Road Trip! Day 9 – Port Fairy – Hearns Beach

February 10, 2015

Australia, Family holidays & travel, Hearns Beach, Port Fairy, Victoria

LetsGoMum

Port Fairy Beach – great for kids

We awoke at Hearns Beach to the sounds of crashing waves this morning, and with a simple turn of the head on the pillow, there they were in unobstructed view – the Southern Ocean in all its glory.

We decided to spend just one more night in the Hearns Beachside Villas (you can read our review of the magnificent Hearns Beach Villas here) – it was too good to leave behind just yet! Plus we wanted to take a leisurely look at Port Fairy, so we drove into the town centre for a look around (just 5 minutes away). We called into the Port Fairy tourist information centre and they were more than helpful, stocking us up with a pile of info brochures and region maps – there is so much to see in Port Fairy!

The Port Fairy riverside is a beautiful place for a walk

Port Fairy isn’t named after fairy folk or goblins, but after a ship (much to the kid’s disappointment). It’s a small but very picturesque fishing village. There’s an inlet river lined with sail boats, walk ways and foot bridges. Many heritage buildings can also be found along the river, as well as all over the town – there are over 50 National Trust heritage buildings in Port Fairy!

Just down the road from the riverfront we found a beautiful sandy surf beach fronting the huge bay – which also happens to host many submerged shipwrecks!

Charlie’s on East café restaurant has great views of the beach

The kids got to play on the beach in front of us for ages too, as it was here at the bay that we visited the surf life saving club café for lunch – “Charlie’s on East”. The food was seriously good there – we ordered a huge steak sandwich, stack of pancakes and toasted sandwiches, and unanimously agreed that they were really extraordinarily delicious! Add in the fact that the view from the café is a stunning beach and bay panorama and you’re onto a winner for that special meal in Port Fairy – don’t miss this restaurant!

The Port Fairy beach is a beautiful place to swim and play

After lunch we just went for a drive simply to view the beautiful stone buildings scattered everywhere. We found a large playground for the kids to play in for a while, and then we drove down the main street and saw a building that looked so old we just had to stop and go in it! It was Victoria’s oldest licenced hotel “The Stump”. Here we snacked on the pub-staples – lemonade and chicken potato chips, and grabbed a nice bottle of Moscarto on the way out – to have when we were sat on the balcony by the ocean later that evening.

“The Stump” – Victoria’s oldest licenced pub – established 1844

We headed back then, not wanting to spend too much time away from our wonderful villa at Hearn’s Beach, and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the balcony whilst the kids played on the sand dunes below.

As the day drew to a close, and we all sat on the balcony and watched something unusual for us Eastern-staters – Port Fairy is geographically situated in a way that you can watch the sun go down “into” the sea. I joked with the girls that they should listen for the hissing sound as the sun hit the sea! It was a beautiful sunset at the end of a lovely day.

Mesmerising – the sun sets into the sea

Today’s route…

You can read our previous Road Trip! daily posts here:

Tomorrow we will be heading inland to Ballarat…we’ll check in with you then!

Have you travelled (or want to) travel to Port Fairy or Hearns Beach with your family? Comment here!

About LetsGoMum

Hi, I'm Barbara, mum of the Let's Go Mum blog. We'd love to hear from you! You can contact me anytime with ideas on where you think we should go or what you think we should try...just drop me a line at barbara@letsgomum.com.au!