Port Fairy

Port Fairy is a town on the South West Coast of Victoria and popular tourist destination.

Understand

Port Fairy is where the Princes Highway touches the ocean in Victoria. A nice spot to break the journey between Adelaide and Melbourne via the Princes Highway or coastal route, or a nice spot to relax on a holiday. Port Fairy is famous for its festivals, most notably the Port Fairy Folk Festival, Although accommodation can get very pricey at these times.

1 Visitor Information (Port Fairy and Region Visitor Information Centre), Railway Place, ☏ +61 3 5568 2682. Daily 9AM-5PM. (updated Jun 2023)

Climate

The climate in Port Fairy is generally the same as the rest of Victoria, and tends to be slightly colder than Melbourne.

Get in

By car

The easiest way to get into Port Fairy by car and is about a 30 km (19 mi) drive west of Warrnambool via the A1 Princes Highway west and takes about a 20-minute drive from Warrnambool and 3.5 hours from Melbourne.

By bus

Port Fairy is served by two buses, both coming from Warrnambool, one continues to Mount Gambier in South Australia - If you are coming from Melbourne, take a V/Line train to Warrnambool and switch to either:

• The 8 Bus, which departs from the BP Service Station on Princes Freeway (16min walk from Warrnambool Station, 5 buses per day)
• V/Line Coach to Mount Gambier, departs from just outside the railway station, 4 buses per day

By bike

If you like cycling, you can try cycling the whole Port Fairy-Warrnambool Rail Trail by either driving or taking the train to Warrnambool, then cycling along the trail the rest of the way - the trail is along the alignment of a now disused railway between Port Fairy and Warrnambool. Takes 2-3 hours depending on fitness level.

Get around

Port Fairy is not very large, and therefore most of the town can be easily traversed by foot. The route 8 bus comes from Warrnambool and has many stops around the town, although frequency is very poor at only 5 buses per day, so this cannot be used as a viable transit option.

See

• 1 Port Fairy Museum and Archives, 30 Gipps St, ☏ +61 3 5568 2263. Varies by season. Local history museum in an old courthouse built in 1859. (updated Nov 2021)
• 2 Port Fairy Lighthouse, Griffiths Island (on Port Fairy Coastal Reserve). Historic lighthouse. (updated Nov 2021)
• 3 Southcombe Beach. Nice beach, clean and great for dogs. (updated May 2023)
• 4 The Crags, 241 Crags Road (10 km from the town centre, only accessible by car). Popular scenic spot, great place to watch a sunset. (updated May 2023)
• 5 Port Fairy Library, ☏ +61 3 5568 2248. Well-stocked library for a small town. (updated Jun 2023)
• 6 Port Fairy Football & Netball Club, 111 Griffiths Street. 24/7. Amateur AFL and Netball competitions. (updated Jun 2023)
• 7 Battery Hill, 1 Battery Lane. Well preserved large cannons from WW2. (updated Jun 2023)

Do

• Go to the annual Sausage Dog race. The Dachshund Dash is an annual event in early June.
• 1 Port Fairy Community House, 5 Railway Place, ☏ +61 3 5568 2681. Tu–F 10AM–3PM. Many events and activities throughout the year. See website for details. (updated Jun 2023)
• 2 Folk Festival, 37 Campbell Street, ☏ +61 3 5568 2227. Annually in March, on the Victorian Labour Day long weekend. Music festival. First running in 1977, the Port Fairy Folk Festival attracts visitors around the country and even world. (updated Jun 2023)
• 3 Southern Coast Charters, Gipps Street, ☏ +61 4 2998 3112. Daily 9AM-8PM. Offers boat charters to Lady Julia Percy & King Islands, as well as fishing charters. From $100. (updated Jun 2023)
• 4 Lady Julia Percy Island (Deen Maar Island) (Southern Coast Charters (see above)). This island, 22 km away from Port Fairy, stands as the singular offshore volcano in Australia. Its formation dates back around seven million years when intense underwater eruptions occurred during the separation of Australia from Antarctica. Notably, the basalt found on the island predates the lava flows on the mainland by several million years. It also has cultural significance to the area's indigenous people, the Gundjitjmara people, as it is believed to be the place where the creator Bunjil the eagle, left this world. $100 per person. (updated Jun 2023)
• 5 Port Fairy Golf Club, Woodbine Road, ☏ +61 3 5568 1654. M-F 7AM-6PM, Sa Su 8AM-5:30PM. Relaxing golf course right by the sea. $59 18 holes, $35 9 holes. (updated Jun 2023)

Buy

• 1 The Passage, 39 Bank Street, ☏ +61 3 4508 4213. Daily 10AM-5PM. Locally run clothing and souvenir store. (updated Jun 2023)
• 2 The Paper Store, 50A Sackville Street, ☏ +61 439 639 669. W-Sa 9:30AM-4:30PM, Su 10AM-3PM. Store offers notebooks, cards, pens, and gift wraps with a focus on local and Australian suppliers. (updated Jun 2023)
• 3 Daktari Surf & Dive, 33 Bank Street, ☏ +61 3 5568 2800. Sa Su 10AM-3PM. Surfboards for purchase or hire, as well as surfing lessons available. (updated Jun 2023)

Eat

• 1 Yellow House Cafe & Thai Restaurant, 19 Bank St, ☏ +61 3 5568 3322. M-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 3-11PM. General Thai cuisine, and you can get most things available at any Australian Thai restaurant. (updated Oct 2021)
• 2 The Wharf Port Fairy, 29 Gipps Street. Very good fish and chips, and seafood. (updated May 2023)
• 3 Le Crêpe Man of Belfast, 43 Sackville St. W-Sa 8:30AM–2PM, Su 9AM–2PM. As the name of the place suggests, this place sells crepes. (updated Oct 2021)
• 4 Port Fairy Confectionary, 53 Sackville St. Daily 10AM-4PM. Old-style sweet shop. (updated May 2023)
• 5 Cobbs Bakery, 25 Bank Street, ☏ +61 3 5568 1713. Daily 7AM-5:30PM. Local bakery with lots of different baked goods including desserts. (updated Jun 2023)
• 6 Lemongrass Thai, 55 Bank Street, ☏ +61 3 5568 3388. Very tasty Thai restaurant, popular with locals. (updated Jun 2023)
• 7 Rebecca's Cafe, 70/72 Sackville Street, ☏ +61 3 5568 2533. Daily 6:30AM-6PM. Local cafe with great coffee, cakes and desserts. (updated Jun 2023)

Drink

• 1 The Sentinel, 20 Bank Street, ☏ +61 4 7454 9911. Restaurant & bar, with great cocktails. (updated Jun 2023)

Sleep

• 1 Port Fairy YHA, 8 Cox Street. Hostel in one of the oldest buildings in town. Rooms from $40, beds from $23. (updated Jun 2015)
• 2 Central Motel Port Fairy (centre of town off the main street), ☏ +61 3 5568 1800. In a quiet landscaped garden. 
• 3 Hearns Beachside Villas, 13-17 Thistle Pl. Amazing villas, very clean and right next to the beach for a great price. $354. (updated May 2023)
• 4 Aloha Beachfront, 107 Beach Street, ☏ +61 4 4865 2586. Great accommodation right on the beach. From $328. (updated Jun 2023)
• 5 BIG4 Port Fairy, 115 Princes Hwy, ☏ +61 3 5568 1145. Holiday park with a pool. (updated Jun 2023)
• 6 Ocean Ridge Retreat, 5 Thistle Place, ☏ +61 4 1938 1838. Historic cottages with spa and pool. (updated Jun 2023)

Connect

There is wifi available at the Library.

Go next

Portland - The oldest permanent settlement in Victoria, with hundreds of 18th century buildings

Warrnambool - Large town known for its great beaches