Lower Kalimna Falls in Great Ocean Road

Sight · Great Ocean Road

Lower Kalimna Falls

A ferny creek waterfall where you can stand behind the falling water.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Type
Sight
Nearest trail
2.3 km
Audio stories
2 nearby
  • Trailhead
  • Parking
  • Picnic tables
  • Restrooms

Hear the audio tour

Sheoak Picnic Area

Overview

About Lower Kalimna Falls

Why stop

  • The overhang lets you look out through the falling water to the pool.

Heads up

  • It takes a 6.5 km return walk, and the flow can be slight in dry weather.
Lower Kalimna Falls is a modest waterfall in a fern-filled creek valley in Great Otway National Park, reached on the walk from Sheoak Picnic Area near Lorne. The 6.5 km return walk takes about 2½ hours. I’d go for the unusual chance to stand behind the falling water and look out to the pool; if you want a tall, thundering drop or a quick roadside stop, this isn’t that. The trail starts at Sheoak Picnic Area, off Allenvale Road.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth the walk

Map

Where it is

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SightLower Kalimna Falls-38.56037, 143.91793
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Plan your stop

Before you go

7 active Great Ocean Road alerts

  • ClosureLorne-area walking trails closed after flood and storm damageSeveral walking trails near Lorne remain closed; do not enter closed tracks. - Phantom Falls Walk is temporarily closed because flood and storm damage affected the trail and structures.Official details
  • ClosureWye Road closed after storm and flood damageWye Road is closed until further notice for road maintenance and repairs following storm and flood damage; do not use the road. Check current Great Otway National Park conditions before travelling.Official details
See all 7 alerts
A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone
Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

Great Ocean Road Tour Guide

Your drive to Lower Kalimna Falls, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Ocean Road. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

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Recorded for this place

Sheoak Picnic Area
0:00 / 0:33
“You're nearing Sheoak Picnic Area, a shaded clearing among tall eucalypts where you can stop for lunch without committing to a waterfall hike. Bring your own picnic and use the tables or roofed barbecue shelter.”

Plays as you drive up to Lower Kalimna Falls in the Parkwolf Great Ocean Road Tour Guide.

More stories near here in the app

  • Cumberland River and Jebb’s Pool
  • Mount Defiance Lookout
  • Allenvale Mill and Phantom Falls
  • Sheoak Falls and Swallow Cave
  • 181 audio storiesacross Great Ocean Road’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
  • Wildlife heatmapsfor Koala, Kangaroo, Little Penguin, and 13 more
  • Works offlinemaps, 109 trails, 99 places, and audio download before you lose signal
  • CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
★★★★★
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
JMJamesApp Store review
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4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Guide

More about Lower Kalimna Falls

Along the old tramwayThe walking line follows a timber tramway that carried timber to Lorne Pier from the 1890s to…

The walking line follows a timber tramway that carried timber to Lorne Pier from the 1890s to the 1920s. The route is described as relatively flat and easy, but roots and wet, muddy sections can slow you down after rain.

Behind the falling waterA broad, dark rock overhang creates a cave-like space behind the falls.

A broad, dark rock overhang creates a cave-like space behind the falls. From there, look through the curtain to the pool and moss-covered rocks, with tree ferns closing in around the creek. Water flow varies: visitors report a stronger fall after rain and much less water in drier spells.

Start at SheoakSheoak Picnic Area is the trailhead, with visitor reports of parking, picnic and barbecue…

Sheoak Picnic Area is the trailhead, with visitor reports of parking, picnic and barbecue facilities, and toilets. Those facilities are at the start of the walk, not at the falls; the current toilet setup and potable-water availability weren’t confirmed, so don’t count on water being available.

Wildlife

Wildlife in Great Ocean Road

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Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Ocean Road. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.

Keep exploring

Near Lower Kalimna Falls

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Trails nearby

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Parkwolf’s Great Ocean Road ranking

Top sights in Great Ocean Road

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Take Parkwolf to Great Ocean Road.

The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.

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