Melba Gully is a truly spectacular patch of rainforest in the Otways, just a short drive from the Great Ocean Road. Walking in-between hundreds of tree ferns under the shade of the rainforest canopy makes it a worthy diversion from those gorgeous beaches.
The walking track is really easy and very well maintained, which is great by day and even more handy by night. And it’s at night when Melba Gully becomes even more magical. Venture back into the forest after dark and you’ll be wowed with the most incredible glow worm colony.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Melba Gully by day and by night.
Visiting Melba Gully by day
The Madsens Track takes you on a short 1.5km circuit walk through the rainforest and is well maintained the whole way.
If you don’t want to walk the whole circuit, you can just take an easy stroll along the most spectacular section of track which leads to Anne’s Cascade, a total distance of 1km return.
The walk to the cascade is almost entirely flat and the full circuit only adds on a few stairs, so either option is an easy stroll.
It’s one of those walks where you quickly leave the sound of the road behind you and it’s replaced by trickling water and the odd bird call.
It’s incredibly serene and the well manicured path means you don’t have to watch your feet and can instead soak up the sights and sounds of the forest.
You’ll cross a number of small bridges which offer ferny creek views, with the highlight being the viewing area at Anne’s Cascade. You’ll find a bench seat here to sit and soak it all up.
It’s well worth visiting Melba Gully by day, but if you only want to visit once then we’d recommend a night time adventure.
The Melba Gully glow worm walk by night
What many people don’t realise when visiting Melba Gully is that glow worms can be found along much of the trail.
Everyone talks about Anne’s Cascade, but unless there has been a long dry spell and general glow worm numbers are very low, they will be found along much of the path.
In fact the glow worms begin around 110m into the walk. You’ll see them clinging to the tall embankment and it only gets better from there. You’ll find some glow worms at all three bridges along the track, although not in massive numbers.
It’s from 350m into the walk that it begins to get very special. You’ll see hundreds of glow worms in dense clusters that illuminate the walkway like fairy lights.
They’re also on the other side of the creek, but foliage means you don’t always get the best view. It’s an extraordinary sight to switch your torch off and look along the track to see just how many lights are leading you through the darkness.
Just before you get to the cascade you’ll see many glow worms on the left, as well as hundreds on the right which climb all the way up the tall cliff walls.
It’s absolutely magical and the numbers were even greater than by the cascade itself.
After 500m you’ll reach Anne’s Cascade and find hundreds more glow worms. There’s a bench seat here so you can sit and admire the spectacular light show in comfort!
The backdrop of the running water adds to the wonderful atmosphere.
If you were to walk from the car park to this spot without stopping to view the glow worms along the way, it would only take 10 minutes, but you’d be missing out on the majority of glow worms, so it’s definitely worth taking it slow.
Tips for visiting the Melba Gully glow worms
There are glow worms year round at Melba Gully, but conditions do affect their numbers. The first time we ever visited, apart from a small sprinkling, they were only really found at Anne’s Cascade.
This was during a period of drought. The second time we visited was during a normal time of reasonable rainfall and the numbers were absolutely huge. It was like two different walks.
Either way you will see glow worms, but if you possibly can, visit after some decent rainfall.
Make sure you are constantly turning your torch off and checking the banks as you walk along the track. There are thousands of glow worms before you reach the ‘main viewing area’ at Anne’s Cascade and if you don’t stop and turn your light out you will miss most of them.
Melba Gully is an incredibly popular spot for glow worms and visitor numbers can be really high. If you want to avoid the crowds come as late as you feel comfortable.
We opted for around 11pm and there was no one around but when we first arrived at 10pm the car park was really busy. If everyone is respectful it’s not really a problem, but the first time we visited most people refused to turn their torches off which ruined the viewing experience.
Make sure you allow your eyes at least five minutes to adjust with no light. The longer you allow them to adjust the more glow worms you’ll see.
Make sure you never shine light directly on glow worms as it can be very harmful to them - they also stop glowing so it will spoil the show.
Getting to Melba Gully
Melba Gully is located in the Great Otway National Park. It’s roughly a 40 minute drive from Port Campbell and 35 minutes to Cape Otway. There is a large car park and toilets, as well as a picnic area.
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