Beech Forest - Triplet Falls
Triplet Falls is one of the iconic visitor sites in the Great Otway National Park. Nestled amongst the ancient forests of Mountain Ash and Myrtle Beech, you will discover three distinct and impressive cascades flowing through shady rainforests and glades of mossy tree ferns.
This beautiful area is set in the ancient forest and provides views into the lower cascades and the majestic main falls. At the Triplet Falls And Little Aire Falls Carpark there are toilets and six picnic tables. Camping, fires and sleeping in cars is not permitted.
Triplet Falls Walk is a 2km (1hour) loop which has many steep steps which are unsuitable for people with limited mobility.
Take the main track from the carpark which leads to both Triplet Falls and Little Aire Falls. After about 150 steps, the narrower track to Little Aire Falls branches off to the left. Continue straight on to Triplet Falls.
Enjoy the history and story of this rainforest, supported by the signs that lead you around the walk. Look for the giant Mountain Ash trees along the way. Some of these trees are estimated to be over 200 years old and have generated from a seed the size of a grain of sand. Listen for the falls as you walk through the ancient forest on a series of elevated walkways.
Platforms provide you with spectacular views of Triplet Falls' lower and upper cascades. Youngs Creek flows to the falls from Weeaproinah, which has the state's highest average annual rainfall of almost two metres. The falls are even more spectacular after rain.
Stay on the path while looking for the different mosses and fungi growing on the forest floor. They play an important role in maintaining this rainforest.
Directions
Little Aire Falls is 200km from Melbourne via Colac and Gellibrand, or 70km from Apollo Bay. Follow the signs from the Beech Forest - Lavers Hill Road, the falls are 3km past the Otway Fly.
Little Aire Falls and nearby Triplet Falls are located just a few minutes apart along Phillips Track, making them a popular pair to visit on the same trip. While Little Aire Falls impresses with its single 30-metre plunge, Triplet Falls features three separate cascades tumbling through lush rainforest, offering two distinctly different waterfall experiences in one visit.
Access for Dogs:
Dogs are not permitted.
Information Signage Along the Walk:
A different place and time
Standing in this tranquil setting today makes it hard to imagine early last century when this was the site of Knott's No. 1 Mill, one of the most productive sawmills that operated in the Otway Ranges.
Back then, the sound of circular saws would have replaced the quiet you are enjoying. Timber workers would have been hard at work slicing and rolling heavy Mountain Ash logs to satisfy the post war demand for timber, to build houses for returned WWI servicemen.
The logs were winched to the mill site from harvest points in the forest. Here they were cut into manageable lengths, loaded onto timber bogies, just like the one to your right, and hauled by horse or bullock teams along a wooden tramline to Ferguson Station.
It was hard, heavy and dangerous work. Conditions were tough with the heat and flies of summer and persistent cold and damp in the winter months. Workers lost limbs and sustained other serious injuries, and many lives were lost.
Relic of a bygone era
This steam boiler was the powerhouse that drove the huge saws that operated on this mill site.
Fuelled by the plentiful supply of timber, the boiler heated water to produce steam.
There were no made roads or freight trucks for this boiler to travel to this isolated site. Its grand arrival would have been the work of a large bullock team organised by the mill owner, Melbourne timber broker and merchant, G.W. Knott.
Photos:
Location
Phillips Track, Wyelangta 3237 View Map
Web Links
→ Triplet Falls (Parks Victoria)
→ Great Otway National Park - Triplet Falls (PDF)
→ Triplet Falls (World of Waterfalls)
→ The Best Waterfalls in Melbourne and Victoria for Family Visits
