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Length: 23.4km
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Duration: 7hrs
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Grade: 3-4
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Style: Circuit
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Start: Sheoak Falls Carpark
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End: Sheoak Falls Carpark
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Location: The Great Otway National Park
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Closest Town: Lorne
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Distance from CBD: 145km
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State: VIC
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Latitude: -38.568950
Longitude: 143.965050
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2WD Access
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Bitumen Road
Gravel Road
Steep Road
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Untreated Water
Picnic Shelter
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Concrete Path
Timber Boardwalk
Gravel Path
Sandy Trail
Rough Trail
Undefined Trail
Prams & Strollers
Manual Wheelchair
Motorised Wheelchair
Bicycle Trail
Mountain Bike Trail
Historic Rail Trail
Dog Friendly
Urban Walk
Coast & Beach
Historic Lighthouse
Waterfalls & Lakes
Rainforest Walk
Goldfields & Mining
Heritage Walk
Aboriginal Art
Alpine Region
Alpine Huts
Exposed Ledges
Rock Scrambling
Steep Terrain
Bush Bashing
River Crossings
Scenic Viewpoints
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Drinking Water
Untreated Water
Fishing Spots
Swimming Spots
Overnight Campsites
Lorne Waterfalls – Canyon and Castle Rock is a 23.4km, grade 3-4 Circuit hike located in The Great Otway National Park Victoria. The hike should take approximately 7hrs to complete.
Summary
The Great Otway National Park is a spectacular area of native forest, and there are plenty of opportunities to get closer to nature with walking tracks and trails in the area, many leading to spectacular crashing waterfalls.
There are seven waterfalls within the bushland surrounding Lorne, with different accessibility levels – some are a quick ten minute stroll from the carpark, others are a more strenuous rainforest hike rewarded with the majestic roar of a waterfall.
The Lorne Waterfalls – Canyon and Castle Rock hike starts and ends at the Sheoak Falls Carpark and can be undertaken in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. This hike takes in a number of The Otway’s most spectacular waterfalls.
Kalimna falls (8 to 10 meters high) are fringed by tall rainforest trees and dense tree ferns. The Lower Falls are not large, but you can get behind them and look out through the falling water to the large pool surrounded by mossy logs and rocks. The Upper Falls are a series of cascades viewed from a platform. The walk follows the route of an old tramway and some of the old sleepers can still be seen.
Wonwondha Falls, Henderson Falls, the Canyon and the stunning Phantom Falls (about 15 meters high) are all en-route to the Sheoak Creek Picnic area, along Allenvale Rd. There are barbecue facilities, toilets, picnic tables, fireplaces and drinking water.
Camping
If you decide to do this as an overnight hike there are two options for Camping along the trail. See details and map below. Flags mark the camp site locations
- Sharps Track Camping Area. Located on the north west of the trail near Wonwondah Falls. Approximately 100 west along Sharps Road. This campsite is approximately 13km from the start so makes a good half way point.
- Allenvale Camp Site. Located on the north east of the trail near Sharps Mill, just off Allenvale Road. Approximately 18km from the start.
Getting there
From Melbourne by car
Follow the Princes Highway (M1) from Melbourne to Geelong, then take the Great Ocean Road (B100) through Torquay to Lorne. Or follow the Princes Highway (M1) from Melbourne to Geelong to Winchelsea (A1). Then take C151 via Deans Marsh to Lorne. The Sheoak Falls carpark is located 5.7km past the Lorne Visitors Information Centre, along the Great Ocean Road.
Public Transport to Lorne
V-line train/coach services depart daily from Melbourne to Geelong and along the Great Ocean Road to Lorne and Apollo Bay. V-line coach services connect along the Great Ocean Road from Apollo Bay to Port Campbell and Warrnambool on Friday all year (extra service during December -January). V-line enquiries – phone 136196. The Sheoak Falls carpark is located 5.7km past the Lorne Visitors Information Centre, along the Great Ocean Road.
Max elevation: 291 m
Min elevation: 8 m
Total climbing: 953 m
Total descent: -953 m
10 thoughts on “Lorne Waterfalls – Canyon and Castle Rock (23.4km)”
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Hello. This hike looks beautiful & serene. Are the tracks well marked? Is it pretty safe for solo hiking? I do 4-6hr hikes but i consider myself not a very experienced hiker. I’m a “what if” person though. I usually load your maps to an android app called gps essentials which shows my position on the track. Anyway advice please. Thanks.
It is a lovely area but it also contains many trails that intersect each other often. If you load the GPX file this is a great start but I’d also recommend taking a current map and compass with you so hat you can identify trails and directions they are running. Have fun and don’t forget to comment on this hike afterwards so we know how you went
Are there any places to stop and sleep there? I don’t know I could walk that far in one day.
Hi Cass. Other than camping at Lorne there are two camp sites along the route. On the eastern side of the trail there is the Alenvale camp site. In the western side is the Sharps Track camping area. This one is a little big off the trail, along a management track. I’ll try to upload a pic to this post today showing where they are. Cheers. Darren
Hi Cass, I have loaded a map showing the camp site locations and have added a bit more info to the trail description to include the camp sites.
Ok So I may attempt this walk in a few weeks, by myself. Is there detailed map and is it a good old loop circuit of 23km’s? Only in 1 day as i can’t carry camping equipment. Is it sign posted well too? Cheers Leonie
Hi Leonie. This can be attempted in one day but will take you 7-8 hours as per the hike description. The Lorne area has a lot of tracks and this is not a standard route so you will need to take a map and/or download the GPX file so that you can check your position and don’t head down the wrong track. I am assuming you are comfortable with navigation given that you are going by yourself. You can print the map that is shown on this page too.
Cheers, Darren
Hi there, been looking at doing this hike from the listed places suggested on this page but can’t seem to find any info or maps of the routes listed. Could you elaborate or link any other info you have on Sheoak to Sharps Camping grounds please. Thanks!
HI Andrew, there have not been a lot of maps produced of this area that are sufficient for navigation. The best advice I can offer you is to download the GPX file and import it into mapping software on your PC. Google Earth is an ok option. You can read more about hoiw to do this here: http://www.urbanhikr.com/how-to-import-gpx-into-google-maps/
Thanks for the idea for this hike. I wanted to test out some new gear and my first solo hike so did this as an overnight hike this weekend past.
Started at Sheoak falls carpark, follwed the trail as outlined up to Upper Kalimna Falls, back to the picnic ground, then headed to Allenvale Mill and camped the night. Day 2 headed up to Phantom Falls and around the waterfall circuit back to the picnic ground, then back down to Sheoak falls carpark.
A lovely walk, great as an over-nighter with plenty to see along the way. Beware the trails get extremely muddy and slippery. Thanks for the track description and the GPX file – much appreciated.