Top Towns for 2022: The top things to see and do in Port Fairy

Jo StewartBy Jo Stewart
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Maritime history meets coastal cool at the old sealing and whaling village of Port Fairy, writes Jo Stewart. Discover why Port Fairy landed at no.6 on your list of Top 50 Aussie Towns list.

Find the complete list of the Top 50 Aussie Towns here.

Just beyond the end of the Great Ocean Road, historic Port Fairy could be the perfect set location for a British detective series. The spirits of whalers, sealers and fishermen may live on its 60-plus National Trust-classified buildings, but the town once known as Belfast isn’t stuck in the past. Behind its timeworn exterior, you’ll find a creative community with an eye on the future.  

Eating there 

For your morning caffeine hit, head to Port Fairy Coffee Roasters where you can also buy beans to take home (dark roast fans will love the Dead Man’s Blend). Bank St + Co is another go-to coffee and brunch spot.

Coffin Sally has set up shop in an old undertaker’s building, but there’s nothing dead about this jumping pizza joint. If you like carbs, booze and good times, don’t sleep on this place.  

Perhaps a four-course tasting menu is more your style? Head to Conlan’s Wine Store to wine and dine in what was once a solicitor’s office.  

Staying there 

As Victoria’s oldest inn, the Merrijig Inn scores full marks for cosiness. Taste the handiwork of chef Tanya Connellan in the dining room, share a few yarns in the tiny front bar or retreat to the garden with a spritz in hand.  Pro tip: if you’re more than six feet tall, give the dollhouse-style attic rooms a miss and book a suite instead.

cosy bedroom at the Oak and Anchor Hotel in Port Fairy
Pamper yourself with a luxury stay at the Oak & Anchor.

Behind the Oak & Anchor hotel ’s renovated heritage facade you’ll find seven dreamy, boutique suites furnished with freestanding bathtubs and Euro-style walk-in showers. 

Playing there 

An inclusive space for book lovers, Blarney Books and Art is a much-loved local institution. Drop by to pick up a paperback – if you time your visit right, you could catch a book launch or author talk.  

shopping in a stylish boutique in Port Fairy
Browse the stylish boutiques and shops in Port Fairy.

During summer, wading in the (surprisingly) crystalline shallows of Pea Soup Beach is a must, especially at sunset when a golden glow warms the shoreline. Port Fairy is made for meandering, so head out on foot without a plan and see where life takes you. 

Port Fairy Lighthouse
Golden hour at the Port Fairy Lighthouse.

Stroll to the Griffiths Island Lighthouse and admire the classic, wooden boats moored along Moyne River. Bank and Sackville streets are where you’ll find most of the town’s bluestone pubs, cute cottages and historic shopfronts – close your eyes and you can almost hear the ghosts of salty sea-dogs with weathered faces and crude tattoos trading tall stories of the one that got away. 

Explore more of Port Fairy in our travel guide or find out which other towns made it into your Top 50.
Jo Stewart
Jo Stewart is a freelance features writer who pens stories about nature, pop culture, music, art, design and more from her home in the Macedon Ranges of Victoria. When not writing, you can find her trawling through vinyl records and vintage fashion at op shops, antique stores and garage sales.
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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael TurtleBy Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves . Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.