Warrnambool, Victoria: Travel guide and things to do

Warrnambool, VictoriaCredit: Damian White

Warrnambool is a coastal city located on Lady Bay 260 km south-west of Melbourne via the Princes Highway and 21 metres above sea-level. It is bounded by two rivers: the Merri to the west and the Hopkins to the east. Both reach the ocean on opposite sides of the city. Warrnambool is an important manufacturing and distribution centre although it has managed to retain a relaxed seaside feel. Its natural advantages render it a popular family destination in summer and tourism is certainly a major aid to the local economy. The current population is 28 000.

Warrnambool is known for its rugs and blankets. Other local industries include milk-processing and dairy product plants (including one of Australia's largest), a woollen mill which dates back to 1874 and the Fletcher Jones clothing company which has its national headquarters here.

Warrnambool is noted for its safe, sheltered beaches, its moderate climate, its parks and gardens, one of the finest racecourses in the state, and Logans Beach where southern right whales come within view of the shoreline to give birth each year between June and October. Surf, rock, sea and river fishing are popular, particularly at Levys Beach, Killarney Beach and the Hopkins and Merri rivers, and there are several fishing competitions in the course of the year. The sizeable Warrnambool campus of Deakin University has also ensured a decent nightlife for the city.

Warrnambool's name comes from the language of the Kuurn Kopan Noot people who occupied the area for thousands of years prior to European settlement. It is said to mean 'two swamps' though another interpretation is 'ample water'.

The first known European to visit Lady Bay was the French navigator and explorer Nicolas Baudin in 1802. Whalers and sealers utilised the bay on a seasonal basis in the 1830s and Lady Bay was surveyed and named by whalers in 1844.

Permanent European settlement in the area began with graziers such as the Boldens and Thomas Manifold in the early 1840s. 'Rolf Boldrewood' (a/k/a Thomas Alexander Browne), arguably Australia's first novelist of note, camped by the mouth of the Merri River for six months while overlanding stock in 1842. His account of this experience was recorded in Old Melbourne Memories (1884).

The townsite began to emerge in the 1840s around Lady Bay which served as a natural harbour. A survey was carried out in 1846 and the township proclaimed the following year when the first land sales also occurred. Although it initially lost inhabitants to the 1850s goldrushes Warrnambool soon began to gain from the increased economic and demographic activity. The Warrnambool Examiner was established in 1851. J.F. Archibald, who later founded the Bulletin, started work on the Examiner in 1871, aged 14.

The first jetty was built in 1850 and Warrnambool emerged as an important port for the shipping of wool, wheat, potatoes, onions and dairy produce from the surrounding area. It benefited from the fact that the port at Port Fairy was privately owned. Warrnambool became a free port in 1854. It was gazetted as a municipality in 1855 (with a population of 1500), became a borough in 1863, a town in 1883 and a city in 1918.

Although lighthouses were built on Middle Island and Lady Bay Beach in 1859 there were numerous shipwrecks in the area. One wreck, frequently sighted to the west of town until 1880, was thought to be the remains of a 16th-century Portuguese vessel though it has since disappeared, presumably beneath shifting dunes. The greatest loss of life involved a motor launch called the Nestor which sank in Hopkins River, near Warrnambool, in 1921 with ten lives lost.

The lighthouses were moved to Flagstaff Hill in 1871-72 and gun emplacements were added in the 1880s, as they were at many coastal sites in Australia, due to widespread contemporary fears of a Russian invasion.

A local woollen mill was established by public subscription in 1874. It burned down in 1882 and reopened in 1910 and is still operating today.

A breakwater was built from 1876 to 1890 but chronic silting problems (caused or at least exacerbated by the breakwater) caused the mouth of the Merri River to almost close up and the natural harbour was rendered virtually unusable. In 1912 an attempt was made to dredge it and the breakwater was extended. However, after 100 metres were added, it collapsed and the project was abandoned. Consequently the port virtually ceased to operate in the 1920s. An attempt to reactivate it in 1944 failed. However, the silting up effectively extended the beaches, increasing its attractiveness to holiday-makers.

Meanwhile the railway arrived in 1890 and the Merri River Water Supply Scheme provided a reliable water supply to the town in 1893.

The Fletcher Jones clothing factory opened in 1948 with an unusual degree of staff involvement in management decisions. Warrnambool is still the headquarters of the company which is a major local employer.

A footnote to the town's history involves 'Waltzing Matilda' - one of Australia's best-known tunes and lyrics. A woman named Christina Macpherson attended the Warrnambool races in 1894. There she heard the Warrnambool garrison artillery playing the Scottish tune 'Bonnie Wood of Craigielea'. She was a friend of Sara Riley, the fiancee of 'Banjo' Paterson, and it is from Ms Macpherson's piano repertoire that Paterson is said to have heard 'Bonnie Wood' which he allegedly adapted to his lyric for 'Waltzing Matilda'. Others have questioned whether this particular melody is the one that is most commonly known today.

Annual events include the Summer Music Festival in January, the Wunta Fiesta (a celebration of seafood and wine) in February, the Victorian Heritage Festival in March, a racing carnival in May which includes the Grand Annual Steeplechase (Australia's longest horse race), the Rhapsody in June Music Festival, the Warrnambool Show and the Melbourne to Warrnambool Road Cycling Classic in October and, in November, the City Art Show at Emmanuel College Hall in Ardlie St and Federation Fair at the Botanic Gardens. Undercover markets are held every Sunday morning at the showgrounds in Koroit St. The Hillside Market venue is the showgrounds in Koroit St on the second Sunday in the month.

Things to see

Tourist Information
The Warrnambool Visitor Information Centre is located in the middle of town, at 600 Raglan Pde (the highway), tel: [phone], or free-call (1800) 637 725. Children aged between 5 and 15 can obtain a copy of the Kid's Country Treasure Hunt Guide which follows a trail map to various attractions. There is a simple quiz based on the hunt and a lucky dip prize for correct answers. There are brochures dealing with the attractions of the so-called 'Shipwreck Coast', as well as a Whale Watcher's Guide.

Surrounding the centre is Swan Reserve, a recreational area featuring fine native gardens.

Warrnambool Heritage Walk: Spence and Jamieson Sts
A Heritage Walk brochure is available from the information centre from whence the walk commences. From Raglan Parade turn into Spence St. To the right is St John's Presbyterian Church, built of local sandstone in 1875. It features a memorial plaque to the shipwreck Enterprise. The 24-metre tower was a marker for ships coming into Lady Bay.

Opposite, at the corner of Spence and Kepler Sts, is 'Ierne' - a two-storey residence built in 1883.

Continue along Spence St and turn left into Jamieson St. To the right is the primary school, initially built in 1876. Opposite are a series of Victorian villas, some dating back to the 1870s.

Warrnambool Heritage Walk: Fairy St
Continue along Jamieson St, cross Raglan Parade and enter Fairy St - a commercial avenue along which produce once headed en route to the port tramway and, from 1890, to the railway terminus. To the left are a series of two-storey buildings, many dating from the 1880s when they served as lower floor stores with upper storey residences. No.181 across the road was once a cordial factory and 165 was an hotel. At Fairy and Lava Sts is a building with a wheat sheaf motif to indicate it was originally a bakery (1892). Outside no.121 is an old cast-iron hitching post.

Warrnambool Heritage Walk: Koroit St
Turn right into Koroit St. By the Henna St corner walk through the lych gate on the right into the grounds of Christ Church, built 1854-56 with the tower added in 1882.

Return along Koroit St. To the right is Ellerslie College - a rare example of a carved limestone building.

Cross back over Fairy St. To the left are the offices of the Warrnambool Standard. The oldest section (eastern end) dates from 1872.

Turn right into Kepler St. No.95 is classified by the National Trust (note the plaque). On the other side of the road, a little further on, are the Federal Chambers (1897). The nearby Masonic temple, with its Doric pillars, dates from 1870.

At the corner of Kepler and Timor Sts are the former Bank of Australasia (1850) which is now a nightclub (note the plaque) and the Western Hotel (1869), once a Cobb and Co staging post.

Warrnambool Heritage Walk: Timor and Gilles Sts (including History House)
Turn left into Timor St. The buildings on the left, for 100 metres (down to no.234), were rebuilt in the 1880s to replace some buildings from the 1850s. The pair of shops at 220-222, with their Tuscan pilasters, date from c.1860.

Turn right into Gilles St which features old civic buildings such as the courthouse (1871), the old police station, stables, lock-up and residence(c.1850), the post office (1870) and the old bluestone customs house which is now an art gallery featuring changing exhibitions of paintings, sculpture, prints, ceramics, glass, jewellery and textiles. It's open Wednesday to Sunday and public holidays from 11.00 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. or by appointment, tel: [phone].

At the end of Gilles St is History House which features a range of items pertaining to local history - photographs, documents and other records. It is based in a stone cottage built in 1876 for the caretakers of the Hot Sea Baths which were supplied with sea water pumped from Lady Bay by windmills, then heated. It is open on the first Sunday of the month from 2.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. and every Sunday in January, or by appointment. A gold coin donation is appreciated, tel: [phone].

Return to Timor St and continue eastwards. Nos 162-166 date from 1872. The Whalers Inn was built in 1856 as the Commercial Hotel and extended in 1876. It is the city's oldest surviving pub.

Warrnambool Heritage Walk: Warrnambool Regional Art Gallery and Arts Centre
Also at the corner of Timor and Liebig Sts is the Warrnambool Regional Art Gallery, established in 1886. The north-western corner of the building is the former Steam Navigation Company office (1886). The gallery features a range of 19th and 20th century works: Australian and European, including Arthur Boyd's Portrait of Max Nicholson. It is open daily from noon to 5.00 p.m., tel: [phone].

Adjacent is the Performing Arts Centre. It features theatre, ballet, opera and other forms of music and a foyer with a major tapestry and embroidery display, along with changing exhibitions, tel: [phone].

From the intersection continue a short distance along Timor St to the Regal Shoppe (1859) which once housed the first National Bank.

Warrnambool Heritage Walk: Cannon Hill
Return to the intersection and turn left into Liebig St. At the roundabout cross the road and walk along Artillery Crescent to Cannon Hill which offers excellent views of Lady Bay and Lake Pertobe. It is named for the World War I howitzers and the anti-aircraft gun. A marble marker commemorates the likelihood of early Portuguese exploration in the area. There are coin-operated barbecues, a rotunda, car parking and a war memorial (1925).

Warrnambool Heritage Walk Concluded
Return to the Art Gallery and continue north along Liebig St. Many of the two-storey shop-residences in the lower half of the block date from the 1870s though they have been altered over the years. Note the two protective hub stones as you pass the first laneway. Near the top of the hill are buildings dating mostly from the 1880s. At the Koroit St corner is a gas lamp standard which has been restored.

Turn left into Koroit St then right into Kepler St. The Warrnambool Club dates from 1875-77. Cross Lava St. To the left is St Joseph's Catholic Church (1872 with an 1886 spire) which is surrounded by a fine bluestone and iron fence. The original Catholic Church still stands at the corner of Kepler St and Raglan Parade.

Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village
On the rise which overlooks Lady Bay is Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village - a recreation of a late 19th century coastal port. At the entrance there is a whaleboat and a theatrette which plays some genuinely interesting films and documentaries relating to maritime themes free of charge all day (some date back to the 1920s). Other features are an elaborate local tapestry which depicts historic themes and the Schomberg Diamond. An encrusted lid was brought up from the site of the 1855 Schomberg shipwreck in 1975. Some time later, when it was cleaned up, the diamond ring was found in the moulded top of the lid.

The path leads on to the recreated village. Each building portrays an important aspect of 19th century port life. Some are original buildings, including the chart room, two operating lighthouses and the lighthouse keeper's cottage which houses the Shipwreck Museum. The Upper Lighthouse and outbuildings (1859) were moved here from Middle Island in 1871-72, and the Lower Lighthouse was erected on Lady Bay Beach in 1859, dismantled in 1871 and the light placed atop an obelisk at Flagstaff Hill. The hill receives its name from the occasion in 1854 when a flagstaff was placed on the hill as a navigational aid and it too has been preserved here. The fortifications on Flagstaff Hill were completed in 1887. They were installed to defend against a feared Russian attack.

Recreated buildings, using authentic materials, include St Nicholas Seamen's Church, the Steampacket Inn, the Bank of Australasia (which is staffed by actors in period costume on Friday afternoons), a brass foundry, newspaper office, ship chandler's office, slipway, steam-powered workshop, shipping agent, Masonic lodge, gaol, sailmaker's loft, cooper's workshop, armoury and officers' huts, port medical officer's surgery, school house, bond store, and a public hall which features an outstanding lifelike and lifesize earthenware statue of a peacock from Minton Potteries. It was being transported from England to Melbourne aboard the Loch Ard clipper for the 1880 International Exhibition when it sank in a gorge off Port Campbell with only two survivors. The statue washed ashore virtually unharmed in its packing case.

There is also a working blacksmith's, a shipwright's workshop, a leadlighter, a photographic studio, a glassblower and, in the December-January school holidays, there are re-enactments in period costume on a daily basis.

The small lake features two restored ships - Rowitta (a Tasmanian steamer) and Reginald M (a sailing cargo ship). There is also a gift shop, family history research facilities, gift and souvenir shops, a tearoom, restaurant and bar.

The village is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. daily, tel: [phone]. A free pass is issued for a second day if visitors feel unable to complete their exploration in one day. It is located by the roundabout at the corner of Merri St and Banyan St.

Lake Pertobe
From the roundabout, Pertobe Rd heads down to the ocean, past Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground - an award-winning 35-ha playground constructed on reclaimed swampland. There is a lake with suspension bridges leading across to islets and there are paddleboats, small family motorboats, a timber maze, a flying fox, swings, a fort, giant slides, walking tracks, bird hides, picnic-barbecue areas and mini-golf.

Lady Bay
Pertobe Rd leads past a carpark adjacent Lady Bay Beach (there is also a pedestrian entrance off Merri St). This is the town's main beach. It offers safe swimming, windsurfing and yachting opportunities. The 3.4-km Lady Bay Promenade is an easy walk with great views.

Breakwater Promenade
When Pertobe Rd reaches a T-intersection, turn left into Viaduct Rd. To your right is the mouth of the Merri River and offshore is Middle Island. Viaduct Rd ends at the breakwater - a popular promenade and fishing spot. There are boat ramps and a yacht club nearby.

Stingray Bay and Middle Island
The small bay into which the Merri River empties is known as Stingray Bay which is a small, sheltered and very attractive site offering safe swimming at the mouth of the Merri River. It is noted for its brown trout fishing.

Middle Island lies a very short distance offshore. It is home to a small fairy penguin colony. Access is by wading at low tide. Visitors are asked to keep to the designated tracks and not disturb the penguins.

Thunder Point Coastal Reserve and Shelly Beach
Stingray Bay is at the eastern edge of Thunder Point Coastal Reserve which constitutes the land to the west of the Merri River estuary. It contains an Aboriginal midden deposit consisting of numerous distinct layers dating back some 3000 years. There are also walking tracks, rock pools, native birds, tiny inlets and lovely views over the ocean and rocky shoreline. It is a popular spot for fishing, skindiving and birdwatching. To get there return along Viaduct Rd and turn left into Stanley St which leads across the river. At the T-intersection turn left into McDonald St which leads to a lookout at the reserve. A walking trail leads west to Shelly Beach which is a noted spot for shell collecting.

Levy's Point Coastal Reserve
Further west is Levy's Point Coastal Reserve, a lovely and little-used surf beach off Swinton Street. It offers excellent fishing and surfing opportunities though there are dangerous rips. Access is via the dunes. Swinton St leads on past a carpark to a 4WD track.

Payne Reserve
Payne Reserve is a recreational area on the banks of the Merri River near the West Warrnambool bridge (off Drummond St or The Esplanade). There are amenities.

Hopkins River Estuary
The mouth of the Hopkins River, on the eastern side of the city's beachfront, is a popular fishing spot. There are beautiful cliffs, rock formations and plenty of rock pools. A driving track and a walking trail lead off Hickford Parade to the Hopkins River Lookout at Point Ritchie on the western side of the estuary.

Off Hickford Parade, via the sand dunes, is Granny's Grave where Mrs James Raddleston - the first white woman to be buried in the area - was laid to rest in 1848. The monument was erected in 1904.

Just up from the estuary, on the western bank, there are boat ramps. Boating, waterskiing and swimming are possible. At the end of Simpson St (cnr Otway Rd) is the Hopkins River Boat House which dates from the late 19th century. Classified by the National Trust this attractive timber structure features scalloped bargeboards and frilled lacework valances on the verandahs and balconies. It is now a restaurant, tavern bar and tea room called Proudfoots on the River and it is open daily, tel: [phone].

Warrnambool River Cruises also depart from the Boat House. They explore the Hopkins River and are of 90 minutes duration, tel: [phone].

If you take the bridge across to the eastern side of the river there is an immediate right turn off Hopkins Point Rd into Blue Hole Rd. The latter leads to the recreational area known as the Blue Hole.

Whale Watching
If you turn left off Blue Hole Rd into Logans Beach Rd it leads to the whale viewing platform at Logans Beach which is known as Australia's southern right whale nursery owing to the fact that the whales (as they have done for hundreds of years) come to within 100 metres of the shoreline to give birth each year between June and October. The calves are five or six metres in length at birth. The southern right whale is black, has no dorsal fin and features crusty white-grey outgrowths on its body known as callosites. The name reflects the fact that they were considered the 'right' whale to hunt as they swam slowly, close to the shore, floated when killed and yielded much oil and whalebone. By 1935, when they became a protected species, there were thought to be only about a thousand in existence. Their numbers have increased since that time but not dramatically.

Prospective visitors should call the information centre first to see if the whales are in the area. Even if they are, they may not be visible at Logans Beach, so prepare for multiple visits. Binoculars are recommended. Visitors should use the facilities provided and keep off the fragile vegetation and dunes. A whale watcher's guide is available from the town's information centre.

Logans Beach is also a noted surf beach.

The Ullmann Studio
If you do not turn into Blue Hole Rd but continue east along Hopkins Point Rd then, at no.440, you will find the studio of Robert Ullmann, a wildlife artist of considerable renown who produces paintings, prints, cards and portraits. He is open most days from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. or by appointment, tel: [phone].

Other Arts and Crafts Centres
The Potter's Wheel is the shopfront studio of Ken Sadler who makes functional stoneware. It is located at 74 Liebig St and is open Monday to Saturday, tel: [phone].

In House Stables is a gallery/giftware shop which also serves lunch and coffee. It is in Marfell Rd and is open Wednesday to Sunday and public holidays, tel: [phone].

Bud Knackstest at The Silversmith manufactures jewellery made to your designs. He is located at 106 Lava St and is open every day but Sunday, tel: [phone].

Patchwork, quilting and embroidery, supplies and classes are available at Warrnambool's Patchwork Shop in Koroit Cottage, 134 Timor St. They too are open every day but Sunday or by appointment, tel: [phone].

Warrnambool Botanic Gardens
The Warrnambool Botanic Gardens were fostered by Ferdinand Von Mueller, responsible for the Melbourne Botanic Gardens, and designed in 1877 by his successor, R.W. Guilfoyle. It features winding walkways, a lily pond full of waterbirds, a fernery and band rotunda. It is located at the corner of Botanic Rd and Queen St, tel: [phone].

Fletcher Jones Gardens
These quirky, colourful and very popular landscaped gardens and floral displays were created on an old quarry site when the company built its factory here in 1948. Within the award-winning gardens are a hawker's wagon, wishing well and waterfall. They are floodlit at night and are located at the corner of Flaxman St and Raglan Parade.

Wollaston Bridge
Built in 1890, the unusual Wollaston Bridge consists of a timber deck superstructure suspended from steel cables which are strung between square tapered stone towers. It is said that cables from Melbourne's early cable trams were used in the construction. The bridge was erected over the Merri River to improve access to the private estate of Sir Walter Manifold. It is located in Wollaston Rd at the northern end of town.

Warrnambool Trout Farm
Further along Wollaston Rd is Warrnambool Trout Farm which supplies all necessary equipment for fishing. Fish-feeding, smoked trout, pate, yabby sales (seasonal), barbecue facilities and a function room are available. They are open weekends and public holidays and every day during school holidays from 10.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Group bookings are available after hours by appointment, tel: [phone] or, after hours, [phone].

Cheeseworld, Allansford
Head east along the highway for 12 km then turn right onto the Great Ocean Road and it is 2 km to Cheeseworld which features a cheese and wine cellar and restaurant. There is also an historical display and souvenir sales. It is open weekdays from 8.30 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., Saturday from 8.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., tel: [phone].

Cheeseworld is located at Allansford, established as a private town by the Allan family who built a Presbyterian church and a pise schoolhouse which is still in use. Dairying developed late in the 19th century and the town's dairy co-op was one of the state's first.

Cudgee Creek Wildlife Park
16 km east of the Warrnambool CBD, via the Princes Highway, is a signposted turnoff on the left to Cudgee. If you take this turnoff, cross the railway line then take the first left (signposted) it leads to Cudgee Creek Wildlife Park, a seven-acre property which is home to deer, wallabies, kangaroos, emus, monkeys, crocodiles and a walk-through bird aviary. It is possible to feed the animals and there are free gas barbecues. Cudgee Creek is open daily from 10.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. in December and January and from Tuesday to Sunday for the rest of the year, tel: [phone].

Tower Hill State Game Reserve
Tower Hill State Game Reserve (614 ha) is situated in the crater of an extinct volcano which formed thousands of years ago when a violent eruption created the funnel-shaped crater which was later filled by the lake with its various small islets. Aboriginal relics found in volcanic ash indicate Aboriginal occupation from the time when the volcano was still active. The first known Europeans to sight the hill were the party of Captain Baudin in 1802.

By 1860 the original charm and integrity of the crater had disappeared as European settlers cleared the land and started to graze cattle. However, five yearsearlier, the painter Eugene Von Guerard had painted Tower Hill without its desecration and this painting was so accurate that in 1961 a regeneration program was started using Von Guerard'spainting as a model. Today Von Guerard's painting is housed in the Warrnambool Regional Art Gallery. This process encouraged the return of kangaroos, many koalas, wombats, sugar gliders, possums, echidnae, numerous waterbirds (including Cape Barren geese, musk ducks, spoonbills and chestnut teals) and some very bold emus which enjoy the picnic area (feeding is strictly prohibited).

It is located 15 km west of Warrnambool adjacent the Princes Highway. Access is via a sealed scenic one-way road which leads off the highway and past a lookout area before it proceeds over a land bridge to the main body of land which is virtually surrounded by Tower Hill Lake. It continues on past a picnic area with toilets and barbecue facilities and the Natural History Centre which outlines the geology and history of Tower Hill. Rangers are occasionally available to help with enquiries. Guided tours (nocturnal and diurnal) can be booked. The centre is open daily from 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m., tel: [phone].

The picnic area is the starting point for the Lava Tongue Boardwalk -a 30-minute wetland walk which leads to a bird hide and a second boardwalk. It also connects with the Whurrong Loop Track (one hour) which focuses on Aboriginal foods. The picnic area is also the start of the Hat Island Habitat Loop Track (a revegetation walk of 45 minutes), the Journey to the Last Volcano (a geological walk of one hour) and the Peak Climb (for orientation and geological purposes). All are easy-going treks except the latter.

From the centre, the access road leads on by the inner lake shore, past another good birdwatching area then reaches a junction from whence there are good views. A right will take you back to the highway while a left leads onto a road that follows the rim of the volcano around the outer edge of the lake.

Hopkins Falls
Hopkins Falls, 13 km north-east of town, are particularly splendid after a good rain. However, they are always good for picnicking, fishing and walking. There are wood-fired barbecues and toilets and, for a few days in early summer each year, elvers migrate upstream and struggle over over the falls, tel: [phone]. To get there head north off the Princes Highway into Jamieson St which eventually heads north-east out of town as the Hopkins Highway. About 2.7 km from the Princes Highway there is a signposted right turn into Wangoom Rd. Simply follow this until you see another brown-and-white sign directing you into Hopkins Falls Rd.

The Cottage Rose Display Garden
En route to the falls is the village of Wangoom (7 km north-east of Warrnambool) where you will find the Cottage Rose Display Garden which features almost a hectare of roses including every David Austin variety of rose in Australia. It is open from Friday to Sunday between November and the end of January. Appointments can be made at other times but it is closed between May and September, tel: [phone].

Sherbourne Rose Maze
In Spring Flat Rd at Wangoom is Sherbourne Rose Maze which features over 1000 roses, including ground cover, floribunda, hybrid tea, standard climbing, pillar and miniature roses. Lunches and teas are available in the Garden Tea Rooms during opening hours. Bus groups are welcome. They are open every day but Monday from November to the end of April from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m., tel: [phone].

Horseriding
Rundells Mahogany Trail Rides offers horse rides of varying duration along the beach as well as full-day pub rides, tel: [phone]. They are located in Millers Lane at Dennington.

Historic Shipwreck Coast Trail
The Shipwreck Trail covers a 110-km stretch of coastline between Moonlight Head in the east and Port Fairy in the west within which 163 shipwrecks are known to have occurred. The trail is marked along the Great Ocean Road by road signs which lead to information plaques overlooking shipwreck sites. It takes in Loch Ard Gorge where the Loch Ard sank. A brochure is available from the information centre.

The Mahogany Walking Track
The Mahogany Ship was first sited by Europeans in 1836 when two shipwrecked sealers sighted an ancient wreck with dark timbers amidst the sand dunes to the west of the present townsite. Others noted its existence until 1880 and it is now presumed lost under shifting sands.

Deliens World Map, published in 1567, delineated the southern coastline of Australia to a point 6 km west of Warrnambool. Historians have speculated that it is the result of a secret 1522 Portuguese voyage, featuring three ships, headed by Christovao Mendonca. This has led to speculation that the Mahogany Ship is a wreck from this voyage. As a consequence the state government offered a $250 000 reward in 1992 for its rediscovery and a search is in progress.

The Mahogany Walking Track is a 22-km trail which extends from Warrnambool to Port Fairy, past the possible site of the ship. This strip of coast was once coastal forest but was cleared for agriculture by early European settlers. The walk starts at Thunder Point Coastal Reserve or may be joined and exited at other points to reduce its length. The track is marked with treated pine posts featuring distinctive triangular Alcoa Landcare symbols. It takes visitors to the best vantage points and ensures the protection of the most fragile areas. A guiding brochure, available from the information centre, considers appropriate preparations, as well as the flora, fauna, geological history and ecology of the area.

A Book About The Great Ocean Road

The best book about the Great Ocean Road is the remarkably cheap ($19.95 for a full colour hardback) book by Port Campbell photographer, Rodney Hyett. It is 96 pages long and has everything you could possibly want - great photographs, maps of the area, a potted history of the area, details about national parks and visitor information centres, accommodation, walking tracks, even details of the region's eight lighthouses and succinct (not as detailed as this website) pieces of information about all the major destinations from Queenscliff to Cape Bayswater. If you are planning to travel the Great Ocean Road and explore the totality of its attractions this is a small masterpiece of publishing and a great travel guide. It is available from many shops along the way and can be ordered from Port Campbell Shopping at http://www.portcampbellshopping.com.au

Tourist Information

Warrnambool Visitor Information
600 Raglan Pde
Warrnambool VIC 3280
Telephone: [phone]