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The Hopkins river is the regions major river and starts
just to the east of Ballarat, and also another tributary begins
just to the north of Ararat. From there the river makes its
way through the farmland of Southwest Victoria before entering
the sea at Warrnambool. Mount Emu Creek and Brucknell Creek
both flow into the Hopkins in the southern reaches of the
river. West of Mortlake, Salt Creek and Muston Creek both
join the Hopkins River. The region's major lakes include Lake
Bolac and Lake Burrumbeet.
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Proudfoots boathouse - for some reason which remains
a mystery to me, Proudfoots boathouse seems to features in
most of Warrnambool's advertising and also, its never just
Proudfoots boathouse, its always "historic Proudfoots
boathouse ". I have to admit its old but as far as I
know it doesn't have much to offer in the way of history and
there are quite a number of other more picturesque places
around the city to promote. However sitting on the deck at
Proudfoots on a sunny afternoon enjoying the company of friends
( and a cool drink ) is one of life's little pleasures
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The river mouth. The recently completed
playground and picnic area at the top of Simpson St provides
one of the best views of the river and a very pleasant spot
for a picnic lunch
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| Water Skiing . The river
also is home to the Warrnambool ski and power boat club and
although power boats and fishing are generally not generally
two sports that go together, the river has some well controlled
zones and generally both coexist quite happily. |
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An unusual combination of propulsion in this
little pedal powered boat, which also has some sail assist.
Although judging by the size of the sail I wouldn't think
it would offer much in the way of assistance unless you were
going with the wind
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| Fishing - according to an old fishing
friend on mine the best place to fish is where everyone else
is - a fishing version of betting on the favourite, and judging
by the number of people in this photo ( especially on the opposite
bank) then this is the best fishing spot on the river |
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The Hopkins River bridge
replaced just a few years ago, the new bridge has been built
to resemble the original bridge but that is where the similarity
ends as the old bridge had a load limit so low that they were
considering banning overweight people on bicycles from using
the bridge
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Hopkins river bridge - a better view
of the bridge taken from the coastal walking track. The track
extends from the Warrnambool breakwater along to Hopkins point
and then back to the bridge then across the bridge and on
to the Logans beach whale lookout.
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| The walkways on the bridge are
one of the cities favourite fishing spots and virtually any
hour of day or night you will find someone dangling a line off
the bridge, and the main reason is the people actually catch
fish here. Bream, Mulloway and Estuary Perch are the most common
and because of the easy access anyone can fish from here without
getting their feet wet |
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Grampians
in Bloom
If you are planning a weekend escape then a short spring break
in the Grampians might be the answer - Sunny spring days (
ideal for bushwalking ) and cool nights - curled up in front
of an open fire.
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If that sounds like the sort of spring holiday you would like,
then follow the links to the Grampians
Accommodation Page |
Fletcher
Jones Story
David
Fletcher Jones left school before his 13th birthday and worked
in a small market garden before enlisting in the army and serving
in France during WW1. A shell burst just metres away, left him
severely |
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| injured
and he was told by army doctors that he would never work
again. In spite of his injuries, a scant education and a profound
stammer, went on to become the worlds largest clothing manufacturer.
Now some 40 years after his passing, the Warrnambool manufacturing
facility has gone and factory he built has been sold to a developer
- To find out more about this inspirational man then click the
photo or the link above |
| Apollo
Bay Apollo Bay seems
to have become the new in" place to visit, as seaside towns
close to Melbourne become increasingly crowded and very expensive
over the summer months. |
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| More people
are now looking for a quiet holiday beside the sea and Apollo
bay is becoming the destination of choice for International
and domestic traveler's alike. If you are looking for accommodation
in Apollo Bay then read our Apollo Bay
Accommodation Guide |
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Lake
Pertobe
Mini Golf
open 7 days a week from 10 AM to 4 PM
close to the beach on Pertobe Road Warrnambool
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Port
Campbell one travel writer described
Port Campbell as a windswept village with one pub and a few
take away food places that catered to passing tourists!!
Was he having a bad day or did someone in the town offend him??
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| To find
out more about this historic little coastal township you need
to read our Port Campbell / Peterborough accommodation page
to find out when and where to stay |
| Robe
- a picturesque , historic fishing village
with great beaches in the middle of Australia's premier wine
growing region. It is a little bit off the beaten track which
means that you don't have fight your way through crowds of tourists. |
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| Robe also has great seafood
restaurants, lots of local wineries and loads of history - so
if you are planning a relaxing spring holiday then visit our
Robe Accommodation page |
| Port
Fairy a small historic fishing village
and one of Victoria's earliest settlements. The town has over
50 historically listed buildings and a lot of the town remains
substantially unchanged over the last century |
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| In recent times a lot
of "top end of town" investment money has poured in
the township creating some up market accommodation that has
added to the towns existing motels, B&B's and caravan parks.
So to find out where to stay and how much you will pay then
you should look at out Port Fairy Accommodation
page |
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