Otway Odyssey

Lauretta Stace
8 hours ago
3 min read

There's nothing like a rainforest to soothe the soul. The Otway Ranges, a favourite destination for us in Victoria, offers a serene escape into nature. As you wander through the lush greenery, you're greeted by the sound of birds twittering and the gentle babbling of a nearby creek. The air is fresh and filled with the earthy scent of moss and ferns. The overhanging canopy creates a dark and tranquil atmosphere where you feel completely immersed in the natural world, away from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

Our base for this experience was a working farm at Lavers Hill, just north of Johanna, where we could get easy access to the Otway Ranges, Cape Otway, Otway National Park and the seaside town of Apollo Bay. There are some fantastic short walks in this region and we were joined on this trip by a couple of keen 'birders', so a lot of our time was spent chasing after our feathered friends in the rainforest and surrounding bushland. Our bird wishlist included the elusive Pink Robin and the secretive Olive Whistler.

Melba Gully

A couple of walks were outstanding for the beauty of the environment and the birdwatching. Melba Gully, known as the Jewel of the Otways, is one of the wettest places in the state. The gully has prolific plant growth and is a dense rainforest of Myrtle Beech, Blackwood and Tree-ferns, with an understorey of low ferns and mosses. This easy circuit walk was interrupted by a fallen tree but it did not disappoint us. We started the walk watching a beautiful Golden Whistler singing his heart out in the trees surrounding the carpark and followed it up with our first sighting of the gorgeous Pink Robin in the dark depths of the gully.

Join us as we take a walk through the rainforest at Melba Gully.

Beauchamp Falls

Beauchamp Falls is a stunning waterfall which is in the Otways Forest Park just outside the town of Beech Forest. A long but leisurely walk took us deep into the rainforest to a spectacular 20 metre waterfall crashing over a ledge into a large pool. On the descent to the falls, we enjoyed scenic views of mountain ash forest and thick ferns. The forest was alive with birdsong and the gentle babbling of the Deppeler Creek made this walk a wonderful experience.

Enjoy this video of the falls in action.

Birds!

It was fabulous to see the glorious Pink Robin at both Melba Gully and Beauchamp Falls. The male's colour is so vivid, it is hard to miss in the dark surrounds of the rainforest and the birds that we met were happy to pose. We were also fortunate to sight an Olive Whistler at the falls.

The Farm

Our base was a picturesque working sheep farm near Lavers Hill, surrounded by rolling green hills and a distant view of the ocean at Johanna Beach.

There were lots of interesting birds on the property, including the Rufous Bristlebird and the glossy Satin Bowerbird, complete with bower, who were endlessly entertaining. Resident koalas were dotted throughout the property and we had regular sightings of the prolific Eastern Yellow Robin, Eastern Spinebill, Blue Wren and New Holland Honeyeater.

Johanna Beach

The wild and beautiful Johanna Beach was a short drive from our base and was worth a visit to encounter its beauty, power and majesty.

Sunset

We were fortunate to be able to witness a spectacular and vibrant sunset over the rolling hills one evening. The combination of colours was sensational.

Koala Haven

The Otways is reknown for its habitat that supports an abundance of what is arguably the world's cutest marsupial - the koala. We saw them sleeping, watching, relaxing, climbing, jumping, running, fighting, grunting and snoring over the course of our journey. Passing tourists just love a koala and would stop their car in the middle of the road to watch one. A hazard to be wary of in this district!

Colac and Cape Otway

A visit to the lakeside village of Colac provided us with some nice images of waterbirds, including crested grebes. A walk around Cape Otway gave us an appreciation of the abundant coastal heathland environment and an historic cemetery for lighthouse keepers and their families reminded us of the maritime history of Australia and the pioneering spirit of people who lived and worked in this isolated place over a century ago.