Sheoak Falls

Sheoak Falls
Sheoak Falls
Sheoak Falls is located in Victoria
Sheoak Falls
Location within Victoria
LocationLorne, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates38°33′55″S 143°57′46″E / 38.565332°S 143.962790°E / -38.565332; 143.962790
TypePlunge
Total height15.76 m (51.7 ft)
Number of drops1
WatercourseSheoak Creek

Sheoak Falls is a waterfall located on Sheoak Creek, adjacent to the Great Ocean Road, approximately 6km outside of Lorne, Victoria, Australia. The waterfall consists of a single tier, with a total height of 15.76 metres.

Etymology and history

Both the creek and the waterfall are named after the sheoak tree. By the 1880s the waterfall had become a popular tourist site, with the area also becoming a picnic spot.

In December 1948, Frank White, who was on a fishing trip with friends Alan and Alma Simmons, was killed after a plug of gelignite the group were trying to use to stun fish in the creek blew up. Alan was seriously injured, but survived, and Alma was unharmed as she had backed away before the explosion.

Access

A car park adjacent to the Great Ocean Road marks the start of a walking track that leads to the waterfall. Another path on the hill beside the waterfall leads to Swallow Cave Falls.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Car, Anthony (2021). Waterfalls of the Otway Ranges (1 ed.). Victoria, Australia: Anthony Car. p. 238. ISBN 978-0-646-83170-1.
  2. 1 2 Barber, Ray; Wacey, Ian (2011). 250 Victorian Waterfalls (1 ed.). Eltham North, Victoria, Australia: Everbest Printing Co. Ltd. ISBN 9780646543314.
  3. ↑ "Fatal Blast of Gelignite". Trove. The Age. 6 December 1948. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  4. ↑ "Man killed by gelignite when fishing". Trove. The Age. 2 February 1949. Retrieved 25 September 2026.