The Otway Fly
By Richard Moore
Ever wanted to know what it was like to be an Australian
animal, happy and content among the leaves and branches of
a rainforest canopy?
Well you can experience the sensation of being 25 metres
above the forest floor at the Otway Fly - a tree-top walkway
that is tucked away in a quiet part of Victoria's Otway Ranges.
The Otway Fly is a nature experience that will have your
senses tingling and - if you say you are not scared of heights
will test that claim.
It is the longest and highest structure of its type in the
world and is rated to be able to survive 280km/h winds.
Don't worry, you will not be asked to climb up any high towers
to get on to the metal walkway, it begins at ground level
and then gently rises at a reasonable gradient.
Before you know it you are staring out above the tops of
some trees and are close to the canopies of others.
The trees are magnificent and include Myrtle Beeches, Mountain
Ash and Blackwood. There are also some spectacular stands
of ferns to look down on. While you are up there you should
keep an eye out for the birdlife, which includes rosellas
and black cockatoos.
The walkway's construction is steel with wire grills on each
side and a metal grill path. It does move, but don't worry
as the Otway Fly can cope with 400 kilos per square metre.
Now the use of the materials boosts your appreciation of being
up so high, although it does give you a weird feeling and
it can get a little spooky.
Mrs M, a lifetime vertigo sufferer, is a good measure for
folk and she made it around the Otway Fly. (She did hold on
for dear life at times, but she won our admiration for bravery.)
Now having said that I got a little freaked when I looked
down through the grill flooring and saw the top of a very
tall tree underfoot. It took quite a while before I did that
again let me tell you.
For more adventurous types - of all ages (several pensioners
made the journey while we were there) - you can climb a spiral
tower that rises 45 metres - 20 metres above the highest platform
at Otway Fly. The steel spiral gives you spectacular views
of the surrounding forest, but it should be said it has been
designed to sway a little in the breeze.
If that isn't enough, then Otway Fly offers visitors a cantilever
Springboard complete with a Perspex panel for better viewing.
I have to confess this one gave me the willies as I could
see it move side to side and, when I started getting closer
to the end, felt its up-and-down action. I got to the end,
but didn't tarry for too long. It goes to show what a wusser
about heights I am as the Springboard can cope with a herd
of elephants or about 28 tonnes.
The walkway is some 600 metres long and will take you around
40 minutes to complete. At the start you walk down a pleasant
forest path and, if you are lucky, may get to see fish or
a platypus in Young's Creek.
The Otway Fly is 15 minutes drive from Lavers Hill and 40
minutes from Colac. If you are travelling from Melbourne it
is 2.5 hours along the inland Princes Highway and if you take
the Great Ocean Road it is a 3.5-hour drive.
The Otway Fly opens at 9.00am and you can begin your walk
up until 4.00pm.
Tickets are:
Adults $12.50
Children (5 - 16 years) $6.50
Family $32.00
Website: The
Otway Fly
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