I'll be heading down to the Otways for a waterfall tour before the June gate closures. I grew up in the area and visited all the waterfalls as a kid but haven't been back to the Otways for over 20 years. Loose plan is to meet at Winchlesea and head down to Lorne then make our way to Kalimna Falls on Garvey Track west of Lorne, from here we head west to Lake Elizabeth for a look at this intersting area before getting back in the cab and heading to Stevensons Falls 20 mins further west. Depending on the weather this might be as far as we get on day one so possible camp sites include Lake Elizabeth or Stevensons Fall camp, Lake Elizabeth is quieter. If we make good time I'd like to head into the Aire Valley south of Beech Forest to camp near Hopetoun Falls on the Aire River, although we may need to do this part of the track on Sunday morning. From Beech Forest we'll head up through Gellibrand to Colac and out.
This is a good opportunity for those who like waterfalls, (there will be three really impressive waterfalls to check out) and want to check out this often neglected part of Victoria. There are good, challenging tracks through the Otways but a lot of clay so if it rains you need to be prepared with your own rated recovery gear including at least a reliable long handle shovel, 2 rated shackles, snatch strap and recovery tracks. Electric winch or hand winch are also useful resources, but these should only be required if it rains. There are a few crossings of the Barwon River which should be relatively straight forward but, again, if there is rain beforehand a snorkel is a must, although we will take a safety first common sense approach on all crossings and tracks.
A Friday night camp is also an option so let me know if you want to meet Saturday morning or Friday night.
Requirement