Malcolm Fraser was south-west Victoria's man in Canberra as well as the national leader, which afforded the region a ringside seat to history in the making.

However, prime ministerial visits to the region apart from the Fraser years have been few and far between with a few notable occasions during the past six decades.

Australia's longest serving PM Robert Menzies (1949-66) visited south-west Victoria several times during his record-breaking stint in The Lodge, while his successor Harold Holt (1966-67) only had two years in the top job and did not visit before his untimely demise in 1967. 

John Gorton (1968-71) stopped by Warrnambool in 1969 shortly after becoming prime minister, while his nemesis Billy McMahon (1971-72) wasn't around long enough.

He may have declared "It's Time" in the 1972 election campaign but Gough Whitlam (1972-75) couldn't squeeze a Western District visit into his diary during his three tumultuous years at the top. 

Following the Dismissal, Mr Fraser was naturally a frequent visitor, making his first appearance as caretaker prime minister at a Penshurst rally less than a fortnight after he came to power. Between 1975 and 1983 he notched up numerous visits including the days following Ash Wednesday, only weeks before the federal election where he lost office.

Bob Hawke (1983-91) was the last prime minister to make an official visit to Warrnambool during the 1983 Wannon by-election alongside state premier John Cain. Paul Keating (1991-96) did not stop by the south west, while John Howard (1996-07) flew into Hamilton to give a keynote speech at Sheepvention in 2001. Mr Howard was scheduled earlier that year to visit Warrnambool but had to make a last-minute cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances.

Kevin Rudd (2007-10, 2013) paid a surprise visit to Warrnambool in February 2010 to meet with Joan and Leon Davey, who lost four family members in the Black Saturday bushfires. Mr Rudd's arch-rival Julia Gillard (2010-13) did not visit during her time at the top.