Sand + Salt

From unspoiled beaches to incredible fishing spots, Warrnambool is perfect for those who love the great outdoors.

If you love the beach, the Southern Ocean is only a 4-minute wander from Bluey’s front door! Head across the dunes and coastal heathlands and you will arrive at Granny’s grave beach - a popular surf break and a great place for fossicking for seashells and other marine treasures.  

Snorkelling the reef in the Merri Marine Sanctuary next to Middle Island is one of our favourite things to do with huge schools of zebrafish, wrasse and sweep always happy to greet you, or maybe take a quick dive below the surface to observe crayfish and abalone in their natural habitat (the sanctuary area is strictly a no-take zone). Or, if you’re wanting more of a thrill, follow the teenagers to the end of Warrnambool’s breakwater and jump into the sheltered Bay from a great height.

Just down the road from Bluey are the sheltered estuary waters of the Hopkins River which is a brilliant spot for stand-up paddleboarding (our favourite), kayaking, skiing, and most other water sports. For those who like to wet a line, fishing options are plentiful with the almost endless ocean (snapper, whiting), estuary (bream, estuary perch) and freshwater (trout, redfin) options to explore. 

Wander

Those who love to walk will be rewarded with an abundance of unforgettable tracks and unspoiled views.

Follow one of the many tracks over the dunes and you will come across the wonderful promenade that follows the edge of Lady Bay from the Hopkins River mouth (Moyjil) to the east and the Warrnambool breakwater to the west. In the winter and spring Southern Right whales and their calves can be seen cruising and playing just outside the surf break next to the promenade. At sunrise and sunset, the view can be breathtaking.

Turn right and follow the path toward the breakwater and be rewarded with great coffee, food and wine, or turn left and walk to the historically-significant Moyjil (Point Ritchie) where you can gaze out over an ancient limestone reef overlooking the mighty Southern Ocean. For thousands of years Aboriginal people visited the area to gather food including eels from the Hopkins River and shellfish from the ocean. Remarkably, ancient shell deposits that were recently found at the Moyjil site have suggested Aboriginal people may have occupied this site as much as 80,000 years ago, which if proven, would make it the oldest human site in Australia and potentially rewrite the history of human migration to this country!

Explore

From galleries to geological formations, there’s plenty to do in and around Warrnambool.

If you feel like exploring the area, Bluey is a perfect base to access local attractions including Port Fairy, Tower Hill, Thunder Point and many stunning southern coast beaches and hikes that this region has to offer. The local art gallery (WAG) punches well above its weight for a regional gallery and several locally-produced artworks adorn the walls of Bluey.

Warrnambool is renowned for its spring and winter whale watching and Logan’s beach has a dedicated whale watching platform.

These are a few of our favourite things…

Need more ideas? here are some of the things we love to do when we visit Bluey House.

• Go for a walk or run along the promenade

• Hunt for vintage finds at the Fletcher Jones market (we found a lot here for Bluey!)

• Have a coffee at Rough Diamond

• Go for a night walk at Tower Hill – take your torch and spot a koala!

• Rugging up when it’s cold and walking along the beach

• Jump off the Breakwater Pier

• Have brunch at Pavilion Café

• Beach comb at Shelley beach (the walk there from Thunder Point is amazing).

• Be a big kid on the flying fox at Lake Pertobe play groung

• Do the Op Shop loop (Warrnambool Op Shops are the best!).

• Visit the Art Gallery

• Visit F project (art precinct)

• Try to spot the Maremma dogs on Middle Island

• Join a cultural tour at Tower Hill

• Visit one of the great Ice Cream shops!

• Have a wine at Frolic lane and admire the wallpaper

• Enjoy some tapas at the Hairy Goat

• Have some delicious down to earth food at Images Restaurant

• Boogie boarding at the beach

• Spot a whale at Logan’s beach!

• Cheeeessseeeeeworld!

• We love the Fresh Market too (1st and 3rd Sundays of the month)