Explore Australia

Cottage Crafts Shop: in the old courthouse on High St. District Historical Museum: old railway station and memorabilia; open 3rd Sun each month; Princes Hwy. Lions Walking Track: 4.8 km, beside dry lake beds and majestic old trees; begins behind Civic Centre on High St. Historic buildings: many examples of early-20th-century commercial architecture. A Gothic-style Presbyterian church is in High St.

Demo Dairy: demonstrates dairy-farming practices; Princes Hwy, 4 km W. Lake Keilambete: 2.5 times saltier than the sea and reputed to have therapeutic properties; must obtain permission to visit as it is surrounded by private land; 4 km NW. Modelbarn Australia: collection of model cars, boats and planes; open by appt; 6209 Princes Hwy; (03) 5592 1592 or 0407 052 227; 5 km E. Noorat: birthplace of Alan Marshall, author of I Can Jump Puddles. The Alan Marshall Walking Track here involves a gentle climb to the summit of Mt Noorat, an extinct volcano, with excellent views of the crater, the surrounding district and the Grampians; 6 km N.

Lake Bullen Merri 16 km

Lake Bullen Merri at Camperdown is less than 20 mins drive from Lake Purrumbete. A deep, volcanic lake with saline water, it is stocked with brown and rainbow trout, Atlantic and Chinook salmon, and Australian bass.... Find out more

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Lake Purrumbete 27 km

The bulk of the serious trout-fishing action in Victoria is in the Western District crater lakes. Of these, Lake Purrumbete near Camperdown ranks in the top half a dozen trout lakes in the state in terms quality,... Find out more

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Peterborough 38 km

Peterborough has beach and estuary fishing. The estuary system is Curdies River, a noted bream river with fish to 1.5 kg common. The best place to access the river is upstream at a place called Boggy Creek – a name... Find out more

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Warrnambool 42 km

Warrnambool is a big, tidy city. It’s a great place to take the family for a holiday, particularly if you have fishing on your mind. All forms of angling are available, but the most popular water is the Hopkins... Find out more

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Gellibrand River 55 km

A little further west from Aire River are Castle Cove and Johanna Beach; both produce fishing similar to the beach at Aire River. There is also good beach fishing at Princetown, at the mouth of the Gellibrand River. ... Find out more

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Lake Bolac 57 km

One of my favourite fishing activities after a hot summer day is to wander along the banks of the Barwon River in Geelong, casting lures for redfin. Redfin are feisty, competitive fish that bite readily and taste great.... Find out more

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Port Fairy 62 km

Port Fairy is an unimposing historic seaport between Warrnambool and Portland. While it might come across as a sleepy, seaside resort, Port Fairy always seems to attract exciting piscatorial headlines. During the 1960s... Find out more

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Aire River 79 km

This area comprises estuary, surf and freshwater on the west side of Cape Otway. Aire River nestles in a valley along the foothills of the Otways. To get there, follow the Great Ocean Road past the Cape Otway turn-off,... Find out more

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Apollo Bay 87 km

Apollo Bay has a diversity of angling options, including river, estuary, surf and offshore. You can also fish from the rocks or in the sheltered harbour. Anglers who come here seek everything from brown trout and bream... Find out more

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Lorne 98 km

On the way into Lorne is a popular ledge known as Jump Rock. It consistently produces salmon, silver trevally, barracouta, pinkies and mullet. The drive into Lorne will also take you across the Erskine River, a small... Find out more

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Picnicking at Lake Pertobe Reserve 41 km

Lake Pertobe Reserve on Warrnambool’s foreshore is known as one of the best adventure playgrounds around, with plenty for kids of all ages. There are paddleboats and canoes, a maze and flying fox, free barbecues... Find out more

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Diving and snorkelling - Port Campbell, Peterborough and Warrnambool 43 km

Best known in diving circles for its multitude of shipwrecks, most of which are reached by boat dives, this area also has some great snorkelling and shore dives. Recommended spots include the Port Campbell jetty, Wild... Find out more

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Canoeing on Lake Elizabeth 80 km

For a fantastic dawn or dusk paddle in which you have a 95 per cent chance of seeing a platypus, join Otway Eco Tours on Lake Elizabeth. Half-day trips to this remote lake in the ranges depart from the small hamlet of... Find out more

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Sea-kayaking in Marengo Marine Sanctuary 88 km

In an exciting two-hour guided paddle, head out from Apollo Bay to Marengo Marine Sanctuary to get a close-up view of an Australian fur-seal colony. The seals often come out to swim around the kayaks.... Find out more

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Mount Eccles National Park 89 km

At Mount Eccles you can walk for 2 kilometres around the rim of a volcanic crater then descend for a swim in the lake at its heart. It is a great spot for a picnic, with koalas and kangaroos, and the camping facilities... Find out more

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Golden Nugget Discovery Tours, Ballarat 112 km

This carbon-neutral business in Ballarat runs small, personalised tours of no more than six people in the Goldfields region, with three themes – wild nature, gold history and heritage, and food and wine.... Find out more

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Grampians National Park 118 km

There are many, many reasons to go to this remarkable 1680-square-kilometre national park: its spectacular spring wildflowers, its dramatic cliffs and sandstone features, its bushwalking, the stunning views from its... Find out more

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Brisbane Ranges National Park 122 km

With a vibrant koala population, this relatively small national park only 80 kilometres west of Melbourne has picnic areas, walking tracks through rocky gorges and a basic camping area.... Find out more

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Indigenous tours, Grampians National Park 125 km

Brambuk, the Grampians National Park and Cultural Centre, houses an Aboriginal cultural centre explaining much of the history and stories associated with the area. There is also a bushfoods cafe, where you can try emu,... Find out more

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Marine Discovery Centre, Queenscliff 152 km

Primarily set up to educate school children about the marine environment, this government-run facility also has an interesting holiday program and an interactive aquarium and touch tanks. Holiday activities include... Find out more

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Port Fairy Golf Club 57 km

An endearing quality of the great links layouts of Britain and Ireland is their natural setting. Wild, windswept holes rolling between sand dunes that have stood tall for centuries are the norm. The links of Port... Find out more

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The Sands, Torquay 125 km

Sands by name . . . Sands by nature. It doesn’t take long to figure out the overwhelming feature of a round at Torquay. Standing on the 1st tee of this Stuart Applebydesigned layout, a blanket of white is... Find out more

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Thirteenth Beach Golf Links (Beach Course) 134 km

After all the accolades Tony Cashmore received for his design work at The Dunes, on the Mornington Peninsula, he must have felt some pressure to produce an equally fine layout when it came time for his next project:... Find out more

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Thirteenth Beach Golf Links (Creek Course) 135 km

Sir Nick Faldo won six major titles, playing himself into winning positions on the back of strong shot-making, a trait that is highly prized on the courses he now designs. The Creek course at Thirteenth Beach, created... Find out more

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Barwon Heads Golf Club 137 km

From the moment you pull up at the car park in front of the Barwon Heads clubhouse, it is as if you have travelled back in time to a more genteel era. The old-world charm is present not only in the architecture of the... Find out more

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Eynesbury Golf Club 152 km

Some golf courses, Graham Marsh believes, are created not with strategy in mind, but simply with the aim of penalising bad shots. ‘We are pitching golf at a level that is just too difficult,’ he says.... Find out more

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Portsea Golf Club 156 km

Portsea Golf Club has long been regarded one of the best-kept secrets on the Mornington Peninsula. Although it is a private club, the public is welcome at most times to experience this visually striking layout across... Find out more

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Sanctuary Lakes Resort 166 km

Greg Norman stood on the balcony of a second-storey building in the late 1990s and surveyed the vast plain of salty wasteland before him. Beside him was Bob Harrison, chief course architect of Greg Norman Golf Design.... Find out more

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The Dunes Golf Links 167 km

If you are looking for true links golf in the tradition of the great courses of Scotland and Ireland, you can satisfy your desires here. The Dunes has become one of the most popular courses on the golf-rich Mornington... Find out more

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Moonah Links (Open course) 170 km

When Australian golf’s governing body decided in 1998 to shift its operations to a custom-built facility on some Mornington Peninsula farmland, many golfers reckoned it an ambitious move. But the Australian Golf... Find out more

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Purrumbete Brewing Company (Red Duck) 27 km

Scott and Vanessa Wilson-Browne are another couple of ‘ale changers’ who swapped busy Melbourne careers to move to the country, bring up their young family, and brew and market craft ales. Along the way, they... Find out more

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Flying Horse Brewery 38 km

Whales and ales are now the twin attractions for the pretty seaside Victorian city of Warrnambool, following the development of the sprawling Flying Horse Bar & Brewery complex by joint owners Matt Monk, Matt Stewart... Find out more

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Otway Estate Brewery 61 km

Located 12 kilometres from Colac, Otway Estate Winery was established in 1983, specialising in cool-climate wines; a microbrewery was added in 2007. Head brewer Luke Scott oversees the production of up to 15 different... Find out more

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Holgate Brewhouse 172 km

Paul and Natasha Holgate have travelled a decidedly different path to most other craft-brewery operators over the past decade or so. They started brewing ales from a shed adjacent to their family home in Woodend in the... Find out more

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Red Hill Brewery 184 km

Becoming hop farmers wasn’t part of their business plan when David and Karen Golding first applied to develop a microbrewery and cafe from their Mornington Peninsula property. Ultimately, though, they were advised... Find out more

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Foster's Group (Abbotsford Brewery) 189 km

Re-branded as the Foster’s Group in the 21st century, Carlton & United Breweries was formed in 1907 through an amalgamation of the city’s six largest beer-makers: McCrackens City Brewery, Victoria... Find out more

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Mountain Goat Brewery 190 km

Kicking off in 1997, home-brewer Dave Bonighton and music industry booking agent Cam Hines proved that two good mates can start a successful microbrewery with no money, but with unlimited enthusiasm, dogged perseverance... Find out more

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2 Brothers Brewery 191 km

A microbrewery is not exactly what you might expect to find tucked away among panel-beaters and sheet-metal fabricators in the industrial estates of Moorabbin, 20 minutes south-east of Melbourne. While the location may... Find out more

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3 Ravens Brewing Company 193 km

This microbrewery began operating from the basement of the successful Thornbury-based engineering company Zetkin and has proved to be an interesting diversion or sideline for the principal business. Some of the company... Find out more

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Matilda Bay Garage Brewery 201 km

Previously operating as the Stockade Brewery, this South Dandenong-based microbrewery was acquired by the Foster’s-owned Matilda Bay Brewing in 2004 and re-badged as their ‘garage’ brewery. Then head... Find out more

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Camperdown Lakes and Craters Holiday Park 17 km

This scenic park is wedged between a pair of extinct volcano craters. Part of one crater has been flooded by Lake Bullen Merri, which is perfect for watersports such as sailing, waterskiing and swimming. The scenery is... Find out more

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Lake Purrumbete Caravan Park 27 km

Lake Purrumbete is a prime destination for anglers chasing chinook salmon and rainbow and brown trout, as attested to by the heavy-duty boat ramps and jetties at the caravan park. The park is on the foreshore at the... Find out more

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Warrnambool Holiday Park 39 km

Filled with amenities, this holiday park is situated 2 km east of the centre of Warrnambool, on the corner of Raglan Parade and Simpson Street. Within its confines you’ll find a reasonable number of sites shaded by... Find out more

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Great Ocean Road Tourist Park 41 km

Situated at Peterborough on the Great Ocean Road, 12 km west of Port Campbell and within easy reach of the Twelve Apostles, is the Great Ocean Road Tourist Park. It’s next to the becalmed Curdies Inlet, which... Find out more

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Surfside Holiday Park 42 km

Across the road from this campground is a huge family-friendly park, centred on a lake and festooned with playgrounds. Nearby is the Merri River, beyond which you’ll find the enticing sheltered waters of Stingray... Find out more

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Port Campbell Holiday Park 42 km

It’s only a short drive from Port Campbell east down the Great Ocean Rd to the landmark Twelve Apostles, a spectacular but slowly diminishing offshore grouping of limestone towers sculpted over countless centuries... Find out more

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Princetown Recreation Reserve 54 km

This campground has its fair share of peace and quiet, but the main reason for staying near Princetown is the fact that the beautiful Twelve Apostles are only a few minutes to the west of the tiny settlement by car.... Find out more

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Killarney Beach Camping Reserve 55 km

Killarney Beach has grassy, sheltered campsites. There’s safe swimming here, while the surrounding rural region is notable for its peacefulness. A short drive east is Tower Hill Reserve, a shallow crater of an... Find out more

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Lake Bolac Caravan Park 58 km

Located 100 km west of Ballarat, Lake Bolac is popular with watersports enthusiasts when the water level is deep enough. The caravan park is situated on the lake foreshore on Frontage Rd, accessed off the Glenelg Hwy.... Find out more

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Lake Colac Caravan Park 60 km

When its water levels are high, the namesake body of water next to the town of Colac, 73 km west of Geelong on the Princes Hwy, is used for all manner of watersports: from swimming and sailing to waterskiing. The caravan... Find out more

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Camperdown Lakes and Craters Holiday Park 17 km

Perched on the rim of a crater lake high above Camperdown and adjoining the botanical gardens, this park has a fabulous outlook. It offers basic facilities at a budget price. Bookings are required at Christmas and... Find out more

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Great Ocean Road Tourist Park 41 km

Situated just off the Great Ocean Road at the mouth of the Curdies River, this park is popular with those keen on fishing. It is just a short walk from the centre of town and the beach and has good facilities. Bookings... Find out more

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Fig Tree Holiday Village 41 km

Centrally located about 600 metres from main shopping precinct, this is a very good quality and good value park in a quiet off-highway position. It has a heated indoor pool and a tennis court but cannot fit big rigs.... Find out more

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Surfside Holiday Park – Warrnambool 42 km

This is a large, very good-quality council-owned park right on the beachfront. Great for a family beachside holiday, the park has good facilities and is just 1 km from the city centre and close to Flagstaff Hill.... Find out more

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Port Campbell Holiday Park 42 km

This park is in a scenic location close to the centre of town and adjoining the beach. It is privately managed but forms part of the national park. Bookings are required in peak periods and a minimum-length stay applies... Find out more

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Discovery Holiday Parks – Warrnambool 43 km

Across the road from the beach, this wellkept park is ideal for a holiday or just a few days away. With its excellent facilities, including a popular undercover camp kitchen and a movie room, the park can be busy.... Find out more

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Port Fairy Gardens Caravan Park 61 km

This is a large council-owned park about 5 minutes’ walk from the town centre and just 200 metres from the beach, with level grassy sites, good amenities and a tennis court. Bookings are required at Christmas,... Find out more

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Belfast Cove Caravan Park 62 km

This is a lovely boutique park with magnificent gardens. It has very good facilities including a tennis court and a boat parking area. Bookings are required at Christmas, Easter and long weekends, with a minimum-stay... Find out more

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BIG4 Port Fairy Anchorage Holiday Park 62 km

This quality, owner-operated park has large shade trees and informal grassy sites, and is conveniently located alongside the Princes Highway just 1.5 km from the town centre. The park has very good amenities including... Find out more

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Pisces Holiday Park 86 km

With a range of accommodation and a great outlook, this quality park is on a rise overlooking the sea. It is 1.5 km to the town centre and only a short stroll to the beach. Bookings are required in peak periods, with a... Find out more

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Cape Otway Centre for Conservation Ecology 83 km

There are not many better-thought-out ecotourism ventures than this superb multi-award-winning facility on Cape Otway. It has its own 66-hectare wildlife refuge and doubles as a shelter for injured and orphaned wildlife,... Find out more

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Apollo Bay Youth Hostel 87 km

This relatively new hostel was built with an eco-friendly design, including thermal storage banks and other passive solar heating and cooling. It also has solar hot water, rainwater tanks, a worm farm, drought-tolerant... Find out more

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Grampians Eco YHA 128 km

At this eco-hostel you sleep under roof tiles that are actually solar panels. Any extra power generated is fed back to the electricity grid. The passive solar building, featuring rammed earth walls, also has solar... Find out more

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Alto Hotel on Bourke 185 km

Although it is not doing anything radical, this plush hotel on Bourke Street is one of the most ecologically aware in Melbourne, and should be commended for its power-saving measures, garbage sorting, supply of... Find out more

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MillDuck, Harcourt North 189 km

This strawbale house won a Most Energy Efficient Home award (North West Region) when it was built. More than 1000 trees have been planted on the property since it was purchased, and it is now an alpaca stud. The B&B,... Find out more

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Pomponderoo Bush Retreat, Dimboola 211 km

With solar power, rainwater tanks and tree planting to offset carbon emissions, these three self-contained timber cabins are a great accommodation option near the north-eastern edge of Little Desert National Park.... Find out more

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Little Desert Nature Lodge, Nhill 227 km

Set on 117 hectares of bushland beside Little Desert National Park, the lodge has 24 rooms with ensuite bathrooms, or 16 bunkrooms with shared facilities. By staying here, you are helping support projects such as the... Find out more

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Mortlake Park Area 20 km

Middle of town Small parking area adjacent to the highway. GPS: S38 04.836 E142 48.541  ... Find out more

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Peterborough Park Area 41 km

Middle of town Parking area on the foreshore just off the highway. Good facilities. GPS: S38 36.25 E142 52.45   ... Find out more

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Deep Lake Camp Area 41 km

T/O at Derrinallum Large grassed area around trees of the edge of the lake 4 kilometres north of the highway. GPS: S37 55.887 E143 10.611... Find out more

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Derrinallum Park Area 42 km

East end of town Parking area adjacent to the highway. GPS: S37 56.874 E143 13.442... Find out more

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Lake Tooliorook Camp Area 43 km

T/O 98 km W of Geelong (L) or 51 km E of Mortlake (R) Large grassed area around trees on the edge of the lake 5 kilometres south of Lismore. Good facilities and shade. GPS: S37 58.653 E143 17.079... Find out more

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Lismore Park Area 49 km

Middle of town Parking area adjacent to the highway. GPS: S37 57.230 E143 20.596... Find out more

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Twelve Apostles Park Area 49 km

86 km W of Apollo Bay (R) or 10 km E of Port Campbell (L) Large parking area just off the highway area at the interpretive centre near the lookout. GPS: S38 39.41 E143 06.19... Find out more

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Killarney Beach Camp Area 55 km

T/O at Killarney Small grassy campground located 2 kilometres east of the highway behind the dunes at the beach. GPS: S38 21.17 E142 18.27  ... Find out more

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East Beach Camp Area 58 km

T/O 3 km E of Lake Bolac (R) or 48 km W of Skipton (L) Large camp area located 3 kilometres south of the highway on the shores of the lake. GPS: S37 43.275 E142 52.706... Find out more

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Picnic Point Camp Area 58 km

T/O at Lake Bolac township Small campground on the shores of the lake 2 kilometres south-east of the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 43.266 E142 51.081 ... Find out more

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Colac Park Area 60 km

Middle of town Small parking area just off the highway. Good facilities and shade. GPS: S38 20.16 E143 35.41 ... Find out more

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Fishermans Point Camp Area 60 km

T/O 3 km E of Lake Bolac (R) or 48 km W of Skipton (L) Large area 500 metres south of the highway on the shores of the lake. Limited shade. GPS: S37 42.127 E142 52.386... Find out more

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Lake Bolac Rest Area 60 km

2 km E of Lake Bolac (R) or 49 km W of Skipton (L) Large area just off the highway under some tall trees on the shores of the lake. Limited shade. GPS: S37 41.977 E142 51.755... Find out more

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Wickliffe Park Area 63 km

Middle of town Parking area adjacent to the highway. Good facilities. GPS: S37 41.446 E142 43.381... Find out more

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Penshurst Park Area 69 km

Middle of town Parking area just off the highway adjacent to the caravan park. Good facilities and shade. GPS: S37 52.438 E142 17.509... Find out more

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Johanna Beach Camp Area 70 km

T/O 38 km W of Apollo Bay (L) or 57 km E of Port Campbell (R) Large open grassed area near the beach 5 kilometres south of the highway via Red Johanna Road in Otway National Park. GPS: S38 45.43 E143 22.45  ... Find out more

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Nine Mile Creek Rest Area 77 km

41 km E of Hamilton (R) or 33 km W of Lake Bolac (L) Small area just off the highway under some large trees. GPS: S37 38.141 E142 28.953... Find out more

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Winchelsea Park Area 79 km

On the riverbank Large grassed area just off the highway. Very good shade and facilities. GPS: S38 14.19 E143 49.18 ... Find out more

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Aire River West Camp Area 79 km

T/O 24 km W of Apollo Bay (L) or 71 km E of Port Campbell (R) Open area located over the bridge 1 kilometre past Aire River East campground in Otway National Park. GPS: S38 48.06 E143 28.39 ... Find out more

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Aire River East Camp Area 79 km

T/O 24 km W of Apollo Bay (L) or 71 km E of Port Campbell (R) Large area among trees 5.5 kilometres south of the highway via Hordern Vale Road in Otway National Park. Limited shade. GPS: S38 47.59 E143 28.56 ... Find out more

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Apollo Bay Park Area 87 km

Adjacent the information centre Small town park on the foreshore. Good facilities. GPS: S38 45.19 E143 40.10  ... Find out more

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Woady Yaloak Creek Rest Area 89 km

26 km E of Skipton (L) or 6 km W of Smythesdale (R) Large secluded area surrounded by scrub just off the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 40.692 E143 38.337 ... Find out more

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Lake Surprise Camp Area 90 km

T/O at Port Fairy Large campground located 48 kilometres north of the highway (9 kilometres east of Macarthur) in a pleasant open forest setting near Lake Surprise in Mount Eccles National Park. Good facilities and... Find out more

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Smythesdale Park Area 95 km

East side of town Secluded town park situated among numerous trees well off the highway via Gardens Street. Good facilities and shade. NOTE: Camping available for a fee. GPS: S37 38.372 E143 41.141... Find out more

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Lorne Park Area 98 km

East side of town Small town park on the foreshore off the highway. Good facilities. Limited shade. GPS: S38 31.51 E143 58.48 ... Find out more

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Leigh River Rest Area 101 km

27 km W of Geelong (R) or 122 km E of Mortlake (L) Large grassed area just off the highway. Good shade. GPS: S38 05.945 E144 03.855  ... Find out more

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Fitzroy River Rest Area 101 km

35 km SE of Heywood (R) or 48 km W of Port Fairy (L) Large area just off the highway near the river. Limited shade. GPS: S38 13.15 E141 45.48 ... Find out more

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Mount Langi Ghiran Rest Area 102 km

17 km E of Ararat (L) or 27 km W of Beaufort (R) Large area adjacent to the highway. Good shade. GPS: S37 20.14 E143 06.09 ... Find out more

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Middle Creek Camp Area 105 km

T/O 32 km SE of Ararat (L) or 12 km NW of Beaufort (R) Large camp area located 8 kilometres north of the highway. Good facilities and shade in an open forest setting in Mt Buangor State Park. NOTE: Access road... Find out more

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Greenhill Lake Camp Area 105 km

4 km E of Ararat (L) or 40 km W of Beaufort (R) Large grassed area just off the highway on the shores of the lake. Good facilities and limited shade. GPS: S37 17.53 E142 58.52 ... Find out more

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