Six reasons you have to visit Warrnambool

You may never have even heard of this quaint, family-friendly seaside town, but after a visit to Warrnambool, you’re not likely to forget it.

As we drive the three-hour inland route from Melbourne airport to Warrnambool, on Victoria’s south coast, my husband and I note the sprawling acreage and lush greenery that lines the freeway and it feels like a suitably relaxing start to the journey.

Upon arriving at the Best Western Olde Maritime Motor Inn , we meet the owner and our host, Raj, a lovely guy hailing from the UK who managed to go from humble hotel employee to owner in just a few short years. Raj’s sense of pride towards Warrnambool is unmistakable as he speaks to us over dinner at the inn’s signature restaurant, Clovelly. He opens up about starting a new life in the small Australian town he’d never heard of with his new Australian bride – and how it has been a wonderful place to raise a family.

I get the sense that Warrnambool has the type of community you want to be a part of, the kind where you can rely on your neighbour to bring in your mail when you’re away. It felt comforting, and a little like being on the set of Neighbours.

The next 48 hours are a wonderful, marvellous blur in which we see some of the most naturally beautiful vistas we’ve ever clapped eyes on, learn more about the history of Australia than we did in any classroom, and eat some of the most supremely beautiful produce available.

Here are six reasons you need to plan a trip to Warrnambool:

1. Relive History at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village

As we wander across the road from our Best Western apartment to Flagstaff Hill, we are thankful that our destination is so close on such a brisk evening. Being so close to the south coast of the country, Warrnambool can certainly catch a breeze in the wintertime; beanies advised. After a short wait in the gift shop we are ushered downstairs, through a corridor with hanging panels, which in an instant comes to life with the face of a fisherman from the 19^th century. He tells us about the ghosts of the Shipwreck Coast, right here in Warrnambool, and that we are in for quite a tale.

We then make our way down to the Flagstaff Hill village, which, for all intents and purposes resembles a fully functioning township from the 19^th century. During the day, the blacksmith and various stores are roaring with life, but at night it’s less about the village – and all about the Sound and Light show.

The multi-million dollar experience takes audiences back through time to visit the Shipwreck Coast when whale oil was one of the most precious commodities a man could come across, and many died in a bid to get it. Careful of the moving set, you won’t see the wobbles and splashes coming, but they’ll happen.

Beachfront at Warrnambool, at the iconic location where the movie ‘Oddball’ was filmed.

2. Dine at the Clovelly Restaurant

The shining gem of the Best Western Olde Maritime Motor Inn , Clovelly, is the sophisticated dining offering for guests and locals alike. Hotel owner, and our host, Raj chats with locals as they sit down to dine with their families, in an elegant and soothing space.

I wrestle over the menu, eventually settling on the Surf ‘n’ Turf, and am subsequently treated to some of the most satisfying prawns and sumptuous steak I’ve ever had. My only regret? Not asking for more of that sauce. The wines we sample with dinner are also of a high quality, the shiraz a standout, especially with the steak. However, for a usual non-dessert eater, I throw caution to the wind and order the sticky date pudding. Well, it may just be one of the best decisions I make throughout the whole trip – potentially in the last few months. And what I missed by way of sauce with the steak, I more than make up for in the form of butterscotch gooey golden syrup. I’m not drooling, you are.

3. Take a Stroll Through Port Fairy

In 2012 humble Port Fairy was voted the world’s most liveable community of towns with a population of under 20,000. The accolade was awarded by the UN-recognised LivCom Awards and it took everyone a little by surprise.

Though, perhaps it shouldn’t. The quaint seaside town feels like the type of place you might have holidayed with your family as a child, which makes for a feeling of calm of nostalgia as you wander its streets. It has a certain ‘way back when’ feel about it, probably due to the stores, which despite keeping up with the times, have also maintained a degree of small-town charm. The cosy local cafes, ice-cream parlour and clothes and shoes boutique If the Shoe Fits & Isabella’s, are a few standout options. Cuter than Christmas.

Bay of Islands Coastal Park, Warrnambool.

4. Get Some Whale Watching in

Winter is an incredible time to see the whales on the south coast of Victoria. As they migrate down ‘whale corridor’, the region from Warrnambool to Portland, you can often catch a glimpse from one of the many lookout spots scattered along the coast, however the best place is Warrnambool’s ‘whale nursery’.

The strip received its name because during the winter months whales from the Antarctic make the journey to warmer waters along this coast, in order to breed, birth and nurse their young. In early July we are probably just a few weeks premature, with the prime time for whale-spotting being mid-July to August.

5. Explore Secret Beaches and Cliffs

Rocks along the Great Ocean Road — ‘The Grotto’, located just out of Warrnambool, along the Great Ocean Road.

On our first full day in Warrnambool, we are introduced to a man called Bob, who Raj assures us knows everything there is to know about this magical place. Bob has raised his family in the town, and worked as the principal of the local high school. He now runs local tours for residents and tourists – and is even booked solid for large groups until November.

Bob is the kind of guy you just want to sit down with over a cup of tea and listen to. His passion for Warrnambool is contagious and the glint in his eye as he ferries us around to some of the most naturally awe-inspiring landscapes I’ve ever seen shows me just how pure his passion is. The Bay of Islands Coastal Park takes a little walking from Bob’s humble Southwest Explorer bus, but once we make it to the cliff face, the view is just phenomenal. Some of the most miraculously formed cliff edges make you feel as though you are standing on the edge of the world.

However, the best sight we were to see that day was yet to come. Bob instructs us down a path, that after weaving through some intense foliage, ushers us down a sand bank to find a completely isolated secret beach – one of Bob’s favourites – with what looks like two of the 12 Apostles lurching out of the sea. It is truly one of the grandest views I’d ever seen.

6. Try to Stay at the Caravan Park

During our tour, Bob also takes us down by the sea to an area that’s alive in summer, filled with families who stay for weeks on end, either in the caravan parks of the seaside accommodations. I clap eyes on the paddle boats on the small river and the putt putt golf range and am exclaiming to my husband how much I’d love to bring our future children here when I am interrupted by a laugh.

Raj says that the big problem with the BIG4 Warrnambool Figtree Holiday Park is that out-of-towners can rarely get in, because the locals who live just 500 metres up the road all shuffle down for summer. It seems life is so good down here, they’ve got no reason to leave.

Planning a road trip along the Great Ocean Road? Then check out our curated guide for everything you need to know.

Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat , now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate , whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor , who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will , who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods . “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield , embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House .

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument , which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds .

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens , hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

6 reasons to visit Victoria’s friendliest seaside town: Warrnambool