Port Fairy

A historic fishing port at the western end of Victoria's Shipwreck Coast, with bluestone streets, the Moyne River harbour and the Griffiths Island lighthouse. To the north lies the World Heritage Budj Bim eel fishery.

Port Fairy lies on the southwest coast of Victoria, Australia, in Moyne Shire, about 290 km from Melbourne. It is the western end of the Shipwreck Coast and the most characterful historic fishing port beyond the western section of the Great Ocean Road. The town grew in the 1830s on whaling and sealing, and was once renamed Belfast. More than 50 heritage buildings survive. Bluestone cottages, old hotels and the Norfolk pine avenues are well preserved, and the town is often rated among Australia's most liveable small towns.

The main activities fall into three groups. First, walking in town: the Sackville Street historic precinct, the Moyne River harbour wharf, Battery Hill and the historic Old Court House centre can all be covered in half a day. Second, the Griffiths Island coastal walk and lighthouse, where you can watch short-tailed shearwaters return to their burrows at dusk. Third, driving around: 28 km east lies the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village in Warrnambool. From June to September you can see southern right whales at Logans Beach, and Tower Hill reserve is also on the way. Both are covered under the Great Ocean Road destination. About 50 km north is the World Heritage Budj Bim cultural landscape and its crater lakes. About 70 km west, in Portland, are Cape Bridgewater and the Cape Nelson lighthouse. Cyclists can ride the 37 km Port Fairy–Warrnambool Rail Trail.

The climate is temperate maritime. Summer (December–March) is best for beaches and outdoor activities. The Port Fairy folk festival over Labour Day weekend in March fills the town, so book accommodation early. Winter (June–September) is wetter and windier, but it is whale-watching season.

Getting there: driving is the most convenient, and you can take the Great Ocean Road west, about 1.5 hours beyond the Twelve Apostles. For public transport, take a V/Line train to Warrnambool and then a bus. Plan 2–3 days.

Top sights

• Griffiths Island & Lighthouse – A small island linked to town by a causeway, with a loop trail leading to an 1859 basalt lighthouse and, at dusk, short-tailed shearwaters…
• Port Fairy Historic Streetscape – Bluestone cottages, old inns and banks line Sackville Street and the streets around it, making Port Fairy the best-preserved whaling-era to…
• Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (Tae Rak) – A World Heritage site where the Gunditjmara people built eel farms over lava flows more than 6,600 years ago, among the oldest aquaculture…
• Moyne River & Fishermans Wharf – Fishing boats and yachts crowd both banks of the Moyne River. You can buy fresh seafood here and watch the crayfishing boats come in, makin…
• Battery Hill – A small hill at the river mouth preserving gun batteries and a magazine from the 1880s, built to guard against a feared Russian invasion. A…
• East Beach – A long sandy beach stretching about 5 km east from the Moyne River mouth, with a surf life saving club. Good for swimming, walking and surf…
• Port Fairy History Centre – A small town museum housed in the 1860 bluestone former courthouse, displaying whaling, shipwreck and early immigrant history, with an old…
• Port Fairy–Warrnambool Rail Trail – A 37 km cycling trail on a converted disused railway, passing pastures, wetlands and the town of Koroit. It is flat and easy for cycling.
• Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village – Warrnambool's outdoor maritime museum, recreating a 1870s port town, and home to the Minton peacock porcelain salvaged from the Loch Ard wr…
• Budj Bim National Park (Mt Eccles) – A volcano that erupted about 37,000 years ago, with a hidden emerald lake inside its crater, a lava tube and a path circling the volcano.
• Cape Bridgewater – One of Victoria's highest sea cliffs, with a petrified forest, blowholes and a fur seal colony, viewable from cliff trails or by boat.
• Cape Nelson Lighthouse – A bluestone lighthouse built in 1884 on the clifftop, with guided climbs available. The old keeper's cottage beside it is now a café and gu…
• Hopkins Falls – A curtain of water about 90 metres wide on the Hopkins River, most spectacular when water is high in winter and spring, with thousands of y…
• The Crags – A limestone coast west of Port Fairy with jagged reefs and wave-cut platforms facing Julia Percy Island. It is a quiet sunset spot.
• Koroit – Known as Australia's most Irish town, it preserves 19th-century pubs and churches and sits right beside the Tower Hill volcanic crater.
• Killarney Beach – A small bay east of Port Fairy, sheltered by offshore reefs with calm water, well suited to family swimming and snorkelling.

Where to eat

• Merrijig Kitchen – A chef-led restaurant in an 1842 inn, with a menu that changes daily with the seasons and the kitchen garden; a benchma…
• Blakes Restaurant – A seafood restaurant in the historic Dublin House; the seafood chowder is mentioned in almost every review.
• Coffin Sally Pizza – A wood-fired pizzeria in a former coffin-maker's and funeral parlour, with a fun back-courtyard bar and affordable pric…
• Conlans Wine Store & Restaurant – A wine shop and restaurant in a heritage building where you can choose bottles from the shelves and pay retail plus a c…