Length: 22km
Duration: 6 -7 hours
Grade: Medium
Elevation: 433m
Style: Walking track with many river & creek crossings over stones
Start/Finish: Lorne
Melbourne: 140km
Best time: Late winter & early spring (when the waterfalls flow at their best)
Track & map info: Walks & Waterfalls, Surfcoast Shire.
Topographic map: optional.
Erskine River Track and Cora Lynn Creek Track are well marked.
The walk starts from Kia Ora Caravan Park, which is located opposite to the Lorne Visitor Centre. The entrance is on Erskine Avenue and there is Parks Victoria signpost showing the 7km length of the Erskine River walking track.
There is no doubt that this track is popular because of the
starting point in the Lorne township, the attractive waterfalls and the wild
Erskine River and gorge. The path winds
through the Erskine Valley, which is filled with tall trees and ferns. It follows the river upstream and there are
some river crossings. The track passes
The Rapids, Splitter Falls, Straw Falls and finishes at the base of the Erskine
Falls, 300m past Straw Falls. Erskine
Falls is one of the highest and most attractive waterfalls in the Otways,
Victoria.
After having fun with the camera and a chat with tourists at
the Erskine Falls, we had a steep climb up steps, which led to the car park,
where there is a signpost to Blanket Leaf Picnic Area. This is the start of the 3km track, which
links the Erskine Valley to the Cora Lynn Valley and saves about 3kms of road
walking. A big thank you.
On reaching the Erskine Falls Rd, cross the road to get to
the start of the Cora Lynn Creek Track.
Then, a short gentle descent goes past a hike-in campsite and leads to
the Cora Lynn Cascades. From here, the
track goes through a beautiful narrow gorge and the creek that feeds the
cascades, is crossed many times before reaching Cora Lynn car park. After checking out the map from the “Walks
& Waterfalls” brochure, we followed the road SSE out to Green Break Tk,
turned right and walked down to Allenvale Rd, and then turned left onto Otway
St to get back to the start in Lorne.
Erskine Valley (L) At the base of Erskine Falls (R)
Cora Lynn Cascades
It was rather a long day to do this two valleys circuit and
I would suggest an early start to take it all in especially when days are short. We ended up having a late dinner at
“Chopsticks” restaurant in town. Wear
comfortable walking boots and avoid this walk after heavy rain, when the tracks
and rocks become muddy and very slippery.
This walk can be done as an overnight hike using the walk-in campsite,
which is located below the Blanket Leaf Picnic Area. Moreover, with a few hike-in campsites and many other waterfalls
walks nearby, it is also possible to have an extended hike of 3 to 4 days in
the area.
(Lorne Waterfalls - Walk Three)