At Cape Otway, a striking coastal landscape brings together several distinct travel interests: the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia, a long coastal walking trail, whale watching and historic sites. Cape Otway Lightstation stands on high sea cliffs, 90 metres above the meeting point of Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. Two questions can help with your planning: would you like to explore sections of the Great Ocean Walk, and are you more interested in coastal nature or the area's history?
Lighthouse and Great Ocean Walk
The Great Ocean Walk passes through the Cape Otway Lightstation area, which lies at the heart of the route. The 100-kilometre long-distance trail runs from east to west along a rugged coast. The Lightstation at the heart of the trail also provides a specific historic place to include in your plans alongside the linear route. The east–west direction answers the question of which way the route runs; exploring it in sections, by contrast, is about how much of the route you include in your plans. Walkers can start and finish the Great Ocean Walk at different points, depending on the sights they want to see or the time they have available.
Lighthouse, telegraph and radar
Cape Otway Lighthouse is the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. The Telegraph Station offers a different perspective on the area's history: built in 1859, it housed the operators and their families, as well as the rooms used for telegraph operations. The restored station tells the story of the building and the people associated with it. The combination of telegraph operations and family accommodation shows the station as a place of work and home, not just a technical facility.
Another layer of history begins with the radar station established at Cape Otway Lightstation by the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942. No. 13 Radar Station operated for four years; during this time, up to 50 RAAF personnel were stationed at Cape Otway. These different dates distinguish 19th-century telegraphy from the wartime radar station of the 20th century. You can therefore organise your historical interests around communications and military radar use.
Coast and whale watching
Whale watching adds a seasonal rhythm to your travel plans. Between May and October, Cape Otway is a whale-watching lookout; 25 whale species pass the Lightstation each year, although sightings vary. This time frame is a seasonal guide, not a guarantee of individual sightings.
For a different perspective at any time of year, Cape Otway Lightstation has a Whale Interpretive Area where you can learn about whales. The seasonal viewing window and the year-round interpretive area differ mainly in their timing. If whale watching is one of your reasons for travelling, you can consider the May-to-October period separately from the year-round exhibit.
Discover more destinations: Dromana, Springvale, Toora, Seaford, North Geelong, Junortoun, Elmore, Jindivick
For the broader travel overview: Victoria.
