Ocean Grove, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Ocean Grove is a seaside town in Victoria
, Australia
, located on the Bellarine Peninsula
. At the 2006 census
, Ocean Grove had a population of 11,274.
s established a permanent religious camp
community on the coast at Ocean Grove, New Jersey
, in the United States of America. It was so successful that they decided to spread their camps overseas, including to Australia. Following a collaboration with the Victorian Methodists, an initial camp was set up near Point Lonsdale
. By 1882 they needed to acquire a larger area, so they could establish their Australian Ocean Grove community.
The site chosen was on the eastern side of the mouth of the Barwon River
, overlooking Bass Strait
.
In 1887, Charles James and James Grigg purchased, surveyed and subdivided land into 2,500 blocks bearing the covenant "no part of the above Land shall be used for the Manufacture or Sale of Malted Spirituous, or Vinous Liquors". The Ocean Grove Coffee Palace
was built for the Methodist and Temperance Society
, the first church service
was held on 1 January 1888, and the population was such that a post office
opened on 14 September 1888.
In 1927 the town was linked by the Barwon Heads Bridge
to Barwon Heads
on the other side of the river, previous access being by rowboat
.
Many streets are named after important people in the old Methodist community, while the local youth camp was run by the Methodist church from the 1920s until 1996.
, Ocean Grove has the largest shopping centre
on the peninsula. Only a few blocks from the beach, it is popular with tourists and locals alike. In 2005 a new shopping centre was built in the Collendina area, allowing the locals to shop at both Coles
and Safeway supermarket
s.
Ocean Grove has a resident population of approximately 10,000 which, during the school summer holiday
s, swells to four times this number as tourists from Melbourne, Geelong, interstate, and overseas flock in. The area offers surf
beach
es, fishing
, kayaking
, canoeing
, bushwalking
and other outdoor activities. The Ocean Grove Nature Reserve
preserves some remnant native woodland
and contains walking track
s.
Signification infrastructure development in Ocean Grove during 2008-2009 has resulted in two soccer pitches, indoor swimming complex complete with a 25m pool and a four-star Skate Park with Bowl suitable for boards, blades and bikes. A Target Country Store was opened in October 2009 as part of a mini-mall, featuring Gloria Jeans. Upgrades to the 'Grubbers' Football clubrooms are scheduled for 2009.
While tourism
makes the largest contribution to the local economy, during the slower months a larger proportion of local income is derived from orchard
s, fruit
and vegetable
growers
, and the local wineries
.
The local newspaper is the Ocean Grove Voice.
.
The Surfside Waves Soccer Club competes in the Geelong Regional Football Association.
Golfers play at the course of the Ocean Grove Golf Club on Guthridge Street.
Other Sports:
Shell Road Complex & Surrounds
There are also two tennis clubs with modern facilities - Ocean Grove Tennis Club- Maddely St and Surfside Tennis Club- Shell Road (next to the new aquatic and sports centre).
Kenny
, while the bridge between Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads
featured in the popular ABC
television show
SeaChange
.
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 on the Bellarine Peninsula
Bellarine Peninsula
The Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula separates Port Phillip from Bass Strait...
. 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,...
, Ocean Grove had a population of 11,274.
History
In 1869 American MethodistMethodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
s established a permanent religious camp
Camp meeting
The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in Britain and once common in some parts of the United States, wherein people would travel from a large area to a particular site to camp out, listen to itinerant preachers, and pray...
community on the coast at Ocean Grove, New Jersey
Ocean Grove, New Jersey
Ocean Grove is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Neptune Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey. It had a population of 3,342 at the 2010 census. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean Jersey Shore, between Asbury Park to the north and Bradley Beach to the south...
, in the United States of America. It was so successful that they decided to spread their camps overseas, including to Australia. Following a collaboration with the Victorian Methodists, an initial camp was set up near Point Lonsdale
Point Lonsdale, Victoria
Point Lonsdale is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia, and included in the Borough of Queenscliffe. Point Lonsdale is also one of the headlands which, with Point Nepean, frame The Rip, the entrance to Port Phillip. The headland is dominated by the...
. By 1882 they needed to acquire a larger area, so they could establish their Australian Ocean Grove community.
The site chosen was on the eastern side of the mouth of the Barwon River
Barwon River (Victoria)
The Barwon River rises in the Otway Ranges of Victoria, Australia, runs through Winchelsea and the city of Geelong, where it is joined by the Moorabool River, and enters the sea at Barwon Heads after passing through Lake Connewarre on the Bellarine Peninsula...
, overlooking Bass Strait
Bass Strait
Bass Strait is a sea strait separating Tasmania from the south of the Australian mainland, specifically the state of Victoria.-Extent:The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Bass Strait as follows:...
.
In 1887, Charles James and James Grigg purchased, surveyed and subdivided land into 2,500 blocks bearing the covenant "no part of the above Land shall be used for the Manufacture or Sale of Malted Spirituous, or Vinous Liquors". The Ocean Grove Coffee Palace
Coffee Palace
The term Coffee Palace was primarily used in Australia to describe the temperance hotels which were built during the period of the 1880s although there are references to the term also being used, to a lesser extent, in the United Kingdom...
was built for the Methodist and Temperance Society
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
, the first church service
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
was held on 1 January 1888, and the population was such that a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
opened on 14 September 1888.
In 1927 the town was linked by the Barwon Heads Bridge
Barwon Heads Bridge
The Barwon Heads Bridge is a road bridge and a separate pedestrian bridge over the Barwon River between Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove, Victoria , Australia. The bridge is the only crossing of the Barwon River between Geelong and the river mouth at...
to Barwon Heads
Barwon Heads, Victoria
Barwon Heads is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the west bank of the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre, while it is bounded to the west by farmland, golf courses and the ephemeral saline wetland Murtnaghurt...
on the other side of the river, previous access being by rowboat
Watercraft rowing
Watercraft rowing is the act of propelling a boat using the motion of oars in the water. The difference between paddling and rowing is that with rowing the oars have a mechanical connection with the boat whereas with paddling the paddles are hand-held with no mechanical connection.This article...
.
Many streets are named after important people in the old Methodist community, while the local youth camp was run by the Methodist church from the 1920s until 1996.
Today
Now the largest town on the Bellarine PeninsulaBellarine Peninsula
The Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula separates Port Phillip from Bass Strait...
, Ocean Grove has the largest shopping centre
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
on the peninsula. Only a few blocks from the beach, it is popular with tourists and locals alike. In 2005 a new shopping centre was built in the Collendina area, allowing the locals to shop at both Coles
Coles Supermarkets
Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741 stores nationally Coles Supermarkets is an Australian supermarket chain owned by Wesfarmers. It has 741...
and Safeway supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s.
Ocean Grove has a resident population of approximately 10,000 which, during the school summer holiday
Summer holiday
Summer holiday may refer to:* Summer vacation, a vacation in the summertime between school yearsIn popular culture:* Summer Holiday , an American musical starring Mickey Rooney...
s, swells to four times this number as tourists from Melbourne, Geelong, interstate, and overseas flock in. The area offers surf
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, bushwalking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and other outdoor activities. The Ocean Grove Nature Reserve
Ocean Grove Nature Reserve
The Ocean Grove Nature Reserve is a rectangular, 1.43 km2 nature reserve next to the town of Ocean Grove and 25 km south-east of the city of Geelong, on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. It contains the only significant remnant of native woodland on the Bellarine Peninsula as it was...
preserves some remnant native woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
and contains walking track
Trail
A trail is a path with a rough beaten or dirt/stone surface used for travel. Trails may be for use only by walkers and in some places are the main access route to remote settlements...
s.
Signification infrastructure development in Ocean Grove during 2008-2009 has resulted in two soccer pitches, indoor swimming complex complete with a 25m pool and a four-star Skate Park with Bowl suitable for boards, blades and bikes. A Target Country Store was opened in October 2009 as part of a mini-mall, featuring Gloria Jeans. Upgrades to the 'Grubbers' Football clubrooms are scheduled for 2009.
While tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
makes the largest contribution to the local economy, during the slower months a larger proportion of local income is derived from orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s, fruit
Pomology
Pomology is a branch of botany that studies and cultivates pome fruit, particularly from the genera Malus, Prunus and Pyrus belonging to the Rosaceae. The term is sometimes applied more broadly, to the cultivation of any type of fruit...
and vegetable
Olericulture
Olericulture is the science of vegetable growing, dealing with the culture of non-woody plants for food.Olericulture is the production of plants for use of the edible parts...
growers
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
, and the local wineries
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
.
The local newspaper is the Ocean Grove Voice.
Sport
The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Bellarine Football LeagueBellarine Football League
The Bellarine Football League is an Australian rules football competition based in the Bellarine Peninsula region of Victoria, Australia, formed in 1971.Six of the eight founding clubs played in the Polwarth Football league the year before....
.
The Surfside Waves Soccer Club competes in the Geelong Regional Football Association.
Golfers play at the course of the Ocean Grove Golf Club on Guthridge Street.
Other Sports:
Shell Road Complex & Surrounds
- Indoor Volleyball
- Indoor Basketball
- Indoor Soccer (during summer)
- Indoor Basketball
There are also two tennis clubs with modern facilities - Ocean Grove Tennis Club- Maddely St and Surfside Tennis Club- Shell Road (next to the new aquatic and sports centre).
Popular culture
Ocean Grove was featured in the 2006 filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
Kenny
Kenny (2006 film)
Kenny is a 2006 Australian mockumentary film starring Shane Jacobson as Kenny Smyth, a Melbourne plumber who works for corporate bathroom rental company Splashdown....
, while the bridge between Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads
Barwon Heads, Victoria
Barwon Heads is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the west bank of the mouth of the Barwon River below Lake Connewarre, while it is bounded to the west by farmland, golf courses and the ephemeral saline wetland Murtnaghurt...
featured in the popular ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
television show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
SeaChange
SeaChange
SeaChange was a popular Australian television show that ran for 39 episodes from 1998 to 2001 on the ABC. It was created by Andrew Knight and Deborah Cox and starred Sigrid Thornton, David Wenham, William McInnes, John Howard, Tom Long and Kerry Armstrong...
.