When it comes to Warrnambool hitting the big time, we have uncovered a moment that may have topped them all.
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Sure, the city has been part of a Hollywood movie (Quigley Down Under) and an Australian blockbuster (Oddball), but we can beat that.
Believe it or not, the iconic Australia television show, Ask The Leyland Brothers, once filmed an episode featuring Warrnambool.
The episode was at Warrnambool's very own wildlife park, called Oasis Reptile Park.
Located across from the Brierly Oval, the park was owned and operated by Barry Searle.
This man was Mick Dundee and Steve Irwin combined, and was known throughout the land for his skill in handling wildlife of all kinds.
But he was most known for his skill in handling snakes.
It didn't matter how deadly they were, Searle was not only skilful, but fearless.
In 1976, Searle had landed an unusual reptile at his park.
It was an albino Tiger snake, complete with pink eyes and a pink tongue.
This albino snake was a very rare creature, rare enough to bring the Leyland Brothers to town.
But just moments into his interview for the show, Searle announced that indeed he had not just one albino snake at the park, but two.
This clearly impressed the interviewee, Mal Leyland, who was informed by Searle that the albino tiger snakes at his park were most probably the only ones of their kind in the world.
It was a magnificent display by Searle, holding the snake calmly in his hands and remaining bare-chested the whole time.
Searle and his wife Elaine opened the park in the late 1960s and run it successfully for 15 years, before closing it in 1984.
He was Warrnambool's very own action hero. The Standard regularly reported on the latest exotic reptile that had arrived at the park.
But Searle was a snake whisperer long before his park opened.
In 1963, he was on the front page of The Standard with a photo of him and his pet carper snake "Horace".
The story went that Searle saved the snake from butcher birds during a visit to outback New South Wales.
Searle passed away, aged 85, in 2021.
