Geelong National Parks and Nature Guide 2026, Best Hiking, Nature Walks and Day Trips

Geelong National Parks 2026, Overview

Geelong is ideally positioned for access to some of Victoria's most spectacular natural environments, the You Yangs granite peaks to the north-west, the Brisbane Ranges to the north, the Surf Coast and Great Otway National Park to the south and the Bellarine Peninsula conservation parks to the south-east. Here's a guide to national parks and nature near Geelong.

You Yangs Regional Park (30 minutes north-west)

• Highlights, Granite tors rising dramatically from the Werribee Plains. Flinders Peak Summit Walk (6km return, panoramic views of Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne and the Surf Coast), Mountain Bike trails, koalas in the wild, excellent birdwatching. Accessible from Geelong via the Princes Freeway. Entry fee applies.

Brisbane Ranges National Park (45 minutes north)

• Highlights, Excellent wildflower displays (July-October, one of Victoria's best). Good birdwatching, echidnas, koalas. Anakie Gorge Walk (6km loop), Stony Creek and Steiglitz township (historic gold rush village).

Great Otway National Park and Otway Ranges (45-60 minutes south)

• Highlights, Massive national park along the Great Ocean Road. Cape Otway Lightstation (koalas on the access road, lighthouse, dramatic coastal scenery), Triplet Falls (2km return), Beauchamp Falls, Aire River, Melba Gully (world record-holding Manna Gum tree, night-time glowworms). The Otway Fly Treetop Walk and Zipline at Beech Forest.

Point Addis Marine National Park (50 minutes south)

• Highlights, Spectacular surf coast cliff walk to the hidden Addiscott Beach. Good birdwatching on the heath. Below the Bells Beach precinct.

Bellarine Peninsula Conservation Parks

• Highlights, Point Lonsdale coastal walks, Queenscliff Marine and Coastal Park. Swan Bay (internationally significant wetland for migratory shorebirds, adjacent to the Bellarine Peninsula), Point Cook Coastal Park (north of Geelong via Werribee). Check parks.vic.gov.au.

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