There’s a not-so-secret spot up behind Kennett River on the Great Ocean Road, where you are guaranteed to spot koalas in the wild. Lots of them. It’s called the Grey River Road.

Along its length, you’ll see cars parked on the side of the narrow road, its occupants staring upwards, squinting through the eucalyptus leaves, hoping to catch a glimpse of grey fur. More often than not, you’ll see a few koalas, but no matter how cute and furry they seem the experience entertains the under-4 population for about 3.2 seconds.

We drove on to the end of the road to a place we knew existed, but few people visit – The Grey River Road Picnic Area. It was empty, cold and damp, but the sun shone through the tall gum trees, dappling the forest floor. The grass was long and dew-covered, with an inch of light mist wafting up into the atmosphere as the sun’s rays worked their magic.

We stayed for a while, waded through the wet grass, skimmed stones on the water and raced leaves on the river.

No picnics or koalas required.