Monday 14th: Port Fairy
There was some morning cloud which soon cleared paving the way for a nice ride for Mark and a nice walk for me. I found the access to coast path and took this out to southern Port Campbell headland which offers some decent views back up the coast towards the 12 Apostles.
We had hoped to have a coffee at the cafe opposite the beach, where we had lunch the day before, but we found this doesn’t open until 11 am so opted for heading back our own beach front balcony instead. The photos below are from my morning walk. The Port Campbell Surf Club featured in a recent, and very moving, episode of ABC’s Back Roads which I urge you try and catch on iView. One of the founding members of the surf club, Ross Powell, and his adult son, Andrew, were tragically lost as they attempted a rescue on Easter Sunday on 2019 and the new surf club balcony is dedicated to their memory.
We made it away from Port Campbell by about 10 am and had a list of sights to see on the way down to Port Fairy. Port Fairy was only about 90 km away so we also planned to stop off in Warrnambool for lunch. The photos below best summarize the sight seeing but we both want to go on record as saying that the Bay of Islands is spectacular and we think better than the 12 Apostles!
The Arch: The Arch is about 7 min along, heading west now, from Port Campbell towards Port Fairy:
London Bridge: London Bridge is just a few minutes further along from The Arch:
The Grotto: The Grotto is juts a few minutes further along from London Bridge:
Bay of Islands: The spectacular Bay of Islands is about 10 minutes further on from The Grotto: We think the Bay of Islands is much more spectacular than the 12 Apostles so make sure you include this stop in any visit down to this region. The photos don’t really do the area justice so I have tried to link my Instagram video here.
Childers Cove
Port Fairy accommodation: Douglas Riverside: We stayed in the Garden House and it was lovely with glorious views out over the river and just a short walk into the shops! Our host, Jane, was very friendly and helpful and had generously left some home baked bread and a well stocked fridge which was a first for this trip! I would highly recommend this accommodation if you ever visit Port Fairy.
It was about 3 pm by the time we had unpacked and settled in so we headed out for a walk up through the town. Port Fairy is a pretty little town with a good number of lovely cafes, boutiques and home wares stores reflecting a certain level of affluence. There were lots of lovely homes and cottages and the public spaces were all well maintained with the latter reflecting a conscientious and / or active Council. Port Campbell was novel and quaint but Port Fairy, being much larger of course, has a lot more to offer tourists such as ourselves.
We got home from our walk around town in time for a rest before dinner. I had booked Merrijig, for dinner as reservations were needed well in advance due its popularity. The restaurant is located about 600 metres down the road, near the upmarket fish and chip place, The Wharf, down on the pier.