Hinterland
The Surf Coast’s rich and varied hinterland contains a swag of interesting towns and villages with fascinating pioneering histories. The area is well-known for its agricultural production, including dairy, various crops, sheep, poultry, pigs, cattle, wine and flowers. Touring the hinterland is easy, on excellent highways and roads that wind their way through beautiful, undulating countryside
Take in the towns
Hinterland towns such as Bellbrae, Winchelsea, Deans Marsh and Birregurra have plenty of tales to tell about the efforts of the colonial pioneers of the 1800s. You’ll find some of Australia’s most famous pioneering names associated with them. Today, the towns retain their unique characteristics and in many cases are building reputations as places to stay, with comfortable bed and breakfast cottages.
A growing tradition-agriculture
As you travel the Surf Coast’s hinterland, you’ll see just how productive this rich countryside is. The lush, well-watered foothills of the Otway Ranges produce top-quality milk. Other areas produce a variety of crops, grapes, pigs, chickens and lots more.
There’s more to the Surf Coast than just endless beaches, golden sands and sunshine. The hinterland region also is one of Victoria’s most diverse and productive agricultural areas, based on the rich soils of a giant volcanic plain.
These fertile soils are used to produce a wide range of cereal and oil crops on large farms, including barley, oats and canola.
It is common to see paddocks of brilliant yellow canola flowers swaying gently in the breeze. Smaller holdings are specialising in alternative crops, such as flowers, olives and agro-forestry.
Traditional agricultural pursuits - sheep, cattle and dairying - established in the early days of settlement, remain strong. Much of the wealth of the late 1800s was generated from the fine wool produced on the region’s sprawling grazing properties and exported to London. Wool is still a major earner. Large-scale pig and chicken production are among the region’s newer agri-industries. The latest production techniques are being employed using environmentally sustainable methods.
Alpacas, too, are being farmed. In fact Surf Coast can boast the largest alpaca farm in the Southern Hemisphere with around 700 head
Horse studs and dairy farms are common among the prime agricultural land in the Otway Ranges foothills and other areas in the region.
The lush valleys between the foothills produce a wide range of berry fruits, including raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries. Some of these farms are open for public sales.
Great country towns
Take the Great Country Roads drive/ride to discover the heart and soul of the Surf Coast hinterland. From the flat, grassy plans to the lush green hills of the Otway Ranges foothills, there’s an ever-changing vista to enjoy. And don’t forget the delightful towns dotted along the way.
Getting around the Surf Coast’s hinterland is easy, thanks to a network of sealed roads that criss-cross the region.
For visitors, there are many different routes to take that reach deep into the heart of this fertile countryside, some traversing the Otway Ranges to the coast.
Much of the landscape is undulating with fascinating small towns and settlements scattered throughout.
The Princes Highway, the A1, is the main road dissecting the region, with intersecting roads running off to the north and south. Many of the southerly roads cross the Otway Ranges and lead to the coast.
Armed with a Surf Coast map, visitors can plan their own self-guided tour of the region. A day’s leisurely touring will reveal much the hinterland’s treats.
There is one looping journey that shows the hinterland at its best and returns via the picturesqe coast and back inland: Take the Princes Highway from Geelong to Winchelsea, a small rural town on the banks of the Barwon River. Heading west over the river, turn into Andersons Road (to the golf course) which becomes the Winchelsea-Deans Marsh Road.
Continue on through to Bambra and Deans Marsh, small rural communites in the Otway Ranges foothills.
Taking the Deans Marsh-Lorne road, it is only a 25-minute drive to the coast, some of it through huge mountain ash, Otway messmate and ironbark trees. Lorne is an ideal place to stop, stretch the legs and have a coffee.
Return via the coast to Anglesea, about 30 minutes. Just a few kilometres out of Anglesea, turn left into Forest Road to journey back through the hinterland to the Princes Highway, near Moriac.