Otways Waterfalls Retreat 19 – 22 October – Womens Retreat
Event Description
Calling women who love to wander.
This retreat is for you, led by an experienced female hiker living locally in the Otways. Take a mental break from planning all the details. We have it covered. All you need to do is pack your clothes and boots in your car, then come to relax and wander the Otways Waterfalls with us.
Think crisp mornings, and that smell of fresh Otways air, the morning songs of the birds and the mist from waterfalls spraying your cheeks. Slow down and notice the fungi, the vines winding up Beech Myrtle and Mountain Ash trees, and oodles and oodles of green tree ferns. Tiny birds flitting ahead of you on the trail. Feel alive and refreshed. When night falls and your legs are tired from all your wanderings, relax into the comfort of your suite to recharge for the next day.
There’s an option to suit everyone. You can book a suite to yourself, or save money by sharing with a friend or another solo walker. If you want to bring your bestie, you can share a suite with twin king singles. Talk to us about what suits you best. Maximum tickets available is 5.
The retreat includes all meals, snacks and drinks but you can feel free to bring anything else you particularly love. A bottle of local wine will be provided to each suite per day to go along with your dinner.
You can count on a well-organised tour, relaxing and comfortable accommodation and a warm country welcome to the Otway Ranges. Can’t make these dates? Join our mailing list for future tours.
Sale of tickets will close on 5 Oct. Miminum numbers must be met by this date for retreat to proceed.
Frequently asked questions
What is included?
All hikes will be guided by an experienced hiker with First Aid qualifications.
All food, snacks and drinks are included from afternoon tea on the first day until lunch on the final day, including local wines with dinner.
Accommodation is self-contained suites with all linen and towels included.
Food and Drinks
Dietary considerations taken into account as long as you notify Forrest Guesthouse in advance
- 3 x breakfast provisions provided in suite daily
- 3 x packed lunch daily
- Snacks during hikes
- 3 x “Heat and eat” dinners daily
- Bottle of local wine per suite included daily
Experienced Guide
All walks are led by an experienced female guide with first aid qualifications. For this tour your guide and accommodation host is Michelle. Michelle has visited over 100 offtrack waterfalls in the Otways - but don't worry - all the included destinations on this retreat have formal trails. Michelle has been visiting Otways Waterfalls since family holidays in the early 90's but ended up living here herself in 2019.
Accommodation
Relax and recover each night in your self-contained suite. Set in beautiful gardens, enjoy modern comforts with a touch of vintage styling. There is a firepit in the gardens to relax and chat around if the weather is fine.
All suites have reverse-cycle heating and cooling, a heater in the bathroom as well as electric blankets on the beds. There are extra blankets and doonas so you should be warm and cosy in the evenings if it's chillly.
Each suite has its own bathroom coming off the main bedroom. The kitchenette is well equipped with a mini fridge, toaster, kettle, sandwich press, mini toaster oven and a plug-in induction cooktop.
Your breakfast supplies and ready-to-heat meals will be provided in your suite daily from the onsite cafe, Forrest Bower Bird Cafe.
All linen and towels included.
There are options for twin singles in Otway and Barwon suites. The Lake Elizabeth suite has a queen bed only. Forrest King suite has been ticketed as a solo King Bed suite but can be converted to twin singles for the same rates as Otway and Barwon if required.
What's not included
Transport during the retreat. You will need to drive your own car to the walking destinations each day. We will drive in convoy. It may be possible to carpool with other willing attendees. Please fill your car up with petrol on your way to Forrest as there is no petrol station in town.
How far are we walking each day?
Introduction day - 4km optional walk
Forrest day - 11km total across 3 different walks
Beech Forest day - between 8-11km depending on the 3rd walk of the day
Great Ocean Road day - 4km
We will be walking at a comfortable pace, there's no rush and this is not a boot camp. Most walks involve hills and stairs.
Event Timelines
Check in to your suite from 3pm.
4pm: Once you’ve settled in, join the group for a Forrest loop or fern gully walk around town to acquaint yourself with your surroundings. For those who arrive after the group walk, meet your walking mates for the next few days while enjoying dinner and drinks around the firepit.
We will spend the day visiting two waterfalls close to Forrest with lunch at the West Barwon Reservoir in between. Later in the afternoon we will venture to Lake Elizabeth to learn a little about the history of the lake, have a go at spotting the shy platypus that hides within. There is an optional platypus tour by kayak available ($95) where you have a 95% chance of spotting a platypus, it’s an amazing opportunity if your budget allows. Those with keen eyes might also spot some glow worms on the return walk.
Finish with a relaxed dinner and drink in your private suite.
An optional early morning yoga and breathwork session with a local instructor will have you breathing deeply and stretching out any tired muscles.
Our third day of walking will be an exploration of 3 waterfalls located near Beech Forest. One of the most stunning inland roads in the region will deliver us to our locations for the day. Two iconic, postcard-worthy waterfalls in the morning, lunch under the towering Redwoods followed by a third waterfall in the afternoon (choose from two waterfalls based on group preference and distance).
Our final day sees us leave Forrest with our bags packed, ready to head for home. But before we say goodbye there’s a couple more waterfalls to take in! From Forrest we head to the coast to take in the view from Victoria’s famous Great Ocean Road. We will visit a couple of waterfalls before sharing lunch together by the beach in Lorne.
