Hopetoun Falls from Apollo Bay, Great Ocean Road

Hopetoun Falls, Victoria, is a short drive from Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road. The upper platform is essentially next to the car park. The lower platform requires a 200 step descent.

Hopetoun Falls is one of several spectacular waterfalls in the Great Otway National Park, Victoria. The best-known of these waterfalls are near Lorne on the Great Ocean Road. Erskine Falls and Sheoak Falls are very popular with visitors driving Australia’s most famous road.

Getting to Hopetoun Falls in Beech Forest, Victoria

Hopetoun Falls is a little further along, on the Aire River in Beech Forest. To reach this Great Ocean Road waterfall, take the Skenes Creek Road from Skenes Beach between Kennett River and Apollo Bay.

A few minutes later, you need to turn left down Turtons Track, a windy little road that head through the forest. Turn left again into Binns Road, then branch right onto Hopetoun Falls Road after passing Congram Waterfall, and you’ll reach the car park.

There are two lookouts for Hopetoun Falls. The easier one to reach is the upper platform. Here, you can watch the Aire River descend 30 metres down the rock face. The upper platform is basically right next to the car park. It requires essentially no effort at all.

7 fantastic Great Ocean Road experiences
1. Crowd-beating reverse direction tour. 2. Surfing lessons in Anglesea. 3. Split Point Lighthouse climb. 4. Shockwave Zip-Coaster. 5. Guided wildlife walk. 6. Budj Bim National Park tour. 7. Great Ocean Road by motorbike.

Hopetoun Falls walk

The lower platform takes a little more effort. Or, rather, 200 stairs worth of effort. It’s a fairly beautiful descent, heading through glades of ferns to the bottom of the falls. It’s not a long distance, but it’s also not exactly easy on the knees. It’s a one kilometre return trip – budget half an hour, plus however long you want to spend resting on the bench at the bottom.

Pick the right Great Ocean Road tour from Melbourne

For wildlife and nature focus: One day tour with koalas and guided forest walk.
To beat the crowds: Reverse direction Great Ocean Road day tour.
For adventure: Two day camping and surfing trip.
For backpackers: One day highlights tour aimed at younger travellers.
For exclusivity and flexibility: Private tour where you can pick the sights you want to see.
For an extended trip: Three day Melbourne to Adelaide tour.

Other attractions nearby include Otway Fly Treetop Adventures, Triplet Falls, Beauchamp Falls and the big grove of Californian Redwoods. Stevensons Falls and platypus hotspot Lake Elizabeth are further north.

Apollo Bay accommodation options include the backpacker-friendly Apollo Bay Eco YHA, the centrally-located Dolphin Apartments and the romantic Beacon Point Ocean View Villas on the hilltop.