Beeac, Victoria
Encyclopedia
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 south of the state capital, Melbourne
. At the 2006 census
, Beeac had a population of 204.
language. From 1860, the area was opened for selection and a townsite was surveyed in 1864. A Post Office opened on 1 January 1862 but was known as Ondit (the name of the surrounding parish) until 1872.
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 became a prominent wheat
growing district, wine grapes were cultivated and a salt works was operating on the lake. Through the 1860s and 1870s, churches, schools, shops and hotels
were established. The railway reached Beeac in 1884, bringing the area into closer contact with nearby Colac
, however this line is no longer in service. A newspaper, The Beeac Advocate, was established in 1901 and the local hospital was founded in 1928.
.
Golfers play at the course of the Beeac Golf Club on Mingawalla Road.
er, Bill Johnston
was born and raised in Beeac. Rufus Youngblood, a champion harness racing horse, was also born in Beeac.
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The town is located on the shore of the hyper saline
Salt lake
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water which has a concentration of salts and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes . In some cases, salt lakes have a higher concentration of salt than sea water, but such lakes would also be termed hypersaline lakes...
Lake Beeac
Lake Beeac
Lake Beeac is a hypersaline lake in the Australian state of Victoria. It is located about northeast of Colac and covers an area of . Its high salinity gives it a milky-blue colour.-Wildlife:...
in the Colac Otway Shire
Colac Otway Shire
Colac Otway Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the south-western part of the state. It includes the towns of Apollo Bay and Colac. It has an area of 3,416 square kilometres. In 2006 it had a population of 20,295...
Local Government Area, 160 kilometres south of the state capital, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Beeac had a population of 204.
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 AboriginalIndigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
language. From 1860, the area was opened for selection and a townsite was surveyed in 1864. A Post Office opened on 1 January 1862 but was known as Ondit (the name of the surrounding parish) until 1872.
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 became a prominent wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
growing district, wine grapes were cultivated and a salt works was operating on the lake. Through the 1860s and 1870s, churches, schools, shops and hotels
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
were established. The railway reached Beeac in 1884, bringing the area into closer contact with nearby Colac
Colac, Victoria
Colac is a small city located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, situated approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac and the surrounding volcanic plains, approximately 40 km inland from Bass Strait. Colac is the largest city in and...
, however this line is no longer in service. A newspaper, The Beeac Advocate, was established in 1901 and the local hospital was founded in 1928.
The Town today
The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Irrewarra has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Colac & District Football LeagueColac & District Football League
The Colac & District Football League is based in South west Victoria.-History:The Colac & District Football League was formed in 1937, as a result of a merger of the Colac and District FA and the Corangamite Farmers FA.Over the years, a number of clubs moved between the CDFL and other local...
.
Golfers play at the course of the Beeac Golf Club on Mingawalla Road.
Notable people
The test cricketTest cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
er, Bill Johnston
Bill Johnston (cricketer)
William Arras Johnston was an Australian cricketer who played in forty Test matches from 1947 to 1955. A left arm pace bowler, as well as a left arm orthodox spinner, Johnston was best known as a spearhead of Don Bradman's undefeated 1948 touring team, well known as "The Invincibles"...
was born and raised in Beeac. Rufus Youngblood, a champion harness racing horse, was also born in Beeac.