Colac is a town in the
Western District of
Victoria, Australia
Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...
, approximately 150 kilometres south-west of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
on the southern shore of
Lake Colac.
History
For thousands of years clans of the
Gulidjan people lived in the region of Colac.
[Ian D. Clark, pp 135–139, ''Scars on the Landscape. A Register of Massacre sites in Western Victoria 1803–1859'', Aboriginal Studies Press, 1995 ]
British settlement
The British first entered the region in March 1837, when several land-holders came upon Lake Colac while searching for the missing colonist
Joseph Gellibrand. Another larger search party, which was acting on information that local Gulidjan had killed Gellibrand, arrived in April. This group returned to
Geelong
Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
after two Gulidjan people were killed by Aboriginal trackers accompanying the party.
Settlement of the area began in September 1837 with the arrival of
grazier Hugh Murray (died 1869) who selected of land and established three
sheep station
A sheep station is a large property ( station, the equivalent of a ranch) in Australia or New Zealand, whose main activity is the raising of sheep for their wool and/or meat. In Australia, sheep stations are usually in the south-east or sout ...
s: Warrion, Elliminyt and Barongarook. According to Murray, conflict with the resident Gulidjan was limited, with one Aboriginal man being shot dead during punitive raids upon Aboriginal settlements following the taking of sheep. In 1841, around forty Gulidjan lived and worked on what was now Murray's property.
The surveying for a village began in 1841 and the township of Lake Colac was proclaimed in 1848.
The Post Office opened on 1 July 1848 as Lake Colac and was renamed Colac in 1854.
Colac Botanic Gardens in Queen Street located on the shores of Lake Colac, were established in 1868.
Brookhouse Mystery
In 1854 town founder Hugh Murray employed a couple of shepherds named Thomas Brookhouse and Patrick Geary. Brookhouse, who was looking for missing sheep disappeared without a trace. Patrick Geary and his wife soon left the district. Fifteen years later a boy out rabbiting found the skeletal remains of Thomas Brookhouse under a pile of rocks near
Lake Corangamite. Brookhouse had his head smashed in. It took Police two years to track Patrick Geary and charge him with Brookhouse's murder. A friend of Geary told the court that Geary had killed Brookhouse with an axe to stop him from informing Murray of Geary's sheep stealing activities. Geary was hanged in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
in 1871.
Role in World War I
A plaque on the southern side of the Memorial Square commemorates two historic speeches given on consecutive nights in Colac, beginning on 31 July 1914 with the then Federal opposition leader,
Andrew Fisher, and followed the next night by the Prime Minister
Joseph Cook. The two speeches declared Australia's commitment to follow Britain into
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, with Fisher declaring "Should honor demand the mother country taking part in hostilities, Australians would stand beside her to the last man and shilling." and Cook's famous reiteration that "If the old country is at war, so are we." Fisher became Prime Minister for the third time on 5 September.

The War Memorial stands in the centre of Memorial Square.
Heritage listed sites
Colac contains a number of heritage listed sites, including:
* 1 Murray Street, Adam Rea's Store
* 1–5 Fyans Street,
Colac Botanic Gardens
Schools
* Trinity College, Colac
* Colac Secondary College
* Sacred Heart Primary School, Colac
* Colac West Primary School
* Colac Primary School
* Colac South West Primary School
* St Mary's Primary School
* Lake Colac School
Saints College, Colac
* Elliminyt Primary School
Natural features
The plains around Colac are the third largest volcanic plain in the world. Australia's largest permanent salt lake and
Victoria's largest natural lake,
Lake Corangamite, is nearby and
Red Rock Reserve is nearby too.
Lake Colac's water level can drop over summer dry periods to the point that it actually dried up for the first time in recorded history in 2009, but is always replenished after drought and is used for fishing, boating and water skiing.
Transport
The
Princes Highway
Princes Highway is a major road in Australia, extending from Sydney via Melbourne to Adelaide through the states of New South Wales, Victoria (Australia), Victoria and South Australia. It has a length of (along Highway 1) or via the former ...
(part of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
's circumnavigational
Highway 1) runs through the city and forms its
main street, Murray Street. The highway runs west toward
Camperdown and east to
Geelong
Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung language, Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River (Victo ...
and beyond to Melbourne. Several secondary sealed roads including the C161, C155 and C154 run south toward
Apollo Bay and the coastal tourism areas of the
Otway Ranges Great Ocean Road,
The Twelve Apostles and the
Shipwreck Coast. The Colac-Ballarat Road runs north connecting Colac to
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria.
Within mo ...
via
Cressy.

The
railway through the town was opened in 1877,
and extended from 1883 as part of the line to the south west of the state.
The
Irrewarra-Cressy line towards
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria.
Within mo ...
also ran from Colac between 1889 and 1953
and the Alvie line opened in 1923 and closed in 1954.
A narrow gauge branch line also originated from the town, the branch line to
Beech Forest opened in 1902 and was extended to
Crowes in 1911, finally closing in 1962. The route of the abandoned railway has been developed as the
Old Beechy Rail Trail.
The
local railway station is served by
V/Line
V/Line is a statutory authority that operates Regional rail, regional passenger rail and Intercity bus service, coach services in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria. It provides passenger train services on five Commuter rail, ...
passenger services on the
Warrnambool line. The train stops at Camperdown and
Terang.
Events
Colac was the home of the annual "
Cliff Young Australian 6-day race". The event, which was originally orchestrated by Stuart Walker, occurred for over 20 years until 2006 and is a running/walking event. It was held on the Memorial Square which is right in the heart of Colac and attracted entries from all over the world.
Also held at the Memorial Square is the annual Colac KANA festival taking place on the third Saturday of March. Many market stalls, children's entertainment and a song and dance stage can be found at the festival. The most popular feature of the festival is its parade through the streets of Colac's CBD. The parade showcases local primary schools and their students as well as local clubs, emergency service organisations and businesses.
On the last week-end of October, first weekend in November the Colac Otway Arts Trail takes place. Featuring artists, studios and galleries in the Colac Otway Shire the trail also feature the 'Art Walk on Murray' where local artists display their work in the windows of the shops along the Murray Street precinct.
Industry
With a wealth of natural resources, such as agriculture and timber, Colac has a strong manufacturing background, with major local employers including
Bulla Dairy Foods, Australian Lamb Company, and AKD Softwoods.
While historically the region supported numerous successful brickworks, nowadays the major primary industries are agriculture, such as the dairy, beef, lamb and fine-wool merino industries.
Sister city
Colac is the sister city of
Walker, Michigan,
USA.
Climate
Colac has a
temperate mediterranean climate (''Csb'') with mild summers and cool damp winters, with chilly nights year round owing to its far southern location on the Australian mainland. It records only 55.3 clear days on average, with 181.0 cloudy days.
Media
Colac has its own newspaper, ''The Colac Herald'', published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Colac is serviced by a number of local radio stations:
3CS 1134AM, MIXX FM 106.3 MHz, and
OCR FM Community Radio Station 98.3 MHz and 88.7 MHz in
Apollo Bay and surrounds. Narrowcast radio station 3GL 1341AM, owned and operated by
Geelong Broadcasters, is also broadcasting in Colac on 88.0 MHz, transmitting on a power of 1-watt. Some FM radio services direct from
Ballarat
Ballarat ( ) () is a city in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Ballarat had a population of 111,973, making it the third-largest urban inland city in Australia and the third-largest city in Victoria.
Within mo ...
, including
ABC Ballarat,
3BA and
Power FM
Capital South Coast was a regional radio station owned by operated by Global Radio as part of the Capital (radio network), Capital radio network. It broadcast to Hampshire from studios in Segensworth, Fareham. In 2019, Capital South Coast was r ...
can also be received clearly in Colac.
Most digital terrestrial television services are received via UHF from Ballarat Lookout Hill. In addition to the Ballarat service, a local repeater on nearby
Warrion Hill provides an alternative source of television reception. As of August 2022, Television channels available include
Southern Cross 10,
10HD,
10 Bold
10 Bold Drama (set to rebrand as 10 Drama in 2025) is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Network 10. It originally launched on 26 March 2009 as One HD with a focus on broadcasting sports-based programming and eve ...
,
10 Peach,
10 Shake and
Sky News Regional. These stations are now broadcast by
Southern Cross Austereo
Southern Cross Media Group Limited, Trade name, doing business as Southern Cross Austereo, is an Australian media company which operates broadcast radio and Terrestrial television, television stations. It is the largest radio broadcaster in Au ...
after affiliate changes occurred in July 2021. This change included
Nine
9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding .
Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit
Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
,
9Gem
9Gem is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, launched by the Nine Network in September 2010. The channel provides general entertainment and movie programming, from which the original name "GEM" is derived.
History
The la ...
,
9Go!
9Go! is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Nine Network on 9 August 2009, replacing Nine Guide. It is a youthful channel that offers a mix of comedy, reality, general entertainment, movies, anima ...
and
9Life
9Life is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel owned by Nine Entertainment. The channel airs mostly foreign lifestyle and reality programs, with the channel having a licensing agreement with Discovery Inc. (previously Scr ...
which are owned by
Nine Network
Nine Network (stylised 9Network, and commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of the five main free-to-air television ...
except
TVSN which is owned by Network 10 but is now broadcast by
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television broadcasting, Australian television network owned and operated by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television stat ...
who also transmit
WIN HD channel
9HD and
GOLD
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
. The city also receives
Seven,
7two,
7mate,
ishop tv,
Racing.com,
7Bravo
7Bravo is an Australian free-to-air digital television multichannel, which was launched by the Seven Network under license from NBCUniversal International Networks on 15 January 2023. The channel contains programming from NBCUniversal's Americ ...
and
7flix (sub-licensees of the
Seven Network
Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
) which were unaffected by July's change.
In addition to commercial television services, Colac receives Government
ABC Television which includes
ABC TV,
ABC HD,
ABC TV Plus
ABC Family is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television (Australian TV network), ABC Television network. The television channel, channel broadcasts a range of f ...
(now ABC Family) (Daily from 7.30pm to 2am, Station Close daily from 2am to 5am),
ABC Kids (Daily from 5am to 7.30pm),
ABC Me (now ABC Entertains) (Daily from 6am to 11pm approximately) and
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to:
* ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
* ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company
ABC News may a ...
as well as the
SBS's owned channels of
SBS,
SBS HD,
SBS Viceland,
National Indigenous Television
National Indigenous Television (NITV) is an Australian free-to-air television channel that broadcasts programming produced and presented largely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It includes the six-day-a-week ''NITV News Updat ...
,
SBS Food
SBS Food (formerly Food Network) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). The channel airs programs about food and cooking, from cultures around the world.
History
SBS first ...
,
SBS World Movies and
SBS WorldWatch. Analog Television transmissions ceased on Thursday 5 May 2011 as part of the Federal Government's nationwide plan for
Digital terrestrial television in Australia, which involves switching over all television broadcast services from analog systems to digital
DVB-T
DVB-T, short for Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial, is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in Singapore in Fe ...
systems.
FM radio services direct from Melbourne and Geelong can be received in Colac but signal levels are low. Television services direct from Melbourne can be received in Colac but large antenna arrays must be used with mixed results.
Colac is serviced by
Foxtel
NXE Australia Pty Ltd, trading as the Foxtel Group, is an Australian pay television company that operates cable television, direct-broadcast satellite, direct broadcast satellite television, and IPTV streaming services. It was formed in April ...
delivered by DTH satellite transmission, via
Optus
Singtel Optus Pty Limited is an Australian Telecommunications in Australia, telecommunications company headquartered in Macquarie Park, a suburb in the Northern Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiar ...
C1 Ku Band Satellite located at 156E.
Sport
Colac is home to a number of teams in the
Colac & District Football and Netball League combining both Australian Rules football clubs and netball clubs from around the district.
The
Colac Football Club, formerly of the CDFNL, competes in the
Geelong Football League. Colac is also the hometown of
Luke Hodge, from 2002 a player with
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawth ...
(captain 2011 to 2016) and player with
Brisbane Football Club in the
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
since October 2017.
Colac has a
horse racing club, the Colac Turf Club, which schedules around four race meetings a year including the Colac Cup meeting in February.
It also has a
picnic horse racing club, Colac St Patrick Picnic, which holds its one race meeting a year in March.
Golfers play at the Colac Golf Club on Colac–Lavers Hill Road, Elliminyt.
Colac has a swimming club which trains swimmers and has athletes competing at Region, State and national competitions.
Colac has a baseball club, the Colac Braves, a team which competes in the Geelong Baseball Association winter competition and the Pan-Pacific Masters Games on the Gold Coast. The Colac Braves also cater for players aged 5 to 15. The Braves have claimed recent premiership success in the Geelong Baseball Association with wins in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
The Colac Otway Rovers AFC is the region's only
football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
club established in 2010. The club entered the
Football Federation Victoria—Geelong Region in 2011—fielding a team in the Men's Division 3 Competition. The Colac Otway Rovers conducts a Small Sided Football Program for juniors and an
indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer is a form of five-a-side football, five-a-side or six-a-side version of minifootball. It is derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arenas. It differs from the FIFA, FIFA ...
competition.
The Colac Basketball Association hosts summer and winter competitions at Colac's Bluewater stadium. The clubs are Saints, Hawks, Demons and Rebels. The association also has representative teams known as the Kookas. The juniors compete in tournaments, while the senior teams compete in Basketball Victoria Country's Country Basketball League.
Notable people
*
Keith Doig MC – footballer, doctor, 1891–1949.
*
Aaron Finch – cricketer, b. 1986.
*
Athol Guy AO – musician, b. 1940.
*
Alison Harcourt AO (née Doig) – b. 1929.
*
Andrew Perkins - Economist – b. 1967.
*
Luke Hodge – footballer, b. 1984.
*
R. M. Murray – mine manager, 1877–1945.
*
Craig Spence – golfer, b. 1974.
*
Stephen Walker – sculptor, 1927–2014.
*
H. A. Willis – writer, b. 1948.
*
Wil Traval – actor, b. 1980.
References
External links
Colac HeraldColac newspaper
Colac Community WebsiteColac Otway Shire Council information about local services, economic development and cultural
{{Authority control
Towns in Victoria (state)