Wye River Falls

Wye River is a small town in Victoria, Australia. Situated some 155 km west of Melbourne, on the scenic Great Ocean Road. It is a popular tourist destination approximately 15 km west of the resort town of Lorne, Victoria. The postcode of Wye River is 3221.

The site was occupied by white settlers in 1882 by brothers Alex and Donald MacRea and their cousin Alex MacLennan. They were looking for an area suited to farming and fishing and chose this site. The MacRaes settled near Sepperation Creek, establishing a farm which they named The Wye after a river in England. Alex MacLennan settled a little further west at a site he named The Kennet (later the town of Kennett River) after another UK river. The rivers in question were probably the River Wye in Buckinghamshire and the River Kennet tributaries of the River Thames in England.

The area is known for scenic coastal views and it is this stretch of winding coastal road that often appears in ads featuring The Great Ocean Road. Wye River offers excellent bushwalking, a picnic ground, safe swimming beach, surfing and some local shops.

The Wye River Falls are not well known. A rough walking track has been worn to the falls but it is neither official, nor maintained. The last section of the walk up the gorge is very slippery.