Phantom Falls

Phantom Falls is a roughly 15-metre waterfall on the St George River in the Otways near Lorne. The draw is the rock-walled pool at its base and the ferny walk to reach it. The standard Allenvale route is about 3.5 km return and 90 minutes. It’s a worthwhile stop if you want a proper forest walk with the falls at the end; it isn’t a quick roadside lookout.

Start at Allenvale Mill Picnic Grounds and cross Allenvale Road to the track. It crosses the St George River, skirts the edge of an orchard, then climbs on a steep, sometimes loose gravel track above the water. Stairs drop to the pool below the falls. The climb and loose footing make this a steadier walk than the short distance suggests.

For a longer outing, the Allenvale loop is about 8 km and three hours, passing The Canyon, Henderson Falls and Won Wondah Falls before reaching Sheoak Picnic Area.

A local-history account says brickmaker J. B. Wilsmore and two others found the falls around 1880, then later lost their way back to them. By 1887 the waterfall was a tourist attraction. The name is often linked to that lost-location story, though it’s a reported local tale rather than a firmly established origin.