Peterborough, Victoria
Encyclopedia
Peterborough is a town on the Great Ocean Road
in Victoria
, Australia
; approximately three hours drive from Melbourne
.
, Peterborough had a population of 178. The town has two public tennis court
s and beaches, and a nine hole golf course at the Peterborough Golf Club on Schomberg Road.
The town is situated near The Twelve Apostles
, and London Arch
land formations; and is part of the Shipwreck Coast
. Many ships have been wrecked in the vicinity, due to limestone
cliffs eroding away and leaving many patches of harder rock concealed just under the waves quite a distance out to sea, and this erosion is ongoing, evidenced by the London Bridge formation collapsing in the early 1990s to form London Arch
. One of the most famous wrecks was the Falls of Halladale
which was wrecked in 1908 in thick fog, and became a tourist attraction for the next few years as it remained on the reef it was stuck on.
Great Ocean Road
The Great Ocean Road is a stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Warrnambool. The road was built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932, and is the world's largest war memorial; dedicated to casualties of World War I...
in Victoria
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...
; approximately three hours drive from 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...
.
History
The town was believed to have been founded when the schooner SS Schomberg was wrecked in the middle of the 19th century, though the town was not sufficiently populated to justify a Post Office until 10 April 1890. It has since become a fishing village, and at the 2006 censusCensus 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,...
, Peterborough had a population of 178. The town has two public tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
s and beaches, and a nine hole golf course at the Peterborough Golf Club on Schomberg Road.
The town is situated near The Twelve Apostles
The Twelve Apostles, Victoria
The Twelve Apostles is a collection of limestone stacks off the shore of the Port Campbell National Park, by the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia...
, and London Arch
London Arch
London Arch is a natural arch in the Port Campbell National Park, Australia.The arch is one of the tourist attractions along the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell in Victoria...
land formations; and is part of the Shipwreck Coast
Shipwreck Coast
The Shipwreck Coast of Victoria, Australia stretches from Moonlight Head to Cape Otway, a distance of approximately 130km. This coastline is accessible via the Great Ocean Road, and is home to the limestone formations called The Twelve Apostles....
. Many ships have been wrecked in the vicinity, due to limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cliffs eroding away and leaving many patches of harder rock concealed just under the waves quite a distance out to sea, and this erosion is ongoing, evidenced by the London Bridge formation collapsing in the early 1990s to form London Arch
London Arch
London Arch is a natural arch in the Port Campbell National Park, Australia.The arch is one of the tourist attractions along the Great Ocean Road near Port Campbell in Victoria...
. One of the most famous wrecks was the Falls of Halladale
Falls of Halladale
The Falls of Halladale was a four-masted iron-hulled barque that was built in 1886 for the long-distance bulk carrier trade. Her dimensions were 83,87m x 12,64m x 7,23m and she displaced 2085 GRT and 2026 NRT...
which was wrecked in 1908 in thick fog, and became a tourist attraction for the next few years as it remained on the reef it was stuck on.