Anglesea is all about the beach, the bushland and relaxing lifestyle. The township is small but vibrant with plenty of dining options, good cafes and a few new bars and restaurants, with some of the more popular being 38 South Cafe Pete’s Place and the tasty Italian Locande Del Mare. The Anglesea Hotel is a popular pub overlooking the township offering TAB facilities a bottle shop and tasty menu. The pub has had a long heritage in the town, it was once a stopping point for the Cobb & Co Carriages.
Visitors wishing to see a kangaroo need look no further than the Anglesea Golf Club. There are usually dozens of these fury marsupials lying on the golf greens or taking shade under the eucalyptus canopies off the fairways.
The Anglesea Paddle Boats on the banks of the Anglesea River have been a popular attraction for decades. Push bikes are also for hire near by and are great to explore the many bike paths in the area.
Coogoorah Reserve is on the western side of the Great Ocean Road along the picturesque Anglesea River here a network of peat and mud islands are interlinked with boardwalks and islands. The walk is an ideal place to see some beautiful birdlife including several species of water birds. If you are lucky you might even see a prickly echidna going about his business looking for ants in the rich red soil. Coogoorah Reserve is a popular place for picnics and barbeques all year round.
Another popular walk is the Anglesea Heathland Cliff Walk here hikers can see some incredible views of the rugged coastline and views into Bass Straight. The tranquil walk begins just to the east of the Anglesea Bowling Club and winds through the lovely eucalypts forest. Koalas, echidnas and even wallabies are regularly sighted along this track and plenty of birdlife.
A few kilometres on the Geelong side of the Anglesea township is Point Addis which has a great walking trail called the Koorie Cultural Walk. Here visitors can walk around what is about a one kilometre circuit to the Ironbark Basin. There are some amazing birdlife including finches and parrots to see and some very pretty wildflowers in the spring and early summer. Point Addis is also popular for beach activities and the high cliffs are used by hang gliders. To the west of Point Addis towards White’s Beach is one of the only two optional clothing beaches in the region.
For beach goers, well Anglesea is one of the best beach spots along our Great Ocean Road. The Anglesea River offers good swimming and the major surf beaches are the Anglesea Main Beach to the south of the river, Point Roadknight a little more to the South and Point Addis a few kilometres towards Geelong. Swimmers should be aware our surf is very powerful and many a tragedy has occurred over the years, and it is important that care is taken in the surf and only where it is patrolled by our amazing Surf Lifesavers.
