Coast by the book- Author Danny O’Neill with his recently published book about the south coast. 75542 Picture: Stewart Chambers

By Lia Bichel
TOURISTS and locals who venture down Victoria’s South Coast may want to get their hands on a copy of Danny O’Neill’s new book.
The Narre Warren South man’s book, South Coast Journey, Past and Present- Victor Harbor to Barwon Heads, was published this month after five years of travel, research and writing.
Mr O’Neill’s first travelogue, published in 2005, was called Ancestral Streams and is about the Murray River from Corryong to its mouth. South Coast Journey starts at Victor Harbor and explores the coast towards Melbourne.
“My family made a summer holiday caravanning trip along the south coast when I was in high school.
“But we five kids were so involved in the hot back seat of the car that I wasn’t paying attention to my parents’ attempts at history lessons or their pleas to look at the countryside,” he said.
“So in South Coast Journey I set out to see what I had missed back then.”
Mr O’Neill, a retired army colonel, said he and his wife Vikki had fun retracing the route his family took during holidays many years ago and seeing new things along the way.
He particularly enjoyed researching the mysterious Mahogany Ship, reportedly buried in the sand dunes near Warrnambool. As well as four maps, South Coast Journey has 16 pages of captioned colour photographs relevant to the text.
He said the book would resonate with many families across the state.
“I think a lot of people go to the coast for holidays,” Mr O’Neill said.
“I wrote most of my book in a café at the Casey Central Shopping Centre and people would come up to me and tell me about their stories from travelling the coast.”
South Coast Journey, Past and Present- Victor Harbor to Barwon Heads is now available in bookshops.