Travel: Victoria

Words: Louisa Emery
Source: Wharf Magazine, UK

Landing in Melbourne following a 23 hour flight from London, I took my great big carbon footprint and earned back a little eco kudos along the Great Ocean Road.

The well-trodden tourist route contains some of Victoria’s most iconic landmarks, provides unrivalled access to Australia’s cuddliest creatures and is home to internationally acclaimed wine producers.

Great Ocean Eco Lodge located close to Cape Otway offers the opportunity to take your conscience on holiday.

Co-founders and dedicated ecologists Lizzie Corke and Shayne Neal poured everything they had – financially and emotionally – into the lodge after buying the land in 2000.

Lizzie said: “We wanted to find a way to make hospitality work with conservation. We planted trees, collect and reuse rainwater and use solar power.

“Our guests range from those who just want to see kangaroos and koalas and people who want to do the ocean walks to someone who just have to see a particular rare bird and those who want to see how sustainability works.”

You can watch kangaroos and kookaburras from the comfort of your bedroom but this is the kind of holiday where it pays to go the extra mile.

Drag yourself from your slumber at dawn and enjoy uninterrupted wildlife in the lodge’s extensive grounds or get an early start on a section of the Great Ocean Walk – 104km of coastline.

Coming down to breakfast I was confronted by the couple cuddled up to a baby koala and wallaby, both orphaned and being hand-reared at the centre. The chance to get that close to such fascinating creatures was a real treat.

The mix of guests is international and diverse. Dining is communal which is great for sharing experiences and receiving suggestions for the next day’s activity. The meals are imaginative and filling and use produce grown in the kitchen garden.

After dinner you can curl up and continue conversation over a glass of wine by the fire. A maximum of 10 guests will be staying at any one time – enough for company but not too much as to be crowded.

For those who want to find out more, Shayne’s twilight walks are a must. The centre has just received funding for new projects and has just been awarded highly commended by the international Responsible Travel Awards.

It is about an hour’s drive to the Great Ocean Road’s famous limestone monoliths The Twelve Apostles and from there you soak up the photogenic site all the way to Adelaide.

We’d like to say a big thank you to the wonderful team at Grant Day James for their generous support in getting this site together.

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Namibia’s Africat Okonjima was also Highly Commended and Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi took out the award.

Based in the heart of the Great Ocean Road, Victoria, The Great Ocean Ecolodge is a social enterprise operated by the Conservation Ecology Centre. The Ecolodge itself is entirely solar powered, ecologically responsible and all of its profits go straight into critical conservation projects.

By staying at the Great Ocean Ecolodge guests from all over the world not only support the Conservation Ecology Centre’s important programs, but also have opportunities to get involved, heading out into the Australian bush with conservationists and researchers to ensure the future of endangered and iconic wildlife.

Founders Lizzie Corke and Shayne Neal are thrilled to be acknowledged internationally for their work.

“Guests come to the Great Ocean Ecolodge to share in the amazing wildlife, engage in conservation experiences and reconnect with the natural world,” said Ms Corke, who is also the Centre’s CEO.

“Achieving recognition at this international level is absolutely fantastic and we thank the organisations that nominated and supported us, our guests who return time and again, and especially our team here at Cape Otway who work tirelessly to make a real difference.

“The Great Ocean Road region has special conservation significance, supporting many rare and threatened species, including the Tiger Quoll – the largest marsupial carnivore surviving on the Australian mainland.

“We established the Conservation Ecology Centre with a vision to understand and protect delicate ecosystems. And when guests choose to stay at the beautiful Ecolodge, they’re helping us do just that.”

Justin Francis, Managing Director of responsibletravel.com, said:

“Right now it’s tough times for business – industries the world over are facing difficult questions from a public who want to know if business can be a force for good.

“Tourism is no exception, and thankfully our winners are on hand with the answers. Where travellers ask for authenticity, our winners are there with genuine experiences.

“Where destinations ask ‘what’s in it for me’, our winners share the benefits.” 

Amanda Wills, Managing Director of Virgin Holidays, who sponsor the Responsible Tourism Awards said:

“Everyone in the travel industry can and should learn from them and seek ways we can work together to make a meaningful and ongoing commitment to responsible travel.”

You waken to the beautiful dawn chorus and the wild kangaroos grazing in the morning mist. A koala strolls across the front lawns in search of tasty eucalypt leaves. After breakfast some guests are going to visit the waterfalls and rainforests in the Otway Ranges, others are embarking on a day’s walking on the nearby Great Ocean Walk and some are visiting the Cape Otway Lightstation.

However, you are intrigued by the conservation and research work going on in the local area and you head down to the beach to check on nesting pairs of threatened Hooded Plovers. Along the spectacular windy coast you delight in finding that a pair of Hooded Plovers has laid two small eggs in their sandy nest. You observe them from a distance through binoculars so as to avoid disturbing them. Later you unpack your picnic lunch on a secluded sandy beach in the National Park, paddle in the shallows and explore the rock pools.

Back at the Ecolodge you hear that a little koala joey has been rescued following a car accident in which he was orphaned. Lizzie has examined him and is pleased that he is not badly injured. He is warm and is being rehydrated and the team are hopeful that an older female koala currently recovering at the Centre may adopt him.

Shayne is preparing for the Dusk Walk, a daily excursion exploring the extensive grounds of the Cape Otway Centre. Newly arrived guests will observe koalas dozing in the manna gum woodlands, watch the kangaroos and wallabies emerging into the grassy meadows to graze, and photograph the birdlife in the golden evening light. The chefs are in the Kitchen Garden gathering organic vegetables and salads for dinner.

Before dinner you share a drink with the other guests while you learn about the conservation and research programs at the Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology, led by Research Manager Dr Kellie Leigh – the programs are inspiring and it is wonderful to hear about everything that is going on. You plan to sign up to assist with one of the coming field projects counting koalas or searching for quolls – what a great excuse to return.

The candlelight and the sunset cast a magical glow across the dinner table and the food is wonderful. You watch with the other guests as the little kangaroo joeys learn to hop on the Ecolodge lawns under the watchful gaze of their mothers.

After dinner you are invited to accompany some researchers into the night to record the nocturnal night sounds. As you step outside you hear the Powerful Owl calling. A glass of Otways Shiraz beside the cosy fire beckons, but how can you miss this once-in-a-lifetime adventure!

Of course, while you are more than welcome to put your name down to participate in the current conservation projects, the Great Ocean Ecolodge is a peaceful place to simply sit back and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, wonderful dining and unforgettable ambience.