Warrnambool, Administrative center in Victoria, Australia
Warrnambool is a coastal city on the Great Ocean Road in southwestern Victoria. The city extends from the Pacific Ocean inland across gentle hills, connecting residential neighborhoods with beach stretches and a compact center.
European settlers founded a station for whaling and sealing on this coast in the mid-19th century. In the following decades the site developed into a regional trade center with a harbor and rail connection to Melbourne.
The name comes from a term in the Gunditjmara language that originally referred to two nearby volcanic hills. Local markets and cafés around Liebig Street reflect the maritime past and show a relaxed coastal rhythm today.
The town core sits close to the shore and can be explored on foot, while beaches and lookout points are easier to reach by car or bicycle. Paths along the coast offer orientation and lead to the main attractions.
Several 19th-century shipwrecks lie off the coast in shallow water and are accessible to divers. The wrecks belong to one of the most concentrated collections of maritime finds in Australian waters.
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