Enticed by a good deal at the caravan park we've stayed at before in Port Fairy, we headed down for long weekend - this is becoming something of a (welcome) annual event!
It was an inauspicious start on Saturday morning as we left home at 8am under dark skies and steady rain. We opted for the main road down through Colac to make it to Warrnambool before 11am to see Petal playing in a netball competition at the Friendly Societies park. We made it with ten minutes to spare and thankfully it had essentially dried up by then. Joan and Al were also there and it was good to see Petal in action, despite her team suffering a heavy defeat. Heading off from Warrnambool at about 12.15, Joan and Al made their way to Portland for the weekend while we completed our trip to Port Fairy in under half an hour. Our cabin at the Gardens Caravan Park was ready so we could head straight in and unpack. Thankfully it was fine in Port Fairy so, after a bite to eat, we walked into town for a coffee at Bank St + Co, then grabbed a few supplies at the handy IGA supermarket. A long walk along East beach took us back to the cabin and we chilled out there for the rest of the day, tired after the early start and long drive.
Sunday dawned clear and sunny so we made the most of the mild start with a walk along East beach (which seems to be Lola's favourite beach!) and into town. The new Pelicans coffee and chocolate shop served up a fine oat latte before we enjoyed a walk along the wharf area. After popping back to our cabin for lunch, we headed back into town to meet Joan and Al, who decided to break their trip home from Portland with a night in Port Fairy, staying in a cabin at the same caravan park as us. After catching up with them in town, another Pelicans coffee did the job before we wandered back to the caravan park to help them check-in and unpack. A walk together along East beach rounded out the day before we shared dinner with Joan and Al in our cabin.
It was another fine and mild start on Monday so we made sure to get a walk in along East beach at low tide with Joan and Al before they headed home. Walking into town, we returned to Port Fairy Coffee Roasters after great coffees there during previous visits and it was great to see this "locals' favourite" doing great trade and serving up excellent coffee. From there, we walked through the pretty Russell Clark Reserve out to Southcombe Beach. We hadn't visited this beach before but it was another big hit with Lola, who loved the little pools in the sand and copied another dog who was digging more of them! From there, we walked back through town to our cabin for lunch. We then decided to head a bit further afield, with the short drive inland to the Irish settlement town of Koroit, wandering along its long main street and checking out its historic train station. As clouds moved in, we drove back to Port Fairy, taking in the beachside drive from the far end of town back into the main street to pick up supplies from the IGA as well as a late afternoon coffee from Rebecca's. Returning to our cabin, Lola could only manage a short walk on East beach before we called it a day.
Our last morning in Port Fairy, Tuesday dawned sunny, clear and mild. After packing up and checking out at about 9.30, we parked over at East beach and walked along it, then back into town for a coffee at Port Fairy Coffee Roasters again. Heading back to the car, we hit the road at about 11.30, making it as far as Lismore before stopping for a quick picnic lunch. Fueled up, we drove on as far as Leopold to pop into Joan and Al's, where Kath and Leonie were visiting, so it was good to catch up with them before we completed our trip with the short drive home from there by about 5pm.
We had a very relaxing and enjoyable time in Port Fairy, as always. This delightful little town is very welcoming and the great value dog-friendly cabin accommodation at the lovely caravan park makes it a perfect spot for a long weekend. The amazing fine and mild weather was a bonus!