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    The Hopkins River
      



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.

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

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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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





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.

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
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.
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

Lake Pertobe
Mini Golf

open 7 days a week from 10 AM to 4 PM

close to the beach on Pertobe Road Warrnambool

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??
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.
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
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