Lavers Hill (including Johanna, Glen Aire and Moonlight Head)
Small resort town adjacent some spectacular natural sites
Lavers Hill is a tiny resort of about 250 people located on a hilltop 232 km south-west of Melbourne on the Great Ocean Road and 10 km inland from the coast. It sits at what is known as the Otway Junction where the Great Ocean Road meets the roads to Colac and Cobden.

Lavers Hill is named after a settler from Gippsland who cleared a large tract of land. The district was surveyed and opened for selection in 1891 and timbergetting was, for many years, the economic mainstay. The first timber mill opened in 1900 and it was quickly followed by others. A school and a cheese factory opened in 1906 and a narrow-gauge railway was in operation by 1912, by which time the town had a post office, stores, a butter factory, a hotel, a school and local farming was well-estalished.

Things to see:  

Blackwood Gully Tea Rooms
On the Great Ocean Road (right on the main road junction) are the Blackwood Gully Tea Rooms on a site affording panoramic views of the area. Local crafts and souvenirs are for sale, tel: (03) 5237 3290.

Melba State Park
5 km to the south-west (there is a turnoff from the Great Ocean Road) is Melba State Park (48 ha) where heavy rains have encouraged a dense rainforest inhabited by a range of fauna including glow worms which can be seen along the walking trails at night. The Park is noted for its tree and ground ferns, along with myrtle beech, satinwood and blackwood. Further up the slopes are mountain ash (the largest flowering plant in the world). This is one of the wetest places in Victoria.

Johanna and Glen Aire
If you head south-east along the Great Ocean Road there is a turnoff to Johanna. Johanna Beach is a remote but distinguished surfing spot (dangerous for swimming) which is part of Otway National Park.

15 km south-east along the Great Ocean Road is Glen Aire which is a noted fishing spot.

Moonlight Head
16 km south-west of Lavers Hill on the Great Ocean Road there is a turnoff which leads out to Moonlight Head which allegedly possesses the highest coastal cliff in the country. There are excellent views over the rugged and dramatic coastline, Cape Otway and the Southern Ocean. The treacherous surf here has caused several shipwrecks.

Waterfalls
The main road to the east leads to Beech Forest. A number of roads head south off this route to Triplet Falls, Hopetoun Falls and Beauchamp Falls. A little east of Beech Forest is the turnoff to Sabine Falls.

Shipwreck Trail
This trail along the Great Ocean Road highlights 25 sites between Lavers Hill and Port Fairy where some of the many coastal shipwrecks have occurred over the years, tel: (03) 9690 5322.

A Book About The Great Ocean Road
The best book about the Great Ocean Road is the remarkably cheap ($19.95 for a full colour hardback) book by Port Campbell photographer, Rodney Hyett. It is 96 pages long and has everything you could possibly want ­ great photographs, maps of the area, a potted history of the area, details about national parks and visitor information centres, accommodation, walking tracks, even details of the region's eight lighthouses and succinct (not as detailed as this website) pieces of information about all the major destinations from Queenscliff to Cape Bridgewater. If you are planning to travel the Great Ocean Road and explore the totality of its attractions this is a small masterpiece of publishing and a great travel guide. It is available from many shops along the way and can be ordered from Port Campbell Shopping at http://www.portcampbellshopping.com.au.

	Motels
	Otway Junction Motor Inn Great Ocean Rd Lavers Hill VIC 3238 Telephone: (03) 5237 3295 Rating: **
	Caravan Parks
	Lavers Hill Roadhouse Great Ocean Rd Lavers Hill VIC 3238 Telephone: (03) 5237 3251 Rating: **
	Restaurants
	Otway Junction Motor Inn Great Ocean Rd Lavers Hill VIC 3238 Telephone: (03) 5237 3295
	The Blackwood Gully Great Ocean Rd Lavers Hill VIC 3238 Telephone: (03) 5237 3290