VICTORIA'S GREATEST DRIVING TOURS AND HERITAGE TOWNS
Historic... WARRNAMBOOL
Warrnambool’s earliest history is a simple account of whalers and sealers who used local beaches to careen their boats and process their catch. In 1800 navigator Lieutenant James Grant, aboard the Lady Nelson, arrived from England to begin charting Australia’s southern coast. By December he had sailed Bass Strait from the west (perhaps the first to do so), naming places along the rugged shores between Portland Bay and Cape Otway.
More curious is an 1836 narrative: a whaleboat capsized near the mouth of the Hopkins River, two survivors walked back along the beach back to the whaling post at Port Fairy. They reported having seen the wreckage of an ancient boat in the sand hummocks of (now) Armstrong Bay - the fabled Mahogany Ship which may, or may not, lie in the dunes.
Comprehensive searches and the extra incentive of a $250,000 reward offered in 1992 failed to fine any real clues, but some believe the Mahogany Ship is a 16th Century Portuguese caravel, one of three, wrecked in 1521 on an expedition to the great unknown southern land.
By the mid-1800s the region's whaling and sealing industry went into decline. However the first permanent settlers had arrived and for a number of years the breakwater-protected jetty at Warrnambool was a major entry port for immigrants.
Today the tranquil harbour at Warrnambool is the domain of a few patient anglers. It’s difficult to imagine the frenetic scene as tall-masted sailing ships arrived from Britain, and coastal traders loaded cargoes of wheat, potatoes, timber and passengers bound for Port Phillip. The tenuous shelter of Lady Bay, the town’s main beach today, led to some 15 shipwrecks between 1850 and 1906.
Warrnambool has grown into a modern city of 25,000 but the coastal port’s vital heritage has not been swept aside. Flagstaff Hill, the site of the old gun emplacement and lighthouse, has had its history preserved - and enhanced - by the completion of an excellent maritime museum and re-created colonial coastal village. Shipwreck history, notable artifacts and vintage boats make for a fascinating few hours visit.
Southern right whales make a return appearance to nearby Logan’s Beach every May to October, and fairy penguins can be seen on Middle Island, a short walk from the port breakwater (watch the tides). The Hopkins River Boathouse, classified by the National trust, is one of Warrnambool’s many historic buildings.
In the area there are numerous coastal reserves and walking tracks with secluded beaches and rocky points, penguin colonies, and some good places for fishing and birdwatching. A few kilometres west of town is Tower Hill State Game Reserve, an ancient volcanic crater complete with lake and lava tongue. On the walking tracks here you’ll discover a unique microcosm of botany and wildlife.
Warrnambool is 270km west of Melbourne on the Princes Highway via Geelong and Colac. It is three and a half hours drive from the city.
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