Set around beautiful Lady Bay and surrounded by sheltered coves and beaches, Warrnambool is packed with fun things to do, from adventure parks and whale watching to heritage sites and epic tales of the shipwreck coast.

Explore Warrnambool's seafaring history at the award-winning Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village and Museum, a family-friendly open-air museum with a settlement of historic huts and cottages and plenty of fun activities for the kids. Discover historic lighthouses and relive the famous Loch Ard shipwreck of 1878 in the fascinating Tales of the Shipwreck Coast sound and laser show.

 

From June to September, catch a glimpse of female southern right whales as they make their way to the warmer waters off Warrnambool’s Logans Beach to calve, often coming as close as 100m to shore. Grab a vantage spot at the Logans Beach viewing platform to see these majestic creatures in action with their young.


Stretch your legs on the popular Foreshore Promenade Walk, a scenic trail that winds along the coastline from the Breakwater to Logans Beach. For history buffs, discover the historic streetscapes on the Warrnambool Heritage Trail, with maps available from the Visitor Information Centre on Merri St. Opposite the main beach, The Lake Pertobe Adventure Park is a kid’s paradise, with giant slides, flying foxes, a maze and boat rides.

Warrnambool is a great base from which to explore the surrounding regions. Experience the stunning coastal scenery of Victoria's famed Shipwreck Coast, see abundant native wildlife up close and visit charming seaside villages.

 

> The Twelve Apostles - just under an hour’s drive southeast along the Great Ocean Road, these famous limestone stacks rise up majestically from the stormy Southern Ocean, off the coast of the Port Campbell National Park. 

 

> Bay of Islands Coastal Park - this magnificent coastal park stretches for 32kms along the Great Ocean Road from Warrnambool to Peterborough, featuring sheltered coves, dramatic limestone cliffs and scenic lookouts.

 

> Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve - visit the Tower Hill crater inside a dormant volcano, just west of Warrnambool, and see native wildlife such as kangaroos, emus and koalas up close. Take an Indigenous tour through the reserve and learn about Aboriginal history and culture of the area.

 

> Port Fairy - Half an hour west of Warrnambool, at the end of the Great Ocean Road, you’ll find this quaint and historic fishing village with its nineteenth-century cottages, old stone churches and vibrant creative community, renowned for its annual Port Fairy Folk Festival held in March.

Warrnambool is 256km or a 3hr and 15min drive west of Melbourne, via the Princes Freeway, and a 2hr and 15 min drive from Geelong. There are a number of scenic routes through the rolling green hinterland or you can follow the magnificent Great Ocean Road that hugs the coast from surf capital Torquay all the way to Port Fairy. There are V/Line rail services that run from Melbourne and Geelong as well as daily bus services between Melbourne, Geelong and Warrnambool.