Port Fairy Travel Guide

 
by cjg1
 
  •   Port Fairy
    by cjg1
  •   Port Fairy
    by cjg1
  •   Transportation
    by cjg1
  •   Transportation
    by cjg1
  •   Transportation
    by cjg1
 

Pro

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 Historic, pretty 


Con

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 a little off the beaten track and forgotten 


In a nutshell

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 Worth a visit no doubt 

 

Explore Port Fairy

Things to Do  

Port Fairy Folk Festival - variety of music

Port Fairy Folk Festival - variety of music, Port Fairy

 HarShe Says:  Port Fairy Folk Festival - Key Facts Held in March each yearA major Australian International Music Festival Regarded as one of the worlds Top 5 Folk Music Festivals Established 1977. Winner Australia Tourism Awards 1993, 1994 and 1995 Inducted Australian Tourism Hall Of Fame... 

Glass Blowing

Glass Blowing, Port Fairy

 nat22 Says:  We went to visit the glass blowing studio. They had just started a new blowing session, apparently they blow glass for a few weeks at a time and then lampwork beads for a while. It is a small studio so it was easy to chat the the blowers as they worked. Facinating art to... 

Whale Bone Gallery

Whale Bone Gallery, Port Fairy

 nat22 Says:  Following the Art Walk Map available from the Port Fairy Tourist office, we came across Whale Bone Gallery. We were particularily impressed with this gallery as it is a co-operative run by 6 local artists. We had a long chat with the lovely lady working there who turns out... 

Hotels  

Restaurants  

Port Pizza: Not the best Pizza

Port Pizza: Not the best Pizza, Port Fairy

 cjg1 Says:  My wife and I were staying in Port Fairy for the night during our Great Ocean Road Adventure. It was dinnertime and we were both very hungry. We came upon Port Pizza during our walk through town and decided to try it out. The inside is pretty basic with a large posted menu... 

Cobb's Bakery: Incredible Apple Streudel

Cobb's Bakery: Incredible Apple Streudel, Port Fairy

 cjg1 Says:  My wife and I were exploring the town of Port Fairy when we discovered Cobb's Bakery. It was hours until dinner time and we wanted something sweet to tide us over until our evening meal. The Bakery has several large display cases filled with an array of sweet and savory... 

Wisharts: Don't miss the Fish Pie

Wisharts: Don't miss the Fish Pie, Port Fairy

 Becbartel Says:  We checked wisharts out on a lovely walk along the wharf. We booked in for dinner after having looked at a few places around the town that were a lot more expensive and we got a seat by the window and the fire. We had a fantastic meal of entrees and mains and a bottle of... 

Rebecca's Cafe: Not what I was expecting

Rebecca's Cafe: Not what I was expecting, Port Fairy

 Becbartel Says:  I was looking forward to eating here as I'd read a lot about it, all good. I had the eggs and beans and was very disappointed. Both had no flavour at all and I had to cover it in salt to give some flavour, something I haven't had to do in years. My husband had the mushroom... 

Ramella: Friendly, homely and convenient

Ramella: Friendly, homely and convenient, Port Fairy

 HarShe Says:  Very friendly owners, will go out of the way to please you. The Chef/owner was happy to open his kitchen for us when we reached late for lunch and their kitchen had closed for cleaning. 

The Victoria Hotel: Open Plan, airy, lots of light

The Victoria Hotel: Open Plan, airy, lots of light, Port Fairy

 leffe3 Says:  We tried 'Portofino', regarded as the best restaurant along this part of the coast (and the menu looked scrummy) but fully booked. Port Fairy is certainly not short of restaurants, so we were spoilt for choice but which one? Two hungry kids helped us make the decision - a... 

Transportation  

Driving
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2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

cjg1 5046 reviews
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My wife and I made arrangements to rent a car through Europcar for our drive on the Great Ocean Road. We arrived at the train station in Melbourne and headed off to the car rental office. Our car was at an off site location (weird) so we hopped into a car with the clerk to another Europcar location to pick up our car.

Our car was a basic economy car, four door, Hyundai. I paid extra($20) for a GPS unit as we were unfamiliar with our route. Our car was clean and safe; we had no problems at all with the service or the GPS during our trip.

Written Feb 6, 2013

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Shopping  

??? in the main street on the same side as 3 cafes: Homewares

??? in the main street on the same side as 3 cafes: Homewares, Port Fairy

 Kate-Me Says:  This is the other window of the shop with the Ned Kelly, and it struck me as being a bit Provencale, with the blue and white crockery, and lavender on display, as well as the other items. 

??? in the main street on the same side as 3 cafes: Homewares, gifts, unusual items

??? in the main street on the same side as 3 cafes: Homewares, gifts, unusual items, Port Fairy

 Kate-Me Says:  As I wandered down the main street of Port Fairy, I noticed a rather more wide selection of shopping options than I was expecting in a small town....the 5 cafes and 2 bakeries were expected, but there were also at least 3 book shops, almost all in a row. Pictured here is a... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Port Fairy - Take Your Own Drinking Water!

Port Fairy - Take Your Own Drinking Water!, Port Fairy

 thomidog Says:  I stayed at Secombe House in Port Fairy at the beginning of October 2010. There were no drinking glasses provided in our budget room so I went searching and found some in the lounge area. I got some water from the tap in the bathroom, took a mouthful and instantly wished I... 

Wishart's Three Legged Chairs

Wishart's Three Legged Chairs, Port Fairy

 ATXtraveler Says:  Don't get Fung Shui'ed out of your chair.... we had no IKEA that they would design something like this. Who ever thought it would be stylish to design a chair with only three legs, and make the back side the single leg, was obviously not considering normal human... 

Tourist Traps  

Crayfish not always in season
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Becbartel 4 reviews

I had read the crayfish season was from November to August, so going in July we thought we'd be fine, but the seasons have been changed recently and they are only in season for 6-8 weeks at a time. Best to contact the tourist info centre to find out if they are in season when you are planning your trip.

Unique Suggestions: Everything about Port fairy was fantastic, we loved Wisharts for dinner - best fish pie I've ever tasted, and loved the laid back nature of the locals. We didn't see the whales on our trip but there are lots of places to view them and lots of people will let you know if they are around.

Written Jul 10, 2007

Related to:
 Beaches
 Whale Watching

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Off The Beaten Path  

Tower Hill III

Tower Hill III, Port Fairy

 iandsmith Says:  Here you can catch a koala..........well, no, maybe pat a koala........, actually you can't do that either and it isn't recommended as their bone structure is weak and cuddling a koala might seem nice but, take my advice, leave them where they are and just watch, as I do on... 

Killarney Hotel

Killarney Hotel, Port Fairy

 Kate-Me Says:  Between Warrnambool and Port Fairy lies the tiny town of Killarney. I was attracted to it because of its Irish name. It's a very small place to be even called a town, with a pub, hotel, a couple of guest houses...but it does have its own beach down the road, which seems... 

Sports & Outdoors  

Surfing!
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2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Kate-Me 1683 reviews
surfing

At first glance, when we pulled up at the waterfront a few hundred metres out of Port Fairy, it didn't look like a spot for surfers, with all those rocks on the shore and out at least a little way as well...but there they were, about 16 of them, and we soon saw why:
the waves were much bigger than at Warrnambool, and came in on a diagonal angle, rather than straight, and some of those surfers were really getting a good run!
We spent quite some time enjoying watching them from the comfort of our car (as it was rather windy, as this coast can get).

Written Apr 22, 2004

Related to:
 Beaches
 Surfing

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Favorites  

Dairy farmland around Port Fairy region

Dairy farmland around Port Fairy region, Port Fairy

 Kate-Me Says:  Drought in Victoria being so serious at the moment, seeing this lush countryside around Port Fairy and Warrnambool was a welcome respite from short, dry grass only 2 1/2 hours away at home. This is prime dairy farming country. They also have water shortages, but obviously at... 

Watching the surfers

Watching the surfers, Port Fairy

 Kate-Me Says:  One of the things I enjoyed best about our brief stop in Port Fairy was watching the surfers at the rocky beach ride the diagonal waves, and quite successfully too, compared to the last lot of surfers we'd watched the day before at Warrnambool. 

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Map of Port Fairy