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Victoria's Otway Ranges and the Great Ocean Road

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Wreck Beach at sunset and low tide

  • My tips:
    • AVOID Xmas to end of January as far too busy and will be booked out 6-12 months in advance
    • water is warmest in March and coldest in September
    • for surfing - Torquay, Bells Beach, Anglesea and Fairhaven are favorite beaches
    • for chilling out at a clothing optional beach - Point Addis near Anglesea
    • for a quiet seaside village - Aireys Inlet
    • for the most versatile area - Lorne - but it will be busy even mid week in Feb - but you do get nice beaches, shops, pub, supermarket, forest walks and waterfalls all in close proximity
    • for free or almost free camping without kids and without large caravans:
    • for camping with kids or caravans - lots of commercial options but check out Cumberland river holiday Park if the main foreshore parks are very busy
    • Great Ocean Road is fantastic for sight seeing BUT don't forget to take time to walk in the sand, explore rock pools, smell the sea, feel the sea breezes, have a sleep under some shade on the beach, and go for a forest walk or two - and especially the wet cool temperate rainforests with the lush green epiphytic plants on the tree truncks and the multitude of interesting mushrooms and fungi along with birds
      • GOR beaches are best when tide is out - more rock pools, more sand to walk on, more photogenic - so coordinate with tide times
      • NB. summer and autumn are unlikely to have much water in the waterfalls - don't expect too much
      • recommended forest walks near Lorne (watch out for snakes as usual and note there is unlikely to be any mobile phone reception):
        • Lower Kalimna falls - can have a shower under the water in summer (can do the short walk in dry weather by driving past Sheoak Picnic Ground)
        • Allenvale car park to Phantom Falls (there is a steep section to get your heart rate up)
        • Sheoak Picnic Ground to Henderson Falls (can make the walk shorter by parking on Sharps Track) - don't really need to go to the Canyon or do the loop walk
        • Sheoak Falls car park on the coast to Sheoak Falls and Swallow Cave and return
          • lots of steps but nice walk
          • can extend by walking up to Sheoak Picnic Ground and returning same way or via the less walked Castle Rock loop - this will turn it into a 2.5-3hr walk with a steady ascent and a steady descent on return
        • Erskine Falls
      • other waterfalls which are further inland within the Otway Forest:
        • Hopetoun Falls - nice redwood forest
        • Beauchamp Falls
        • Triplet Falls
  • avoid narrow overgrown paths in summer as this is where you are most likely to come too close to a tiger snake - wide paths are much safer - and take your snake bite bandage!
    • if you are walking solo on paths less traveled (eg. Castle Rock track) then consider taking a personal radio beacon (EPIRB) to call for help

Otway ranges:

  • the Otway Ranges are uplifted sedimentary rock which occurred after the rifting of Antarctica away from Australia, and around this time, the coastline was near Colac region
  • temperate forest range along Victoria's coast line ranging from Anglesea to Port Campbell
  • on hot summer days, max temperatures are considerably lower than Melbourne - often by 6-10deg
  • if the beach is too hot, then head up to the peaks of the Otway Ranges, for example Mt Sabine tends to be a lovely 28degC when it is 34degC plus down on the beach in Apollo Bay.
  • ocean water temperatures rise from 12deg in early summer to 19deg by March-April and then cools down to lowest temperatures by Sept
  • waves for surfing are usually best in April esp. if low pressure systems are off shore
  • 19 shipwrecks from Bells Beach southwards
  • whilst Torquay, Bell's Beach, Anglesea, Fairhaven and Mogg's Creek are primarily for beach goers and surfing (surfing all year round with wet suits as long as you are experienced and a strong swimmer), Lorne and Apollo Bay are more family-oriented beaches with some surf, but have the wonderful added benefit of close proximity to beautiful cool temperate rainforest walks and waterfalls which are enjoyable all year round even on wet days but are especially good on mild overcast days or when it is too hot for the beach.
  • Anglesea golf club is a great spot for dinner at dusk to watch the kangaroos grazing on the golf course.
  • the drive to Cape Otway lighthouse off the Great Ocean Road is usually a reliable track to see koalas perched on the tree branches.
  • even if you are pressed for time, make sure you take the pictureque 20min drive from the back of Apollo Bay down Paradise Valley and enjoy the lovely walk to Mariner's Falls - unfortunately this walk is now CLOSED for safety reasons, and then after returning to Apollo Bay, shortly after heading towards the 12 Apostles, enjoy the short 30min rainforest walk at Mait's Rest. These won't cost you any money but give you a taste of what the Otways are all about in addition to the beaches.
  • the tallest waterfall is Erskine Falls near Lorne but best flows as with most of the waterfalls in Victoria is best in Winter or Spring.

car travel times

  • allow 45-60min from Melbourne to end of the Geelong bypass freeway (M1)
  • from end of the M1 freeway, takes ~60min to Lorne off-peak which includes some 15 minutes of winding Great Ocean Road at average 50-60kph
  • from Lorne to Apollo Bay average speed off-peak is 60kph and takes about 50minutes without sight seeing stops
  • avoid from Xmas public holiday weekend onwards until end of school holidays (accommodation is usually very expensive and booked out well in advance anyway)
  • avoid Easter school holidays
  • avoid during major events such as Bell's Beach annual surfing championships (Easter), cycling events, etc.
  • 5km bumber-bumper sections with very slow driving near Anglesea and Lorne are common during peak periods
  • for sight-seeing it is best driving along the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne as the car stops are on the coastal side of the road
  • if you are returning to Melbourne from the 12 Apostles, Apollo Bay or Lorne, consider taking the various inland routes over the Otway Ranges for a change of scenery and access to more waterfalls, and avoiding the busy, slower Great Ocean road.

Anglesea:

  • surf town at the start of the Great Ocean Road
    • 20min (16km) to Torquay
    • 30min (28km) to Lorne
  • Go Ride A Wave surfing lessons
  • Anglesea paddle boats, canoes, aqua bikes - Go Paddling
  • Anglesea Golf Club
  • horse riding:
    • Spring Creek Trail Rides
  • art galleries:
  • massage:
    • surfcoast spa resort:
      • accommodation 
      • heated indoor pool; tennis court; BBQ area;
      • massage, body wraps, exfoliation 
    • Purely Natural Massage:
      • Anglesea shopping village ph: 5263 2660
  • Pt Addis:
    • Ironbark Basin Reserve:
      • the basin was under the sea 40m years ago and was uplifted to form hills at a fault line that extends from Jan Juc to Cape Otway
      • cliffs show sediment of low grade coal soil with gypsum in the vertical cracks
      • inland from the cliffs are areas of red ochre which was quarried in the 1920's by a company called Jarosite Products, and this pigment was used to paint Melbourne's “red rattler” trains which were decommissioned in the 1980's.
      • eucalypt forests:
        • tall open forest of ironbark (E. tricarpa) with its fissured black trunks and undergrowth of mosses, lichens, ground orchids, wattles & grasses
        • open forest of messmate stringybark (E. obliqua) with its stringy, fibrous bark
          • areas with undergrowth of grass trees, red correa, horny conebush, silver banksia, white daisy
      • low heathland
      • naturalist beach - clothing optional (ie. nude) - easy walk to Southernside beach near Bell's Beach
      • Koori cultural walks
  • camping grounds:

Airey's Inlet:

Lorne:

  • 90min drive from Melbourne & 30min (28km) to Anglesea
  • 50-60min (45km) to Apollo Bay
  • 2hr 15min (132km) to 12 Apostles
  • 40min (45km) to Winchelsea via forest drive
  • tides are 17min before Port Phillip Heads times
  • extremely popular ocean resort town to escape the summer heat
  • waterfalls eg. Erskine Falls
  • short forest / waterfall walks near Lorne
    • CHECK AT INFORMATION CENTRE FIRST as some may be closed after storm damage
    • Lower Kalimna Falls
      • nice falls - can even have a shower under them on a warm day with care
      • walk either from Sheoak Picnic Ground or a shorter walk from the road
    • Allenvale Mill to Phantom Falls and return
      • nice walk, initially through an orchard farm then follows the stream up to a nice waterfall but there is a steep hill to walk up
      • alternatively, could do a longer 2.5-3hr loop to The Canyon, Henderson Falls, WonWondah Falls and then walk down the gravel road
    • WonWondah Falls and Henderson Falls and return
      • nice walk, park either at Sheoak picnic area or on Sharps rd, nice relatively easy walk to Henderson Falls then return
      • WonWondah falls is not much to see
      • alternatively could extend the walk to The Canyon if you want more exercise and forest nature walking but there is not much to see
      • alternatively could extend into a loop to The Canyon, Phantom Falls, Allenvale Mill but then you would have to walk UP the gravel road back to your car
    • Allenvale Mill to St Georges River at the coast
      • perhaps best with a car shuffle
    • Sheoak Falls and Swallow Cave
      • nice short walk although there are lots of steps up from the Sheoak Falls car park - I think the extra steps up to Swallow Cave is worth it
      • Sheoak Falls car park to Sheoak Picnic Ground and return
        • the Swallow Cave walk can be extended into a 2.5-3hr ?6-7km total return walk up to Sheoak Picnic Ground and return (or do as a car shuffle and walk from Sheoak Picnic Ground)
        • for those wanting to get some aerobic exercise and glute work out and get away from everyone else in a dry forest then the Castle Rock Track (mainly a wide 4WD track but 1st bit is steep up a narrow track where I had a close encounter with a tiger snake) can be taken up to Sheoak Picnic Ground which will take 1.5hrs and the return back via Sheoak track to the falls takes a total 2.5hrs with steady walking and my phone says it was 100 floors climbed and about 13,000 steps
        • of course, the above two could be started at Sheoak Picnic Ground and return to Sheoak Picnic Ground, or with a car shuffle, end at Sheoak Falls car park to make it nearly all down hill
      • Sheoak Falls car park to Castle Rock and return without going down to the falls or swallow cave will take about 1hr 45min-2hrs and according to iPhone, 90 floors and some 12,000 steps
        • just before Swallow Cave go left up the steep Sheoak Track then turn RIGHT on the wide 4WD track (don't get left here!) and ascend until the T intersection, turn left at the sign to Castle Rock - the Castle Rock lookout is on the cliff face and looks out over the Cumberland River camp ground and out to sea the initial part is fairly flat and wide path but the last section to the lookout is quite steep with many steps which of course you need to come back up on.
    • Sheoak Picnic Ground to Castle Rock lookout
      • an easier hike than coming up from Sheoak Falls car park
    • Cumberland river holiday park to Cumberland Falls
      • nice walk with swim holes but last half is difficult and requires stream crossings which should not be done after heavy rain
    • Erskine Falls to Lorne
    • Cora Lynne Cascades walk
  • conference facilities eg. Cumberland Resort
  • annual pier-to-pub swim late December
  • camping grounds:

Wye River:

  • 15km from Lorne
  • this area was severely impacted by bushfires Dec 2015 but has now recovered well
  • Wye River Foreshore Reserve ph: 5561 2611 - adjacent river near beach; Dec-Apr only;
  • Wye River Valley Tourist Park - cabins, camping;
  • Wye River Heritage Walk 50min (Paddy's Path) or 90min walks covering local sawmilling and shipping history
  • Mt Defiance lookout between Lorne & Wye River - panoramic ocean views towards Artillery Rocks, a geological international heritage site, which are 5km north of Wye River and consist of feldspathic sandstone rocks exposed on a shore platform dipping seaward (SE) 
    • see sketch drawn in 1887 here and photo taken ca 1888-1910 here

Kennett River:

  • Kennett River Caravan Park - river frontage adjacent beach; showers/toilets
  • koalas in the wild on Grey River Road
  • coastal views at Cape Patton lookout 

Skene's Creek:

Apollo Bay:

  • see also: Apollo Bay and the west Otway Region
  • 75min (90km) to the 12 Apostles
  • 60min (71km) to Colac
  • 150min (112km) to Geelong via coast or 120min (146km) via Colac
  • tides are 28min before Port Phillip Heads times
  • Otway National Park - several small camping areas - most need to bring drinking water & firewood, no litter;
  • Great Ocean Walk:
    • 91km walk passes through Otway & Port Campbell National Parks taking 8 days and 7 nights but can be experienced in shorter walks.
  • Paradise Valley short drive
    • this is a nice drive into lush rainforest alongside a stream - small picnic ground with toilets at Barham Scenic Reserve, nice area for bird watching and relaxing although mozzies could be an issue
    • unfortunately there is no longer access to the previous nice forest walk to Paradise Falls - this was closed after a tree fell of a family whilst walking
  • Marriners Lookout - 30min return walk gives panoramic views
  • Maits Rest 30min loop rainforest walk - perhaps the best in the region.
  • Blanket Bay - isolated rocky beach and Blanket Bay camp ground, Cape Otway
  • Cape Otway lighthouse - southern-most point of western Victoria - self-guided tours from 9am - check entry fee
  • The Gable lookout - views to Moonlight Head
  • Red Rock lookout - Victoria's youngest volcano - last erupted 6,000yrs ago - lookout is 230m above sea level and gives views across volcanic plains, craters, cones & lakes.
  • Apollo Bay Music Festival - Mar or April
  • Apollo Bay Airfield - 12 Apostles air tours
  • see also:
  • rental accommodation:
  • holiday parks:

Cape Otway

Aire Valley / Hordern Vale / Glenaire:

  • picturesque, quiet, remote coastal valley with river/estuary/surf fishing in the region.
  • Aire River camp grounds
  • Johanna:
  • wild unpatrolled surf beach at a river inlet - you may wish to return on the bitumen rather than “shortcut” back on the gravel road.
  • Johanna beach camp ground
  • see also: SW Victoria

non-coastal regions:

  • the top areas of the Otway Ranges is a few degrees cooler and generally wetter than the coast, so bring rain gear and warm clothes, and be prepared for footwear to be a little muddy after walks
  • many of the walks are steep although steps are usually provided on the main walks - hiking poles may be useful!
  • Forrest:
    • 25min (32km) from Colac
    • 35min (39km) from Apollo Bay
  • Barramunga:
  • Beech Forest:
    • small town within this cool temperate rainforest with annual rainfall 2000mm (80“) 
    • 50min from Apollo Bay via Lavers Hill or for a beautiful rainforest drive, access via Skene's Creek and take the Turton's Track which is bitumen but slow and beautiful.
    • Otway Fly rainforest walk & tree-top walk, allow 1hr for the walk; cafeteria;
    • Triplet Falls
      • near the Otway Fly
      • can also do the more strenous 2hr 4.5km circuit to Little Aire Falls
      • 2km 1hr loop with easy-mod walk down steps
    • Beauchamp Falls
    • Hopetoun Falls
      • easy walk down steps - if you are short for time, do this one and perhaps Triplet Falls
      • ~0.5km past the turn off to the falls is a lovely little picnic ground at a bridge over the river with a unique peaceful, tall Californian Redwood forest plant planted in 1939
    • narrow gauge railway built from Colac to Beech Forest in 1902 which allowed development of sawmilling in the region including at Melba Gully.
  • Lavers Hill:
    • the highest point on the Great Ocean Road & the end of the Otway Ranges, half-way between Apollo Bay & Port Campbell
    • nice cafe
    • 45min (53km) to Apollo Bay
    • 30min to 12 Apostles
    • Aire Falls
    • Melba Gully State Park:
      • take a torch just after dusk to check out the glow-worms (larvae of the fungus gnat) at night along path on soil banks with overhanging ledges - but don't touch or shine torches on them
      • 30min return walk with optional steep climb to view the Big Tree
      • a dense rainforest of Myrtle Beech, Blackwood & tree ferns with an under-storey of low ferns & mosses best seen after rain which brings the colours out.
      • a popular picnic & lunch spot with tea rooms for bus tourists in the 1930's and 1940's until the tea rooms were closed in 1948 after a bus length limit was imposed. Property was sold in 1958 and then given to the Vic. Conservation Trust in 1975 who later transferred it to be managed by Parks Victoria.

North:

  • Werribee:
  • Anakie:
  • Geelong:
  • Birregurra:
    • just south of Princes Hwy between Geelong & Colac
    • 15min (19km) from Colac
  • Winchelsea:
    • alternate route to Lorne from Geelong - 40min (45km) to Lorne via forest drive
    • Barwon Park colonial mansion
      • 1860's bluestone mansion built by the Austin family who introduced rabbits into Australia and founded the Austin Hospital in Melbourne
  • Colac:
    • volcanic plains region on the main highway 60min (75km) from Geelong
    • Red Rock Lookout - overlooks volcanic plain of scoria cones, craters and over 40 eruption points
    • Lake Corangamite - Australia's largest inland permanent salt lake - 30,000 hectares
    • alternative inland route to coast:
      • 60min (56km) to Lorne
      • 60min (71km) to Apollo Bay
      • 60min (91km) to 12 Apostles via Simpson
      • 80min (106km) to 12 Apostles via Lavers Hill
      • 80min (112km) to Warrnambool
    • see also: Colac Otway website

East (Bellarine Peninsula):

  • Torquay / Jan Juc / Bell's Beach:
    • centre of surfing in Victoria, 99km from Melbourne (75min drive); 45km from Lorne (45min drive)
    • surf retail/factory outlets & Surfworld surfing museum
    • protected life guard patrolled family front beach; 
    • life guard patrolled surf beaches: Torquay Surf Beach; Jan Juc;
    • world renown Bell's Beach surf beach - World Championships held each Easter
    • to the west of Bell's Beach is a clothing-optional beach which leads to Pt Addis naturalist beach
    • Tiger Moth World Adventure Park - tiger moth flights incl 12 Apostles & sky diving, mini golf, flying fox, canoes, BBQ
    • Spring Creek Trail Rides - horse riding along beach
    • visitor information
  • Barwon Heads / Ocean Grove:
    • Jirrahlinga koala & wildlife sanctuary Barwon Heads
    • A Maze 'N Things giant maze Wallington
    • Adventure park Wallington
    • Tuckerberry Hill blueberry picking mid-Dec to mid-Feb
    • camping/cabins:
      • Collendina Caravan Park
      • Green Valley Caravan Park
      • Ocean Grove Holiday Park
      • Riverview Family Caravan Park
      • Wynndean Holiday Resort
      • Barwon Heads Park
      • Rondor Caravan Park Barwon Heads
  • Point Lonsdale:
    • overlooking The Rip - the entrance of Port Phillip Bay - one of the most treacherous stretches of water in the world 
    • back beach - surf life saving club
    • lighthouse
    • foreshore reserve camping, fishing
    • tides times are Port Phillip Heads times
  • Queenscliff:
    • on south-western part of Port Phillip Bay, near its entrance
    • became a fashionable seaside resort in 1880's
    • Queenscliff music festival late November
    • Queenscliff-Sorrento car & passenger ferry
    • Sea-All Charters - swim with dolphins & seals
    • Bellarine Peninsula Railway - tourist railway;
    • Fort Queenscliff tours & museum
    • Queenscliff Maritime Museum
    • Marine Discovery Centre
    • Game & recreational fishing charters
    • Great Ocean Rd Golf Tours
    • Historical tours & bike hire
  • St Leonards:
    • established in 1840 as a fishing base for Geelong
    • foreshore reserve camping, fishing
    • St Leonards caravan park
  • Indented Heads:
    • safe family beach, foreshore reserve camping -  largest on peninsula, fishing
  • Portarlington:
    • north-east shore of Bellarine Peninsula on Port Phillip Bay - sheltered family beach, fishing
    • Dylene Caravan Park
    • Fairhaven Caravan Park

 

West:

History:

  • traditional lands of the Gadubanud, the King Parrot people
  • 1798: George Bass discovers Bass Strait based upon the rapid tides and swells he experienced when he reach Wilsons Prom from Cape Howe, and proved by Flinders and Bass when they circumnavigated Tasmania in 1799, shortening trips from England by 1 week
  • 1800: 1st recorded sighting of the Otway coast made by Lieutenant Grant on his voyage through Bass Strait in the Lady Nelson
  • 1803:
    • Convict William Buckley, the “Wild White Man”, escapes from Sullivans Bay - Port Phillip's first European settlement -near what is now Sorrento. He wanders to the other side of the bay and is the first white man to explore the rugged coast, past the future sites of Breamlea, Torquay, Anglesea and Aireys Inlet. Just past the site of Lorne, at Mt Defiance, he not only discovers a good food source, but it is also where his contact with Aborigines begins. The relationship lasts 32 years, with Buckley living a nomadic life along the coast and inland.
  • 1836: Gellibrand and Hesse are the first white men to penetrate the Otway Ranges. They disappear without trace the following year while still in the Otways.
  • 1840: Henty brothers established a whaling station at Point Bunbury, Apollo Bay - now the site of the Apollo Bay Golf Course
  • 1841: Capt Louttit sheltered in the bay at Lorne during a storm
  • 1842: John Moore Cole Airey settles in Airey's Inlet
  • 1843: First detailed coastal survey undertaken
  • 1845: Capt Louttit sheltered in Apollo Bay which he named after his schooner the Apollo during his trading voyage to Portland
  • 1845: first overland route, a 1.2 metre-wide bridal path, to the Apollo Bay area is made by William Roadknight and his son Thomas, who drive cattle through the bush from Birregurra to their run on Cape Otway.
  • 1846: surveyor Smythe surveys coast from Barwon Heads to Cape Otway and records “Louttit Bay” in his report while the owner of the sloop Apollo whose master was Capt Louttit registered Apollo Bay as well as Louttit Bay at Superintendent Latrobe's office. These bays were the only ones on the coast in that region that could provide safe anchorage.
  • 1846: William Urquhart does the first land survey of the area to set the boundaries for the County of Grant.
  • 1848: Cape Otway lighthouse is completed and the light lit on 14 August 1848, remaining in service until 1964
  • 1849: 1st European settler in Lorne, William Lindsay granted a Splitters licence - however, the following year two of his sons aged 4 and 8 died in a sand cave collapse near the current swing bridge
  • 1849: The first settlers in the Apollo Bay area are timber cutters who come to harvest the magnificent Blue Gum and Mountain Ash trees, which grow up to 40 metres high and over a 1 metre in diameter. These were dragged down to the beach, floated through the surf, and loaded aboard the small ships anchored off-shore
  • 1851: Black Thursday bushfire destroys the timber cutters settlement on Apollo Bay
  • 1851: Victoria becomes a separate colony. A census held this year shows 229 people resident in Apollo Bay and Cape Otway area
  • 1853: Louttit Bay cattle run established by Mr Herd, and later by Mr Asplin and then Mr Short
  • 1853: Skene surveys an area to be known as Middleton township (later to be renamed Krambruk then Apollo Bay)
  • 1854: schooner Osprey wrecked in heavy seas near Lorne
  • 1854: the brigantine Anna of 140 tons becomes the first ship wrecked in Apollo Bay during a gale
  • 1855: 1st jetty built in Apollo Bay at Point Bunbury
  • 1859:
    • Modern telecommunications comes to the coast when the electric telegraph line from Melbourne is established. It follows a route to Geelong and then inland to Winchelsea. From Winchelsea, it heads for the coast at Moggs Creek, near Aireys Inlet, before following a coastal route to Cape Otway. Here it links with the submarine cable to King Island and Tasmania. A bridle path along the telegraph line's route becomes a well-used, albeit extremely challenging and dangerous, track to settlements at Lorne and Apollo Bay.
  • 1862: schooner Otway driven ashore by gale winds and wrecked
  • 1864: Louttit Bay added to Winchelsea Shire
  • 1864: 1st farm in Apollo Bay area established by Mr. John Cawood who drove his cattle for 3 days to market at Birregurra
  • 1865: Mountjoy family erect a two storey house in Louttit Bay, and in 1868 erect a Temperance Hotel (now Erskine house), and in 1874, starts the 1st Post Office in Lorne at this hotel
  • 1868: first titles to land are issued for Apollo Bay region
  • 1869: Silk starts Louttit Bay sawmill
  • 1871: Louttit Bay renamed Lorne in honour of the marriage of Princess Louise (Queen Victoria's daughter) to the Marquis of Lorne and a Mr Darbyshire laid out the main township of Lorne
  • 1872: Deans Marsh to Lorne track surveyed
  • 1873: the narrow overland track into Apollo Bay is widened and the first wheeled-vehicle is driven over the Otways. It takes four horses to pull the empty two-wheeler
  • 1874:
    • Mining engineers reporting on the coalfields at Lorne and Apollo Bay, describe the remoteness of the coast, the dangers it presents to vessels and the rugged and winding nature of the path. One suggests developing a new, less formidable route that could one day form the basis of a permanent road.
  • 1874: Apollo Bay town name is changed from Middleton to Krambruk
  • 1876: Lorne Hotel built for Joseph Duncan and Theodore Hancock.
  • 1877: surveyed land in Apollo Bay is thrown open for selection. 30 township and half-acre sites are sold
  • 1878: Lorne Jetty successful tender and the Lorne Cemetery gazetted while john Stirling opens 1st Bake house and store in Lorne
  • 1879: Lorne State School opens and the Grand Pacific Hotel in Lorne is built for Mr Henry Gwynne
  • 1879: 1st school opens in Apollo Bay
  • 1880: 1st church services in Erskine House, Lorne; Cobb & Co and Mountjoy coaches run from Winchelsea to Lorne taking 6 hours
  • 1882: sea baths erected in Lorne but were destroyed a few years later by easterlies
  • 1882: 1st settlers in Wye River - brothers Alex and Donald Macrae, and their cousin Alex MacLennan. The brothers settled near Separation Creek, establishing a farm which they named the Wye. Alex MacLennan settled a little further west at a site he named the Kennet, later the settlement of Kennett River, after another UK river
  • 1884: 1st cemetery in Apollo Bay
  • 1885: new pier built in Apollo Bay after 1st one was destroyed by a storm
  • 1886: telegraph to Apollo Bay post office
  • 1887: Queens Park established in Lorne and gazetted in 1895
  • 1887: Ballarat Hotel built in Apollo Bay named after the source of the ale, The Ballarat Brewery and was rebuilt in brick in 1930s (renamed as The Great Ocean Road Brewhouse in 2015)
  • 1888: installation of electric light in Lorne and the Lorne Water Scheme established
  • 1888: coal mining commences at Wild Dog Creek near Apollo Bay
  • 1889: Lorne Post Office built
  • 1889: coach service is commenced between Apollo Bay and Birregurra. The first coaches take two days to arrive, being pulled by only one change of horses.
  • 1890:
    • Lands Department officer Malcolm Taylor suggests an ocean road between Geelong and Apollo Bay as a defence line. Commandant of the Victorian Forces, Sir Charles Hollard Smith, and Colonel Appleton review the plans but reject them on the grounds the road would help an invader and allow easy access to Melbourne.
  • 1891: Split Point lighthouse opening in September at Aireys Inlet prompts residents' call for road between Anglesea and Lorne.
  • 1891: police watch-house is erected in Apollo Bay.
  • 1893: Post Office opens in Aireys Inlet
  • 1896: plans approved for a bridge across Skenes Creek
  • 1897: railway extended from Birregurra to Deans Marsh
  • 1898: coal discovered 16km inland from Lorne
  • 1898: Krambruk is renamed Apollo Bay and has a weekly boat service, a coach to Forrest and then the railway line, and the telegraph
  • 1900: building began on a spectacular railway line that ran between Beech Forest and Colac (closed 1962)
  • 1904: tramway built from St George river sawmill to Lorne by the Armistead brothers
  • 1909:
    • A high-rainfall year makes the inland route between Deans Marsh and Lorne almost impassable. Calls grow for a coastal road linking Lorne with Geelong via Aireys Inlet, Anglesea and Torquay. “There is no question as to Lorne being an ideal place for a holiday, either in summer or winter, but to ensure it remaining so, the approaches will have to be improved and made easier for travellers, although its very remoteness is one of its greatest charms.”
  • 1912: The Country Roads Board (CRB) is formed. Hopes are high that something will be done towards a coastal road.
  • 1914: Wye River Post Office opens
  • 1915: CRB opens road from Bellbrae (then known as Jan Juc) to Anglesea, which follows part of the coast. It comes under fire for its rough state.
  • 1916:
    • The motor car craze starts to take hold. Although the only road into Lorne is a rough track from Deans Marsh, the proprietors of Erskine House build a garage capable of accommodating 50 cars. In October, a press report highlights the pitfalls of travelling the road: “A car from one of the Geelong garages got through yesterday, but passed on the way another car stuck up two miles from Lorne, which at one stage of the journey, had lost a wheel. Cars bound for Lorne are advised to leave their passengers at Deans Marsh and let them be carried the remainder of the distance by coach, or to proceed by other means.”
  • 1917: silent pictures begin being shown in Lorne on the foreshore, Lorne council introduces fees for camping on the foreshore
  • 1918: Officially, the Great Ocean Road Trust is founded at Colac on March 22, 1918, and a promotional brochure extolling the road's potential virtues as “Our Boys” memorial, “a worthy memorial to all Victorian soldiers and a national asset for Victoria” launched.
  • 1918: 1st hospital opens in Lorne mainly to deal with the Spanish flu influenza pandemic
  • 1919: Lorne Hotel burns down and rebuilt in 1920
  • 1920: 1st person to ride a stand up surf board at Lorne - used a redwood board from Hawaii
  • 1920: power generating plant built on Erskine River, Lorne near what is now the Tourist Information Centre
  • 1920-1932: during the construction period (1920-32) of the GOR, over 300 men were camped at Sheoak, Cumberland and Jamieson Rivers
  • 1922: The Governor of Victoria, Lord Stradbroke, officially opens the The Great Ocean Road as far as Lorne but still needs substantial improvements. An upcoming solar eclipse provides the cash-strapped Ocean Road Trust with a new source of funds. The plan is to sell up to 20,000 “eclipse gazers” for one shilling each (10 cents), raising 1000 pounds ($2000) for the trust. But eventually the road is closed for construction works and reopens in December with tolls (25c per car) which remain for next 14 yrs.
  • 1922: bi-plane pioneer aviator lands on Lorne beach and gives locals joyrides
  • 1924: 1st passenger road service between Geelong and Lorne; Deans Marsh - Lorne Road surveyed and later declared a public road in 1929.
  • 1924: the Great Ocean Road Trust opened up a subdivision of 140 allotments named the “Big Hill Estate” to raise funding for the continued construction of the road; while these were sold, a township never developed
  • 1927: Old Coach Rd replaced with current alignment.
  • 1930: 1st bush nursing service commences in Lorne.
  • 1930: GOR is extended to Cumberland River then to Wye River where blocks of land were sold to help fund the road.
  • 1931: the ocean route from Geelong to Lorne finally becomes superior to the Deans marsh route.
  • 1932: GOR now allows travel from Geelong to Warrnambool but metal finish takes a few more years.
  • 1932: GOR to Apollo Bay officially opens
  • 1930's: 1st facilities built at Cumberland River which was opened by CRB as a camping area with over 100 unmarked sites (toilet blocks demolished in 1998)
  • 1932: coastal steamer Casino, was hit by a freak wave as it tried to berth at Apollo Bay jetty, sinking and killing 10 people in front of many of the town’s people who were watching helplessly
  • 1935: roller skating rink built in Lorne (demolished in 1964)
  • 1936: fishing industry commences in Lorne
  • 1936: Lorne is connected to the SEC state electricity grid
  • 1936: a submarine telegraph and telephone cable from Apollo Bay to Stanley provided the first telephone connection to Tasmania from the mainland.
  • 1936: Lorne Fire Brigade formed and the tolls on the GOR are removed
  • 1937: Swing bridge in Lorne built and Lorne Theatre is built
  • 1939: Ocean Road Trust sells its last assets - land in Wye River, Big Hill and at Eastern View. The second memorial arch over the road is erected. It weighs 50 tons, has a clearance of 25 feet (8.3 metres) to traffic and is 50 feet wide (16.7 metres).
  • 1939: Black Friday bushfire; 7 houses destroyed in north Lorne.
  • 1946: new bridge over Erskine River Lorne opens
  • 1940's: renowned landscape designer Edna Walling bought 12 acres of the Big Hill Estate in the late 1940s with a view to creating a village there, but decided that it would spoil the location, and built a home, “East Point”, there instead. The house burnt down in 1967 just after Walling moved to Qld.
  • 1950s: Lorne surf Club established
  • 1951: 1st ambulance in Lorne
  • 1952: Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club established
  • 1954: GOR is closed after heavy floods cut the road;
  • 1956: Smith brothers open the “Arab” coffee shop and cafe with the 3rd espresso machine in Victoria (ceased trading in 2020)
  • 1957: Fairhaven Surf Lifesaving Club founded
  • 1962: 1st houses in Lorne connected to new sewerage system
  • 1962: Health Regulations reduce camping sites from 100 (during Xmas/NY in the 1950s) to 48 at Cumberland River with numbered sites being introduced, but during the 1960's capacity was increased as park rangers began to live on the site
  • 1963: Apollo Bay Telegraph station closed
  • 1967: Australian Surf Riding Championships held in Lorne and Lorne Swimming Pool opens.
  • 1970: Kia Ora caravan park Lorne opens and World surfing Championships held in Lorne and at Bells Beach; Bathing boxes removed from Lorne beach.
  • 1971: Thousands of tonnes of rock threaten to crash onto the Great Ocean Road at Windy Point, eight kilometres from Lorne towards Apollo Bay. The CRB moves to indefinitely close the road to all traffic. Wye River residents complain the closure is harming their town. They now have to travel 144 miles (232km) for a return trip to Lorne, which is only 10 miles (16km) away. Road reopens in December after being closed for 6 months.
  • 1972: Lorne telephone exchange becomes automatic
  • 1975: Melba Gully donated to the state and becomes Melba Gully State Park
  • 1978: the Pole house is built at Fairhaven, demolished in 2013 to avoid Heritage listing then rebuilt on same pole in 2014
  • 1981: 1st official Lorne Pier to Pub swim event
  • 1980's: the gravel section of the GOR from Apollo Bay westwards is finally bitumised
  • 1983: Ash Wednesday bush fires:
    • The devastating Ash Wednesday bushfires along the Great Ocean road claim three lives and destroy more than 700 houses. The fire starts near Deans Marsh and quickly spreads through the bush to Lorne. A southerly changes the fire front hurtling towards Eastern View, Fairhaven, Aireys Inlet and Anglesea. The fire destroys a number of bridges on the Great Ocean Road and the famous memorial arch at Fairhaven.
  • 1983: buildings on the Cumberland Guest House site are demolished and replaced with the Cumberland Resort completed in 1989 (timeshare until 2005)
  • 1983: Lorne Fisherman's Cooperative sold to a private enterprise
  • 1985: floods:
    • April 2: Torrential rain and flash flooding cut the Great Ocean Road between Lorne and Apollo Bay. Forty caravans and five cars are swept into the sea at Cumberland and Wye rivers. The flooding causes the road to drop five metres in some places and washes away bridge approaches. Parts of the road remain closed for several days.
  • 1985: Lorne Post Office demolished
  • 1994: Lorne becomes part of the new Surf Coast Shire
  • 1997: Cumberland River camping area becomes privatised when Ganges Pty Ltd leases site from the Lorne Foreshore Committee
  • 2004: Great Otway National Park declared which combined Otway National Park, Angahook Lorne State Park, Carlisle State Park, Melba Gully
  • 2006: new Lorne Hospital built on same site as old one
  • 2006: $2m renovation of Grand Pacific Hotel in Lorne
  • 2007: new Lorne pier and opening of the tramway walking track from Lorne Pier to St Georges River and additional lookouts and walks at Teddys Lookout
  • 2011: GOR is Heritage listed in Victoria
  • 2015: bushfires severely impact Wye River and Separation Creek with 116 houses destroyed; Lorne is evacuated;
  • 2020: Jamieson Creek bush camp ground fully rebuilt to provide 2WD access and with new facilities - toilets, gas BBQs, shelters, numbered sites, new walking track, and now requires bookings via Parks vic
  • 2020: Hammonds Road north bush camp ground upgraded - toilets, numbered sites and now requires bookings via Parks vic
australia/vic/otways.txt · Last modified: 2025/03/22 01:56 by gary1
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