Forrest in the forest
Deep inside the Great Otways National Park, surrounded by dense bush is the small and beautiful town of Forrest.
There are three main reasons that people visit Forrest:
1. Lake Elizabeth, 2. The Forest Brewery or 3. Grabbing a meat pie at the cafe.
Forrest is on the northern side of the Great Otways National Park.
You’d usually past Forrest when heading into the Otways forest from Melbourne or anywhere to the north or east of the national park. Otherwise, those heading along the Great Ocean Road will be on the other side of the national park and won’t usually drive through this area.
If you are heading along the Great Ocean Road, then Forrest and the surrounding waterfalls, streams and lakes are a good place to visit if you have some extra time, want to take a look at a cool-climate rain forest and enjoy stunning short forest walks.
Walk around the natural dam caused by a landslide in the 70's
While you’re in Forest, you’ll need to head down for a walk around the Lake Elizabeth Loop, which an easy 4.6km walk around the super beautiful lake. As the lake only formed about 50 years ago due to some rocks creating a natural dam in the Barwon River East Branch, there are still the stumps and trunks of giant dead Eucalyptus trees towering out of the water.
Camping & Accommodation near Forrest
There are several accommodation options inside the town of Forrest itself with plenty of places is the surrounding Otways forest on AirBnb.
Lake Elizabeth Campground is one of the closest places to go camping and possibly the most beautiful rain forest campsites you’ll ever come across. It’s only five minutes away.
If you’re after a campground a bit closer to the Great Ocean Road, then try Aire Crossing in Beech Forest or Johanna Beach Campground which is on a stunning beach but a bit of a drive.