Duffs Cottage and Duffs Café are ideally located for exploring the Great Ocean Road and Otways Hinterland.

Colac is a friendly, small country city which prides itself on its service and large number of independent retailers.

The town is set on picturesque Lake Colac, Victoria’s largest natural freshwater lake which is part of an impressive series of young volcanic craters and lakes – within the newly dedicatedKanawinka Geopark. It’s worth taking a short drive to the Red Rock scenic look-out where you can enjoy 360° views of the volcanic plains and the 30,000ha Lake Corangamite.

Duffs is a two-minute walk from Colac’s main street, and just a few minutes walk from Lake Colac and the historic Botanic Gardens.

For those wanting to explore the region, Colac is within an easy drive of Cape Otway Lightstation, the Otway Fly tree-top walk, the Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell and the Great Otway National Park.

If you’re visiting Colac in search of livestock, a weekender, a farm, or a new place to live we recommend Charles Stewart & Co. The company began business at their Bromfield Street site in 1917 which remains the headquarters of this fourth generation family-owned business.

If relaxation and a little indulgence are high on your priority list Cahill Clips, an excellent hairdresser is located next door to the cottage, and we recommend Colac Vogue Skin & Beauty– a first class salon which offers a range of spa treatments.

Two of Victoria’s best-loved resort towns, Lorneand Apollo Bay, are Great Ocean Road meccas for those who love surfing, swimming, shopping, people-watching and dining out. They are both within one hour’s drive of Colac. 

Icons of the Great Ocean Road, the amazingTwelve Apostles stand in the powerful waters of the Southern Ocean and can be reached from Duffs on a great circular route taking in the Beechy Rail Trail, Otways rainforests, and rich farmlands.

Plunging waterfalls amid peaceful cool, temperate rainforests are a highlight of any trip to the Otways. Some of the best known waterfalls are Stevenson Falls near Forrest, plus Beauchamp, Hopetoun and Triplet Falls near Beech Forrest. The latter three are in close proximity to the Otway Fly, the tree-top walk, which is the longest structure of its kind in the world. A 45m high stairway ascends through the understorey of myrtle beech, blackwoods and mountain ash to emerge among the crowns of these giants of the forest. The climb and views are breathtaking.

Melba Gully, just off the Great Ocean Road near Lavers Hill, is sometimes called “the jewel of the Otways” for its pristine beauty. The Big Tree is more than 300 years old and has a circumference of many metres. The gully is a dense rainforest of myrtle beech, blackwood and towering tree ferns. There is an understorey of low ferns and mosses which at night are lit up by glow-worms.

The Otways are a walker’s paradise. Apart from short-walks to waterfalls and scenic viewpoints there is also the Beechy Rail Trail, which starts in Colac and ends in Beech Forest. This 50km walk follows the path of the fabled Old Beechy railway which carried timber and dairy products from as far as Lavers Hill to Colac in the days before reliable roads made it to the Otways.

The picturesque heritage town of Birregurra, which dates to the 1860s, is just a 20 minute drive from Duffs and is a favourite with people looking for a ‘country experience’. Known as the town of churches, Birregurra is home to local gourmet produce, cafés, restaurants, antiques, galleries, giftware and markets.

Visitor Information

For information on the locations and attractions mentioned here, or to find out more about what this plentiful region has to offer contact the Colac Visitor Information Centre (03 5231 3730) on the corner of Murray and Queen Streets, Colac.