Parking
Start at Sheoak Falls Carpark on the Great Ocean Road, about 5.7 kilometres beyond the Lorne Visitor Information Centre.
Overview
About Lorne Waterfalls: Canyon and Castle Rock Circuit
Why go
- Lower Kalimna Falls can be viewed from behind the cascade.
- Combines waterfall gullies, a canyon and Castle Rock’s coastal outlook.
Heads up
- A long Grade 4 day with rough steps and about 953 metres of climbing.
- Repeated creek crossings can become a serious barrier after rain.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Otway map
Full mapElevation37–281 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 Lorne Waterfalls: Canyon and Castle Rock Circuit, 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
Sheoak Falls and Swallow Cave0:00 / 0:30
“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 this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Otway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cumberland River: The Walk to Jebb's Pool
- St George River: The River and Ocean Loop
- Teddy's Lookout: Road, River and Ocean
- Allenvale: Forest Walk to Phantom Falls
- 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 Lorne Waterfalls: Canyon and Castle Rock Circuit
The full circuitThis 14.56-mile (23.
This 14.56-mile (23.4-kilometre) loop starts and ends at Sheoak Falls Carpark, linking Lower and Upper Kalimna Falls, Castle Rock, Phantom Falls, The Canyon, Won Wondah Falls and Henderson Falls. It joins several named tracks rather than following one purpose-built path. The walk is graded 4 (hard), with about 953 metres of total ascent; plan a full day. The published completion estimate is about seven hours, and extra time is sensible for waterfall stops, rough descents and creek crossings. It can be walked in either direction.
Castle Rock and the coastFrom the Sheoak Picnic Area, the Castle Rock climb rises through dry forest.
From the Sheoak Picnic Area, the Castle Rock climb rises through dry forest. The descent is steep and rough, with many steps, before the lookout opens over the Cumberland River and coast. Keep back from the edge. If you want this viewpoint without the full circuit, the separate Castle Rock walk is about 7 kilometres return and usually takes around three hours; it is a moderate walk from Sheoak Picnic Area.
Kalimna Falls and the tramwayAt Lower Kalimna Falls, the path passes behind the modest cascade, so the pool and forest show…
At Lower Kalimna Falls, the path passes behind the modest cascade, so the pool and forest show through the falling water. Upper Kalimna Falls are a series of cascades viewed from a platform. This stretch follows an old timber tramway that carried logs to Lorne Pier between the 1890s and 1920s; old sleepers can still be seen along the way.
Phantom Falls and the CanyonThe circuit also reaches Phantom Falls and the Canyon, where sheer rock walls rise to about 10…
The circuit also reaches Phantom Falls and the Canyon, where sheer rock walls rise to about 10 metres. Several creek crossings lie on the upstream approach toward Phantom Falls, and the red-orange route markers can be difficult to spot. Beyond the Canyon, the route passes Won Wondah Falls and a giant eucalypt before Henderson Falls, which sits in a fern gully.
Planning and accessStart at Sheoak Falls Carpark on the Great Ocean Road, 5.
Start at Sheoak Falls Carpark on the Great Ocean Road, 5.7 kilometres beyond the Lorne Visitor Information Centre. Sheoak Creek Picnic Area is a separate stop on the circuit; visitor information lists picnic facilities there, but do not rely on its drinking water without checking. Carry water for the full day. Dogs are not permitted on this route in Great Otway National Park; assistance dogs follow park rules. Snakes are more active in late spring and summer.
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.
