Incredible Things To Do In Port Fairy

From joining a kayaking tour to pedalling along a historic rail trail and swooning over a cute, heritage lighthouse, there are plenty of things to do in Port Fairy.

A coastal town that once hung its hat on whaling and fishing, Port Fairy is now a hub where food, creativity and the arts flourish. A charming blend of old and new, Port Fairy is one of those places that makes you dream of packing it all in and setting up a new life by the seaside. Whether you prefer an active break or a more chilled getaway by the sea, you’ll find plenty of things to do in Port Fairy. Here are some to get you started.

1. Go to market

Held on alternating Saturdays at Railway Place, the Port Fairy Community Market and Port Fairy Farmers Market are lovely spots for a wholesome morning wander.

people busy shopping at Port Fairy Market — Shop your way around Port Fairy Market. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Fresh produce, cakes, preserves, local honey, wine, arts and crafts, plants and more are all for sale here, making it a top place to grab a gift for a friend or stock up on gourmet goods straight from the producer.

a woman holding a ceramic at a stall in Port Fairy Market — Head to Port Fairy Market for great ceramic finds. (Image: Visit Victoria)

2. Step back in time on a walking tour

Did you know that Port Fairy was once called Belfast? Or how about the town having more than 50 buildings listed with the National Trust? Learn historical facts and other stories about this distinctive town on a walking tour led by a local expert guide from the visitor information centre.

a couple on a historic walk in Port Fairy — Go on a historic walk in Port Fairy. (Image: Visit Victoria)

If you miss out on joining one of the tours, you can DIY by downloading a heritage trail map and going for a self-guided wander.

a couple on a walking tour in Port Fairy — You can also opt for a self-guided wander. (Image: Visit Victoria)

3. Join in the festival fun

When it comes to festivals and community celebrations, little old Port Fairy certainly punches above its weight. Throughout the year, the town hosts a wide-ranging program of festivals, including the ever-popular Port Fairy Folk Festival (March), Port Fairy Jazz Festival (February), Port Fairy Literary Weekend (September), Port Fairy Spring Music Festival (October) and the Port Fairy Annual Show (November). Large festivals like the Port Fairy Folk Festival draw big crowds (so be sure to book accommodation and restaurants well in advance) while the Port Fairy Annual Show is a classic country fair beloved by locals. Either way, visiting when one of Port Fairy’s many festivals and events is in full swing is a great time to witness the strong community spirit of this mighty, little town by the sea.

4. Explore Griffiths Island on foot

Walking from the centre of town to Griffiths Island’s famous lighthouse is a must-do when visiting Port Fairy. Home to a range of native wildlife, you may be lucky enough to see a swamp wallaby or echidna here.

the lighthouse on Griffiths Island — Griffiths Island’s famous lighthouse is a must-do when visiting Port Fairy. (Image: Visit Victoria)

More than 80 bird species have been recorded on this small island, so if you’re into birdwatching bring your binoculars and bird book – you may just get to tick a few new species off your list.

walking on foot at sunset on Griffiths Island — Walk on foot at sunset. (Image: Visit Victoria)

As a nesting site for short-tailed shearwaters, you’ll need to leave your dog at home for this walk. The circuit around the island should take an hour or so to complete but take your time to take it all in – there’s no rush in this corner of Victoria.

biking around Griffiths Island — You can also pedal your way around Griffiths Island. (Image: Visit Victoria)

5. Get stuck into some water sports

If you’ve ever wanted to learn to surf, try your hand at kayaking or find out what paddleboarding is all about, Port Fairy is the top place to give it a go.

surfers heading out to the beach in Port Fairy — Learn to surf or go paddleboarding in Port Fairy. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Run by local surfers with top knowledge of local conditions, Port Fairy Surf School has a range of classes and tours that enable visitors to experience the area’s beautiful beaches and waterways.

surfers gathering at sea in Port Fairy — Hit the waves in Port Fairy. (Image: Visit Victoria)

Whether you book a group kayaking tour for you and your mates, a private surf lesson to brush up on your technique or your very first surf class to learn the basics, you’ll walk away with some new skills and an awesome experience to remember Port Fairy by.

surfing on a sunny day in Port Fairy — Soak up the sun on your surfboard. (Image: Visit Victoria)

6. Cruise the bay (and back) in under an hour

Getting out on the water is a must-do when visiting the Great Ocean Road, and the good news is you don’t have to commit to spending an entire day on a boat in order to experience some time on the sea. If you’re short on time, book a half-hour bay cruise on a small boat with Mulloka Cruises . Cruises leave from the town’s main fisherman’s wharf and offer top views of Port Fairy’s historic lighthouse. This short, simple cruise is perfect for kids or anyone who loves the idea of cruising, but not the cost (or seasickness) that comes with a full day out on the choppy, open water.

a woman walking on Port Fairy Beach — Spend an entire day on the sea. (Image: Visit Victoria)

7. Ride the Port Fairy to Warrnambool rail trail

If the weather is fine, hop on your bike and explore this scenic rail trail that stretches from Port Fairy all the way to Warrnambool. On this 37.5-kilometre trail, you’ll pedal along the Moyne River, past the Koroit old rail station building, through wetlands areas and tracts of picturesque farmland. Don’t have your own wheels? Hire a bicycle or e-bike and helmet from the Port Fairy and Region Visitor Information Centre.

8. Taste premium seafood on an abalone farm tour

Seafood fans are well taken care of in Port Fairy. There are fish and chip shops, fine dining restaurants specialising in seafood and fishing charter boats you can join for a day of angling.

a basket full of abalones at Ocean Road Abalone, Port Fairy — Hold a basket full of molluscs at Ocean Road Abalone. (Image: Jo O’Keefe)

What many visitors don’t know is Port Fairy is also home to Ocean Road Abalone , a large abalone farm that is a pioneer of land-based abalone farming in Australia.

a hand holding a shell of abalone at Ocean Road Abalone, Port Fairy — Get a taste of premium Australian tiger abalone. (Image: Jo O’Keefe)

On the 90-minute tour, you’ll learn all about the production of premium Australian tiger abalone and get to taste some of the delicacies found on fine dining restaurant menus around the world.

a farmer harvesting abalone at Ocean Road Abalone, Port Fairy — See how farmers harvest abalones up close. (Image: Jo O’Keefe)

Here are 8 of the best Port Fairy cafes to add to your list.

Slow down and find your rhythm on a Murray River journey through time and place.

Trust is a funny thing. It seems not that long ago that my mother was insisting on pouring the milk into my cereal bowl, because she didn’t trust me not to slosh it over the table, and yet here I am on the Murray River at Mildura in far north-west Victoria, being handed the keys to a very new and very expensive luxury houseboat.

After a crash course in how not to crash, I’m at the wheel of the good ship Elevate – pride of the All Seasons fleet – guiding her upstream past red-ochre cliffs as pelicans glide above the rippled river and kookaburras call from reedy banks. There’s a brief moment of breath-holding while I negotiate a hairpin turn around a jagged reef of skeletal, submerged gum trees, before a cheer rings out and calm descends as the timeless river unfurls in front of us.

The Murray River winding through Yarrawonga. (Image: Rob Blackburn)

Setting sail from Mildura

Murray River birds — Home to a large number of bird species, including pelicans. (Image: The Precint Studios)

A journey along the Murray River is never less than magical, and launching from Mildura makes perfect sense. Up here the river is wide and largely empty, giving novice skippers like myself the confidence to nudge the 60-tonne houseboat up to the riverbank where we tie up for the night, without fear of shattering the glass elevator (the boat is fully wheelchair accessible) or spilling our Champagne.

My friends and I spend three days on the water, swimming and fishing, sitting around campfires onshore at night, and basking in air so warm you’d swear you were in the tropics. The simplicity of river life reveals an interesting dichotomy: we feel disconnected from the world but at the same time connected to Country, privileged to be part of something so ancient and special.

Stop one: Echuca

19th-century paddlesteamers — A historic 19th-century paddlesteamer cruises along the Murray River. (Image: Visit Victoria)

The six-hour drive from Melbourne to Mildura (or four hours and 20 minutes from Adelaide) is more than worth it, but you don’t have to travel that far to find fun on the river. Once Australia’s largest inland port, Echuca is the closest point on the Murray to Melbourne (two hours 45 minutes), and you’ll still find a plethora of paddlesteamers tethered to the historic timber wharf, a throwback to the thriving river trade days of the 19th century. The PS Adelaide, built in 1866 and the oldest wooden-hulled paddlesteamer operating in the world, departs daily for one-hour cruises, while a brand-new paddlesteamer, the PS Australian Star , is launching luxury seven-night voyages in December through APT Touring.

The town is also a hot food and wine destination. St Anne’s Winery at the historic Port of Echuca precinct has an incredibly photogenic cellar door, set inside an old carriage builders’ workshop on the wharf and filled with huge, 3000-litre port barrels. The Mill, meanwhile, is a cosy winter spot to sample regional produce as an open fire warms the red-brick walls of this former flour mill.

Stop two: Barmah National Park

Just half-an-hour upstream, Barmah National Park is flourishing, its river red gum landscape (the largest in the world) rebounding magnificently after the recent removal of more than 700 feral horses. The internationally significant Ramsar-listed wetland sits in the heart of Yorta Yorta Country, with Traditional Owners managing the environment in close partnership with Parks Victoria. Walkways weave through the forest, crossing creeks lined with rare or threatened plants, passing remnants of Yorta Yorta oven mounds and numerous scar trees, where the bark was removed to build canoes, containers or shields.

The Dharnya Centre (open weekdays until 3pm) is the cultural hub for the Yorta Yorta. Visitors can learn about the ecological significance of the Barmah Lakes on a 90-minute river cruise, led by a First Nations guide, or take a one-hour, guided cultural walking tour along the Yamyabuc Trail.

Stop three: Cobram

Continue east to Cobram to find the southern hemisphere’s largest inland beach. Swarming with sun-seekers in summer, the white sand of Thompson’s Beach is shaded by majestic river red gums and dotted with hundreds of beach umbrellas, as beachgoers launch all manner of water craft and set up stumps for beach cricket. But the beach is at its most captivating at sunset, when the crowds thin out, the glassy river mirrors the purple sky, and the canopies of the gum trees glow fiery orange.

The region is also home to some fine resorts and indulgent retreats. Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort has two riverside championship golf courses, luxury apartments and self-contained villas. While not strictly on the Murray, the historic wine town of Rutherglen is rife with boutique (and unique) accommodation, including an exquisitely renovated red-brick tower in a French provincial-style castle at Mount Ophir Estate. Fans of fortified wines can unravel the mystery of Rutherglen’s ‘Muscat Mile’, meeting the vignerons and master-blenders whose artistry has put the town on the global map for this rich and complex wine style.

Stop four: Albury-Wodonga

First Nations YindyamarraSculpture Walk — First Nations Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk is part of the Wagirra Trail. (Image: Carmen Zammit)

Follow the river far enough upstream and you’ll arrive at the twin border cities of Albury-Wodonga. The Hume Highway thunders through, but serenity can be found along the five-kilometre Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk – part of the Wagirra Trail that meanders through river wetlands just west of Albury in Wiradjuri country. Fifteen sculptures by local First Nations artists line the trail, conveying stories of reconciliation, enduring connection to culture, local Milawa lore and traditional practices. It feels a long way from Mildura, and it is, but the pelicans and kookaburras remind us that it’s the same river, the great conduit that connects our country.

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

New Mildura motel Kar-rama. (Image: Iain Bond Photo)

Kar-Rama is a brand-new boutique, retro-styled motel in Mildura, with a butterfly-shaped pool and a tropical, Palm Springs vibe. Echuca Holiday Homes has a range of high-end accommodation options, both on the riverfront and in town.

Playing there

BruceMunro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura — Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights in Mildura. (Image: Imogen Eveson)

Artist Bruce Munro’s Trail of Lights installation, comprising more than 12,000 illuminated ‘fireflies’, is currently lighting up Mildura’s Lock Island in the middle of the Murray. Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) is a hub for contemporary art, with a rotating roster of exhibitions, and is a major outlet for young and First Nations artists.

Eating there

Mildura’s diverse demographic means it’s a fantastic place to eat. Andy’s Kitchen is a local favourite, serving up delicious pan-Asian dishes and creative cocktails in a Balinese-style garden setting. Call in to Spoons Riverside in Swan Hill to enjoy locally sourced, seasonal produce in a tranquil setting overlooking the river.

8 of the best things to do in Port Fairy