this is my suggestions for a short camping tour of the Otways and taking in mainly the Lorne to Port Campbell section
the coastal regions from Torquay to Lorne can easily be done as day trips from Melbourne, hence I have largely excluded these parts
there is a LOT to see and so only some of it will be possible on a 3 day 2 night camp tour
my strong suggestion is to drive from Melbourne to Anglesea and then along the Great Ocean Road to Port Campbell and then return to Melbourne via the much faster, less tiring inland route via Colac and Winchelsea
for a break, on the way home you could check out the old pastoral homestead in Winchelsea (Barwon Park Mansion) - the owner introduced rabbits into Australia and his wife funded the development of the Austin Hospital
you will want to modify these suggestions pending your interests, available time, and the weather
if it is raining, the forest walks are still enjoyable and there should be plenty of water in the waterfalls - if you have hike boots and rain gear - otherwise sight seeing and photographing the storm clouds over the coastal scenery works well too!
if there are gale force winds, avoid the beaches as you will get sand blasted and avoid the forests as trees tend to fall over and block the roads
there are no free camp grounds on the south (beach) side of the Otways or along the Great Ocean Road (GOR)
the only free ones are more than 20min drive from the beach
take care walking along beach paths or forest paths as snakes are quite plentiful and they won't like you if you step on them or near them
carry bandages if hiking just in case you get absorbed in the beauty of the region and forget to look where you are walking - most snakes will get out of your way before you get to them
Itinerary for a 2 nights camp trip exploring the coast
Day 1 and 1st night
travel to Lorne and do some sight seeing such as:
Erskine Falls
Cora Lynn Cascades forest walk is lovely
forest walks to a range of waterfalls from Allenvale Mill camp area:
Won Wondah Falls
Henderson Falls
The Canyon
Phantom Falls
you will also want to explore the rock pools and beaches from Lorne onwards if the weather is nice
there is quite a bit to see around Lorne so a 1st night camp near Lorne makes sense in which case your options are several:
commercial beachfront holiday park in Lorne itself
this can be quite busy and noisy but you have access to the beach, shops and restaurants as well as flush toilets and hot showers
Allenvale Mill campground
book via Parks Vic BUT be aware it is a 100-200m walk from the car park so you won't be close to your car - could be an issue if you have lots of gear to carry
Cumberland River Holiday Park
lovely commercial beachfront holiday park on a very nice river with a cliff backdrop at
camp along the river and it is a short walk across the GOR to the beach
option to hike along the river up to Cumberland Falls
this is the one to choose off-peak for its ambience but you do have to pay more but you get flush toilets and hot showers and a walk to the beach
book via Parks Vic, elevated coastal camp ground great for overnighters if you don't want a commercial caravan park
this is the one I would choose to be away from the families and caravans but close to my car - but there are no showers and the toilets are drop toilets
commercial beachfront holiday park at Wye River
has a lovely beach and river inlet plus a pub for meals
again you do have to pay more but you get flush toilets and hot showers and a walk to the beach
Day 2 and 2nd night
sights to see from Wye River onwards:
the many coastal beaches and rock pools
Kennett River Nature walk
Cape Patton Lookout - stop the car at the top and get a quick pic
Apollo Bay for lunch
Maits Rest forest walk (short walk in a tall forest to stretch your legs)
option to drive down to Cape Otway Lighthouse at the southern tip
Cape Otway region tends to have the most koalas in the trees - keep an eye out for them
fairly remote camp on a remote wild surf beach - there may be surfers there as well but currents can be strong
this camp allows you to drive to Melba Gully to do a dusk/night walk and see the glow worms - if that is something of interest
Day 3
this is going to be a busy day and then head back to Melbourne via Colac
things to see and do:
have breakfast at Lavers Hill or Princetown (not much food there!)
if it is low tide, walk down to remote Wreck Beach and see the old anchor embedded in the rock pools
stop at Gibsons Steps and walk down amongst the “Apostles”
stop at the car park at the 12 Apostles and walk across to the viewing area (this is likely to be busy especially in the afternoons when the tour buses from Melbourne arrive)
stop at Loch Ard Gorge
if it is open, walk down to the beach and have a picnic on the beach (BYO food and drinks)
walk across to the Razorback Lookout
walk across to the Mutton Bird Island lookout - best at dusk when the thousands of birds arrive
if you are still energetic and looking for another remote beach, you can go to Sherbrook River Beach with its high cliffs (access via Sherbrook West Track)
optionally check out Bakers Oven
Port Campbell for dinner perhaps
just past Port Campbell are a couple of other rock formations if you had time:
The Arch
The Grotto
and just past Petersborough if you were going to stay a 3rd night perhaps is the Bay Of Martyrs and Bay of Islands to walk along these nice beach areas
then its time to head home via Colac, passing through the 3rd largest volcanic plains in the world
the volcanoes and volcanic maars are particularly evident around Camperdown but you will bypass most of these in your haste to get home
Itinerary for a 2 nights camp trip exploring the Otway rainforests and northern waterfalls
Day 1 and 1st night
Melbourne to Stevensons Falls camp ground via Winchelsea and Forrest
if you are wanting hot showers then the commercial camp grounds at Skenes Creek, Apollo Bay and Marengo, all on the coast, are not far away
Day 2 and 2nd night
additional things to do in the north-west part of the Otways
Weeaproinah - the wettest place in Victoria
Otway Fly Treetop Walk - commercial tourist option if this excites you
Triplet Falls
option A
remain in the Otways and camp there a 2nd night
you could drive past Hopetoun Falls for on the gravel road straight down to Cape Otway to camp at Blanket Bay camp ground, Cape Otway then drive back to Melbourne
Option B
head to Lavers Hill for lunch
then you have the options:
1. go back to Melbourne via Apollo Bay and Lorne and camp as in the other itinerary
2. go west and explore the 12 Apostles or other parts of the GOR as per the other itinerary
3. go west, skip the sites on the GOR and drive through to Peterborough and stay there the night in a commercial holiday park then next day explore Bay of Martyrs, Bay of Islands, Childers Cove and Warrnambool before heading back home via the volcanic plains of Camperdown
Extended camping itinerary
day 1 and 1st night
Melb to Torquay and Anglesea
check out Bell's Beach, Point Addis (clothing optional)
lunch in Anglesea
Drive to Aireys Inlet and explore the area - light house, coastal scenery
explore the GOR, Twelve apostles as per Day 2 of the 2 night tour
either camp at:
Peterborough commercial holiday parks next to beach
explore Bay of Martyrs and Bay of Islands
Warrnambool commercial holiday parks next to beach
explore Childers Cove on the way then whale watching from Logan's Beach (if in season)
day 6
optionally head to historic Port Fairy (check out Tower Hill volcano on the way) then camp in Budj Bim volcano (Parks Vic booking, hot showers) for the 6th night
this can be further extended by driving up to The Grampians
or just drive back to Melbourne via Camperdown and explore the volcanoes and volcanic maars