4WD - Otway National Park

One way to see spectacular scenery like this is to take a drive a long the Great Ocean Road… another way is to hop in the 4wd and take in the Great Ocean - Off Road!

Otway National Park wraps itself around the most Southerly point of mainland Australia…and you can hook up to the park via the Great Ocean Road.

Our first snag: a river we need to cross, but it looks like a while since this bridge was last used…

I think I'll look for another way around…

I find this promising looking water crossing, however, you can never can be too sure… so, if in doubt… walk it out to check for deep holes… Whoops! And that's why you always walk it first.

Safely back behind the wheel, I negotiate a successful crossing… then, a short drive down a sand track, and we reach our first stop… where the Aire River meets the Southern Ocean…

Absolutely beautiful isn't it…

Then it's back to the vehicle, and the adventure continues… but not before we have some fun and games getting up these steep sandy trails.

In situations like this it's best to choose the lowest range and the lowest gear.

We head to Parker's Hill and some awe inspiring views.

And on to the beacon of hope… Cape Otway Lighthouse.

Although there's many a shipwreck off the coast, countless others were saved by the lighthouse as they threaeded the needle between King Island and the mainland.

Before this lighthouse, ships travelled an exra 1200 kilometres around Tasmania… They certainly missed a spectacular part of the world.