Exploring Cape Otway

We timed this overnight adventure with the new moon, hoping for a last glimpse of the full Milky Way arch before it sinks below the horizon for summer. From Melbourne, we took the Great Ocean Road, stopping in Kennet River for a coffee at the Kafe Koala. If you want some easy wildlife spotting, this is the place to go.

You can even feed the wild kookaburra

We booked fairly last minute but were able to get a room at the lighthouse. We’d stayed on the lighthouse grounds at Cape Schanck and Kangaroo Island, but those were cottages. Because we booked late we wound up with the “original lighthouse keepers standard” – the description read, “Stay in a unique building with walls a metre thick. Shower and toilet facilities are 100m away.” It was just one night so no big deal.

We arrived around 3 and checked in at the visitor centre. They showed us where to park and then provided coffee and scones in the cafe. The room was basic, but clean and warm. The bathroom is in the back of the cafe, which was a short walk away. We had access to the grills, which were very clean and guarded by a lanky black cat.

The lighthouse grounds are truly stunning, and after 5pm we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves. It looked like it was clearing around sunset, but then the clouds rolled back in and foiled any attempt at viewing the Milky Way. We were rewarded with an absolutely brilliant sunrise though.

On the way back to Melbourne, we stopped for a walk on the beach near Carisbrook Falls.