The Lorne Waterfalls Loop is a 35km, grade 4 hike located in the Great Otway National Park, Victoria. The hike should take 2 days to complete.
Warning
This hike has dozens of river crossings, which can be made difficult after rain. It's also quite muddy in places even in-between periods of rain. Snakes also love to sun themselves on the trail so wear long pants check your first aid kit has compression bandages and brush up on snake bite first aid (PIT Technique).
Hike overview
This hike starts and finishes in Lorne and takes you to most of the waterfalls in the area across two days. It goes along quite popular trails and is very well signed so this is a good one for people starting out.
Day 1. Lorne to Allenvale Mill via Erskine Falls. ~20km
Starting at Lorne Foreshore Caravan Park, start on the southwest side of the river and walk through the caravan park to the Erskine river track. Follow the track all the way to Erskine Falls, via the Splitter Falls lookout and Straw Falls which should take around 3 hours and 8km or so. Once there, climb the stairs and turn left towards the Lemonade Creek Track. About 1 Hour and 4km down this track is Blanket Leaf Picnic Area which makes a good spot to stop for lunch if you start around 8:00-9:00am. From there, head towards Phantom Falls via Corra Lyn Cascade which takes another 3 hours or so. Finally, climb the stairs and take the trail towards the Allenvale carpark, which is 1.7km downhill. Once there, hobble down left towards the Allenvale Campground for the night. This day took me around 9 hours to complete, though I'm a deathly slow walker so your millage may vary.
Day 2. Henderson Falls Loop, St George River Walk and Lorne Coast. ~15km
From Allenvale campground, hike back up towards Phantom Falls, then turn left at the top of the falls towards The Canyon, Henderson Falls and Won Wondah Falls. Once at Sheoak picnic area and hike back along the road to Allenvale carpark (~8km all up). From there, follow the St. George river track about 2.5km to it's estuary. From here you have a couple of options. You can hike up to Teddy's Lookout for a nice view over St George River, you can take a track up to Charles st which cuts a bit of distance, or you can walk back to Lorne along the coast (though take care of the tide). Finally, trek back up to where you started, hopefully after a nice lunch in Lorne.
Day two can be extended to include Upper and Lower Kalimina Falls and Cumberland Falls which would tick nearly all the major falls around Lorne (i.e., the ones mentioned in the Parks Vic visitor guide). You could add a stay at at Cumberland River too, which would take you past Jebb's Pool as well. There are a few good swimming spots including the Cumberland River water hole, Jeb's Pool, Phantom falls, the St George estuary and of course Lorne Surf Beach.
Allenvale Campground requires bookings via the Parks Vic website. You could sneak in for free but someone has to pay to empty the drop dunnies so don't be a scab.
Water is available throughout the hike via the rivers, though obviously it would be best to filter and treat it. There's also rainwater tanks available at Allenvale Campground, Blanket Leaf Picnic Area and Sheoak Picnic Area. They're plastered with "DO NOT DRINK" signs, but I've never had an issue drinking from them.
This an alternative to the Lorne Waterfalls Circuit.
Details provided by Hamish Edwards
Route and GPX file
Note I did not track the GPX during the walk so I made it with an editor after the fact. Elevation and distance is inaccurate and should be a rough guide only.
Max elevation: 433 m
Min elevation: 0 m
Total climbing: 1413 m
Total descent: -1423 m
Trail features
- Well Marked Trail
- Beach & Coastal
- Waterfalls
- Rivers
- Rainforest
- River Crossings
- Scenic Viewpoints
- Untreated Water
- Swimming Spots
Trail location
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Getting there
Lorne is about a 2.5 hour drive from Melbourne. Head to Geelong and Follow the Great Ocean Road. The trail head is near the Foodworks as you're driving in from the North. I parked there near the back where there's no parking time limits.
Alternatively, you can get public transport down. A bus runs 4 times a day between Geelong and Apollo Bay. Note that the earliest one doesn't leave Geelong until 10:00am and arrives in Lorne at 12:00pm, so it might be best to spend Friday night in Lorne if you're planning on doing this over a weekend given the big Day 1.
Access conditions
- 2WD Access
- Public Transport
- Bitumen Road
- Large Car Park
- Public Toilets
- Drinking Water
- Camping Area
Gallery
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About the region
Great Otway National Park stretches from Torquay, along the world-famous Great Ocean Road and up through the Otways hinterland. This mountain range acts as a barrier which lifts up the cool moist air coming off Bass Straight and causing significant rainfall. This supplies the cold, dense rain forests that the Otway's around Lorne are known for and also leads to large network of rivers with abundant waterfalls.
Discover windswept coastlines and breathtaking waterfalls in tall mountain forests, walk the iconic Great Ocean Walk, immerse yourself in the Otway Lightstation's history, or surf some of the best breaks in Australia. Enjoy the great outdoors and explore the wonders of the Great Otway National Park. Great Otway National Park is in southern Victoria, Australia. It covers rugged coastland, beaches and the mountains of the Otway Ranges. Waterfalls dot the park, including the 3 cascades of Triplet Falls. Boardwalks lead through temperate rainforest at Maits Rest. The 1848 Cape Otway Lightstation perches on cliffs overlooking Bass Strait. Great Ocean Walk leads through the park to the Twelve Apostles rock formations.
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Gear to consider

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Acknowledgement of Country
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