Question 1

Where can I swim now that the pool has closed?

Accepted Answer

Belfast Aquatics — the town's only indoor, year-round pool — closed in November 2025 after mould and structural problems were found, and in May 2026 Moyne Shire Council voted to decommission and demolish it. There is no heated pool in town for now.

The nearest year-round pool is AquaZone in Warrnambool, about 28 km away, with a heated indoor lap pool, warm-water and hydrotherapy pools and learn-to-swim classes. In summer, East Beach and the Pea Soup rock pools are the local spots for a swim. The Where to Swim tool has the details, and follows what the council decides about a future Port Fairy pool.

Question 2

How do I get to Warrnambool without a car?

Accepted Answer

Port Fairy has no train station. The Route 8 bus, run by Warrnambool Bus Lines, connects Port Fairy and Koroit with Warrnambool, where you can pick up the V/Line train and coaches to Melbourne. Warrnambool has the nearest hospital emergency department, the nearest high school, and the larger shops and services.

Public Transport Victoria (1800 800 007) has the times and fares for the bus and the train. Services are limited, especially on weekends, so check the last bus back before you rely on it. The Who to Call tool lists the transport numbers.

Question 3

When is the Folk Festival, and why does the town fill up in early March?

Accepted Answer

The Port Fairy Folk Festival runs over the Labour Day long weekend in March, and has since 1977. It brings tens of thousands of people to a town of around 3,000, so accommodation books out far ahead and prices climb, parking near the arena is very limited, and some streets close.

The 2027 festival is on 5–8 March — its 50th anniversary. The What's On tool lists it alongside the markets and other events, with the current dates.

Question 4

Is Port Fairy quiet in winter? What stays open?

Accepted Answer

Yes. A lot of the housing here is holiday homes — only about 62% of dwellings are lived in year-round — so the town is much quieter outside summer and the March festival.

Some cafés, restaurants and shops run shorter winter hours or close a day or two a week, so it is worth checking before a special trip. The essentials keep going all year: the hospital and medical clinic, the supermarket and pharmacy, and council services.

Question 5

Does Port Fairy flood?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The town wraps the Moyne River estuary where it meets the Southern Ocean, and it can flood two ways: heavy rain upstream bringing the river down, and storm tides pushing up the river mouth — sometimes both together. The business centre has been inundated in past major floods.

The Is the Moyne River Rising? tool shows the live river height at the Toolong gauge upstream of town, and VICSES publishes a Port Fairy Local Flood Guide on how the town floods and how to prepare. In a flood emergency call VICSES on 132 500; if life is at risk, call 000.

Question 6

What's the story with East Beach and the old tip?

Accepted Answer

A rubbish tip operated in the dunes behind East Beach until it closed in the 1980s. The dunes there have eroded by roughly a metre a year since 1996, and storms expose and wash out buried waste — including asbestos and other hazardous material — onto the beach and into the sea.

A 2022 assessment found around 170,000 cubic metres of waste under the dunes. Fully removing it has been costed at up to $114 million, and a rock-wall extension has been used as a stop-gap that many residents say will not solve the problem. If you see exposed rubbish on the beach, do not handle it, and report it to Moyne Shire on 1300 656 564.

Question 7

Where's the nearest hospital emergency department?

Accepted Answer

There isn't one in Port Fairy. Moyne Health Services in town handles urgent care, aged care and community health, and the Port Fairy Medical Clinic next door is the GP practice.

The nearest 24-hour emergency department is at South West Healthcare in Warrnambool, about 28 km away. For anything life-threatening, call 000 first, wherever you are. The Who to Call tool has the health and emergency numbers grouped together.

Question 8

How does bin and recycling collection work?

Accepted Answer

Moyne Shire runs a four-bin service: a red-lid landfill bin collected weekly, yellow-lid recycling and green-lid FOGO (food and garden organics) bins collected fortnightly on alternating weeks, and a purple-lid glass bin collected about once a month.

Your collection day, and which week your fortnightly bins go out, depend on your address. Look it up on Moyne Shire's kerbside collection page at moyne.vic.gov.au, or call the council on 1300 656 564.

Question 9

Can I take my dog to Griffiths Island?

Accepted Answer

No. Griffiths Island is a conservation reserve protecting the muttonbird (short-tailed shearwater) colony, and dogs and cats are not allowed. The birds nest in shallow burrows just under the surface, so stay on the formed paths — walking off them collapses the burrows.

The Griffiths Island Muttonbirds tool has the season month by month and how to watch the dusk fly-in. For where dogs are allowed on the town beaches, and any seasonal leash rules, check with Moyne Shire.

Port Fairy Questions & Answers

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