Beeac
Beeac | |||||||||||||
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 Main Street, Beeac seen from the north | |||||||||||||
  Beeac | |||||||||||||
| Coordinates: 38°12′0″S 143°38′0″E / 38.20000°S 143.63333°E | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| State | Victoria | ||||||||||||
| LGA | |||||||||||||
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| Government | |||||||||||||
| • State electorate | |||||||||||||
| • Federal division | |||||||||||||
| Population | |||||||||||||
| • Total | 370 (2016 census)[2] | ||||||||||||
| Postcode | 3251 | ||||||||||||
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Beeac is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the shore of the hyper-saline Lake Beeac in the Colac Otway Shire local government area, 160 kilometres southwest of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Beeac had a population of 370.[2]
History
Beeac was originally created as a reserve for campers, and the name is thought to mean either "salt lake" or "grubs" in the local Aboriginal language.[3] From 1860, the area was opened for selection and a townsite was surveyed in 1864.[3] A post office opened on 1 January 1862 but was known as Ondit (the name of the surrounding parish) until 1872.[4]
The original post office building was destroyed by fire in 1926, but was eventually replaced by the current building. By the end of the decade, the Beeac area had become a prominent wheat growing district, wine grapes were cultivated and a salt works was operating on the lake. Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, churches, schools, shops and hotels were established.[3] The railway reached Beeac in 1889, bringing the area into closer contact with nearby Colac. The line closed in 1953.[5] A newspaper, The Beeac Advocate and Weering and Warrion Advertiser, operated from 1901 to 1902 and the local hospital was founded in 1928.[3][6]
The town today
The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Irrewarra has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Colac & District Football League.[7]
Golfers play at the course of the Beeac Golf Club on Mingawalla Road.[8]
Notable people
The test cricketer, Bill Johnston was born and raised in Beeac.[9] Geelong Football Club premiership player and 1965 Best and Fairest winner, Peter Walker, was also originally from Beeac. Geelong Football Club Grandfinalist VFL player 1989 [[David Cameron (footballer)|David Leigh Cameron]], born Beeac 1964.
References
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Beeac (urban centre and locality)". Australian Census 2021.
- ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Beeac (SSC)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Beeac Progress Association Township Plan" (PDF). Colac Otway Shire Council. 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
- ^ Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 29 January 2021
- ^ Wong, Marcus. "Irrewarra Station". Rail Geelong. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
- ^ "Beeac Township Plan" (PDF). Shire of Colac Otway. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2014.
- ^ Full Points Footy, Irrewarra-Beeac, archived from the original on 31 January 2009, retrieved 25 July 2008
- ^ Golf Select, Toolondo, retrieved 11 May 2009
- ^ Frith, David (28 May 2007). "Obituary:Bill Johnston". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 September 2007.
External links
Media related to Beeac at Wikimedia Commons