Kennett River is not only one of the best stops on the Great Ocean Road, it is one of the best places in Australia to see a wild koala. No trip to Australia is complete without seeing this iconic animals, and whilst a lot of places may claim there are a few among the eucalyptus trees, the Kennett River Walk is as close as you get to guaranteed sightings.

So, if you’re looking to see a koala and have a trip to Melbourne booked, make sure you make the trip out to the Kennett River Koala Walk. Get the zoom lens out and enjoy an incredible encounter with these Australian icons! It’s one of our favourite stops on our Great Ocean Road itinerary.

Kennet River Koala Walk - where to see koalas

The Kennett River Koala Walk - everything you need to know

About the “Koala Walk”

Firstly, the Kennett River Koala Walk isn’t a walk at all - it’s a road! Secondly, it isn’t actually called the Kennett River Koala Walk, but Grey River Road. As you can see, there’s some clever marketing put in place to bring in the tourists!

As you are able to cruise around in a car, you can cover a lot more ground and spot koalas pretty easily, as well as escape the crowds which congregate at the very beginning of the road by the cafe. Whilst there are a lot of koalas here, not every tree has one so allow a little time for your trip. Koalas are solitary animals and like to have a bit of space, so you can go a decent distance between seeing them.

The “koala walk” is a dirt road, so be prepared for a few bumps along the way.

How to find the koalas

Finding koalas on the Kennett River Koala Walk isn’t very difficult and there are quite a lot in a small area. We saw five without having to look very hard and during the middle of the day! If we turned up in the early morning or late afternoon, I’m sure we would have spotted more. If you do visit in the middle of the day though it’s worth knowing that they will likely be pretty sleepy. If you want to see a bit of action you are much better visiting in the early morning or late afternoon.

Starting by the Koala Kafe, the majority of tourists stick to the first 200 metres of Grey River Road. This may have a koala or two, but it tends to be pretty busy and not the best place to see a koala in what feels like a wild setting. There’s also lots of King parrots in this area which sadly people feed, so it feels like a bit of a circus.

The key is to keep going up the road, past the first couple of switchbacks and keep your head upwards. Luckily, the majority of koalas don’t stay too high up in the trees and seemed to like the ones right beside the road!

Once you see your first one, you’ll get an eye for how to spot them!

The further up the road you go you’ll find there are very few people, possibly none at all, but don’t go as far as the picnic area where sighings are rare.

Top tips for seeing koalas at Kennett River

Go early or late: Koalas are rarely very active (their diet is pretty poor in nutrients), but they are at their most agile in the early morning or late afternoon. In the middle of the day, they tend to just curl up in a ball and sleep. It’s still pretty cute but it’s always nice to see them when they are awake!
Look in the eucalyptus trees: Koalas live in eucalyptus trees, so look in these trees. These are trees with long thin leaves and you can see what they look like by searching on google images.
Check the forks in the trees: If they’re not moving around, koalas jam themselves into a fork in a tree. This tends to be either from the main trunk or where the branches split in two.
Watch out when standing directly underneath them: We were stood underneath a koala that was very high up in a tree when it looked right up and starting weeing on us! Luckily we were able to move out the way just in time but we took that as a sign it didn’t enjoy our company and moved on!

The Kennet River Wild Koala Walk - best places to see wild koalas in Australia

Kennett River etiquette

Remember that these koalas are wild animals and this isn’t a zoo, so give the koalas distance and never touch them.

You can stop anywhere along the road (it isn’t too busy), but make sure you pull over to the side as much as possible to allow other people to get by. We hopped out a few times to get a view of a koala and check them out up close.

It’s also polite to go slowly on the road as your car kicks up a lot of dust. We saw a few cars speed down the road and cover anyone wanting to see koalas in a heap of dirt - not a fun thing to deal with for the rest of the day!

Finally, don’t feed the birds and parrots. There are a lot of tourists who buy bird seed and these wild birds soon become dependent on humans for food. It also seems to encourage people to think that these are circus animals, treating them as if they are props for selfies. Let the birds be wild and admire them from a distance.

Another unmissable experience beside the Kennett River Koala Walk

If you're planning on visiting the koalas for sunset - or even if you aren't as it's worth a visit in its own right - then head to the Grey River Picnic Area just as darkness falls. As the light fades away you will be treated to one of the most spectacular night time displays in Australia - glow worms!

The glow worms on the Kennett River Koala Walk

And not just any glow worms, but one of the biggest colonies we've seen yet (and we've visited a lot!). It's incredibly easy to access and an absolutely magical experience. If there's a better way to spend an evening than looking for koalas, followed by an otherworldly glow worm adventure, then we haven't found it yet.

Exactly where the glow worms are, plus tips for the best possible experience are in this post.

Where is the Kennett River Koala Walk

As mentioned, the Kennett River Koala Walk is on Grey River Road at Kennet River. Kennett River is a 2 hour 45 minute drive from Melbourne or 35 minutes from Lorne. You can see the exact location on google maps. It’s very close to the Koala Kafe and the turnoff to Kennet River from the Great Ocean Road.

How long is the Kennett River Koala Walk

The Kennet River Koala Walk is technically 15 km long, but the best chances for seeing koalas are in the first 6km to Grey River Picnic Area.

Facilities by the Kennett River Koala Walk

The Koala Kafe has some decent food, albeit pretty expensive. They also have toilets in the car park. Other than that, your nearest facilities are at Lorne or Apollo Bay.

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