Sight · Great Otway National Park
A rain-fed waterfall detour with a tricky river crossing
Overview
Straw Falls is a slender cascade on a seasonal creek below the better-known Erskine Falls, tucked into ferny forest. It is a separate waterfall, not another lookout over the main falls. Go for a quieter, close-up stop when the creek is running and a rough walk suits you; skip the detour if you want an easy lookout.
Parkwolf’s verdictWorth the detour?Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Otway Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Otway National Park. 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 Otway audio tourRecorded for this place
Erskine Falls: Two Ways to See It“Erskine Falls is coming up, with a thirty-metre drop into a rockpool surrounded by ferns. For the closer view, take the stairs to the base platform and allow about half an hour for the return walk.”
Plays as you drive up to Straw Falls in the Parkwolf Great Otway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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!!!!”
Guide
The documented approach starts at the Erskine Falls car park and follows the Erskine Falls track before leaving it for an informal path and a crossing of the Erskine River. The last section is uneven and slippery, with slick rock, fallen timber and vegetation underfoot; this is a rough bush detour, not a maintained lookout path. Wear shoes with grip, and do not cross in high water or after heavy rain. Turn back if the river or footing feels unsafe.
Wildlife
204 sightingsKoalaMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
35 sightingsGrey KangarooMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
109 sightingsEchidnaMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
58 sightingsKookaburraMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
97 sightingsSwamp WallabyMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
20 sightingsBrushtail PossumMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Otway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateCora Lynn Cascades Walk4.2 km · 1.8 hr · 1.5 km awayFern shade and stepped shale cascades on a creek walk.
ModerateLemonade Creek Track4 km · 1.8 hr · 1.5 km awayTimber bridges cross fern gullies beneath tall eucalypts.
ChallengingPhantom Falls Walk: Blanket Leaf to Allenvale Mill8 km · 3.5 hr · 1.5 km awayA hard traverse from Blanket Leaf to Allenvale via Phantom Falls.
ModerateFive Mile Track8.2 km · 3 hr · 3.3 km awayRainforest shade, two river crossings, and a walk out to Lorne.
EasyLower Kalimna Falls Walk6.5 km · 2.5 hr · 5.7 km awayA modest waterfall with a view from behind the falling water
ModeratePhantom Falls and The Canyon Circuit9.2 km · 3.5 hr · 5.7 km awayThree waterfalls, fern forest and a ten-metre rock cleft.ModerateLower and Upper Kalimna Falls Walk8.8 km · 3.5 hr · 5.7 km awayA ferny falls loop with an old tramway on the return.
EasyWon Wondah and Henderson Falls Walk3.6 km · 1.5 hr · 5.7 km awayTwo waterfalls, a giant eucalypt, and a fern gully finish
Sight · 0.3 km awayErskine FallsA fern-lined cascade rewards the steep stair descent to the rockpool.
Sight · 1.3 km awaySplitter FallsA broad ledge waterfall on a challenging walk above Lorne.
Picnic area · 1.5 km awayBlanket Leaf Picnic AreaA shaded picnic stop between Lorne and Erskine Falls.
Sight · 1.7 km awayCora Lynn CascadesA ferny forest walk to cascades spread across dark shale.
Campground · 2.7 km awayHerberts (Wymbooliel) CampgroundA simple 20-site campground for an overnight stay.
Campground · 3.8 km awayBig Hill CampgroundAn unpowered forest camp with parrots and close-spaced pitches
Sight · 4.7 km awayPhantom FallsA fern-lined climb ends at a 15-metre cascade.
Sight · 4.9 km awayThe CanyonEight-metre rock walls hide in a ferny waterfall walk.Parkwolf’s Great Otway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
