locals, so it’s only natural that they suggest their favourite places to eat, shop and explore to...

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Aireys Inlet

Aireys Inlet - it's closer than you think!

Aireys Inlet is one of my favorite destinations on the Great Ocean Road. It’s under 2 hours from Melbourne (even less from Ballarat) and I can...

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Female touching the dry stone walls with Mount Elephant in the background
Volcanic Lakes & Plains

Nature in the North

As residents of the area, how lucky we are to be used to the sight of rolling green hills, quaint towns and dramatic...

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Port Fairy

Tower Hill: A geological, wildlife and cultural wonder

It is hard to drive past Tower Hill Reserve on the highway from Warrnambool to Port Fairy and not be...

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Join a tour

Apollo Bay Surf and Kayak

Apollo Bay

Torquay Surfing Academy

TORQUAY

Lorne Tours

Lorne

Great Ocean Road Tagalong Tours

Cape Otway

Salty Dog Charters

Port Fairy

Storytowns Podcast Tours

Port Campbell

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Great Ocean Road Regional Tourism acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Great Ocean Road region the Wadawurrung, Eastern Maar & Gunditjmara. We pay our respects to their Elders, past, present and emerging. We recognise and respect their unique cultural heritage and the connection to their traditional lands. We commit to building genuine and lasting partnerships that recognise, embrace and support the spirit of reconciliation, working towards self-determination, equity of outcomes and an equal voice for Australia’s first people.