Wildlife viewing in the Great Ocean Road

The Great Ocean Road has an amazing array of wildlife viewing opportunities. Warrnambool is known as Victoria’s southern right whale nursery. Each year between May and June whales arrive from cold Antartic waters to calve at Logans Beach. These gentle giants stay until September or October when they return to colder southern waters. Special facilities have been built allowing excellent views of the whales at play.

Just off the Great Ocean Road, past Warrnambool, a small track leaves the unremarkable siding and drops over the edge of a volcano rim down into a primeval landscape. This is the Tower Hill State Game Reserve, a beautiful haven for wildlife where koalas, kangaroos, emus and many species of waterbirds roam freely and are often within clear view.

Another great place to see kangaroos out in the open is the Anglesea Golf Course. Scores of kangaroos happily graze on the wide fairways or loll about near the greens. And you don’t have to be a player to enjoy the spectacle, sightseers can get a good view from Golf Links Road.

A popular place to view koalas in the wild is Gray River Road at Kennett River and watch carefully as you travel through Great Otway National Park or Brisbane Ranges National Park.

To experience one of the largest seal colonies in mainland Australia visit Cape Bridgewater, Lady Julia Percy Island near Port Fairy or Apollo Bay. Or for the opportunity to swim with both seals and dolphins, take a cruise with one of the specially licensed operators in Queensliff on the Bellarine Peninula.

Wander along Madsens Track in the Melba Gully State Park to view a large colony of glow worms providing a spectacular light show. Or for something totally different, take a canoe trip at dawn on Lake Elizabeth and see platypus in the wild.