What To See and Do
Why not treat yourself to an organized activity or tour on the Great Ocean Road
Check out the Activities, Attractions & Tours page
The first weekend of the 3 winter months (June to September) are special theme weekends:
JAZZ & ART, 5-7 June 2009
Kelly Auty and her “Wild Women Show” takes you on a powerful journey of the lives, music and fashions of some of the great female singers of the 20th century. Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Bessie Smith, Edith Piaf, Etta James to name just a few. “Kelly is soulful. She sings from the heart.” Jose Feliciano
Jazz in the streets, jamming in the pubs, Art Exhibitions, a “Paint Off”, children’s activities, a classic music-drama movie on Friday night with live music. Port Fairy restaurants will be offering delicious local produce and wines.
HISTORY & HERITAGE, 3-5 July 2009
The Genealogical Society will be specialising in war history with new information and software now available. An historic film, life in 19th C Belfast, historic cottage and building open, National Trust & Genealogical Societies projects, the famous Cemetery Tour, and other events.
FOOD & WINE, 1–2 August 2009
Focus is food and wine which showcases local and regional produce from the Great South Coast and South West regions, cooking classes, innovative dinners, produce and industry tours plus innovative restaurant.
EX-LIBRIS BOOK FAIR, 4-6 September 2009
Poetry readings, music performances, storytelling, children's theatre, a secondary schools' literary debate and open gardens. A highlight of each Ex Libris Port Fairy Book Fair is also the massive sale of second-hand books in the Reardon Theatre with local, regional and Melbourne booksellers all make up the rich tapestry of events.
Port Fairy Beaches
Port Fairy has three main beach areas. East Beach is a patrolled surf beach which facing Port Fairy Bay, accessed via Beach St. Along Ocean Drive and facing the Southern Ocean is South Beach and Peas Soup, a lagoon popular with families. Secluded beaches can be found on Griffiths Island.
Tourist Information & Historic Walks
The Port Fairy Visitor Information Centre in Bank Street has extensive information. Of interest are the brochures which outline various historic walks around the town. There are over 50 historic buildings in Port Fairy.
Port Fairy Markets
Port Fairy has regular markets and also a market to coincide with many of the festivals and events held throughout the year.
The Craft Markets are held on the 2nd and 4th Saturday every month.
The Farmers Market is held on the 3rd Saturday of the month.
Additionally there will be a craft market on the 1st Saturday in June, July, August and September, to coincide with the Winter Weekends.
The markets are always held on the Village Green, corner of Bank and Sackville Streets, except for the New Years Day and January markets which are held at King George Square down at the wharf.
Port Fairy History Centre
Located in Gipps Street. The History Centre has a good display of memorabilia and photographs which capture a sense of what the town was like in the 19th and early 20th century. It is located in the old Court House, circa 1859. It is open Wednesdays and weekends 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and daily during school holidays.
Port Fairy Wharves
The walk along the wharves is delightful and can take you up into the town (if you head north) or towards Griffiths Island if you head south. The wharves are used by both amateur anglers, cruising yachts and commercial fishermen who bring their catch in from the Southern Ocean.
Griffiths Island
If you continue south on Gipps Street you will reach a point where you can walk across a footbridge to Griffiths Island. This is a delightful way to spend a few hours. There is a track around the island which includes the Mutton Bird Viewing point and the lighthouse on the island's eastern extremity. The island is home to a large colony of muttonbirds (short-tailed shearwaters). The birds arrive within three days of the 22 September each year, settle in last year's burrow, mate in early November, the eggs are laid around 25 November and take around a month to hatch which means that the young start to appear in mid-January. In mid-April the birds head off on their annual migration around the Pacific. They travel an estimated 15,000 km in two months. Viewing the birds from the platform on Griffiths Island is best done at dusk between September and April.
Historic Buildings
ANZ Bank - Originally known as The Colonial Bank this simple and gracious building opened its doors to the public in 1856. It is a classical Georgian design with a Georgian fanlight complementing the doorway, arched windows and iron railings around the outside. Constructed of dark bluestone and panelled inside with hardwood.
Seacombe House - Located on the corner of Sackville and Cox Streets and completed in 1847 by Captain John Sanders. It was originally known as the Stag Hotel. In the 1850s it was the centre of the town's social life with an upstairs ballroom being used for dinners and dances. It continued as a hotel until 1873 and then became a guest house and later a boy's school.
Mott's Cottage - Located at 3 Sackville Street. This historic cottage was built some time in the 1830s or 1840s. The only piece of that original cottage which is left is the timber and stone rubble section. The second storey was added in the 1860s and the back section in the 1880s. The cottage has been restored as an example of a typical Port Fairy working man's cottage.
Emoh - Located at 8 Cox Street this is a fine example of an elaborate merchant's home. It was built around 1847 by William Rutledge who, at the time, was known as the 'King of Port Fairy'. This was one of the town's most famous residences. It was converted into a Youth Hostel.
The Merrijig Inn - A insight into the early history of the town is the Merrijig Inn, designed to cater for the considerable thirsts of the whalers and sealers who first settled Port Fairy. Over the road is an old iron cannon which was brought to Port Fairy in the 1890s when it was feared that the Russians were going to invade Victoria.
Moyne Mill - Located in Gipps Street near the wharf. The Old Moyne Mill dates from the 1860s. It was built by Dr Alexander Russell and originally had five storeys.
John Mills Cottage - It is located at 40 Gipps Street. It is a fine example of a cottage dating from the early 1840s. From this house Mills started his importing business of shoes, rum and building materials for the district.
Star of the West Hotel - Located on the corner of Sackville and Bank Streets, the Star of the West Hotel was completed in 1856 by John Taylor. An impressive and solid basalt building. The Star's main claim to fame was that it was used as the town's Cobb & Co destination and consequently was the centre of the town for many years.
St Patrick's Church - Located on the Princes Highway. Built by the strong Irish community which settled at Port Fairy. It was completed in 1858 at a cost of £6500. Designed by the notable local architect, Nathaniel Billing. It built of basalt and Hobart stone in a typical Gothic Revival Style.
St John's Church of England - The tower of St John's can be seen from most points around the town. This Gothic Revival Church was originally planned to be the main Anglican cathedral in Western Victoria. It was built from 1853-57 of basalt. The architect was Nathaniel Billing.
Battery Hill and Fort - This is worth a visit simply because it offers a different perspective on the township. The guns date from the 1860s and are more evidence of the concern about a Russian invasion which swept along this stretch of the coastline. The current guns were installed in 1885 but they have been rarely fired.
Woodbine - This was the home of Charles Mills who was one of the original settlers at Port Fairy. The two-storey, five room house with stables was constructed out of limestone rubble in 1845-46 and is an excellent example of Georgian rural architecture. It is one of the oldest farm houses in Victoria.
Shipwreck Walk
In 1988 the local council developed a walk which was named the 'Shipwreck Walk' and which starts at the local Surf Club. Travel north on Gipps Street, cross the Moyne River and turn into Hughes Avenue. The walk is 2.1 km and runs from the Surf Club to the mouth of the Moyne River. The shipwrecks along this short stretch of coastline include (from north to south) the Barque Socrates which was battered and finally destroyed by huge seas in 1843; the Barque Lydia which was wrecked off the coast in 1847; the Schooner Thistle which broke her anchor chain and was wrecked on the coast in 1837 and the Brig. Essington which sank while moored at Port Fairy in 1852.
Botanical Gardens
The Port Fairy Botanical Gardens, in Fairy St, were established when the police paddocks were put aside in 1858. The ground was swampy and reclamation work was carried out. Baron von Mueller, the original curator of the Melbourne Botanical Gardens acted as an advisor regarding the initial plantings.
Lady Julia Percy Island
Lady Julia Percy Island, 22 kilometres south-west of Port Fairy. It is Australia’s only off-shore volcano. Formed some seven million years ago by violent underwater eruptions related to the final separation of Australia from Antarctica, it is much older than other volcanoes in the region. As a nature reserve, entry to the island is prohibited, however boat tours around the island can be organised from the Port Fairy wharf on calm, clear days. The sealing industry operated at Lady Julia Percy Island during the 1800s. Gangs of sealers lived on the island often for months at a time, dropped off by supply ships, which later returned for the sealers and their haul of seal skins and blubber. The island is one of four Australian fur seal breeding colonies in Victoria and is possibly the largest colony in Australia.
