Emus and koalas and echidnas, oh my! These are just a few of the native critters you're likely to see when visiting Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve, a 600-hectare conservation space sitting within an extinct volcano. Located just over three hours from Melbourne by car, it's a picturesque pitstop when making your way along the Great Ocean Road and towards Port Fairy, but for wildlife lovers, it's certainly worth a visit all on its own.
In 1892, Tower Hill earned the distinction of being Victoria's first national park. In the decades that followed, it was declared a State Game Reserve; efforts began to reintroduce native animals to the area, and thousands of shrubs, trees and grasses were planted. Renowned Australian architect Robin Boyd was brought on to design the visitor's centre, which was completed in 1970 and is now managed by the Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Collective, in partnership with Parks Victoria.
Bookable guided tours are offered daily, but visitors are also welcome to explore the reserve on their own as it's open all day, every day and is free to access. Embark on one of the self-guided walks, including the Peak Climb, a 1.5-kilometre steep hill trail that ends with panoramic views of the park and the coast; the Wagon Bay Loop, a cruisy 30-minute trek that circles the pond and returns to the visitor's centre; the Journey to the Last Volcano Loop, a one-hour trek towards the volcano crater; and the Lava Tongue Boardwalk, a gentle walk that crosses the wetlands to Fairy Island.
As you explore, you'll wander through more than 300,000 trees and hopefully get a close look at native critters like koalas, kangaroos and emus. And before you make your way in, spend some time looking up into the eucalyptus trees by the visitor's centre; you're likely to spot a few koalas snoozing or feasting on leaves before your journey even begins.
