The best things to do in Warrnambool

While Warrnambool may be considered the last stop on the Great Ocean Road, the adventure is just beginning.

Leave some energy (and petrol) in the tank, because there are plenty of things to do and see in Warrnambool. Immerse yourself in its maritime history, explore its spectacular natural beauty, or dip into its lively arts and culture. There’s something here for every traveller, so pick your favourites from our list and start planning. And if you’re looking for somewhere to stay, we’ve rounded up the best accommodations options in the area.

In Short

If you only do one thing in Warrnambool, make it visiting the Thunder Point lookout. You’ll be rewarded with spectacular views of the ocean and rugged coastline, and it’s a prime spot to watch the sun go down.

Spend the afternoon at Lake Pertobe

motor boats moored at Lake Pertobe — Hire colourful motor boats on Lake Pertobe. (Credit: Lake Pertobe Motor Boats Hire)

There’s honestly something for everyone at the picturesque Lake Pertobe. Whether you’re here for the epic adventure playground (complete with maze, flying fox and water play area), a paddle on the lake or a BBQ picnic, you can easily while away an entire day. Our suggestion? Hiring one of the charmingly colourful motor boats from the family-owned business on the lake’s edge (check their Facebook for opening times). On-site facilities include toilets, seating areas, BBQs and free parking.

Best for: Everyone

Relax at the hot springs

the sensory cave at Deep Blue Hot Springs, Warrnambool — Chill out in a sensory cave. (Credit: Visit Victoria)

Set amongst a lush, natural environment with the scent of jasmine in the air, Deep Blue Hot Springs is home to a network of natural geothermal springs. Leave your worries behind as you pool-hop your way through sensory caves and rockpools, where the mineral-rich waters soothe both the mind and tight muscles, then break for lunch at the on-site Tides Café, Bar and Restaurant. You do need to pay extra for a locker, towel and robe, so consider bringing your own towel if you want to save a little cash.

Best for: Wellness lovers
Opening hours: 7am–9.30pm daily

Cycle the Warrnambool Foreshore Promenade

a surfer at the Warrnambool Foreshore Promenade — Warrnambool Foreshore Promenade is located near popular surfing spots. (Credit: Visit Victoria)

The Warrnambool Foreshore Promenade runs from the Breakwater to Point Ritchie, following the curve of Lady Bay. If you’re not much of a cyclist, that’s perfectly fine – you can walk, run, or even rollerblade along the sealed path while taking in the sweeping coastal views.

Best for: Cyclists and active holiday goers  

Enjoy stunning views from Thunder Point

Named for the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, Thunder Point offers an incredible vantage point to admire the forces of nature and watch the sun set over the Southern Ocean. It’s a short, easy walk to the lookouts from the car park, but it can get very windy; if you’re coming here for sunset, make sure to bring an extra layer.

Best for: Photographers and nature lovers

Explore the Shipwreck Coast by boat

Mako Ocean Adventures' boat at sea — Traverse 45 kilometres of coastline with Mako Ocean Adventures.

Join a tour with Mako Ocean Adventures to explore the Shipwreck Coast, named for the hundreds of vessels wrecked along the dangerous stretch of coastline over the centuries. Tours range from the family-friendly 45min Discovery Tour, to the popular Antares, Bay of Islands tour, where over 2.5 hours you’ll traverse 45 kilometres of coastline, including the Bay of Islands coastal reserve, Gauls Caves, and Bertrams Bay Magic Rock. With parts of the coast only accessible by boat, this is worth booking in.

Best for: History buffs

Go to the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village

the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village lighthouse — Climb to the top of the lighthouse for lovely ocean views. (Credit: Tourism Australia)

Step back in time to the 19th-century as you explore the cobbled streets of this historic maritime village , climb an original lighthouse and get a taste of life as it was for the first European settlers in the area. There’s a museum on site too, home to Australia’s most significant shipwreck artefact collection; stop by at 11.30am for a tour with a guide in full period costume.

Purchase a combined day and night ticket so you can return for the evening sound and light show, which covers Indigenous, whaling and shipwreck stories. Note that only the museum is wheelchair accessible; contact staff if you need mobility assistance for the evening show.

Best for: Families and history buffs
Opening hours: 9.30am–4.30pm daily (maritime village); evening show nightly at dusk

Visit the Warrnambool Botanic Gardens

the Warrnambool Botanic Gardens from above — This peaceful oasis is home to beautiful mature trees.

Pack a picnic for a lazy afternoon at the Warrnambool Botanic Gardens . These peaceful, classic-style gardens are over 150 years old; designed by William Guilfoyle in 1879, who also completed the Royal Botanic Gardens in Melbourne, they’re home to beautiful mature trees (including a 1934 lone pine), a lily pond, lush lawns, a rotunda and nature play area. Keep an eye out for bats in the treetops, and if you’re lucky you might spot a turtle in the pond.

Best for: Families and garden enthusiasts

See a show at the Lighthouse Theatre

the Lighthouse Theatre exterior view — Catch a musical when you’re in Warrnambool.

With a diverse, year-round lineup of live theatre, concerts, comedy and community events, it’s worth checking out the program at the Lighthouse Theatre when you’re in town. It’s located in Warrnambool’s centre, close to restaurants and pubs: perfect for a dinner and show. Enjoy a drink in the glass-fronted foyer (which contrasts against the original town hall façade), before finding your spot in the 584-seat auditorium. Visit the event pages on their website for specific accessibility options.

Best for: Culture enthusiasts
Opening hours: Check website for shows and times

Visit Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve

Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve from above — Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve sits in a huge dormant volcano. (Credit: Visit Victoria)

Less than a 20-minute drive from Warrnambool, Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve sits inside a large – and thankfully dormant – volcano. Choose from an assortment of walking trails for all levels, and look out for koalas, emus, kangaroos, swans and other birdlife as you explore this incredible geological formation.

Best for: Hikers and nature lovers

Shop for fresh food and treasures at the markets

What says “holiday" more than a market? And Warrnambool has several to choose from . Don’t miss the Summer Night Markets during the warmer months, bustling with food trucks, local artisan and produce stalls, and live entertainment. The daily Fletcher Jones Market is perfect for those who like to hunt for unique or vintage treasures, while the twice-monthly Fresh Market at Lake Pertobe is a hub of local growers, artisans, creators and designers (and it’s on every Sunday in January).

Best for: Foodies and shoppers

Spot whales from Logans Beach

the Logan's Beach whale watching platform — Go whale watching at Logan’s Beach. (Credit: Visit Victoria)

If you’re visiting Warrnambool between June and October, you might be lucky enough to spot a whale from the viewing platform at Logans Beach . Southern Right Whales travel from Antarctic waters to this sheltered stretch of coastline every year to give birth. The accessible viewing platform is open at all times; just be patient and prepared to make multiple visits for the best chances of a sighting. Our tip? Pack binoculars and a thermos of hot coffee.

Best for: Wildlife lovers

Visit local art galleries

the entrance to the Warrnambool Art Gallery — Warrnambool Art Gallery houses an impressive collection of paintings. (Credit: Visit Victoria)

Warrnambool has a robust arts scene anchored by the Warrnambool Art Gallery , which houses a significant Australian art collection including Indigenous artefacts, colonial paintings and contemporary works, alongside temporary exhibitions (entry is free but some exhibitions may need a ticket).

The volunteer-run F Project Precinct is also worth a visit; pop into the art gallery (they have rotating exhibitions throughout the year) and browse the gift shop with original works from local creatives.

Best for: Art lovers
Opening hours: Warrnambool Art Gallery 10am–5pm Monday to Friday, 10am–3pm weekends / The F Project 10am–4pm Wednesday to Sunday

Explore the coastline’s beautiful beaches

Lady Bay is Warrnambool’s most popular beach, and as it’s sheltered and patrolled in summer, it’s a no-brainer for both swimmers and families. For those who want a quieter spot, Stingray Bay is a hidden gem with shallow pools located near the mouth of the Merri River; and while Logans Beach is known for whale watching in winter, experienced surfers also flock there year-round for its consistent waves.

Best for: Surfers, water and nature lovers

Hike the Mahogany Trail

This 22-kilometre return beach walk – for those who are up for it – is said to pass the last known resting place of the Mahogany Ship, a Portuguese ship wrecked in the 1500s (later disappearing under the sand in the late 19th century). The trail starts at Thunder Point car park and finishes at Griffiths Island car park in Port Fairy; along the way, you might spot echidnas and rare hooded plovers. If you’re attempting this hike, pack water and snacks and allow enough time – there are also access points along the way if you decide to start or stop earlier.

Best for: Hikers

Make a splash in Hopkins River

Whether you’re a keen angler, paddler, or boater, make a beeline for the Hopkins River . Flowing from the Grampians into the Southern Ocean, the calm waters in Warrnambool are lined with jetties and boat ramps, offering easy access. Cast a line for bream, estuary perch, or mullet, hire a canoe for a morning paddle, or picnic at one of the riverside reserves. How’s the serenity.

Best for: Anglers and kayakers

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Just 15 years ago, Federal Mills was a very different place. Once among the most significant industrial sites in Victoria, the historic woollen mill was one of a dozen that operated in Geelong at the industry’s peak in the mid-20th century, helping the city earn its title as ‘wool centre of the world’. But by the 1960s global competition and the rise of synthetic fabrics led to the slow decline of the industry, and Federal Mills finally shuttered its doors in 2001. Within a few years, the abandoned North Geelong grounds had become makeshift pastoral land, with cows and goats grazing among the overgrown grass between the empty red-brick warehouses. It was a forgotten pocket of the city, all but two klicks from the bustle of the CBD.

Geelong cellar door wine bar — Geelong has shed its industrial identity to become an innovative urban hub with reimagined heritage spaces. (Image: Ash Hughes)

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Today, the century-old complex stands reborn. The distinctive sawtooth-roof buildings have been sensitively restored. An old silo is splashed with a bright floral mural, landscapers have transformed the grounds, and the precinct is once again alive with activity. More than 1000 people work across 50-plus businesses here. It’s so busy, in fact, that on a sunny Thursday morning in the thick of winter, it’s hard to find a car park. The high ceilings, open-plan design, and large multi-paned windows – revolutionary features for factories of their time – have again become a drawcard.

Paddock Bakery andPatisserie — Paddock Bakery and Patisserie is housed within the historic wool factory. (Image: Gallant Lee)

At Paddock , one of the precinct’s newer tenants, weaving looms and dye vats have been replaced by a wood-fired brick oven and heavy-duty mixers. Open since April 2024, the bakery looks right at home here; the building’s industrial shell is softened by ivy climbing its steel frames, and sunlight streams through the tall windows. Outside, among the white cedar trees, families at picnic benches linger over dippy eggs and bagels, while white-collar workers pass in and out, single-origin coffee and crème brûlée doughnuts in hand.

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

Paddock Bakery can be found at Federal Mills. (Image: Gallant Lee)

“A lot of people are now seeing the merit of investing in Geelong,” says Paul Traynor, the head of Hamilton Hospitality Group, which redeveloped Federal Mills. A city once shunned as Sleepy Hollow, and spurned for its industrial, working-class roots and ‘rust belt’ image, Geelong has long since reclaimed its ‘Pivot City’ title, having reinvented itself as an affordable, lifestyle-driven satellite city, and a post-COVID migration hotspot.

And the numbers stand testament to the change. In March 2025, and for the first time in its history, Greater Geelong became Australia’s most popular regional town for internal migration, overtaking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Current forecasts suggest Geelong will continue to outpace many other Australian cities and towns, with jobs growing at double the rate of the population.

Tourism is booming, too. The 2023-24 financial year was Geelong and The Bellarine region’s busiest on record, with 6.4 million visitors making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country. It’s not hard to see why: beyond the city’s prime positioning at the doorstep of the Great Ocean Road, Geelong’s tenacity and cultural ambition stands out.

As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, Geelong is swiftly shaking off its industrial past to become a model for urban renewal, innovation, sustainability and creative communities. The signs are everywhere, from the revitalisation of the city’s waterfront, and the landmark design of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and Geelong Arts Centre, to the growing network of local designers, architects and artists, and the burgeoning roster of festivals and events. That’s not even mentioning the adaptive reuse of storied old industrial buildings – from Federal Mills, to Little Creatures’ brewery ‘village’ housed within a 1920s textile mill – or the city’s flourishing food and wine scene.

The rise of a food and wine destination

Restaurant 1915 is housed within a restored former boiler house. (Image: Harry Pope/Two Palms)

Traynor credits now-closed local restaurant Igni, which opened in 2016, as the turning point for Geelong’s hospo industry. “[Aaron Turner, Igni’s chef-patron] was probably the first guy, with all due respect, to raise the bar food-wise for Geelong,” he says. “People now treat it really seriously, and there’s clearly a market for it.” While Igni is gone, Turner now helms a string of other notable Geelong venues, including The Hot Chicken Project and Tacos y Liquor, all within the buzzy, street art-speckled laneways of the CBD’s Little Malop Street Precinct. Many others have also popped up in Igni’s wake, including Federal Mills’ own restaurant, 1915 . Housed within the cavernous boiler house, 1915’s interior is dramatic: soaring, vaulted ceilings with timber beams, exposed brick, a huge arched window. The share plates echo the space’s bold character, playing with contrast and texture, with dishes such as a compressed watermelon tataki, the sweet, juicy squares tempered by salty strands of fried leeks, and charred, smoky snow peas dusted with saganaki on a nutty bed of romesco.

The Woolstore , one of The Hamilton Group’s most recent hospo projects, opened in February. It occupies a century-old riverside warehouse and exudes a more sultry, fine dining ambience. Much like Federal Mills, the blueprint was to preserve the original brickwork, tallowwood flooring and nods to the building’s former life. That same careful consideration extends to the well-versed, affable waitstaff as well as the kitchen. Head chef Eli Grubb is turning out an eclectic mix of ambitious and indulgent mod Oz dishes that deliver: strikingly tender skewers of chicken tsukune, infused with hints of smoke from the parrilla grill, and glazed with a moreish, sweet gochujang ‘jam’; nduja arancini fragrant with hints of aniseed and the earthy lick of sunny saffron aioli; and golden squares of potato pavé, adorned with tiny turrets of crème fraîche, crisp-fried saltbush leaves, and Avruga caviar, to name but a few stand-out dishes.

Woolstore menu — Woolstore’s menu is designed for sharing.

Breathing new life into historic spaces

On the city’s fringe, hidden down a winding side road with little fanfare, lies a long-dormant site that’s being gently revived. Built from locally quarried bluestone and brick, and dating back to the 1870s, the complex of original tin-roofed mill buildings is lush with greenery and backs onto the Barwon River and Buckley Falls; the audible rush of water provides a soothing soundtrack. Fyansford Paper Mill is one of few complexes of its time to survive intact. It feels steeped in history and spellbindingly rustic.

“We were looking for an old industrial place that had some charm and romance to it,” explains Sam Vogel, the owner, director and winemaker at Provenance Wines which moved here in 2018. When he first viewed the building with his former co-owner, it was in such a state of disrepair that the tradie tenant occupying the space had built a shed within it to escape the leaking roof and freezing winter temperatures. “To say it was run down would be an understatement,” he notes. “There was ivy growing through the place; the windows were all smashed. It was a classic Grand Designs project.”

Provenance Wines moved to Fyansford Paper Mill in 2018. (Image: Cameron Murray Photography)

The team has since invested more than a million dollars into their new home. Where paper processing machinery once sat, wine barrels are now stacked. Vaulted cathedral ceilings are strung with festoon lights, and hidden in plain sight lies a shadowy mural by local street artist de rigueur Rone – one of only three permanent works by the artist.

While the award-winning, cool-climate pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay naturally remain a key draw at Provenance, the winery’s restaurant is a destination in itself. Impressed already by whipsmart service, I devour one of the most cleverly curated and faultlessly executed degustations I’ve had in some time. It’s all prepared in a kitchen that is proudly zero-waste, and committed to providing seasonal, ethical and locally sourced meat and produce under head chef Nate McIver. Think free-range venison served rare with a syrupy red wine jus and a half-moon of neon-orange kosho, shokupan with a deeply savoury duck fat jus (a modern Japanese take on bread and drippings), and a golden potato cake adorned with a colourful confetti of dehydrated nasturtiums and tomato powder, and planted atop a sea urchin emulsion.

handcrafted pieces — Bell’s handcrafted functional pieces on display.

The complex is home to a coterie of independent businesses, including a gallery, a jeweller, and its latest tenant, ceramicist Elizabeth Bell, drawn here by the building’s “soul”. “There’s so much potential for these buildings to have new life breathed into them,” says Bell, whose studio is housed within the old pump room. “Even people in Geelong don’t know we’re here,” she says. “It’s definitely a destination, but I like that. It has a really calming atmosphere.”

A Melbourne transplant, Bell now feels at home in Geelong, which offers something Melbourne didn’t. “If this business was in Melbourne I don’t think it would’ve been as successful,” she notes. “It’s very collaborative in Geelong, and I don’t think you get that as much in Melbourne; you’re a bit more in it for yourself. Here it’s about community over competition.”

This underrated coastal city has hot springs, shipwrecks and vintage shopping