Top tips for a weekend drive to Birregurra
If you’re looking for a stopover point on the way to your favourite beachside destination on the Great Ocean Road then the charming little town of Birregurra is a great place to spend a few hours.Birregurra, Victoria
Close to: Melbourne, 137km via the Westgate Freeway to Geelong, then the Princes Highway.
Everybody goes to: Golfers head to the golf club; $15 a day, no membership required.
Take home: Fabulous sausages from the butcher.
The town of Birregurra is not only a pass-through point for the Great Ocean Road but a destination in itself with excellent accommodation and eating options, making it an extremely pleasant weekend getaway option. It’s also home to one of the world’s best restaurants (yes, really!) but don’t tell anybody; it might get a bit busy.
The town has been around almost as long as Victoria’s first settlers who arrived in the state’s western district and travelled to Melbourne, stopping along the way. The railway opened in 1877 bringing proper transport options but somehow, Birregurra escaped overpopulation and these days there are around 700 inhabitants.
Getting there
So where is Birregurra? It’s just off the Princes Highway so it doesn’t get heavy traffic and the nearest big town is Colac, about 20km away. In fact, to get there from Geelong you can completely skip the highway and take the Cape Otway Road that parallels it (turn off near Mount Moriac), miss the traffic and enjoy even more bucolic scenery.
Eat and drink
Let’s get back to that restaurant which is, of course, Brae, listed No 44 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2017 and run by Dan Hunter, formerly of Dunkeld’s Royal Mail Hotel. Brae manages to combine the charm of its farmhouse setting with big-city sophistication, and lunch can linger for hours of epicurean excellence.
More casual and less pricey eating options include Birregurra Farm Foods & Provedore on the main street, which is not only a produce shop showcasing the best the Otways region has to offer but has the Jasper Café serving, among other things, wood-fired pizzas, salads and cheese platters. The butcher’s section of the shop is something to behold (BYO Esky - you’ll want to take some goodies) and the terrines, pates and artisan cheeses make for a perfect picnic.
Stay
You may not want to stray too far from one of the excellent accommodation options including Elliminook, a historic country house with all the romance of four-poster beds, log fires and friendly hosts.
Then there’s Tarndie, a beautiful homestead still owned by members of the original 1840s pioneering Dennis family. The house can be booked as a whole by groups, or there is a two-bedroom self-contained cottage option.
Apollo Bay on the Great Ocean Road is less than an hour away then it’s another hour or so to the magnificent Twelve Apostles (well, the current count is eight). It’ll take a while to exhaust all the things to do, see (and eat!) in and around Birregurra so give it a go.
Related: Australia’s five best coastal drives
Related: Great Ocean Road second most Instagrammed road trip location in the world
Related: Top tips for a weekend drive to the Bellarine Peninsula
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