Melba Gully National Park
Melba Gully National Park
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
60 reviews
Excellent
40
Very good
17
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Liz H
Lichfield, UK912 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
We stopped here on a day trip of the Twelve Apostles from Melbourne.
We would have liked more time as we set a fast pace down the track to reach the waterfall and back in our allotted time.
It was a beautiful trek through luxuriant trees and over little bridges.
Well worth the stop.
We would have liked more time as we set a fast pace down the track to reach the waterfall and back in our allotted time.
It was a beautiful trek through luxuriant trees and over little bridges.
Well worth the stop.
Written 12 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pauline
Adelaide, Australia30 contributions
Dec 2019
This is a beautiful walk. We went in the morning and there was only one other car there. There are a few steps. It is so tranquil. Lots of beautiful ferns and tall trees. I highly recommend doing this. The walk took us about 35 minutes. There are toilets and picnic tables.
Written 7 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Simon B
City of Greater Geelong, Australia4,151 contributions
Sept 2021 • Family
Regional lockdown ended and took advantage for coastal tour.
Quick stops at many sights. Melba Gully was a first time visit.
September morning, very damp but lush forest full of beauty.
Didn’t do the full trail but saw enough to return another day.
Would like to carry a lantern for night hike & see the famous glow worms.
Quick stops at many sights. Melba Gully was a first time visit.
September morning, very damp but lush forest full of beauty.
Didn’t do the full trail but saw enough to return another day.
Would like to carry a lantern for night hike & see the famous glow worms.
Written 13 September 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kelis89
Penrith, Australia319 contributions
Sept 2017 • Couples
After reading so many reviews about the glow worms at Melba Gully at night, my partner and I decided to go check it out whilst on a trip to the great ocean road. We arrived at the park entrance , it was pitch black and felt like something out of a horror movie. Not being familiar with the path, we decided to give it a miss and I have no idea how so many people before us were able to brave it!
Written 15 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1TraveltheWorld
Alice Springs, Australia12,207 contributions
Nov 2016 • Couples
Melba Gully, is a dense temperate rain forest full of huge Myrtle Beech trees, mosses, and tree ferns.
Located just off the Great Ocean Road after Lavers Hill, on the left hand side follow the Melba Gully road to the car parking area which is less than 2 kilometres away.
There are picnic tables and toilets also situated here.
The Madsens track nature walk crosses the Johanna River a couple of times.
It will take a little over half an hour to complete this circular take, or possibly longer depending on your stroll pace.
We heard about the glow worms, but unfortunately were here only in the day.
Another little gem in the Otway’s.
Located just off the Great Ocean Road after Lavers Hill, on the left hand side follow the Melba Gully road to the car parking area which is less than 2 kilometres away.
There are picnic tables and toilets also situated here.
The Madsens track nature walk crosses the Johanna River a couple of times.
It will take a little over half an hour to complete this circular take, or possibly longer depending on your stroll pace.
We heard about the glow worms, but unfortunately were here only in the day.
Another little gem in the Otway’s.
Written 3 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
pakto
Adelaide137 contributions
Jan 2017 • Friends
come at night, especially when it's not raining. Bring a torch, but make sure you cover it with your hand so it's not bright at all. Then when you cross each bridge, stand there in the darkness and wait. The glow worms will appear. So many of them. Then when you finally reach the end of the walk at the small waterfall, there are hundreds there.... amazing. So magical.
Written 17 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gregs3071
melbourne8,098 contributions
Jun 2021
Melba Gully is easy to find. If you are travelling West along the Great Ocean Road you will see the sign just after passing through Lavers Hill. If you are travelling East you will see the sign as you approach Lavers Hill. There is a short drive down to the car park which has a good number of parking spaces.
Melba Gully is the site of an old Tea Room from early in the 20th Century. Before that it was part of a logging operation. There are picnic tables there which I didn't use because of the dampness (it was Winter, and it had rained) and there are also public toilets there.
The main attraction at Melba Gully is Madsen's Track, a walk through a remnant of the great Cool Temperate Rainforest that for many millions of years covered much of what is now the state of Victoria. Very little of these Cool Temperate Rainforests remain today, and the only place you can find them is in Australia. You will not find them anywhere west of the Great Otway National Park, of which Melba Gully is a part.
Madsen's Track takes you through the rainforest. There are enormous Myrtle Beech trees, a small waterfall, huge tree ferns, mosses, funghi, and epiphytes sprouting from the trunks of trees. There are signs and plaques to inform visitors about what they are looking at. One of the plaques tells visitors about The Big Tree, a majestic Mountain Ash (the tallest flowering plants in the world) which the 19th Century loggers left standing for future generations to marvel at after they'd cut down all the others. Sadly, the tree no longer stands. In front of the plaque now there is only a huge tree stump. Opposite lies the trunk, which has hollowed out, and if you look through it you can see light in the distance. Funghi grow on the rim of the fallen trunk, and, I'm sure, some grow in the interior. (Maybe glow worms, too.) This is the natural order of things. What's not natural is that this tree's siblings have all been cut down.
It's simultaneously awe inspiring and saddening to walk this track, seeing what is there and knowing what's been taken away and will never be again. At points along the track there are other fallen trees that have been cut to keep the track clear. Everything that falls has stuff growing on it. Everything that stands has stuff growing on it. Despite its emasculation, life is vigorous here.
Towards the end of the track there is a kind of clearing on the left, where the lower stories of the rainforest are less dense. The wind was blowing, although I didn't feel it down on the rainforest floor, but I could see the towering Myrtle Beech trees swaying from side to side. It wouldn't take much more for one or more of them to topple, I thought. There was plenty of evidence that others had.
Madsen's Track, at Melba Gully, is very similar to Mait's Rest, which is not far away, and is part of the same ecosystem. Mait's Rest, in my opinion, is slightly more spectacular, and if I had to choose between the two I'd choose Mait's Rest. But, if possible, as it was for me, I'd recommend visiting both.
Melba Gully, or, specifically, Madsen's Track, is also, according to the information I've read, home to glow worms. I didn't visit Melba Gully/Madsen's track at night. Unless you are staying at Lavers Hill, or somewhere west of there, it's not as easy to get to as Mait's Rest. If I stay in that area again I'd consider going there at night to see the glow worms. If you choose to do so, I'd recommend visiting there during the daytime to get your bearings first, as I did before my night visit to Mait's Rest the day before.
Melba Gully is the site of an old Tea Room from early in the 20th Century. Before that it was part of a logging operation. There are picnic tables there which I didn't use because of the dampness (it was Winter, and it had rained) and there are also public toilets there.
The main attraction at Melba Gully is Madsen's Track, a walk through a remnant of the great Cool Temperate Rainforest that for many millions of years covered much of what is now the state of Victoria. Very little of these Cool Temperate Rainforests remain today, and the only place you can find them is in Australia. You will not find them anywhere west of the Great Otway National Park, of which Melba Gully is a part.
Madsen's Track takes you through the rainforest. There are enormous Myrtle Beech trees, a small waterfall, huge tree ferns, mosses, funghi, and epiphytes sprouting from the trunks of trees. There are signs and plaques to inform visitors about what they are looking at. One of the plaques tells visitors about The Big Tree, a majestic Mountain Ash (the tallest flowering plants in the world) which the 19th Century loggers left standing for future generations to marvel at after they'd cut down all the others. Sadly, the tree no longer stands. In front of the plaque now there is only a huge tree stump. Opposite lies the trunk, which has hollowed out, and if you look through it you can see light in the distance. Funghi grow on the rim of the fallen trunk, and, I'm sure, some grow in the interior. (Maybe glow worms, too.) This is the natural order of things. What's not natural is that this tree's siblings have all been cut down.
It's simultaneously awe inspiring and saddening to walk this track, seeing what is there and knowing what's been taken away and will never be again. At points along the track there are other fallen trees that have been cut to keep the track clear. Everything that falls has stuff growing on it. Everything that stands has stuff growing on it. Despite its emasculation, life is vigorous here.
Towards the end of the track there is a kind of clearing on the left, where the lower stories of the rainforest are less dense. The wind was blowing, although I didn't feel it down on the rainforest floor, but I could see the towering Myrtle Beech trees swaying from side to side. It wouldn't take much more for one or more of them to topple, I thought. There was plenty of evidence that others had.
Madsen's Track, at Melba Gully, is very similar to Mait's Rest, which is not far away, and is part of the same ecosystem. Mait's Rest, in my opinion, is slightly more spectacular, and if I had to choose between the two I'd choose Mait's Rest. But, if possible, as it was for me, I'd recommend visiting both.
Melba Gully, or, specifically, Madsen's Track, is also, according to the information I've read, home to glow worms. I didn't visit Melba Gully/Madsen's track at night. Unless you are staying at Lavers Hill, or somewhere west of there, it's not as easy to get to as Mait's Rest. If I stay in that area again I'd consider going there at night to see the glow worms. If you choose to do so, I'd recommend visiting there during the daytime to get your bearings first, as I did before my night visit to Mait's Rest the day before.
Written 4 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
C...
Victoria, Australia89,249 contributions
Jul 2020
There is a welcome to read when you start your walk - "Welcome to one of Victoria's most beautiful parks". I admittedly laughed when I read it and said to my Uncle, "I believe that's what is said for every park I walk through". Except... this was no random statement. It really is incredibly beautiful.
The gully is a cool rainforest overflowing with luxuriant ferns and giant moss-coloured trees. It's alive with natural history and secretive creatures. I would never have known about the Victaphanta Compacta if I had not wandered in here. Traces of a colourful recent past are fading into the forest.
We weren't here at night, but it's said that there are Glow Worms creating a wonderland at night.... through the day , patterns of light and shade shimmer.
This is a uniquely. beautiful park... I would recommend wearing comfortable footwear. There are extensive steps later in the walk and it will take a reasonable level of fitness...but if you take this walk, you will be mesmerised at how beautiful it is.
The gully is a cool rainforest overflowing with luxuriant ferns and giant moss-coloured trees. It's alive with natural history and secretive creatures. I would never have known about the Victaphanta Compacta if I had not wandered in here. Traces of a colourful recent past are fading into the forest.
We weren't here at night, but it's said that there are Glow Worms creating a wonderland at night.... through the day , patterns of light and shade shimmer.
This is a uniquely. beautiful park... I would recommend wearing comfortable footwear. There are extensive steps later in the walk and it will take a reasonable level of fitness...but if you take this walk, you will be mesmerised at how beautiful it is.
Written 1 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Azarul F
Shah Alam, Malaysia132 contributions
Nov 2019
We visited Mela Gully in the morning on the way from Lavers Hill to Port Campbell. It's truly amazing. The walking short 30 mins track takes you through some amazing forest, our kids enjoyed seeing the large tree ferns, small streams and hear the sounds of nature. At that time, it was not a loop track as a certain portion are closed due to tree falls etc. So had to make your way back from the small waterfall. We didn't experience walking at night to view the flow worms.
Written 29 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AINOZ
Melbourne, Australia90 contributions
Apr 2019 • Family
We had a lovely walk around the easy loop track and it took around 30 minutes, the glow worms were around, not too many but enough to be excited about seeing, they truly are special. Its a relatively easy walk through a beautiful forest and for those who cannot walk too far be aware that there are stairs and a couple of slightly steep declines so keep that in mind if you have any walking issues, you can actually just go half way and wait on one of the many bridges as the glow worms were mostly up higher on the night we were there anyway!
Written 22 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Really excited about the glow worm in the park. Not sure if its a good idea with kids? Has anyone been there with kids at night?
Written 23 November 2017
hi, do they provide tour for the glow worm viewing?
Written 7 December 2016
I do believe that there are tours available but we went on our own so can't give any more advice on that.
Written 24 February 2017
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