Parking
Small roadside pull-off beside the signed track entrance on the west side of Deans Marsh Road, nearly 7 km beyond the Great Ocean Road junction. Arrange a shuttle to or from Lorne; the route finishes by the Visitor Centre.
Overview
About Five Mile Track
Why go
- Cool temperate rainforest, tree ferns and tall eucalypts
- Two distinct Little Erskine River crossings before the Lorne finish
Heads up
- One-way logistics need a shuttle or a much longer return
- Stepping stones and wet track can be slippery
The opening stretch has leaf litter beneath tall Mountain Grey-gums and Manna Gums, with tree ferns and dense shrubs. Listen for White-throated Treecreepers; wallabies and kangaroos use the forest but are not guaranteed sightings. Some smooth-barked trees show old glider feeding marks, and fire scars and logging stumps tell a little of the forest’s past.
Parkwolf’s verdictForest details worth noticingMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Otway map
Full mapElevation6–416 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Great Otway alerts
- ClosureWye Road closed after storm and flood damageWye Road is closed until further notice because recent storm and flood damage requires road maintenance and repair works; plan around the closure.Official details
- ClosureLorne-area walking trails closed after flood damageSome walking trails near Lorne are closed for public safety after the January 2026 flash floods washed away or severely damaged bridges and walkways.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Otway Tour Guide
Your drive to Five Mile Track, narrated.
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 trailhead
Five Mile Track: A Forest Walk into Lorne0:00 / 0:23
“Five Mile Track's roadside entrance is ahead, for a forest walk into Lorne. Allow about three hours for the eight kilometres one way, with steady climbs among tall gums and tree ferns.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Otway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Huntsman Guarding a Silk Parcel
- From Beech Forest to Flying Doctors
- Blanket Leaf: Lunch or Cora Lynn Cascades
- Big Hill Campground: Forest and Parrots
- 252 audio storiesacross Great Otway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Koala, Grey Kangaroo, Echidna, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 83 trails, 79 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 Five Mile Track
A shaded walk out to LorneFive Mile Track is an about 8 km one-way point-to-point walk from its signed Deans Marsh Road…
Five Mile Track is an about 8 km one-way point-to-point walk from its signed Deans Marsh Road access into Lorne, through cool temperate forest and across the Little Erskine River twice. Allow about 3 hours one way. The Lorne walking map measures the route to the Visitor Centre at 8 km; another local description gives 8.5 km to the river, so the total varies slightly with the town endpoint.
This is not a loop. Arrange a shuttle between the roadside start and Lorne, or walking back the same way makes it roughly 16 km. The route ends through Lorne’s residential edge near the golf club and Erskine River before reaching the Visitor Centre.
Two river crossingsThe first Little Erskine crossing is on a bridge; the second is by stepping stones.
The first Little Erskine crossing is on a bridge; the second is by stepping stones. The stones and the track can be slippery when wet, so take your time and assess the water before crossing. A walking stick can help with balance.
The approach into townThere are steady climbs in the forest, then the track widens as it approaches Lorne.
There are steady climbs in the forest, then the track widens as it approaches Lorne. Southern Blue-gums and messmates become prominent, and there are glimpses across toward Erskine Falls Road. The last part passes residential development near Lorne Golf Club and descends toward the Erskine River and town facilities. A section follows a 4WD track with seasonal vehicle closures; check current walking access before setting out.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Great Otway
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.
