Barramunga - Stevensons Falls

Stevensons Falls is one of the Otways' most picturesque waterfalls, where the Gellibrand River plunges around 15 metres over a wide rock ledge into a fern-lined gorge. The falls flow year-round but are most spectacular during winter and spring or after heavy rain.

Stevensons Falls picnic area
The picnic area is a short walk from the car park along an accessible boardwalk. The walk takes you through giant Californian redwood trees to an open grassland by the Gellibrand River. The area has picnic tables and toilets.

Stevensons Falls walk
Stevensons Falls is one of the Otway region's most accessible and spectacular waterfalls. Starting from the picnic area car park, this short walk passes through a stand of large Californian redwood trees which are a remnant of a trial plantation established in the 1980s. From here, the picturesque walk crosses over the Gellibrand River and then continues alongside the river to a viewing platform at the base of the waterfalls. There is an additional elevated viewing platform just past the main platform which is accessed by steps. From here, visitors can easily access the river and the walk to the viewing platform at the base of the falls.

On the way to the falls you can choose to pass through the Blue Spruce Walk which runs along the Gellibrand River and / or the Redwoods Boardwalk showcasing the giant Californian redwoods.

Accessibility information
Most attractions and facilities at the day visitor area are accessible for wheelchair users, people with mobility needs and parents and carers with prams. This includes the car park, walkways, toilets and viewing platform.

Stevensons Falls Area Map

Camping

Stevensons Falls Campground is one of the largest free campgrounds in the Otways. This pleasant and spacious campground is surrounded by giant Californian redwoods next to the Gellibrand River. The site has 44 designated campsites suitable for tents, as well as wood-fired BBQs, picnic tables and toilets. Camping is free and available on a first-come, first-served basis. This site is not suitable for caravans and camper trailers, so if you are visiting the area it is recommended to stay nearby at Dandos Campground.

How to Get There

Head south from Forrest on Forrest Apollo Bay road. Turn right at Upper Gellibrand Road and travel for 4.5 km to the campground. Just past the campground continue over the bridge and take a right turn. After about 1km you will reach the parking area for the falls.

Access for Dogs:

Dogs are not permitted, as Stevensons Falls is within the Great Otway National Park.

About the Stevensons Family

Early European settlers began farming in this part of the Upper Gellibrand valley in the late 1890s. Robert Douglas Stevenson (snr) and Elizabeth Agnes Ritchie took up several land selections in this valley in the names of their eight sons. The initial selection of about 130 hectares extended upstream to Stevenson's Falls. The first house was built on the site of today's camping ground.

In the 1890s, land selectors were required to pay annual rent to the Department of Lands and Survey. After six years, selectors could apply for the lease to be extended to 40 years. After 40 years of meeting their lease conditions, the land would become theirs. The lease conditions required that selectors live on the land and that the land be cleared, fenced, and made suitable for agriculture.

Over time, the family leased a total of about four hundred hectares in this area. The Stevenson brothers built five homes, all near Gellibrand River and Barramunga Creek. They undertook mixed farming, with a focus on dairying.

Except for the narrow river flats, the land was steep and difficult to farm. This meant income was supplemented by work in the surrounding sawmills of the time. There was no formed road to the Stevenson properties until the Upper Gellibrand Road was extended in the 1930s.

Families in the area would gather for picnics and sports days along the river, including at the falls. Most of the Stevenson children attended the nearby Barramunga State School No. 2786. For a short time, there was also a school at the junction of the Barramunga and Roadknight Creek Roads.

By 1950, five of the original Stevenson brothers had passed, with two members of the next generation continuing in dairy farming. Arthur 'Snowy' Stevenson moved out of the valley in the 1940s to farm at Swan Marsh and Albert Stevenson continued in the valley until selling his farm in the late 1950s.

The last of the original brothers in the valley, Cleveland and Wilson, stayed until the 1960s, when Cleveland passed away. In subsequent years, most of the land occupied by the Stevenson family was turned to plantations by the Forestry Commission.

Redwoods

There are 2 species of Redwoods at Stevensons Falls – Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum).

A plantation program in the Otways commenced in the 1930s and became an important part of Victoria's plantation estate of some 25,000 hectares. In 1961, the Chairman of the Forest Commission, Alfred Oscar Lawrence, attended the World Forestry Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil and upon his return took a bold decision to commit Victoria to a massive Plantation Expansion (PX) program of nearly four decades of rapid plantation establishment.

Softwoods were still being imported in large quantities and it was also believed that softwoods could not only relieve the pressure on native forests but make Australia self-sufficient in timber resources.

Stevensons Falls was one of several sites in the Otways where North American trees were planted as part of forestry species trials. The two American tree species planted in the 1960s at the Stevensons Falls Day Visitor Area are Redwoods and Blue Spruce.

Barramunga - Stevensons Falls

60 m - The average height of an adult Redwood in the Otways is 60 metres.
CO₂ Kings - Redwoods are able to capture more carbon dioxide (CO₂) from our cars, trucks and powerplants than any other tree on earth.
240 million - Redwoods are almost as old as dinosaurs and have been in existence for 240,000,000 years.
Use - Redwood timber (known in North America as lumber) has an excellent strength to weight ratio and is workable and durable against rot. Whilst being a valuable timber, it takes a long time to grow compared to other Californian exotics such as Pinus radiata or Pinus insignis, the "remarkable pine", which is the most planted pine in Australia.
Super Bark - Redwoods have adapted to be fire-resistant. They have a thick, spongy bark which can reach up to 60 cm thick at the base of the tree. Along with the water-based sap that they produce, this helps to protect them from fire.
Strong Roots - Redwood tree roots are very shallow, often less than 2 metres deep, however they make up for it in width, sometimes extending up to 30 metres out from the trunk.

Review:

Stevensons Falls is the most accessible major waterfall in the Otways. From the carpark, which has toilets, a path leads through a magical Redwood Forest, which has a wonderful wooden seat, to a picnic area with tables beside the Gellibrand River.

Barramunga - Stevensons Falls

After crossing the bridge across the river the paths split and you can pass through a Redwood Forest, Blue Spruce Forest or grassy area between the forests on the way to the waterfall.

Barramunga - Stevensons Falls

The paths then converge and runs beside the river to the waterfall where there are two lookout points which have similar views. When we visited there had been a lot of rain in the previous days and the falls was thundering with water.

Barramunga - Stevensons Falls

Keep an eye open for interesting fungi beside the path.

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