Photographing Port Fairy

About Port Fairy

Port Fairy is a picturesque historic fishing village on Victoria's south-west coast, approximately 25 kilometres west of Warrnambool. It lies near the western end of the Great Ocean Road and is one of the most photogenic small towns along Victoria's coastline.

Originally known as Belfast, Port Fairy developed as an important nineteenth-century fishing, whaling and trading port. Today much of that history remains visible in its bluestone buildings, nineteenth-century cottages, old churches, wharves and maritime structures. Visit Victoria describes it as the last destination on the Shipwreck Coast and highlights its nineteenth-century cottages, stone churches and maritime character.

For photographers, Port Fairy's great advantage is its variety. Within a few kilometres you can photograph the Griffiths Island Lighthouse, fishing boats on the Moyne River, historic streetscapes, beaches, rock pools, waves, seabirds and wildlife.

The town is also small enough that many of its best photographic locations can be reached on foot.

Viewpoints

Unfortunately for us, when we visited the road to Griffiths Island was closed for roadworks. This meant some of the best photographic locations were not available to us.

1. Griffiths Island Lighthouse

This is the must-photograph location in Port Fairy.

Griffiths Island lies at the mouth of the Moyne River and is reached by a pedestrian causeway. A walking track leads through coastal vegetation to the lighthouse at the eastern end of the island.

The lighthouse was built in 1859 from local bluestone and remains operational.

Best for: lighthouse landscapes, sunrise, seascapes, wildlife and bird photography.

Best light: sunrise.

The official Great Ocean Road tourism site specifically recommends an early-morning visit for sunrise. The lighthouse is approximately a 20-minute walk from the Martin's Point car park.

Photography tip: Don't arrive at sunrise. Allow at least 30–40 minutes before sunrise so you have time to walk to the lighthouse and select a composition while there is still colour in the sky.

A 16–35 mm or 24–70 mm lens works particularly well. A longer lens can produce attractive compressed compositions of the lighthouse from East Beach.

Approximate lighthouse GPS: -38.3909, 142.2543.

2. Moyne River and Fisherman's Wharf

The Moyne River is one of Port Fairy's strongest photographic subjects.

Fishing boats, yachts, jetties, reflections and historic buildings provide numerous compositions along the river. The Fisherman's Wharf area is particularly attractive, and the pedestrian bridge provides elevated views along the river.

Best for: fishing boats, reflections, maritime details, sunrise and blue-hour photography.

Best light: early morning.

On a still morning, the boats reflected in the Moyne can produce some of the best photographs in Port Fairy.

A 24–70 mm is probably the most useful lens, although a telephoto is excellent for isolating individual boats and details.

3. Griffiths Island Causeway and Moyne River Mouth

The area around Martin's Point where the Moyne River enters the sea provides several good compositions.

From here you can photograph:

1. boats entering and leaving the river
2. Griffiths Island
3. the river mouth
4. coastal vegetation
5. East Beach
6. sunrise over Port Fairy Bay.

This is also the starting point for the Griffiths Island walk.

4. East Beach

East Beach forms a long sweeping arc on the eastern side of Port Fairy. From its southern end there are excellent views towards Griffiths Island and its lighthouse.

Best for: sunrise, reflections, minimalist seascapes, waves and distant lighthouse compositions.

Best light: sunrise and early morning.

A particularly effective composition is to use a 70–200 mm or longer lens to compress the lighthouse against the sea and sky.

After rain or around low tide, look for reflections in the wet sand.

5. Pea Soup Beach / South Beach

Pea Soup is very different from East Beach.

Basalt reefs offshore shelter a series of small coves, producing lagoons, rock pools and rocky foregrounds. At low tide the reefs provide numerous opportunities for foreground interest.

Best for: sunsets, rock pools, long exposures, reflections and intimate coastal landscapes.

Best light: late afternoon and sunset.

This is one of my preferred Port Fairy locations for wide-angle landscape photography.

Try a 16–35 mm lens with the tripod positioned relatively low, using rocks and pools as foreground elements leading towards the sunset.

6. Battery Hill

Battery Hill sits above the southern side of the Moyne River and contains remnants of Port Fairy's nineteenth-century coastal defences.

It provides views across the river and towards the ocean.

Best for: maritime history, cannons, river views and broader Port Fairy landscapes.

It is particularly useful if you want photographs that explain Port Fairy's historical character rather than purely scenic landscapes.

7. Port Fairy Historic Precinct

Don't overlook the town itself.

Port Fairy has an unusually large collection of historic buildings, cottages, churches and commercial buildings.

Good streets for wandering with a camera include:

Sackville Street, Bank Street, Cox Street, Gipps Street and William Street.

Look for:

1. bluestone buildings
2. old cottages
3. churches
4. verandahs
5. heritage shopfronts
6. old stone walls
7. mature Norfolk Island pines.

Best light: early morning or late afternoon.

An overcast day can actually be preferable for architectural photography because it eliminates harsh shadows.

8. Port Fairy Wharf at Blue Hour

Return to the Moyne River 20–30 minutes after sunset.

Artificial lights begin appearing around the wharf while sufficient blue remains in the sky to balance them.

With calm conditions this can produce beautiful reflections.

A tripod and exposures of several seconds can transform an otherwise ordinary harbour scene.

9. Griffiths Island Wildlife

Griffiths Island isn't just a lighthouse location.

The 37-hectare island contains coastal scrub and grassland and supports wildlife including swamp wallabies. It is also an important breeding site for short-tailed shearwaters, traditionally called mutton-birds.

The birds are particularly interesting between September and April.

Carry a 100–500 mm or similar telephoto if wildlife photography is important to you.

Stay on the designated tracks and avoid approaching nesting birds.

How I photographed Port Fairy

What I took - what was in my kit

I took my LowePro Backpack loaded with Canon 5DMkII body, Canon 24-105mm zoom, Manfrotto 190 Tripod, and of course a range of lens wipes, spare batteries, sunscreen and bug repellant. I tended to shoot 28-55mm

Techniques

TBD

Other things to look out for

Port Fairy makes an excellent base for exploring the surrounding coast. All of the following are approximately within an hour's drive.

The Crags — approximately 15 minutes

Highly recommended for photographers.

About 12 kilometres west of Port Fairy, The Crags is a rugged coastal reserve containing cliffs, rocky islands and dramatic Southern Ocean views.

From the lookout there are views towards Deen Maar (Lady Julia Percy Island) offshore. The official tourism information specifically recommends The Crags for sunrise.

Address: 241 Crags Road, Yambuk.

Best for: sunrise, stormy seas, telephoto landscapes and dramatic coastal photography.

Killarney Beach — approximately 10–15 minutes

Killarney is a quieter coastal location between Port Fairy and Warrnambool.

Offshore reefs create interesting shapes and can provide excellent foreground elements.

Best for: minimalist seascapes, long exposures, sunrise/sunset and reflections.

Because it receives far fewer visitors than Port Fairy's main beaches, it can be particularly good for uncluttered landscape photography.

Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve — approximately 15–20 minutes

Tower Hill should be near the top of the list for anyone interested in wildlife photography.

The reserve occupies an extinct volcanic crater and provides opportunities to photograph:

koalas, emus, kangaroos, wallabies and numerous bird species.

Tower Hill is accessed directly from the Princes Highway.

Best time: early morning and late afternoon.

Recommended lens: 100–500 mm or similar.

Take a wide-angle lens as well—the volcanic landscape itself is worth photographing.

Warrnambool — approximately 25–30 minutes

Warrnambool provides numerous additional photographic opportunities, particularly:

Thunder Point, Stingray Bay, Middle Island, Warrnambool Breakwater, Hopkins River Mouth and Logans Beach.

During winter, Logans Beach is particularly important for Southern Right Whale photography.

Yambuk — approximately 20 minutes

The Yambuk district provides wetlands, dunes, farmland and coastal landscapes.

The famous Yambuk Slide descends a large sand dune near Yambuk Lake and can make an unusual photographic subject.

The lake itself is worth investigating around sunrise when conditions are calm.

Deen Maar / Lady Julia Percy Island

You won't drive onto this one—it lies offshore—but it frequently appears in photographs from The Crags and the coast west of Port Fairy.

The island provides an excellent distant focal point when photographing sunsets and coastal landscapes with a telephoto lens.

Budj Bim Cultural Landscape — approximately 45–60 minutes

For a completely different photographic and cultural experience, head north-west into the Budj Bim landscape.

This volcanic country is of enormous cultural importance to the Gunditjmara people and is very different from Port Fairy's coastline.

If visiting culturally significant areas, use designated visitor areas and follow any photography restrictions or guidance provided by Traditional Owners.

Location

Port Fairy & Region Visitor Information Centre

Address:

4 Bank Street / Railway Place

Port Fairy VIC 3284

Australia

Port Fairy town centre GPS: approximately

-38.3855, 142.2367

Griffiths Island Lighthouse:

-38.3909, 142.2543