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Hiding in plain sight on Victoria’s rugged south-west coast, the Petrified Forest looks like it’s been plucked straight out of the movie Dune. Rising from the sandy ground are dozens of eerie, trunk-like stone columns that resemble the remains of an ancient forest turned to rock. But despite the name, the formations aren’t actually fossilised trees at all – they’re a geological illusion created over millions of years by wind, water and limestone.
Located within Discovery Bay Coastal Park (near Cape Bridgewater), the Petrified Forest is one of the state’s most unusual coastal landscapes, and a quirky stop for road-trippers exploring the far end of the Great Ocean Road or the wild coast near Portland. Keen to check it out? Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the Petrified Forest?
The Petrified Forest is a natural formation of hollow limestone tubes that rise from the ground like tree trunks. Understandably, early visitors believed they were the remains of an ancient forest that had been petrified by sand dunes, giving the site its very dramatic name. In reality, the “trees” are geological structures known as “solution pipes” – columns of hardened sand and limestone that formed underground and were later exposed by erosion. Some of the pipes are only a few metres tall, while the largest can reach up to around 20 metres in height – big Dune energy.
Where is the Petrified Forest?
You’ll find the Petrified Forest at Cape Bridgewater in Victoria’s far south-west, inside Discovery Bay Coastal Park. It’s about 21 kilometres south-west of Portland and roughly 380 kilometres from Melbourne, on a dramatic stretch of coastline known for its cliffs, blowholes and seal colonies.
What can you see at the Petrified Forest?
The star attraction is, as the name suggests, the cluster of stone columns that resemble a grove of fossilised trees. Scattered across the landscape, the formations create an almost surreal scene that feels more like an artsy sculpture garden than a natural landmark. From the surrounding clifftops you can also spot sweeping views of the Southern Ocean, windswept dunes and the nearby Cape Bridgewater Blowholes.
How do you get to the Petrified Forest?
The Petrified Forest is accessed from Blowholes Road at Cape Bridgewater, where there’s a small car park and a short walking track to the site. The journey from Melbourne takes around 4.5–5 hours (via the Princes Highway), and around 15-20 minutes from Portland.
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