Hiking the rainforest

Day 122 – Great Otway National Park, Australia

Four months! A bit more than a third, less than half of my trip already accomplished!

After spending the night in the rainforest, I went to my dual goals of the day: the Triplet Falls walk, which is only a few minutes’ drive from my second objective, Otway Fly Treetop Adventures.

Triplet Falls walk is a one-hour walk in the rainforest, with the possibility to see black snails (a carnivorous snail that eat insects and larvae, and endemic to the Otway area) and of course, the waterfalls. 

Great Otway National Park – Triplet Falls

With the muddy and often steep path, I was happy to use my trekking poles. Part of the way is also a metallic walkway preserving the floor of the forest.

Great Otway National Park – Triplet Falls

There were again tree ferns, mountain ashes, and the remnant of a saw mill active in the 19th century. I even saw the elusive black snail!

Great Otway National Park – Triplet Falls – Black snail

My next stop was Otway Fly Treetop Adventures, where I didn’t go to the zipline tour heavily touted but on the more sedate treetop walk, where you follow the path to a walkway taking you on the canopy.

Great Otway National Park – Otway Fly – Cantilever

You see the different stages of the forest, starting with the floor, then the first canopy, where the trees reach half-way to the top canopy. It was very nice, especially when the Asian group was far enough that I couldn’t hear them yelling, whistling, running, or feel them making the walkway sway on purpose.

I ended my visit with a nice hot meal (cold, cold, cold!), then went on my way.

I made a quick stop at Hopetoun Falls, which are beautiful.

Great Otway National Park – Hopetoun Falls

After that I looked into a cheap hostel at Apollo Bay, but wasn’t convinced by what I found. I got a $5 shower in one, went to do some laundry, then chose a campground near Kennett River where I was hoping to see koalas.

I ended up driving in the night, again, on a twisting road with lots of roadwork, the kind with a cliff on one side and the sea on the other side of the parapet.

The campground was closed! It was seasonal, and it wasn’t the right season. So I drove on, not really knowing where to go, and found (when I got cell phone reception back a few towns over) another free camground. It was a walk-in campsite, meaning that you can only access it on foot -so tent camping, no car, no camper van… and I decided that its parking lot, 200m away, would do. So it did.

And since it is technically illegal, I put my alarm to ring with the dawn to be able to get away quickly. I didn’t get in trouble that I know of.