Olive at Loch

Restaurant

Coffee, home-style meals and scones.

Lamezleighs

Cafe

Take your single origin coffee in a country garden.

Trulli

Restaurant

This Puglian-style pizzeria is popular with locals and tourists alike.

The Borough Dept. Store

Shop

A modern country department store, but with a food focus.

Waratah Hills Vineyard

Restaurant

Taste some of the region’s loveliest pinot noir in an idyllic setting.

Gurneys Cider

Bar

Taste traditional and nouveau ciders with panoramic views of The Prom.

Loch Brewery & Distillery

Bar

Loch has the lot: farmhouse beers, native botanical gin, rum, brandy and fantastic single-malt whiskies. Find your favourites through its tasting flights and pints at the cosy weekend-only cellar door, which is set up in Loch’s century-old former bank.

Fish Creek Hotel

Bar

Steaks, beers and chinwags since 1939.

Great Southern Rail Trail

This 72-kilometre rail trail runs from the bustling town of Leongatha to Port Welshpool in South Gippsland. For the most part it’s flat or gently undulating, which makes riding the stretch a pleasant journey. The track passes through native bushland and scrub, with the possibility of koala, wombat and wallaby sightings along the way. From Leongatha, the trail passes through Koonwarra (pause to collect picnic goods at the The Ethical Foodstore), Meeniyan, Stony Creek, Buffalo and Fish Creek. You’ll then be rewarded with views of Wilsons Promontory, before continuing on to Foster, Toora, Welshpool and Port Welshpool. You can hop on and off along the way, or ride a smaller portion if time is limited. Otherwise, stay overnight at one end and make the return journey the following day.

Agnes Falls

From the town of Toora, it’s a winding 15-minute drive to reach Agnes Falls. At 59 metres it’s the tallest single-span falls in Victoria. The surrounding blue gums provide a lush habitat for bird life, including rosellas, burrawongs, honeyeaters and kookaburras. It’s only a 200-metre walk from the carpark to the lookout, making it a good nature spot to take kids or those with short attention spans.

Toora Heritage Pear Orchard

In today’s homogenised food system, we could be forgiven for only thinking of pears as “green” or “brown”. This pear orchard was established in 1996 to preserve the 60 varietals of pears that once grew prolifically in South Gippsland. At the Toora Heritage Pear Orchard you can discover varietals such as the shin soo, doyenne diel, black achan and grosse-marie. Regular pruning days are held over the quieter winter months, giving people the opportunity to learn to prune and practise this gardening skill, while grafting days are held between August and September. There’s an annual pear party held each March, and you can pick your own pears straight from the trees between February and April.

Ross Farm Cabin

Accommodation

Stay overnight in this refined, refurbished 1960s dairy farm.

Ricky’s Meeniyan

Accommodation

Cyclists adore this in-town apartment, just metres from the Great Southern Rail Trail.

The Wine Farm

Accommodation

Perfect for a cosy nature hideaway in South Gippsland. Stay at the weatherboard workers’ cottage and winery set among seven acres of vines. When it’s open, try a drop of its unfiltered and unfined natural wines at the cellar door.