Parking
Park at Grey River Picnic Area on Grey River Road. Walk to the small bridge; the glow-worm route crosses it and follows the road beyond.
Overview
About Kennett River Glow-Worm Walk
Why go
- A vivid glow-worm display sits close to the picnic area.
- The first grotto is a short, easy walk from the bridge.
Heads up
- The unlit approach shares Grey River Road with vehicles.
- The published 100 m figure and described first-grotto distance do not match exactly.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Otway map
Full mapElevation228–233 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 Kennett River Glow-Worm Walk, 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
Grey River: Picnic Tables and Glow Worms0:00 / 0:29
“Grey River Picnic Area is coming up, a small forest clearing with tables for your own picnic. It’s a good daytime break, but glow worms along the creek give it a different appeal after dark.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Otway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Calls Above Our Hearing
- A Tunnel Inside a Leaf
- Sloping Lines Inside the Sandstone
- The Beech That Stays Green
- 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 Kennett River Glow-Worm Walk
The short routeThe Kennett River Glow-Worm Walk is an easy, very short out-and-back from Grey River Picnic…
The Kennett River Glow-Worm Walk is an easy, very short out-and-back from Grey River Picnic Area. Cross the small bridge, then follow unsealed Grey River Road about 120 m to the first creek-side grotto and return the same way. The total is about 0.15 miles including the return; allow roughly 30 minutes for walking and a quiet pause. The nearby 1.5 km Grey River forest walk and Kennett River Nature Walk are separate routes.
At the grottoGlow worms can light the dark creek banks, with the stronger display on the opposite side.
Glow worms can light the dark creek banks, with the stronger display on the opposite side. Give your eyes at least five minutes to adjust. Keep torches and phone screens off the colony; a brief step across the stream may be needed to see the densest patch.
Further along the roadAnother glow-worm stretch continues for about 300 m beyond the first grotto, with fewer lights…
Another glow-worm stretch continues for about 300 m beyond the first grotto, with fewer lights farther on. That continuation is optional and is not counted in this route’s distance. The stored route ends at the first grotto, a manageable stop for visitors who want only the short approach.
Effort and accessThe route follows a broad, graded, unsealed road and is easy underfoot, but it is unlit and…
The route follows a broad, graded, unsealed road and is easy underfoot, but it is unlit and also carries vehicles. The walk starts at the bridge by Grey River Picnic Area on Grey River Road. Dogs aren’t allowed; assistance dogs have separate entry requirements.
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.
