Great Otway National Park

The Great Otway National Park stretches from Torquay through to Princetown and up through the Otways hinterland towards Colac. The park features rugged coastlines, sandy beaches, rock platforms and windswept heathland. In the north, the park features tall forests, ferny gullies, magnificent waterfalls and tranquil lakes. The spiritual and physical connections of the four traditional language groups, Wathaurung, Gulidjan, Gadubanud, and Kirrae Whurrong people are still celebrated today. The Otway forests hold a proud logging history and have been a timber source for more than 150 years. Timber production peaked in 1961 and has since reduced over the years. The forests here today demonstrate the time needed to regrow and reproduce the giants of the past. Bushfires are a natural occurrence and shape the forests of the Otways. Historically several wildfires have burnt through the Otways this century - the last major fire was Ash Wednesday in 1983. Fire continues to play a vital role in forest ecology, influencing plant and animal diversity. Many of the walks around this area follow old timber tramways used in logging days. Other walking tracks were built late last century, making them among the earliest tourist developments in Victoria.