Sight · Great Otway National Park
A honeycombed shelter above Sheoak Creek's upper cascades.
Overview
Swallow Cave is a sandstone rock shelter across Sheoak Creek from a railed timber viewing platform. Treat it as an extra stop on the Sheoak Falls walk rather than a destination of its own: the cave can look smaller and farther away than you expect, but the honeycombed overhang and water make it distinctive.
Parkwolf’s verdictA worthwhile add-on to the fallsMap
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
Sheoak Falls and Swallow Cave“You're nearing Sheoak Falls car park, for a stepped walk to a fifteen-metre cascade and pool. The falls alone are one point two kilometres return, with steep stairs and sometimes very little water after dry weather.”
Plays as you drive up to Swallow Cave 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
From the platform, look across to the rounded hollows erosion has worked into the sandstone. Shallow cascades run in front of the cave, giving the view more depth than a close shot of rock alone. Keep the water in the foreground to show how the shelter sits above the creek.
Tree Martins breed around the cave and are usually seen here in spring, summer and early autumn. Look for them flying to and from the honeycombed hollows.
Reach the platform on foot from Sheoak Falls Car Park. The creek route has steep steps and uneven ground, then a stepping-stone crossing; don't cross if water is covering the stones.
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
ModerateSheoak Falls and Swallow Cave Walk2.2 km · 1 hr · 0.5 km awaySteep creek steps lead to Sheoak Falls and Swallow Cave.
ChallengingLorne Waterfalls: Canyon and Castle Rock Circuit23.4 km · 7.5 hr · 0.5 km awayA long waterfall loop with a coastal lookout and ferny canyon.
ModerateCumberland River–Jebb’s Pool Walk3 km · 1.5 hr · 1.4 km awayA fern-lined gorge walk ends at a cascade-fed pool.
ModerateCumberland Falls Walk6 km · 3 hr · 1.4 km awayA forested river walk with crossings and two small cascades.
ChallengingMount Defiance–Jamieson Creek Circuit22 km · 5.5 hr · 1.5 km awayA 22 km ridge circuit with a 4 km road return.
ModerateSt George River Walk4.9 km · 1.8 hr · 1.7 km awayA riverside out-and-back from Allenvale Mill to the Great Ocean Road.
ModerateSheoak Falls–Castle Rock Circuit9 km · 3.5 hr · 1.9 km awayA creekside loop links a swallow cave, waterfall and ocean lookout.
ModerateSt Georges River Loop5.5 km · 2 hr · 1.9 km awayFern-lined riverbanks, a wooded climb and an ocean-facing finish.Sight · 0.2 km awaySheoak FallsA short, stepped walk to a waterfall that varies with the rain.
Sight · 1.5 km awayJebbs PoolA leafy gorge walk ends at cascades and a river pool
Campground · 1.7 km awayAllenvale CampgroundA leafy tent camp with a 230-metre walk for your gear.
Picnic area · 1.9 km awaySheoak Picnic AreaA shady picnic base for Lorne's inland waterfall walks.
Sight · 2 km awayTeddy's LookoutA short walk opens up the coast, river mouth and ocean.
Sight · 2.5 km awayWon Wondah FallsA quick, wooded waterfall pause on the way to a stronger one.
Sight · 2.7 km awayThe CanyonEight-metre rock walls hide in a ferny waterfall walk.
Sight · 2.8 km awayPhantom FallsA fern-lined climb ends at a 15-metre cascade.Parkwolf’s Great Otway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
