THE OTWAY RANGES
Lying along the south-west coast of Victoria between Airey's Inlet and Princetown, the Otways are famous for the coastal resorts of Lorne and Apollo Bay, the Great Ocean Road, superb montane forests of Blue Gum and Mountain Ash, rainforests and coastal scenery.
Steeped in both Aboriginal and European history, they received worldwide attention with the discovery of a treasure trove of 110 million years old dinosaur fossils in the 1980s.
The magnificent forests were first logged in the 1850s, but the timber industry has gradually lost its hold on the Otway forests as the importance of tourism is recognised.
The Otway Ranges tells their story, from the time they were part of Gondwanaland to the present, and includes chapters on
: their geological structure
: Aboriginal history
: the timber industry
: the famous Cape Otway Lighthouse
: the extremely rich flora and fauna
: their tourism features.
The author, Trevor Pescott, is well known for his knowledge of wildlife and for his nature photographs.
His contribution to promoting and conserving Australian wildlife has been recognised with awards including the Australian Natural History Medallion and the honorary Master of Science degree from Deakin University.
He has written and illustrated a number of books and compiles a weekly Environment column in the Geelong Advertiser.
The Otway Ranges by Trevor Pescott Paperback 1998 GD
