Where to Stay

Colac is a small city in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac and the surrounding volcanic plains, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) inland from Bass Strait. Colac is the largest city in and administrative centre of the Colac Otway Shire. At June 2016, Colac had a population of 12,411.

A commercial centre for a major agricultural district, it was named after nearby Lake Colac and was proclaimed a city in 1960.

Camperdown  is a historically significant rural town in southwestern Victoria, Australia, 190 kilometres (120 mi) west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2011 census, Camperdown had a population of 2,938.

Cobden  is a town located 200 kilometres southwest of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia named in honour of Richard Cobden. At the 2006 census, Cobden had a population of 1813. At the 2001 census, Cobden had a population of 1419

Simpson is a small town in the Western District of Victoria Australia. The town is in a dairying region and lies about halfway between Colac and the coastal fishing resort of Port Campbell. Most of the town is located in the Corangamite Shire, but a small, forested section lies in the Shire of Colac Otway. Simpson is 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Cobden. At the 2016 census, Simpson had a population of 569.

The town is named after Les Simpson, the first chairman of the Soldier Settlement Commission. Prior to the formation of the Soldier Settlement Commission in 1946, the large bush land tract known as the Heytesbury Forest was under consideration as a possible settlement area.

Simpson is part of one of the most productive dairying centres in Australia. Dairying has become a major activity in the area and a significant contributor to the State’s dairying industry. The region consists of dissected plains exposing a range of land types with different topography, lithology and soils. This results in a range of responses to land use and climate.

The town today services the needs of 400 plus farms, through Education, Health and Produce.