Parking
Park at Sheoak Picnic Ground on Garvey Track, reached via Allenvale Road; start by the notice board and Nature Walk sign.
Overview
About Sheoak Picnic Ground Nature Walk
Why go
- An easy circuit through tall Manna Gums and tree ferns
- A suspension bridge over Sheoak Creek and a fern-gully view
Heads up
- A brief walk that does not continue to Sheoak Falls
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Ocean Road map
Full mapElevation142–157 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Ocean Road Tour Guide
Your drive to Sheoak Picnic Ground Nature Walk, 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.
See the Great Ocean Road audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Sheoak Picnic Area0:00 / 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 this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Ocean Road Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Allenvale Mill and Phantom Falls
- Cumberland River and Jebb’s Pool
- Sheoak Falls and Swallow Cave
- A King Parrot's Deep Hollow
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Sheoak Picnic Ground Nature Walk
A short forest loopSheoak Picnic Ground Nature Walk is an easy 1.
Sheoak Picnic Ground Nature Walk is an easy 1.3 km circuit that starts and ends at the picnic ground. Allow about 30 minutes; it threads through ferny glades beneath tall Manna Gums, crosses Sheoak Creek on a suspension bridge, and rises gently to a view over the gully. Choose it for a quick nature walk rather than a longer hike to Sheoak Falls.
Stay with the signsStart by the notice board and take the left-side track marked Nature Walk.
Start by the notice board and take the left-side track marked Nature Walk. Pass the ferny glade, the suspension bridge and a stand of Soft and Rough Tree Ferns. At a signed left branch for Garvey Track, stay right on Nature Walk; at the later coast fork, turn right again and cross the small wooden bridge to return. The two left forks lead away from this circuit.
Look for details overheadInterpretive signs explain the local plants, wildlife and forest.
Interpretive signs explain the local plants, wildlife and forest. The track was built in 1993 with help from students and staff at Ballarat College of Advanced Education. Look for V-shaped feeding marks made by Yellow-bellied Gliders, listen for Crescent Honeyeaters, and scan the canopy for koalas; swamp wallabies are also seen in the area. These are possible sightings, not guarantees.
Start at the picnic groundThe Nature Walk sign is near the notice board at Sheoak Picnic Ground, reached via Allenvale…
The Nature Walk sign is near the notice board at Sheoak Picnic Ground, reached via Allenvale Road and Garvey Track. Toilets, picnic tables, gas barbecues and an information board are at the picnic ground. Dogs are not allowed in the park; approved assistance dogs have separate entry requirements.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Great Ocean Road
900 sightingsKoalaMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
358 sightingsKangarooMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
49 sightingsLittle PenguinMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
155 sightingsEchidnaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
33 sightingsFur SealMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
59 sightingsRed-necked WallabyMost seen around 6 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Ocean Road. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
