Drysdale is a rural township near

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in Au ...

, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. The town has an approximate population of over 3,700. Drysdale forms part of an urban area, along with nearby Clifton Springs, that had an estimated population of 13,494 Estimated resident population, 30 June 2016. at June 2016. The town is named after

Anne Drysdale Anne Drysdale (26 August 1792 - 11 May 1853) was a pioneer squatter from whom Drysdale, Victoria, is named. Early life Anne Drysdale was born on 26 August 1792, the daughter of William Drysdale of Pitteuchar, Fife, Scotland, town clerk of Kirkcald ...

whose estate "Coriyule" still sits above the township. The area was formerly known as McLeod's Waterholes and Bellarine. A township began to develop in the late 1840s and a Post Office (known as Bellarine until 1862) opened on 1 January 1855. From 1902 until 1951 Murrudoc Post Office to the west operated in the area also known as Murradoc. The railway reached the local railway station from South Geelong on the way to Queenscliff in 1879, and remained in

Victorian Railways The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companie ...

service until 1976. It is now the western terminus of the tourist orientated

Bellarine Railway The Bellarine Railway, formerly the Bellarine Peninsula Railway, is a volunteer-operated steam-driven tourist railway located in Victoria, Australia. It operates on a 16 km section of a formerly disused branch line on the Bellarine Penins ...

. The station lies next to

Lake Lorne Lake Lorne, a small freshwater lake on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia, is located immediately south-west of the township of Drysdale. Location and features The lake is a popular birdwatching site and is well known for its variety ...

, an important regional site for waterbirds. Until abolished in 1993, the

Rural City of Bellarine The Rural City of Bellarine was a local government area southeast of the regional city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, covering most of the Bellarine Peninsula. The Rural City covered an area of , and from its origin as the Portarlington Road ...

council seat was in Drysdale. A popular youth music and performing arts venue, affectionately labelled 'The Potato Shed' is located in the back of Drysdale. The industrial size venue is the site of 'Battle of The Bands', a yearly music festival which has seen a number of local bands make a name for themselves in a popular setting. Drysdale has several primary and high schools, including Saint Ignatius College, the senior campus of Bellarine Secondary College, and a campus of

Christian College A Christian college is an educational institution or part of an educational institute dedicated to the integration of Christian faith and learning in traditional academic fields. Christian colleges in the United States Many Christian college ...

. The local football club is the Drysdale Hawks, who play

Australian Rules Football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

and compete in the Bellarine Football League. The Hawks were formed in 1879 and have won 15 premiership titles, the last in 2010.Drysdale Hawks FC
/ref> The

Bellarine Rail Trail The Bellarine Rail Trail is a 32 km walking and cycling track on the Bellarine Peninsula, in Victoria, Australia, that follows the route of the former South Geelong to Queenscliff branch line. It runs from South Geelong to Queenscliff, pa ...

also runs through the town. The local cricket club is also named the Drysdale Hawks.

Notable residents

Gallery

File:Drysdale Anglican Church.JPG, Anglican church File:Drysdale Community Centre.JPG, Community Centre File:Drysdale Court House Museum.JPG, Court House File:Drysdale Free Library.JPG, Drysdale Free Library File:Drysdale Post Office.JPG, Post Office File:Drysdale Railway Station from Lake Lorne.jpg, Railway Station

References

"Trains,Troops&Tourists"-The South Geelong-Queenscliff Railway (Book)

External links

Drysdale - City of Greater Geelong
Towns in Victoria (Australia) Bellarine Peninsula Suburbs of Geelong {{BarwonSouthWest-geo-stub