Portland Overview
Portland is another perfect place to stay and base yourself after driving the 200 or so miles via the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne.
Being the mostl westerly Victorian coastal town, it is also ideally located if you intend to explore South Australia or Western Victoria.
Migrating Whales
Like many of Victoria's south coast towns, Portland was originally a great whaling centre and whales can still be seen depending on their migration season.
Now lobster harvesting has taken over as one of the main industries.
The town is a popular Victorian holiday centre since it offers much to see and do including golf, fine beaches, walking through forest trails and wetlands, a nearby petrified forest and after a long walk, seal watching.
Fawthrop Lagoon
Portland also has a good sense of history with numerous historical attractions, museums, heritage listed sites and the ever popular botanic gardens.
The Fawthrop Lagoon is centrally located in the town and provides a range of leisure and nature sightseeing opportunities.
There is a wide range of accommodation in the area.
Melbourne accommodation
Melbourne is one of the most visited cities in Australia and has an excellent selection of hotel accommodation of all standards.
See our general Melbourne accommodation for hotels and resorts and our Backpacker accommodation for hostels.
Location
Portlandis located on the south west coast of Victoria and has a Latitude of 38.3°S and a Longitude of 141.6° E.
Driving To Portland
Some approximate driving times to Portland:
13Hrs From Sydney (1200Km)
23Hrs From Brisbane (2000Km)
4Hrs From Melbourne (400Km) )
6Hrs From Adelaide (600Km) )
See Route and Distance Calculator for more accurate driving times and routes from additional locations.
Victoria School & Public Holidays
New Years Day Tue 1st Jan.
Australia Day Mon 28th Jan.
Labour Day Mon 10th March
Good Friday 21st March.
Easter Monday 24th March.
Anzac Day Fri 25th April.
Queens Birthday Holiday Mon 9th June.
Melbourne Cup (Melbourne Metro only) Tue 4th November.
Christmas Day Thu 25th Dec.
Boxing Day Holiday Fri 26th Dec.
(End and start school on preceding and next week day (Mon - Fri) respectively)
School Starts Tue 29th January
Easter Holiday 21st March To4th April.
Winter Holiday 30th June To 11th July.
Spring Holiday 22nd Sept To 3rd Oct.
Summer Holiday 22nd Dec To Jan 27th
Starts Sunday 5th October
Ends 5th April 2009
Note: Dates for guidance only. Always check with your individual School as variations may occur for individual education authorities or establishments and dates may be subject to change. Always check with relevant State or Territory education department to confirm holiday periods at the commencement of each school year. Not all Public Holidays for individual regions within each state and territory are shown and public holidays falling on weekends are not listed. Not all Public Holidays may be applicable to all employers, organisations etc so always check with your employer, education authority etc which public holidays are applicable.
Portland Climate
These figures are for guidance only:
Approximate Max Average Temperature
Deg C/ Deg F
Winter(June-Aug):14 / 58
Spring(Sep-Nov):18 / 65
Summer(Dec-Feb):23 / 73
Autumn(Mar-May):19 / 67
Approximate Average Monthly Rainfall - mm
Winter(June-Aug): 84
Spring(Sep-Nov): 66
Summer(Dec-Feb): 38
Autumn(Mar-May): 62
