Four-wheel driving – Great Ocean Road

Get off the Great Ocean Road in the Great Otway National Park and Forest Park for either easy or challenging four-wheel driving and some great camping and bush scenery. Just an hour’s drive from Geelong the Otways have a lot to offer for all four-wheel driving skill levels.

Recommended routes:

Great Otway National Park and Forest Park
Grade: Easy to difficult
Distance from Melbourne: 120 kilometres (approx)

The Great Otway National Park and Forest Park both provide excellent four-wheel driving opportunities for day and weekend trips. Pick up a copy of The Otways and Shipwreck Coast map, available at most Shell service stations in the Geelong area, covering the Great Ocean Road and Otways hinterland areas.

Forrest is a good base for a weekend of four-wheel driving. Tracks of interest around the area are Cowley track, Goat track, Noonday track, Number One Spur track, West Barwon track, Turtons track, Delaney’s Road and Curtis Road.

The Lavers Hill area provides further opportunities to explore. Tracks in the area include Egan track, Mount McKenzie Road, Number Nine Ridge track, Holy Water track, Bennets track and Heffernan track.

Roads and tracks in the Otways are driveable in a standard four-wheel drive when it is dry, but mud tyres and a winch are necessary when it is wet.

Many tracks are closed during the wetter months to avoid major damage to the natural environment. Contact Parks Victoria for further information on 13 1963 or visit their website.