COLAC Colac is an equidistant town to Geelong, Warrnambool, Ballarat and Melbourne. For that reason a stopover should be a consideration. There is the heritage, the lake, the birds, services plus the fact this really nice town. At Colac there is a resort and ‘let’s have fun’ feel about the place. The area was first settled by Europeans in 1837 by Hugh Murray, and proclaimed a town, Lake Colac, in 1848. The Post Office opened on 1 July 1848 as Lake Colac and was renamed Colac in 1854. Then the Colac Botanic Gardens in Queen Street located on the shores of Lake Colac, and were established in 1868. Colac is an entry point to some of Victoria's most picturesque scenery. A plaque on the southern side of the Memorial Square commemorates two historic speeches given on consecutive nights in Colac, beginning on September 5, 1914 with the then Federal opposition leader, Andrew Fisher and followed the next night by Prime Minister Joseph Cook. The two speeches declared Australia's commitment to follow Britain into World War 1, with Fisher declaring "Australia will stand by the mother country to our last man and our last shilling" and Cook's famous reiteration that "If the old country is at war, so are we." The War Memorial in Colac is an exceptional acknowledgement. Very well defined in the ANZAC Park. The Anglican Church is a century plus classic. Exterior and interior to match ones expectation. This is a wonderful old and grand church. The United likewise an old and great structure. The other denominations being modern. There is no museum in Colac. A vintage car display is being developed. Colac has a number of traditional Victorian hotels. When planning stopover options be sure to include Colac for a minimum of one an overnighter.