It’s the simple pleasures that make this seaside town a family favourite and romantic escape for couples, says Laura Waters. Here, find the attractions that put it at no. 43 on your list of Top 50 Aussie Towns.

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

Three hours west of Melbourne, Warrnambool is on the rise. The town is growing with city folk arriving in search of a sea change, but it’s at that sweet spot where you can still enjoy a relatively undeveloped seaside town as well as a little luxury and a decent meal. Come here to inhale the ocean air and relax.

1. Water and whales

Everyone gravitates to Warrnambool’s coastline, whales included. On Logans Beach, a viewing platform overlooks a nursery where southern rights have brought their calves for centuries. From June to September, they can be seen lolling about as little as 100 metres from shore.

Logans is good for a surf, too, while the gentle arc of Lady Bay is patrolled for safe swimming.

Perhaps most idyllic are the rockpools, white sands and shallow turquoise waters of Stingray Bay, at the mouth of the Merri River.

2. Hot springs

In the late 1800s, Warrnambool was renowned for its ‘therapeutic’ heated seawater baths, drawing visitors from far and wide. Now, spa wellness is undergoing a revival at Deep Blue Hot Springs.

Soaking in its 15 open-air bathing pools filled with geothermal waters pumped from 850 metres underground is divinely rejuvenating, not to mention the indoor bathhouse and spa. It all adjoins the impressive seafront Deep Blue Hotel.

3. Wonderful walks

There are kilometres of paths to explore, from the paved Foreshore Promenade Walk to an undulating coastal track around the cliffs via Middle Island (made famous in the movie Oddball, where maremma sheepdogs guard a colony of penguins) to Thunder Point.

Set in the crater lake of an extinct volcano, Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve has a maze of trails where you’re guaranteed to see an emu and maybe a koala and kangaroo, too.

4. Lake Pertobe

Families flock to this 58-hectare reserve encompassing wetlands and three lakes. Apart from birdwatching and walking trails, there’s a massive adventure playground featuring a maze, flying fox, giant slides and gas barbecues.

Most popular are the colourful motorboats, which anyone over the age of 12 can captain.

5. Maritime history

This is the gateway to the shipwreck coast and there are more than a dozen shipwrecks in Lady Bay alone; interpretive signage along the foreshore tells their stories.

To fully understand the lives of sailors and survivors in those times, visit Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum and Village, a recreation 19th-century village complete with volunteers in costume and an evening sound and light show.

Explore more of Warrnambool in our travel guide or find out which other towns made it into your Top 50.