Beeac is a town in the
Western District of
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Australia. The town is located on the shore of the
hyper-saline Lake Beeac in the
Colac Otway Shire
The Shire of Colac Otway is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 21,503. It includes the towns ...
local government area, 160 kilometres southwest of the state capital,
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. At the
2016 census, Beeac had a population of 370.
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.
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 is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
growing district,
wine grapes
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Vit ...
were cultivated and a
salt works was operating on the lake. Through the 1860s and 1870s, churches, schools, shops and
hotels
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...
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 and Weering and Warrion Advertiser'', operated from 1901 to 1902 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 League
The Colac & District Football Netball League (CDFNL) is a minor country football league based in the South West of Victoria in the city of Colac. The CDFNL has 10 clubs, all located in the Colac Otway Shire, with the exception of Lorne, whic ...
.
Golfers play at the course of the Beeac Golf Club on Mingawalla Road.
Notable people
The
test cricket
Test cricket is a form of first-class cricket played at international level between teams representing full member countries of the International Cricket Council (ICC). A match consists of four innings (two per team) and is scheduled to last f ...
er,
Bill Johnston Bill or Billy Johnston may refer to:
* Bill Johnston (cricketer) (1922–2007), Australian cricketer
* Bill Johnston (golfer) (1925–2021), American golfer and golf course architect
* Bill Johnston (tennis)
William Marquitz "Little Bill" John ...
was born and raised in Beeac.
Premiership player and 1965 Best and Fairest winner,
Peter Walker, was also originally from Beeac.
References
External links
Towns in Victoria (Australia)
Western District (Victoria)
{{BarwonSouthWest-geo-stub