Parking
Start at Cumberland River Holiday Park, 2680 Great Ocean Road, about 7 km southwest of Lorne. The walk begins behind the campground office; confirm day-walker parking and access with the operator before you set out.
Overview
About Mount Defiance–Jamieson Creek Circuit
Why go
- A long forest ridge walk with Castle Rock and coastal views
- A full loop that returns to its starting access
Heads up
- About 1,044 m of climbing across 22 km
- Rough, mud-prone tracks and a 4 km road-side return
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Otway map
Full mapElevation16–487 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Great Otway alerts
- ClosureWye Road closed after storm and flood damageMentions Wye Road, referenced in this guideWye 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 Mount Defiance–Jamieson Creek 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
Cumberland River: The Walk to Jebb's Pool0:00 / 0:26
“Cumberland River is ahead, with the walk to Jebb's Pool starting at the visitor car park. I'd choose the three-kilometre return walk for its shaded gorge, low cascades and rock shelves.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Otway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Sheoak Falls and Swallow Cave
- The Limpet’s Own Patch of Rock
- Sheoak Picnic Area: A Short Forest Break
- 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 Mount Defiance–Jamieson Creek Circuit
The full circuitMount Defiance–Jamieson Creek Circuit is a 22 km (13.
Mount Defiance–Jamieson Creek Circuit is a 22 km (13.7 mile) loop from Cumberland River Holiday Park around the Jamieson Creek catchment. It climbs Cumberland Track, crosses Curtis Track and Wye Road, descends Jamieson Track, then returns to the start along the Great Ocean Road. Plan five to six hours; the distance and roughly 1,044 m of total climbing make this a hard day for most hikers. Despite its name, the loop does not reach a Mount Defiance summit.
Up Cumberland TrackThe route begins behind the campground office and climbs steeply before settling into a long…
The route begins behind the campground office and climbs steeply before settling into a long ridge ascent. It is about 9 km to Curtis Track. The ridge narrows as it rises, with an early view across the Cumberland River valley toward Castle Rock. Take the climb steadily; this first section sets the pace for the whole circuit.
Curtis Track and Wye RoadTurn left onto Curtis Track, then left again onto Wye Road.
Turn left onto Curtis Track, then left again onto Wye Road. Curtis is a rough 4WD track and can hold deep, muddy potholes in wetter parts of the year, so progress may be slower than the map suggests. Wye Road is a formed, unsealed road through forest. Bring food and water for the full day; no dependable refill point on the circuit was verified.
Down Jamieson TrackTurn onto the signposted Jamieson Track for the descent to Jamieson Creek Campground.
Turn onto the signposted Jamieson Track for the descent to Jamieson Creek Campground. This stretch opens views across the Great Ocean Road and coast. Expect a long walk on rough tracks rather than a maintained, even-surfaced hiking path.
Pick your coastal returnThe mapped circuit uses about 4 km of the Great Ocean Road to return to Cumberland River.
The mapped circuit uses about 4 km of the Great Ocean Road to return to Cumberland River. You will be walking beside traffic, so stay alert. The route description also offers a beach return when the tide is suitable; that option adds rock scrambling and depends on safe tide and swell. The beach line is not included in the stored route.
Start and accessThe start is Cumberland River Holiday Park, 2680 Great Ocean Road, about 7 km southwest of…
The start is Cumberland River Holiday Park, 2680 Great Ocean Road, about 7 km southwest of Lorne. The route begins at the campground office and car park; check with the operator that day-walker parking and access are available before setting out. The circuit enters Great Otway National Park, where pets are not permitted.
A shorter walk nearbyJamieson Creek to Separation Creek is a separate 6 km one-way walk with its own endpoint and…
Jamieson Creek to Separation Creek is a separate 6 km one-way walk with its own endpoint and transport needs. It is not a shorter version of this circuit; you would need a shuttle between its ends.
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.
