Port Fairy town centre

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

Port Fairy is a nicely preserved 19th century shipping port with a population of 2,500 is 28km west of Warrnambool and 290km west of Melbourne. The town has 50 historic buildings protected by the National Trust of Australia. At its peak in the 1850s, the port was the second busiest in Australia. Wool, wheat and gold were loaded onto great sailing ships bound for England. The ships anchored in the bay while goods and passengers were ferried back and forth from the wharf on smaller craft, known as lighters.

The area was inhabited by the Knarn Kolak Aborigines long before the arrival of Europeans. They lived a simple life beside the sea and their middens testify to the success of their fishing.

In the early 19th century the area was used by whalers and seal hunters. It was probably around 1828 that Captain James Wishart, on a sealing expedition in his cutter Fairy, became caught in a dreadful storm. Luckily he found shelter for the night in a little bay and to his delight, at daybreak, he found that he was at the mouth of an excellent river. He named the bay 'Port Fairy', in honour of his tiny ship.

Later, a bay whaling station was established on the island at the river mouth. Whales were harpooned in the bay and dragged up on to the island for processing. So many whales were taken that the supply was exhausted by the 1840s and the station closed.

By the 1830s some of the early seamen crossed the river and began to clear and cultivate the rich volcanic soils. They brought sheep and cattle across from Tasmania and established a permanent settlement. In 1843 James Atkinson and William Rutledge each purchased 5120 acres from the Crown. Atkinson laid out his township and named it Belfast after his hometown. Irish immigrants were encouraged to settle here. This strong Celtic influence is still evident in the area in the place names, architecture and culture.

The population increased rapidly and by 1857, 2190 people lived in the municipality of Belfast, one of the most flourishing towns in the new colony of Victoria.

In 1862 the disastrous collapse of the local firm, William Rutledge & Co. dealt the town a paralyzing blow from which it took years to recover. In 1887 the town was renamed Port Fairy.

Tourism has replaced fishing as the major economic activity but an active fishing fleet still operates out of the harbour and it is home to a small fleet of pleasure craft. The wharf is a wonderful place to relax and watch the world drift by. The Norfolk pines and colonial buildings form a picturesque backdrop to the tranquil waters of the Moyne River. Sandy beaches make Port Fairy a busy holiday destination during the summer months.

- Just over 3 hours from Melbourne via Princes Hwy
- About 6 hours from Melbourne via Great Ocean Rd
- Daily coach and train connections to Melbourne