South Western Victoria is a diverse and fascinating region, with landscapes varying from the Otway Ranges and Great Ocean Road along the rugged Ship Wreck coast to the volcanic Lakes and Craters region extending onto the plains of western Victoria.
The region is centred on the vibrant rural city of Colac (pop. 11,000) located 74km west of Geelong and only 148km from Melbourne and also conveniently accessible to the major centres of Ballarat and Warrnambool. Colac is the primary service centre for agriculture, industry and tourism in the region, and also services many smaller townships in the region.
The predominant industries in the area include numerous forms of agriculture (dairying, beef, sheep, cropping, horticulture, agro forestry and organic farming) together with timber processing, food processing and wholesale, construction and retail. There is also a strong public service sector in the town. In addition tourism plays a major part in the region and continues to grow with so many wonderful natural and man made features predominant throughout the area. These features include national icons such as the Twelve Apostles located adjacent to the world famous Great Ocean Road, and the increasingly popular new tree top walk, the “Otway Fly”.