The Far South West of Victoria starts from the South Australia border and continues until the famous Great Ocean Road. The first coastal village across the South Australian border is Nelson, which is set along the Glenelg River. There are cruises along the river, and you can also hire boats and canoes to go along the river. Nearby is the beautiful Lower Glenelg National Park, as well as the pretty Margaret Rose Caves. You can also walk the Great South West Walk from here to Portland, either walking inland along the Glenelg River or along the coast. Alternatively you can do the full circuit by car in a day. Portland is the oldest town in Victoria, and started as a sealing and whaling town. Now it is a major producer of aluminium, and you can tour around the aluminium smeleter.

Other attractions include the Maritime Discovery Museum, History House and the Burswood Homestead, which was the home to the first settlers to Portland (the Henty family). There is good surfing along the coastline around Portland at Black Nose Point, Bridgewater Bay, Crumpet and Point Danger. There are also several places to stay and some great eating places.

From Portland you can either head east along the coastal Princess Highway, or head north along the Henty Road. If you head east towards Warrnambool, you pass the pretty Port Fairy on the way. Heading north you come to Maccarthur, a small town near the entrance to the Mt Eccles National Park. Within the park is fantastic and diverse landscape built up of Mt Eccles itself, lava caves and lakes.

The industrial seaside resort of Warrnambool was another sealing and whaling town. You can find out about the history of the area in the Flagstaff Hill Maritime Museum. Another interesting place to visit is the Warrnambool Art Gallery.

Along the coast is a fabulous walk along the Mahogany Walking Trail, which takes you the 22km to Port Fairy. There are also some great beaches for both swimming and surfing. The best places for good surf include Levy's Bay, Logans Beach and Second Bay. If you fancy a swim go to Lady Bay.

Warrnambool has plenty of places to stay in the area, and plenty of places to eat. You can get to Warrnambool by train or on the V/Line buses.