Moriac, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Moriac is a rural town in Victoria
, Australia
, located approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Geelong
. It forms part of the Surf Coast Shire
. At the 2006 census
, Moriac had a population of 594.
The town was surveyed in the 1920s as a village based around the Moriac station on the Port Fairy line, which had been founded to serve the adjacent community of Mount Moriac. The railway had opened in 1876, followed by the Wensleydale branch line
which left the main line here, which opened in 1890 and closed in 1948.
The Post Office had opened on 1 August 1854 as Duneed, and was renamed Mount Moriac in 1864 and Moriac around 1909.
The town was initially slow to develop, but survived the closure of the railway line and grew to house a population of several hundred. Though still heavily rural in nature, the town now largely serves as a satellite village of Geelong, with many residents commuting into the city to work.
The town is home to Moriac Primary School, which has approximately 200 students, a hotel, and a number of shops. It also has a kindergarten.
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...
, located approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Geelong
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...
. It forms part of the Surf Coast Shire
Surf Coast Shire
Surf Coast Shire is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia. It is located in the southern part of the state, near Geelong. It includes the towns of Aireys Inlet, Anglesea, Lorne, Moriac, Torquay and Winchelsea. It has an area of 1,553 square kilometres. It had a population of 24,124 in 2006...
. 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,...
, Moriac had a population of 594.
The town was surveyed in the 1920s as a village based around the Moriac station on the Port Fairy line, which had been founded to serve the adjacent community of Mount Moriac. The railway had opened in 1876, followed by the Wensleydale branch line
Wensleydale railway line
The Wensleydale railway line was a railway branch line in Victoria, Australia. It ran for approximately 18km from the Port Fairy railway line near Moriac to Wensleydale, Victoria. It was built in the 1890's with the intention of transporting timber and gravel out of the area...
which left the main line here, which opened in 1890 and closed in 1948.
The Post Office had opened on 1 August 1854 as Duneed, and was renamed Mount Moriac in 1864 and Moriac around 1909.
The town was initially slow to develop, but survived the closure of the railway line and grew to house a population of several hundred. Though still heavily rural in nature, the town now largely serves as a satellite village of Geelong, with many residents commuting into the city to work.
The town is home to Moriac Primary School, which has approximately 200 students, a hotel, and a number of shops. It also has a kindergarten.