Great Ocean Ecolodge
635 Lighthouse Rd, Cape Otway, Great Otway National Park, Victoria 3233 Australia
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About
#1 of 2 lodges in Cape Otway
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GreenLeaders Platinum level
Stay in our award winning eco retreat, venture out into the bush with researchers to help save koalas and endangered wildlife, explore the Great Ocean Walk, indulge in the region's finest local produce or just relax in the dappled shade of the eucalypts – whatever the escape you have planned, we'll help you make it one to remember.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Internet
Free breakfast
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Non-smoking hotel
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Quaint
Romantic
Location
635 Lighthouse Rd, Cape Otway, Great Otway National Park, Victoria 3233 Australia
Getting there
Rental CarsSee all Cape Otway car hire
148Reviews1Q+A23Room tips
ReviewsWe perform checks on reviews.Tripadvisor’s approach to reviewsBefore posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
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Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
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This is not 5 star luxury so I don’t want to mislead anyone but it’s a genuine 5🌟 experience. Firstly let’s talk wildlife. 6 koalas within 30m of the lodge, a baby a belligerent male who was going for a walk when we found him, and really close up!! So many kangaroos it was hilarious, tons of young joeys in and out of pouches, a bit of a box on and a bit of x rated kangaroo sex. The mob is about 60 strong and often sit right outside the lounge window. Lots of birds probably 40 species in total seen including a wedgetail eagle. There are lots of research projects going on and you will all love the sugar gliders the potoroos and for us the quolls, both eastern and tiger! So let’s talk about the accommodation. It’s rustic, it’s antique, we really loved it but it’s not the Intercontinental. The beds are comfortable the bathrooms large the lounge and dining nice. Staff. They are on a winner here. Steve and Caroline look after the lodge. They are fantastic! Caroline looks after the cooking and she is an amazing cook!!! Steve was so helpful with all our questions. Caroline also rears orphaned animals in her spare time! Emma was our guide, she is a fountain of knowledge, has an amazing rapport with animals and owner of Pepper the koala finding wonder dog!! She can charm quolls, potoroos and red neck wallabies. (She is not as keen on tiger snakes which I think are beautiful). Lastly Jack the uni intern who is a fount of knowledge on all the animals ( ask him about sugar gliders!) was generous with his time, great company and Karen and I wish him well on his career! It’s a not for profit so spend big!! The wines are good value as are the dinners!! Btw nearby is the Otway lighthouse the amazing Great Ocean Walk and beautiful scenery. …
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Date of stay: November 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
As most reviewers have noted, the welcome is warm and the hospitality generous. Breakfast is continental-style, with warm croissants and home-made muesli and jams. Dinners were consistently good, simple and wholesome and always with a choice of main course. The rooms are comfortable but a little spartan, with no wardrobe, and it can get chilly at night. The wi-fi annoyingly needs a new code every four hours, and the signal is unreliable beyond the lounge. At 4pm every day there's tea, coffee and home-made cake served in the lounge as a prelude to a tour of the property's wildlife, enthusiastically led by Emma and her koala-spotting dog Pepper. The whole team's enthusiasm for the wildlife, and the fact that you're pretty much guaranteed to see kangaroos, koalas, a wallaby or two, a quoll, some kookaburras, poteroos and sugar gliders make this an essential stop on your Great Ocean Road itinerary…
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Date of stay: February 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Helpful
Response from Karlijn Sas, General Manager at Great Ocean Ecolodge
Responded 14 Nov 2020
Dear Hugh, Thank you ever so much for taking the time to write this review. We truly value the feedback we get as we are dedicated to providing our guests with an unforgettable stay. We want you to know that we truly enjoy sharing our passion for wildlife and wild places with visitors and want you to walk out the door feeling refreshed. We love your honesty about the lack of wardrobe in the rooms, we'll look into getting more storage space to increase our guest confort. We look forward to hosting you again and wish you all the best, Karlijn Sas
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Room was clean and tidy, basic but should be expected in that environment. The staff are all friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating and passionate of the animals, their habitat and well being and the environment. We had interesting and informative tours, both day and evening and saw loads of kangaroos that came right up to the lodge, some koalas, a quoll, honey gliders and potaroos to name but a few. Emma an ecologist was very knowledgeable in her subject and her dog was an expert 'koala sniffer' sitting under trees where she knew them to be! The food there was plentiful and delicious with a choice of evening meal. There are no TV's or air conditioning and wifi can only be accessed in the lounge but that adds to the appeal. A special thank you to Rose who looked after us well and always had time for a chat! We really enjoyed our couple of days there and would thoroughly recommend it.…
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Date of stay: January 2020
Rooms
Location
Service
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.
Helpful
Response from Karlijn Sas, General Manager at Great Ocean Ecolodge
Responded 14 Nov 2020
Dear Pajan, Thank you for your lovely review, we truly appreciate you taking the time to tell us about your experience at the Great Ocean Ecolodge. Providing our guests with the best possible hospitality and service has always been our mission. We want you to know that we truly enjoy sharing our passion for wildlife and wild places with visitors and want you to walk out the door feeling refreshed. We love that you enjoyed Emma and Peppers' tour, and love hearing you had wonderful service from Rose. Thank you for recommending us to other guests, we hope to see you again soon, Kind regards, Karlijn Sas
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We recently stayed and didn’t appreciate the Australian trend for voile like curtains - you need an eye mask! Also avoid the room called ‘Nest’ if there are other guests staying in the room above. You can hear EVERY step and loo flush! That said, if you are curious about Australian animals, the staff are charming, helpful and very enthusiastic about the wildlife and their conservation programmes.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Helpful
Response from Karlijn Sas, General Manager at Great Ocean Ecolodge
Responded 10 Nov 2020
Dear Jane, Thank you for taking the time to review the Great Ocean Ecolodge. We truly value the opinions of our customers and we apologise that we did not meet your expectations on this occasion. Providing our guests with the best possible hospitality and service has always been our mission. Thank you for giving us such clear feedback, something we can really work with. We will address the curtain issue and are looking into better sound isolation. We want you to know that we truly enjoy sharing our passion for our destination with our visitors and want you to walk out the door feeling refreshed. If you come back to the Great Ocean Ecolodge I would love to have the opportunity to speak with you directly, so please ask for me. We hope to see you again in the future and wish you the very best. Kind regards, Karlijn Sas
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Somerset Taster wrote a review Oct 2019
Kingsbury Episcopi, United Kingdom78 contributions43 helpful votes
Could only get one night here, but everything lined up and we saw all we could.. Rooms are good, nice size and well appointed. The lounge is a nice meeting place for all residents, tea and a fantastic apple cake on offer our day - Emma very skilled. Then the tour round, won’t say how but found 3 Koalas and learnt so much about how they live etc, all great. Then close enough to a mob of kangaroos who seemed as interested in us as we were of them, before we visited the Quoll, a relation of the Tas Devil, which again was great. Further animal delights late in to the evening with the Sugar Gliders, just lovely... Food, main meal in the evening was varied and great. See why it is included, as not much else around, and breakfast the next morning, simple and filling to set us up for the day. Thanks all for a great experience.…
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Date of stay: October 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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.
Helpful
Response from Karlijn Sas, General Manager at Great Ocean Ecolodge
Responded 14 Nov 2020
Thank you for taking the time to review and rate the Great Ocean Ecolodge. We are dedicated to providing our guests with meaningful and unique wildlife experiences, and we love seeing that you had an excellent experience. We look forward to seeing you again, Kind regards Karlijn Sas
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My son & I had the BEST stay here! The Lodge is well located near the main attractions such as the 12 Apostles, but feels very secluded and quiet. Honestly I felt like I was on Safari. There are lots of wild kangaroos and koala that you can readily see throughout the day. We had both breakfast and dinner with them, and it was delicious. The Team are friendly and helpful. They have several wildlife tours daily around the property. The rooms are comfy & clean. I highly recommend this lodge if you are visiting this area!
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Date of stay: September 2019Trip type: Travelled with family
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.
Helpful
Response from Karlijn Sas, General Manager at Great Ocean Ecolodge
Responded 14 Nov 2020
Thank you for the wonderful review you left about the Great Ocean Ecolodge. We truly value the opinions of our customers and love what you took away from the experience. Providing our guests with the best possible hospitality and service has always been our mission. We want you to know that we truly enjoy sharing our passion for wildlife and wild places with visitors and want you to walk out the door feeling refreshed. We look forward to hosting you again and wish you all the best, Karlijn Sas
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
TimeTraveler0123_10 wrote a review Aug 2019
New York City, New York355 contributions193 helpful votes
A very special place for many reasons. First, the work they do, the awareness they bring to others and the opportunity to effect change. Secondly, the location. The property is purpose built, well designed and intelligently thought out. You must explore the property to truly appreciate the wonder of it. Also, the night sky is spectacular. Lastly (but not least) the staff. They are genuinely caring for the animals (guests too) and it all translates into a uniquely special experience. TIP: Try to stay at least 2 nights,
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Date of stay: August 2019
Value
Rooms
Service
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.
Helpful
Response from LizzieCorke, Chief Executive, Conservation Ecology Centre at Great Ocean Ecolodge
Responded 27 Aug 2019
Thank you so much for your lovely review! We love sharing this special corner of the world.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This was a slightly different pace after Melbourne. On arrival we had this most delicious and gooey homemade chocolate cake followed by the guided walk spotting koalas and kangaroos. In the morning there were kangaroos outside our room. Although not luxurious everything is of a very good standard and we paid extra for a deck - but the room wasn't the point of this stay. We had dinner for AUD 150 including wine. All in all we really enjoyed the experience - we were sad that we couldn't have stayed for 2 nights. Well worth it and such a great thing to do. Such nice people too.
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Date of stay: April 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Helpful
Response from KarlijnSas, Manager at Great Ocean Ecolodge
Responded 9 July 2019
Dear Tim, Thank you for the wonderful review, I think you did a great job capturing what we are trying to offer. Glad to hear you enjoyed the experience and we hope to have you back again! Best regards, Karlijn Sas
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We had the pleasure of staying several nights at this beautiful lodge. I’ll start by saying the staff is fantastic. The building is warm and homey and you feel so welcome. Caroline cooked us amazing dinners each night, served by the roaring fire and Stephan made perfect coffees and cheerily served breakfasts in the mornings. BOTH were full of information and answered hundreds of (probably very common) questions with smiles. Our beds were comfy and the family style dining room was elegant. ( I’m a sucker for a tablecloth, wine and a candelabra ) there are cozy sitting areas with couches and chairs and a nice library. Emma was the animal tour guide in the evenings. She was pleasant and informative. Each morning there were dozens of cute and lively kangaroos in the back and we loved how they designed every other window in the bedroom so as to take great photos. (Thoughtful) we walked all around the property and got pretty close to them too. Solar power, recycled rain water,and a puppy or two. It was MAGICAL. Treat yourself.…
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Date of stay: May 2019Trip type: Travelled with friends
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.
Helpful
Response from KarlijnSas, Manager at Great Ocean Ecolodge
Responded 16 May 2019
Thank you for the wonderful review. We find it magical that people take the time to let us know that we are on the right path, that you like our solar, rain water, profit going into conservation in the Otways and puppies! We loved having you with us and hope to welcome you again, Best regards, Karlijn Sas
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We will never forget our stay at the Great Ocean Ecolodge! We loved how quiet, natural and rural it was while also opening our eyes to so much that is iconic Australia! Koalas in the trees in the front yard and kangaroos in the back - I could have watched them all day...just fascinating! Night walk to see the sugar gliders was a fun surprise as was the native spotted quoll. The food was amazing - fresh, delicious and creative! And the staff both friendly and knowledgeable - I wish we could go back and stay longer, and I'm so happy places like this, dedicated to conservation, exist in this busy world!
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Date of stay: February 2019Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: This is a very small bed and breakfast - only 5 rooms and all are quaint and comfortable!
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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.
Helpful
Response from KarlijnSas, Manager at Great Ocean Ecolodge
Responded 5 Sept 2019
Dear Mary, Thank you ever so much for taking the time to write such a lovely review! We are so glad you liked the food and the animals, we are very lucky getting wonderful guests like yourselves. Best regards, Karlijn Sas
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
ALSO KNOWN AS
great ocean ecolodge hotel cape otway
LOCATION
AustraliaVictoriaGreat Otway National ParkCape Otway
NUMBER OF ROOMS
5
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Frequently Asked Questions about Great Ocean Ecolodge
Which popular attractions are close to Great Ocean Ecolodge?
Nearby attractions include Cape Otway Lightstation (0.4 km), Great Otway National Park (7.5 km), and Aire River East And West Campgrounds (4.9 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Great Ocean Ecolodge?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge.
What food & drink options are available at Great Ocean Ecolodge?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.