Walking and Exploring The Otway Ranges The Great Otway National Park and the Otway Ranges are notable for it’s sheer beauty from dry heathlands to luxuriant cool temperate rainforest, scenic coast and several major rivers and streams, pursuing their course to the ocean, through numerous cascades and waterfalls. The secret of the Otway Ranges lies in the diversity of superb scenery; rugged coast line; densely timbered ridges; gently undulating foothills and hidden gorges, cascades and waterfalls within the valleys and streams. This offers a natural forest back drop to the ocean and Bass Strait; long, straight beaches interspersed with wide rock shelves, secluded coves and bold headlands. The walking tracks and routes in the park and ranges follows numerous kilometers of historic timber tramway alignments and long numerous streams; through fern gullies, gorges and in many places traversing cliff faces. There is also abundance of fauna such as Swamp Wallaby, Ringtail and Brushtail Possums, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and the Platypus. Several rare and endangered species find refuge in the Otway Ranges. They include the Tiger Quoll, Long-nosed Potoroo and the Smoky Mouse. The region has abundance of spectacular and beautiful waterfalls on crown and private land, set in peaceful steam side settings and magnificent fern glades. A estimate starting from five hundred to one thousand waterfalls along it’s waterways for the intrepid bushwalker or waterfall seeker, which will take a life time to find and photograph. Waterfalls are the major tourist and recreation attraction in the Otway Ranges, for the energetic bushwalker and photographer, to explore the hidden valleys and streams. To the tourist and the artist, for passive recreation such as sketching, painting and photography, at the more popular and accessible waterfalls of the Otway Ranges, such as the Erskine Falls west of Lorne to Beauchamp Falls in the Aire Valley. Thus making the Otway’s an ideal place for the intrepid waterfall explorer. The Otway Ranges are composed of Mesozoic sediments which mainly consist of Lower Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments that have been uplifted into a complex domal structure. This range extends for almost eighty kilometers in a generally south-westerly direction running through Mount Cowley at the highest point, a elevation of 670 meters, from Peters Hill in the north-east to Olangolah, where it then forks. One branch of the ridge heads in a southerly direction to Cape Otway, while the main ridge continues south- west through Beech Forest to Lavers Hill. The ranges consist of rugged hill country, deeply cut by rivers and many smaller streams, which they drop off very steep on the coastal fall. Creating many swiftly flowing streams with deeply cut gorges, hanging-valleys and dip slopes across sandstone beds, these features forming numerous drops along the river valleys and streams, establishing the many hidden and forgotten waterfalls in the Otway Ranges. There are five main groups of waterfalls which dominate the Otway Ranges, these are the eastern catchment around Aireys Inlet, Lorne and Wye River with steep river valleys, such as Cumberland River, Grassy Creek and Wye River, the northern catchment around Deans Marsh and Forrest, the Barwon River valley and foot hills, the south-eastern catchment the coastal foot hills and hanging-valleys around Apollo Bay and Skenes Creek, such as Carisbrook Creek, Falls Creek and Smythe Creek, the south-western catchment the coastal foot hills around Johanna and Lavers Hill, including the Aire, Ford and Parker River valleys and the western catchment of Gellibrand River from Chapple Vale to Upper Gellibrand. There are numerous of falls unnamed, others have no official name, some are named by a local name and a few are under submission by the Victorian Place Name Committee. So for the convenience, we have called them by their streams, features, near by landmarks or historical events. Some waterfalls in this publication are located on private property or access is through private property. Care and responsibility must be exercised through these properties; a landowner may decide not to allow access, even though it was previously acceptable “No Trespassing” signs must be heeded to. Making this area the greatest concentration of waterfalls in Victoria, with no less 180 known waterfalls are tucked away in such a small area of the state. Pennyroyal Valley: 1. Acquila & Pennyroyal Falls: Start & Finish: Dunse Track – Terrace Falls – Pennyroyal Falls – Acquila Falls – Return to Start of Walk. 2. Acquila Creek Circuit: Start & Finish: Benwerrin-Mount Sabine Road / Herberts Site – Benwerrin-Mount Sabine Road – Norman Track – Dunse Track – King Parrot Track – Terrace Falls – Pennyroyal Falls – Acquila Track – Wymbooliel Track – Wymbooliel Falls – Herberts Track – Herberts Site / Benwerrin-Mount Sabine Road. 3. Across The Pennyroyal Valley: Start: Lorne-Deans Marsh Road / Pennyroyal Track – Pennyroyal Track – Wymbooliel Track – Wymbooliel Falls – Acquila Track – Terrace Falls – Pennyroyal Falls – Acquila Falls – Dunse Track. 4. Great Western Colliery Walk: Start & Finish: Lorne-Deans Marsh Road . Cumberland River Valley: 1. Allambee Beek Falls: Start & Finish: Benwerrin-Mount Sabine Road / Curtis Road – Curtis Road – Allambee Beek Circuit Walk - Allambee Beek Falls – Staircase Falls – Curtis Road / Benwerrin-Mount Sabine Road. 2. Amphitheatre & Brunswick Falls Circuit: Start & Finish: Wye River Road / Ricketts Track – Ricketts Track – Ricketts Gully Track – Amphitheatre Track – Hidden Track – Hidden Falls – Amphitheatre Track – Amphitheatre Falls – Curtis Road – Galliebarinda Track – Galliebarinda Falls – Brunswick Track – Brunswick Falls – Cumberland Track – Wye River Road – Ricketts Gully Track – Ricketts Track / Wye River Road. 3. Cumberland Station Site to Grey River Road: Start: Wye River Road / Amphitheatre Track – Amphitheatre Track – Cumberland Station Site – Curtis Road – Allambee Beek Circuit Walk – Staircase Falls - Allambee Beek Falls – Ricketts Track – Wye River Road – Mud Road – Wye Valley Track – Wye River Falls – Wye Valley Track – Kennett Road – Kennett River Track – Coopers No2 Road – Grey River Track – Grey River Road / Carisbrook Creek Walk. 4. Cumberland Track to Kennett Road: Start: Wye River Road / Cumberland Track – Cumberland Track – Brunswick Track – Brunswick Falls – Galliebarinda Track – Galliebarinda Falls – Curtis Road – Cumberland Station Site – Curtis Road – Allambee Beek Circuit Walk – Staircase Falls – Allambee Beek Falls – Ricketts Track – Wye River Road – Mud Road – Wye Valley Track – Wye River Falls – Wye Valley Track / Kennett Road. 5. Hidden Falls & Allambee Beek Circuit: Start & Finish: Wye River Road / Ricketts Track – Ricketts Track – Ricketts Gully Track – Amphitheatre Track – Hidden Track – Hidden Falls – Amphitheatre Track – Amphitheatre Falls – Cumberland Station Site – Curtis Road – Allambee Beek Circuit Walk – Allambee Beek Falls – Staircase Falls – Ricketts Track / Wye River Road. 6. Hidden Falls & Ricketts Gully Circuit: Start & Finish: Wye River Road / Ricketts Track – Ricketts Track – Ricketts Gully Track – Amphitheatre Track – Hidden Track – Hidden Falls – Hidden Track - Ricketts Track / Wye River Road. 7. Mount Cowley & Cumberland Valley Circuit: Start & Finish: Benwerrin-Mount Sabine Road / Mackie Road – Mackie Road – Off Track Route – Mount Cowley Telecom Tower – Garvey Track – Kalimna Link Track – Kalimna Creek Walk – Upper Kalimna Falls – Lower Kalimna Falls – North Sheoak Link Track – Henderson Falls Track – Won Wondah Falls – Henderson Falls – The Canyon Walk – The Canyon – Henderson Track – Phantom Falls – Saint George River Walk – Allenvale – (* Sharps Mill Camp Site) – Allenvale Link Track – George Track – Allenvale Road – Sheoak Picnic Ground – Sheoak Falls Track – Shallow Cave Falls – Sheoak Jeep Track – Castle Rock Track – Castle Rock Lookout – Sheoak Jeep Track – Garvey Track – North Valley Link Track – Cumberland River Walk – Jebbs Pool & Cascades – Winterbrook Falls – Cumberland River Reserve – Great Ocean Road – Cumberland Track – Brunswick Track – Brunswick Falls – (* Brunswick Falls Camp Site) – Galliebarinda Track – Galliebarinda Falls – Curtis Road – Cumberland Station Site – Amphitheatre Track – Amphitheatre Falls – Curtis Road – South Yannathan Link Track – Upper Cumberland Falls – Yannathan Cascades – Yannathan Falls – North Yannathan Link Track – TW Spur Track – Benwerrin-Mount Sabine Road – Benwerrin- Mount Sabine Road / Mackie Road. 8. Mount Defiance & Cumberland Track: Start: Great Ocean Road / Cumberland River Reserve – Cumberland River Reserve – Cumberland Track – Brunswick Track – Brunswick Falls – Galliebarinda Track – Galliebarinda Falls – Curtis Road – Cumberland Station Site – Amphitheatre Track – Amphitheatre Falls – Amphitheatre Track / Wye River Road. 9. North & West Cumberland Valleys & Waterfalls Walk: Start & Finish: Wye River Road / Ricketts Track – Ricketts Track – Hidden Track – Hidden Falls – Hidden Track – Amphitheatre Track – Amphitheatre Falls – Amphitheatre Track – Curtis Track – Cumberland Station Site – Galliebarinda Track – Galliebarinda Falls – Brunswick Track – Brunswick Falls – Brunswick Track – North Yannathan Link Track – Yannathan Falls – Yannathan Cascades – Upper Cumberland Falls – South Yannathan Link Track – Cumberland Station Site – Curtis Road – Allambee Beek Circuit Walk – Allambee Beek Falls – Staircase Falls – Ricketts Track – Ricketts Track / Wye River Road. 10. Relentless Canyon & Wye River Waterfalls: