Heading inland from the coast, climbing the hills is muddy Wild Dog Road, and it is the scariest dirt road that I (Jami) have ever been on. The road was intended for two-way traffic, but if it were one-and-a-half car widths we'd be surprised. Less than two feet of shoulder on a sheer cliff and a right-brained driver (Bill) who is too busy looking for wallabies scurrying kept Jami cringing with each cliff and blind hairpin turn. But, we were driving through beautiful rainforest with the mist covering the tops of the hills. We saw our first wallaby and heard our first kookaburra (an incredible laughing call!).

Wild Dog Road

After Wild Dog Road we turned onto Toorak Track where there are several waterfalls worth hiking into. We chose Beauchamp Falls - - a 3K hike straight down and back up. Although the hike was more than we expected it was worth every step (gasp, cough, groan...). The most incredible thing was, we were the only ones there! The birding is exceptional. We concentrated mostly on identifying the birds that were bigger than the American Robin. There are so many smaller birds that it would take months to start figuring them out.

Cape Otway Lighthouse

This is a bit touristy but still worth the stop just to look up and down the rocky coast and check out the museum. The Cape Otway Lighthouse was built in 1848 as a warning beacon for ships entering Bass Straight. There are several lighthouses along the coast, probably because this area (and on to Port Fairy) is known as Shipwreck Coast.
Bill climbed the winding narrow stairs inside the lighthouse to the top. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse on the Australian mainland. The light was originally fueled by whale oil and later by kerosene, diesel and electricity. In 1994 the old light was decommissioned and replaced by a solar powered beacon that is directly in front of the lighthouse. There is an outdoor observation balcony around the top, and a park ranger to discuss the history of the lighthouse and the coast, as well as to make sure there is no horseplay. Jami stayed on the ground having had enough of heights after Wild Dog Road.
The Light Station contains two houses and other historic buildings, and people are allowed to stay overnight in Lightkeeper's houses that have been renovated. On the desolate road between the light station and the Great Ocean Road, we saw a kookaburra up close on a fence post. We also saw Australian Shelducks hanging with cattle.