Port Fairy, Victoria
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| Port Fairy Victoria |
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 Moyne river, Port Fairy |
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| Population: | 2,523[1] | ||||||
| Established: | 1843 | ||||||
| Postcode: | 3284 | ||||||
| Elevation: | 6 m (20 ft) | ||||||
| Location: |
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| LGA: | Shire of Moyne | ||||||
| State District: | South-West Coast | ||||||
| Federal Division: | Wannon | ||||||
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Port Fairy is a coastal town in western Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne 28 kilometres (17 mi) west of Warrnambool and 290 km west of Melbourne, where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean.
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[edit] History
The area was initially inhabited by the Knarn Kolak Aboriginal people.
In the early 19th century the area was used by whalers and seal hunters. By 1835 a whaling station had been established on what is now Griffiths Island. Bluestone cottages built by whalers and sealers of the time are still standing around the town. A general store was opened in 1839. In 1843, James Atkinson, a Sydney solicitor, purchased land in the town. He drained the swamps, subdivided and leased the land, and built a harbour on the Moyne River. He renamed the town 'Belfast' after his hometown in Northern Ireland. The Post Office opened on July 1, 1843 [2] as Port Fairy but was renamed Belfast on January 1, 1854 before reverting to the original name July 20, 1887.
Agriculture developed in the region, and Belfast became an important transport hub. By 1857 the town had a population of 2,190. In the mid-to-late 19th century, Belfast was one of Australia's largest ports, catering to the whaling industry. In 1887 the town went back to the original name Port Fairy, as a result of an Act of Parliament.
A railway was extended to the town in 1890, but closed in 1977.[3]
[edit] The town
At the 2001 census, Port Fairy had a population of 2,523.[1] Its primary industries are tourism and fishing, and it is the home port for one of Victoria's largest fishing fleets. A small pharmaceutical factory owned by GlaxoSmithKline is located on the outskirts of the town. Port Fairy contains 50 buildings protected by the National Trust of Australia. Griffiths Island nearby holds a breeding colony of the Short-tailed Shearwater or Australian Muttonbird.
The Port Fairy Folk Festival is held in March each year. Port Fairy also has a highly rated golf course.
[edit] The M.V. Port Fairy
The British Port Line freighter Port Fairy, [1], 8027 grt. was named after the town. Built in 1928 by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, she was the first ship adapted to transport chilled, as opposed to frozen, meat from Australasia to the UK. Port Fairy had an eventful career in World War II, surviving a collision with the Canadian destroyer Margaree, which sank with heavy loss of life, and bombing by the Luftwaffe. She was scrapped in 1965.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (9 March 2006). Port Fairy (Urban Centre/Locality). 2001 Census QuickStats. Retrieved on 2007-08-06.
- ^ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, <https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocd.w?>. Retrieved on 11 April 2008
- ^ Sid Brown (March 1990). "Tracks Across the State". Newsrail: pages 71-76. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division).
[edit] External links
- Port Fairy Folk Festival
- My PortFairy - Accommodation, Dining, Events and Activities
- Port Fairy Community Pages
- History and overview of the town today
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