Cape Otway Ecolodge
Property Locality: Great Ocean Road, Southern Victoria
Type of Property: Guesthouse
Number of Bedrooms: 5
Number of Bathrooms: 5
Children: suitable for children
Rates (per couple per night)
Price Range: $250 - $350
Double or twin share room $300/night ($350/night public holiday wknds)
Single room $250/night ($300/night pub. hol. wknds)
Child's bed or cot $30/night (for young children and babies sharing a room with their parents, maximum 2 children's beds/double room)
All tariffs include afternoon tea, a guided dusk walk (details in Ecology Experiences Program) and continental breakfast.
Multi-night stays include complimentary Great Ocean Walk Map Guide, local Great Ocean Walk transfers and admission to the nearby Cape Otway Lightstation.
Special Conditions: Minimum two night stay
Rates are inclusive of GST and are subject to change without notice.
Property Description
The Great Ocean Ecolodge is a magnificent multi award-winning environmentally sustainable guest house within the grounds of The Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology. Adjoining the Great Otway National Park and close to the Great Ocean Walk, the Ecolodge is certified as an Advanced Ecotourism destination.
The Ecolodge has only five bedrooms, so your visit will be unique and personal, particularly if you choose to book the Ecolodge exclusively. Your bedroom is private and peaceful, furnished with a comfortable bed, crisp clean linen, and timeless antiques and your ensuite bathroom is equipped with fluffy towels and an assortment of locally made natural soaps and shampoos. From every window the views over the Otway Ranges or kangaroo meadows are breathtaking and the dawn chorus is magical.
Eyrie: Double room (QS) upstairs with sweeping views of the Otway Ranges and Great Otway National Park.
Drey: Double (KS) or twin share room upstairs with beautiful views over kangaroo meadows.
Hollow: Double room (QS) downstairs with a sundeck and stunning views of the Otway Ranges.
Burrow: Double (KS) or twin share room downstairs with a sundeck and beautiful views of the Otway Ranges.
Nest: Double room (QS) downstairs overlooking kangaroo meadows.
Our wonderful chefs create magnificent feasts from fresh regional produce, much of it grown in the Ecolodge's own kitchen garden. Breakfast and dinner are served in the Great Hall and are always a wonderful occasion. You may choose to dine together at the massive dining table, or more intimately.
The wild kangaroos often gather nearby to graze in the early mornings and evenings. Watching the young bucks play-fighting and the does tending their joeys is a very special experience. The Great Ocean Ecolodge is fully licensed and offers a range of superb wines from wineries in the Otways and beyond.
Dining
Our chefs create magnificent feasts from fresh local organic produce, much of it grown in the Ecolodge's own kitchen gardens.
Evening meals $35pp (two courses) Gourmet picnic lunches $20pp Cooked Breakfast $10pp
Experiences
A two hour Dusk Walk accompanied by a qualified guide is included in your overnight tariff. Other Ecology Experiences are priced individually, please refer to the Ecology Experiences Program for details.
Environmental Initiatives
At the Ecolodge:
* The Ecolodge is built entirely from sustainable materials, we operate entirely on solar power, with all water collected from rainfall and stored in tanks.
* We employ local staff and provide them with appropriate training to ensure an understanding and compliance with our Responsible Travel Policy including water and electricity conservation and waste management and “Leave no Trace” principles. Guiding staff are trained in natural history interpretation.
* We work only with suppliers that operate with sustainability principles.
* We grow food on site (in the Ecolodge's organic Kitchen Garden) or purchase it from local growers to decrease food miles.
* We use natural cleaning products.
* All meals (including picnic lunches) are served on reusable crockery or packed in reusable containers. Drinking water is collected from rain water (tanks tested regularly) and served in reusable vessels. All waste is sorted and recycled wherever possible; we choose products which are not over packaged. Food waste is composted or fed to chooks.
* We reuse and recycle containers, all cardboard and paper products and ink cartridges.
* Most promotional material is disseminated electronically and all collateral is printed on recycled paper.
* A comprehensive website offers all information about the experience online to minimize paper use and printing.
* Our vehicles are managed to minimum impact guidelines regarding fuel and maintenance schedules.
* We ensure operations are designed and conducted in a manner that will conserve resources, minimize or eliminate environmental damage and, where possible, enhance environmental situations.
* We are continually evaluating new information, technologies and services, thus providing our employees and ourselves with opportunities for development, environmental education and protection, and improved customer service.
* We act with a spirit of cooperation within the industry and related sectors to foster greater public awareness of the economic, social, cultural and environmental significance of tourism.
* We ensure direct economic benefits from our tourism operation to our local community, thereby providing an economic impetus to environmental conservation.
Contact Details
Host: Lizzie and Shayne
Address: Great Ocean Road, Apollo Bay, VIC
Environmentally Friendly Initiatives:
'The Centre is a model of how tourism can support sustainable living - I hope it remains the success it ought to be, for humans and animals.'
Piers Pickard, Lonely Planet.
We are committed to the concept of sustainable living, consequently, from its very conception we were determined to build and operate a Conservation Ecology Centre and an integrated Ecolodge that are true in every way to our philosophy.
In developing our dream we have created a business dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity and ecological systems, that is transparently ecologically responsible, that tries in every way to impact minimally on the environment ... and that involves and inspires people.
Our remote location means we have no access to traditional services such as electricity, water or sewerage. We viewed this not as a shortcoming but as a wonderful challenge and have redefined independent living to include the very best of the old and new technologies. The Great Ocean Ecolodge is truly a landmark building, and one which showcases sustainable living to the world.
Power
All electricity used at the Great Ocean Ecolodge is generated on site from a 6kW Solar Remote Area Power System. Our electricity is generated by 80 BPSolar 75W solar photovoltaic cells and stored in a bank of 48 Sonnerschein A600S batteries. All the lights in the Ecolodge are long life and low wattage to minimise energy use and waste.
Water
We have installed rain water tanks to a capacity of 250,000L which are filled by water collected from the roof. Water is pumped from these into a header tank which gravity feeds into the Ecolodge on demand. Water saving shower heads are used in the ensuites.
Hot Water
Fresh rain water is heated by the Australian sun through a highly efficient solar hot water system, the clever design ensures lovely hot showers any time of the day or night.
Waste water
All waste water is treated in an Envirosep anaerobic treatment system and then used for irrigation around the Ecolodge. This ensures a safe green area which acts as a fire break.
Heating
A northerly aspect, carefully positioned windows and louvres, 250mm thick mudbrick walls, insulated ceilings and floors and well designed eaves all contribute to the passive solar design. These important features keep the use of electric lighting and gas heating to a minimum and ensure the Ecolodge remains beautifully cool in summer and delightfully cosy and warm in winter.
A Nectre Mark II wood stove was chosen to heat the Great Hall as these heaters have a high conversion efficiency. All wood used to heat the Ecolodge comes from renewable sources, and in future will be sourced from a small sustainable wood lot of blue gums and sugar gums growing in a previously cleared area of the property.
We thank BP Solar, Plasmatronics, Power Solutions Australia and Nectre for believing in us.
All our staff are qualified ecologists or have an interest in sustainable living and organic gardening - we enjoy sharing our knowledge and experiences with guests and will be delighted to discuss your interests.
environmentally friendly accommodation, ecotourism, green travel
