Parking
The Gables car park on Moonlight Head Road; its exact mapped access point is approximate. The final 4.5 km is narrow, rough gravel, and 2WD access is not recommended after rain.
Overview
About The Gables Lookout Walk
Why go
- A shaded sheoak approach leads to views of cliffs and reefs.
- The lookout gives a broad view along the coast in both directions.
Heads up
- The final 4.5 km of approach is rough, narrow gravel.
- Published distance exceeds the mapped path; check the start and full route on arrival.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Great Otway map
Full mapElevation70–131 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 The Gables Lookout 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
The Gables Lookout: Above the Reefs0:00 / 0:27
“You're nearing the walking access for The Gables Lookout, where a short path through sheoaks opens above the sea cliffs. Allow about half an hour for the return walk and a look along the coast in both directions.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Great Otway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wreck Beach: Two Anchors Below the Cliffs
- The Oystercatcher’s Chisel
- The Breathing Hole Beside a Slug’s Head
- The Missing Rescue Rope
- 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 The Gables Lookout Walk
A short walk out to the cliffsThe Gables Lookout Walk is a short out-and-back from the Moonlight Head Road access, through a…
The Gables Lookout Walk is a short out-and-back from the Moonlight Head Road access, through a dense sheoak and Casuarina grove to a coastal lookout. The best-supported visitor estimate is about 800 m return and 30 minutes. Another listing says about 400 m from the car park to the lookout, while the connected mapped path is about 308 m one way. No source verifies the extra distance, so treat 800 m as an estimate and check local signs for the exact start and full route. The lookout sits on the Great Ocean Walk, but that long-distance through-route is a separate hike.
Under the sheoaksThe short path runs through close coastal woodland.
The short path runs through close coastal woodland. Visitor information describes it as relatively level, with uneven spots underfoot. It opens at the lookout above the sea cliffs and reefs around Moonlight Head.
What to look for at the lookoutThe view follows the rugged coast in both directions, with reefs below and seabirds to watch…
The view follows the rugged coast in both directions, with reefs below and seabirds to watch for. Whales may pass during the June to September migration season. For a photo that shows the reef as well as the cliffs, frame the view along the coast and include the rock platforms when they are visible at low tide.
Getting there and staying safeStart at The Gables car park on Moonlight Head Road. The final 4.
Start at The Gables car park on Moonlight Head Road. The final 4.5 km of the approach is narrow, rough gravel; 2WD access is not recommended after rain. The lookout is above high, exposed sea cliffs, so stay well back from the edge. Dogs and other pets are not permitted on this national-park walk; 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.
