Historic Buildings and Early Living

Walk back into time and stroll the back streets of Port Fairy. You will see and experience living, from quaint fisherman cottages to more elaborate 'Court House' and 'Mills Cottage'. Many of the old hotels still survive 'The Stump' to name one which claims to be the oldest Continually Licensed Hotel in Victoria which was established in 1844

South Beach Walk

Port Fairy has two beach areas to choose from, East Beach and South Beach. South Beach is made up of volcanic rock and sandy beaches. The volcanic walls have created safe swimming areas for the very young and exciting rock pools for exploring. The South Beach was originally the main swimming beach where the Port Fairy surf lifesaving club was first created. Walk along the south beach to 'Time and Tide' for coffee or lunch, check opening hours before you set out.

Bike riding

Port Fairy is made for bike riding of all ages. The terrain is virtually flat and defiantly picturesque. Ride your bike from the Riverhouse across the foot bridge and there you are in the town centre. Contact The Kite House
Phone 03 5568 2781

Light House

The Griffiths Island light house is an easy walk from the Riverhouse. Cross the footbridge, the walk to the island will take about ten minutes and to circumnavigate the island will take about forty five minutes. It is best to take your lunch or tea and scones and stop along the way at one of the isolated beaches.

Botanic Gardens

The Port Fairy Botanical Gardens, in Griffiths St, were established when the police paddocks were put aside for that purpose in 1858. The ground was swampy and reclamation work was carried out. Baron von Mueller, the original curator of the Melbourne Botanical Gardens acted as an advisor regarding the initial plantings and it is thought he supplied the aleppo and stone pines which are still growing in the Gardens today. In 1871 the Gardens were enlarged and 100 Norfolk pines planted. The land for the oval was set aside in 1887. An aviary with peacocks was established. However, the area fell into disrepair and work commenced on their revitalisation in 1986.

Fishing

Bring your own boat, the Riverhouse has ample room to park all your cars plus a boat or two and the boat ramp is only a few meters down the road. Launch your boat drive it back to the wharf opposite the Riverhouse, load up your family and provisions and away you go, after a successful day fishing drop off you load, back to the boat ramp, clean the fish and you are home.

Port Fairy historically is a fishing village, it was then and still is. Large fishing boats leave the wharf daily to fish the oceans. Recreational fishing from the river walls or surf fishing from the beaches are both an easy walk. Hiring a fishing vessel is available for those that want to leave the shores and do not have a boat.

Fishing is always prolific in the waters around Port Fairy both winter and summer.

In Summer and Autumn:  fish for Flathead, Garfish, Mulloway, Parrot Fish, Perch, Snapper, Sweep, King George Whiting, Sand Whiting. Summer: Trevally

In Winter and Spring: fish for Barracouta, Bream, Rock Cod, Mullet, Parrot Fish, Salmon, Sweep.

Boating Port Fairy

Riverhouse is ideally situated for boating, in the Moyne River, the bay of Port Fairy and the Southern Ocean.

Port Fairy is fantastic for Sailing, Fishing, Canoeing, Sail boarding actually just about any sort of water sport.

Bring your own boat, launch it at boat ramp just down the road. There is plenty of room in front of the house to store your boat.

Sailing

There is a very active sailing club in Port Fairy with their own club house. Sailing for both large and small craft is carried out in a horse shoe bay, making it very safe for all sailing pursuits, from large boats, trailer sailors (perfect for the Riverhouse) through to Sabo's and sail boarding.

Come and try your hand or even better get a group together and create your own fun by all staying at the Riverhouse

Cruise Port Fairy Bay

A must do when visiting Port Fairy, especially if you are a landlubber

Jane-o runs a half hour cruise on a stable ex fishing boat, she will take you around the picturesque Port Fairy bay showing you the coastline and lighthouse.  Jane-o has plenty of stories to tell about the old days. She is excellent with children who are free to travel, they have a turn at being captain and receive a certificate.  Learn about the whaling, sealing and the workings of the port and the many old ship wrecks from the early days of Port Fairy.

The half hour relaxing cruise will only cost you $10 and your children are free.  To Book a Cruise contact Jane

Bird watching Port Fairy

The Riverhouse is perfectly designed and positioned for 'Birding Group' Accommodation

Mutton Birds - now know as Short-tailed shear water (Puffinus tenuirostiris - Tasmanian Shearwater), was the original European name for the bird which were caught by the settlers, for their fatty flesh for eating and their oily residue - Shearwater are now protected in Victoria.

Griffiths Island is a favoured nesting site,  they can also be found along the South Beach coast line. Each year the bulk of the colony (the breeding age birds) return to the nesting grounds on almost the same day. Individuals return to the same nest burrow they occupied the previous year and generally mate with the same partner throughout their breeding life.

The locals call these birds 'anti football birds' (AFL) as they arrive after the grand final around 22nd September and depart mid April the following year.

Sit out on the top veranda of the Riverhouse on dusk, you can hear the birds fly over head making their strange squawking noise.  Griffiths Island is a short walk and well worth the stroll to the viewing station on the island. Watch the black mass in the sky as the birds arrive home to feed their chicks after a day out fishing. 

Learn more about Short-tailed Shear-water

Hooded Plover -  The adult Hooded Plover is about 20 cm high, sandy-brown above with a white underside. Conspicuous features when viewing in the field are its black head and a white nape (collar at base of its neck) and a broad black line extending across its lower hindneck to each side of the breast. Its bill is red with a black tip. Males and females appear similar whilst juveniles can be distinguished by the lack of black markings and red bill.

In the South West of Victoria, Hooded Plovers are most likely observed in pairs, sometimes in small groups on wide sandy ocean beaches and at mouths of rivers where wide sandy areas are formed.

Breeding is carried out on ocean beaches, nests are a depression in the sand usually in association with dry seaweed and located above average high tide levels up into the primary dunes. Nests can contain two to three sand-coloured eggs and incubation is about 30 days. The nesting season extends from August to February.

Orange-bellied Parrots - can be found along the coast in near by wetlands. Much research is being done on the life and habitat of these birds. Visit the Birds Australia web site to see how you can be involved.

Below is a list of just a few birds that could be sited in and around Port Fairy

Arctic Tern - Australasian Bittern - Australasian Shoveler - Australian Hobby - Australian Magpie - Australian Magpie - Australian Pelican - Australian Shelduck - Australian White Ibis - Australian Wood Duck - Azure Kingfisher - Black Swan - Black-Sholdered Kite - Black-winged Stilt - Blue-billed Duck - Brown Songlark - Brown Thornbill - Brush Bronzewing - Cattle Egret - Chestnut Teal - Clamorous Reed-Warbler - Common Blackbird - Common Skylark or Pipit - Common Starling - Crimson Rosella - Darter - Dusky Moorhen - Eurasian Coot - European Goldfinch - Galah - Golden-headed Citicola - Great Cormorant - Great Egret - Grey Fantail - Hoary-Headed Grebe - House Sparrow - Intermediate Egret - Little Black Cormorant - Magpie-Lark - New Holand Honeyeater - Pied&Sooty Oyster Catcher - Red Wattlebird - Royal Spoonbill - Sharp-Tailed Sandpiper - Silver Gull - Silvereye - Straw-necked Ibis - Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo - Wedge-Tailed Eagle - White -Faced Heron - White-Bellied Sea-Eagle - Yellow-Billed Spoonbill - Yellow-Faced Honeyeater.

Timboon Fine Icecream

You can get this ice cream in Melbourne at Piedimonte's IGA, and in Port Fairy at Bella Claire. In Timboon it is sold at the distillery.

They age their meat properly, and process it well. A family operation overseeing each step of production. Their delicious sausages are available in various IGAs in Melbourne, including Piedimonte's in North Fitzroy and the IGA on Sydney Road in Brunswick, but, as far as I know, you can only get their excellent meat from them in Hamilton. They also stock a range of cheese, bread, wines and more.

199 Thompson Street, Hamilton, 3300
55 724 040.

Barretts Wines

Their cellar door is open daily. Near Portland on the corner of Beauglehole and Gorae Rds, Gorae West

They make delicious chocolates on site. It is a lovely shop to browse around, but might be a bit far to pop up for the afternoon. If you don't want to drive that far, the chocolates are available from the Port Fairy Confectionery shop in Sackville Street.

The Red Duck brewery is near Lake Purrumbete, just east of Camperdown, on the Princess Highway.

The first micro brewery in the south west, Red Duck make a delicious range of beers with lots of seasonal specialties.

You can get Red Duck in Melbourne at the Vic Market and other places, but it is lovely to come to the source and experience the beautiful natural beauty of Lake Purrumbete. They also, occasionally, have 'Live like a brewer' days. You can go in and do all the work of producing a batch of ale. At the end of this unique experience you take home a mixed case of Red Duck beers.

This lovely little store has a range of gourmet products. It is the perfect place to pack a gift hamper. A few favourites are the various types of specialty chocolates, the Murry River Gourmet Salt Flakes and Timboon Ice Cream by the scoop or by the one litre container.

28 Bank Street, Port Fairy, Victoria, 3284.
Ph: 03 5568 1610

This is the place to experience a range of local produce including: cheese, smoked eel, chocolate, honey, ice cream, wine and beer.

Sitting on the sunlit verandah or inside the beautifully restored railway shed, you can dine on a range of light meals or snacks prepared on site.

This winery began brewing its own beer in early 2007 and now offers five varieties on tap. Their label is Prickly Moses and you can choose from the Otway Plisner, Otway wheat beer, Otway Ale, Otway Moses Red Ale and Otway Farmhouse ale.

It is open 7 days from 10am to 5pm. To get there from the Princes Highway, you head south from Colac on the C155 (Lavers Hill Road). Their website recommends you look for the sign to the Otway Fly treetop walk. Otway Estate is at 10-30 Hoveys Road, Barongarook 3249.