Panorama taken from the top of Cannon Hill in Warrnambool. The picture shows a view over the botanic park and out towards the ocean.

Warrnambool - Warrnambool visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Warrnambool' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from Victoria.

Warrnambool is a coastal city at the western end of the world famous Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. It is a popular tourist resort, at the mouth of the Merri River, with pleasant parks, beaches and coastal walks. The name Warrnambool comes from the Aboriginal name for a nearby volcanic cone, which can be found at Tower Hill Park. The actual meaning of 'Warrnambool' is not clear, but has been interpreted as 'ample water' and 'two swamps'.

The town has always been associated with the sea. First settled by the Portuguese on the infamous and treacherous Shipwreck Coast. Its history is displayed in the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum, which is one of the main attractions in Warrnabool, complete with original buildings, a lighthouse and a recreated port with ships. Other attractions in the town include the Botanic park, Stingray Bay and the Warrnambool Breakwater Pier.

Warrnambool is popular for whale watching, it is known as the Right Whale nursery of Victoria. Every year Right Whales return here to give birth and can come in as close as 100m from the shoreline of Lady Bay. In the warmer months of the year many people come to Warrnambool to take advantage of the numerous sandy beaches, and there are plenty of hotels to suit all budgets. All year round there area numerous dramatic coastal walks nearby such as Pickering Point, Thunder Point and Point Ritchie around the mouths of the Merri and Hopkins rivers. The Mahogany Walking Track runs 22km along the coast from Warrnambool to Port Fairy. Local natural reserves provide access to some of the great variety of wildlife that includes penguin colonies and whale watching spots. Warrnambool also hosts the annual Warrnambool Grand Annual Racing Carnival.

Not far away from Warrnambool are the towns of Port Fairy and Portland.

Warnambool is on the A1 near to Port Fairy and close to the beginning of the western end of the Great Ocean Road. Warnambool is about 260km west of Melbourne, and 650km east of Adelaide.