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Portland

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About Portland

Portland Harbour MarinaPortland is located in the south west corner of Victoria with a population of approximately 12,000. The township boasts more than 200 heritage buildings from the 1800’s, many fully restored and vast stretches of coastline provide excellent fishing, surfing, diving and swimming.  Portland also offers visitors a wealth of opportunities to explore rugged landscapes, go sailing or boating, or simply wander the historic streets.

As the only deep-sea port between Adelaide and Port Phillip, it is a major exporting centre for the produce of south-western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia – principally wool, grains and secondary manufactures made in Portland itself. Other contributions to the local economy are made by an aluminium smelter, the fertiliser industry, woolstores and the fishing industry.

(Photo courtesy Glenelg Shire Council)

Health Services

Portland District Health services the Glenelg Shire with major population centres being the city of Portland and the townships of Heywood, Narrawong, Tyrendarra and Nelson. The total population with which the hospital is responsible for is approximately 16,700.

Portland District Health
Fern Street
Portland, Victoria 3305
Ph: (03) 5521 0333

Department of Health Victoria  Gateway to a range of health information for the community and health professionals, including links to the Better Health Channel, publications, food safety alerts, public hospitals and health services statistics, aged care resources, career information and employment opportunties.

Otway Division of General Practice (ODGP)  The Otway DGP, located in south west Victoria, provides education, training and practice management support to allied health, nursing and medical practitioners. They also manage a variety of programs that provide information and support to the community they represent on a wide range of health issues.

Search for a hospital in Victoria  'MyHospitals' is an Australian Government initiative making it easier for people to access information about hospitals, including details on performance, admissions, accreditation and the types of services provided by each hospital.

Victoria's Mental Health Services  Victorian Government website showcasing a range of information on the state's public mental health services, including preventative programs, assessment and treatment options. The information is designed for mental health professionals and for community members, and includes links to related sites and useful resources, publications, and career information and opportunities.

Shopping

IGA and Safeway are the two main supermarkets in Portland. Please note that the opening hours are typically more restricted than those in the city.

The Portland Angling Club Market is held on the 3rd Sunday of every month on the foreshore off Bentinck Street from 8.00am - 2.00pm. The Portland Wischmans is also held on the 2nd and last Sunday of every month in Gorae Road from 9.00am - 3.00pm.

Dining

Throughout Portland you will find a range of cafes, restaurants and hotels as well as plenty of takeaway options.

Sports, Recreation and Tourism

In addition to the many water sports and walking tracks, Portland has numerous other sporting activities such as bowling, golf, tennis and racquet ball just to name a few.

The township boasts more than 200 heritage buildings from the 1800’s, many fully restored, and vast stretches of coastline providing excellent fishing, surfing, diving and swimming.  Portland also offers visitors a wealth of opportunities to explore rugged landscapes, go sailing or boating or simply wander the historic streets.

Portland's latest attraction is the Maritime Discovery Centre located on the foreshore. Here the maritime history of the region unfolds in a fascinating sight and sound-filled exhibition within a building representing the hulls of ships linked by a central pier. Other popular destinations in the Portland area include Bridgewater Bay with its resident seal colony, Discovery Bay and the Cape Nelson Lighthouse.

For more information contact the Portland Maritime Discovery Museum Visitors Centre:
Lee Breakwater Road
Portland, Victoria 3305
Ph: (03) 5523 2671

Banks

There are four major banks - the Bendigo Bank, National Australia Bank (NAB), St George and Westpac. Bank hours are typically 9.00am - 4.00pm Monday to Friday, although ATMs allow 24/7 access to funds.

Library and Internet Access

The Glenelg Regional Library is located in Bentinck Street and is open from 10.00am - 5.30pm, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 10.00am - 6.30pm Friday and 10.00am - 12.00pm, Saturday.

Internet access is available at the library.

Post Offices, Fuel and Other Services

The Portland Post Shop is located at 108 Percy Street and is open Monday to Friday from 9.00am - 5.00pm.

Portland has numerous fuel stations including BP, Caltex, Mobil and Shell. Most are located in Percy Street.

Portland Industrial Laundry offers a Laundromat service (03) 5521 7266.

There are numerous places to worship in Portland. For further information contact the Portland Visitor Information Centre, or the church directly.

Local Transport

For local bus timetables contact Portland Bus Lines on (03) 5523 5811.

Travel Times

Portland is located 361 kilometres south west of Melbourne and is accessible by both car and train/bus. The travel time by car is approximately 4 hours from Melbourne.

If you are travelling from a destination other than Melbourne, or would like further information on transport to Portland, visit VicLink.

Further Information

View more information on Portland

or contact the Portland Visitor Information Centre:
Lee Breakwater Road
Portland, VIC 3305

Ph: (03) 5523 2671
Freecall Ph: 1800 035 567

For a Map of Portland visit Wilkins Tourist Maps. Select Victoria from the list of State Maps and then select ‘Portland’ from the list of Victorian Maps.