We have now moved a little further west from Warrnambool to Port Fairy. Our travel plans had not involved stopping here but such was the exhausting 30 km drive down from Warrnambool that we felt we had to stop under the gigantic Norfolk Pines beside the Moyne River for a couple of nights. Port Fairy is a very pleasant town, retaining a village atmosphere and streetscapes from the 1800s.  The fishing boat port is picturesque with the buildings along it residential rather than representative of an 1800s commercial port. It’s also very chilly here and the weather has turned a bit on us. Rain at night and cloudy, windy mornings. Generally though the sun has come out as the afternoon progresses.

Camp beside the Moyne River.

House beside the port.

Fishing wharf on the Moyne River

Griffiths Island masks the entrance to the Moyne River and is a haven for the Mutton Bird, the island is covered by nesting Mutton Birds, Shearwaters to the purist. It is a real maze of places where one can not walk because of these birds and their nesting habits in burrows beneath the vegetation!  A walking track does go around the island and reveals some beautiful coastal scenery. The Port Fairy Lighthouse is a highlight of a visit to this town, standing near the entrance to the river.

Griffiths Island walk

Allthego stumbled over a fur seal cub, unfortunately it did not look too well. we later learned that it may have been recently weaned and may have survived.

Port Fairy Lighthouse on Griffith Island.

Numerous 1800s buildings remain. Unlike Warrnambool, the whole town has that ‘sea change’ appearance. The new seeming to seep into the old rather than having to overcome the resistance of the past.  A recent tele movie “The Broken Shore ‘ was made around Port Fairy and it is described as a ‘atmospheric, character driven piece, quite dark and mysterious’. A crime plot but mixed with near town rivalries and ‘fractured lives coming together’. The house that features in the movie is on the outskirts of the town, near the links style golf course. It is like one of those manors on the Scottish coast cloaked in the weather of the moment and would add an eerie atmosphere to the movie.  Must track down a dvd of this movie!

The ‘Broken Shore’ farm house.

The Caledonian Inn est 1844, claimed to be the oldest licensed hotel in Victoria.

Streetscape, 1800s homes

We next head further west to Portland, the founding town of Victoria. The weather appears to be on the improve, with the savage westerly abating!