Warrnambool
Coastal & Beaches · Relaxed · Good for families
The end of the Great Ocean Road and the biggest town on it - a long beach, a maritime village that does a night show, and, between June and September, southern right whales calving right off Logans Beach. A family weekend with something for every age.
A weekend here might look like
- Morning: Logans Beach Whale Watching Platform - A ramped viewing deck built into the dunes off Logans Beach Road, where southern right whale mothers come in to calve, sometimes within a hundred metres of the sand. The season runs roughly June to September with July to September the most reliable, though numbers vary from a couple of whales to ten in a given year.
- Lunch: Pavilion Cafe & Bar - A glassed-in room on the foreshore at 50 Viaduct Road looking over Lady Bay to Merri and Middle islands, with a sunny balcony. It does breakfast and lunch, locally caught fish and chips and calamari among the mains, then coffee, cake and cocktails.
- Afternoon: Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village - A recreated nineteenth-century port village at 89 Merri Street built around the Shipwreck Coast story, including the porcelain Loch Ard peacock that washed ashore intact. The Tales of the Shipwreck Coast sound and light show runs after dark and is booked separately.
More to explore
- Lake Pertobe Adventure Playground - Eight hectares of playground beside the lake near the foreshore, with giant slides, flying foxes sized for different ages, a hedge maze and paddle boats. There are electric barbecues and sheltered picnic spots, and the playground and MLAK toilets are set up for wheelchair access.
- Hopkins Falls - A 90-metre-wide curtain of water dropping about 12 metres over basalt, roughly 15 minutes inland from Warrnambool, with three elevated platforms and a car park right beside them. It runs hardest after winter rain, and for a few days in early summer young eels can be seen climbing the rock ledges on their way upstream.
- Thunder Point - A coastal reserve of weathered sandstone cliffs and small carved bays at the western end of town. The walk from the Breakwater car park past Stingray Bay and out to the Pickering Point and Thunder Point lookouts is about 4 km return on track, boardwalk and sand, an hour or two at an easy pace, with whales offshore from June to September.
- Thaimor Street Food - A small family-run Thai place on Timor Street, doing street food rather than the usual suburban Thai menu. Expect crispy pork belly, basil chilli mince, curry puffs, khao moo krob and pineapple fried rice, with plenty for vegetarians and vegans and staff who'll steer you through it. Cosy, warm, and worth planning around.
- Kermond’s Hamburgers - A Warrnambool institution since 1949, when John Kermond and his father Joe started out in a caravan on the foreshore. The patty recipe hasn't changed since, and everything is still cut and made by hand, to order, in whatever combination you want. Get the Lot, with beetroot and pineapple, and a thickshake alongside. Old-school, unpretentious and part of the trip for generations of holidaymakers.
- Fishtales Cafe - A big all-day cafe at 63 Liebig Street, running through breakfast and lunch with seafood, burgers, salads and daily specials. It has vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices on the menu.
- Bohemia Cafe & Bar - A quirky, much-loved café on Kepler Street, doing breakfast and lunch with a creative streak. The kitchen puts real thought into flavour, from eggs benedict with pork belly and corn fritters to Benedict tacos and open steak sandwiches, and the cabinet of house-made slices and muffins is hard to walk past. Good coffee, generous serves, dog friendly, with seating indoors and out. Busy at lunch, so get in early.