Hastings is a town on the
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...
in
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 ...
,
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
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, south-east of Melbourne's
Central Business District
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
, located within the
Shire of Mornington Peninsula
The Shire of Mornington Peninsula is a local government area in southeastern Metropolitan Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is located to the south of the Melbourne City Centre. It has an area of 724 square kilometres and in June 2018 it had a ...
local government area
A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a State (administrative division), state, province, divi ...
. Hastings recorded a population of 10,369 at the
2021 census.
[
Hastings is part of an urban enclave on ]Western Port
Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is do ...
comprising Hastings, Bittern
Bitterns are birds belonging to the subfamily Botaurinae of the heron family Ardeidae. Bitterns tend to be shorter-necked and more secretive than other members of the family. They were called ''hæferblæte'' in Old English; the word "bittern ...
, Crib Point
Crib Point is a town on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Crib Point recorded a population o ...
, Tyabb
Tyabb is a township and semi rural locality on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east of Melbourne's central business district, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Tyabb rec ...
, and Somerville
Somerville may refer to:
*Somerville College, Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford
Places
*Somerville, Victoria, Australia
* Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia
* Somerville, New Zealand, a subur ...
. It is served by Hastings railway station
Hastings railway station is the southern terminus of the Hastings line in the south of England and is one of four stations that serve the town of Hastings, East Sussex. It is also on the East Coastway Line to and the Marshlink line to . It i ...
on the Stony Point greater-metropolitan line.
Hastings is situated on an inlet on Western Port
Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is do ...
, a major port and important environmental area. Hastings has multiple marinas
A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.
A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ship ...
and is home to many recreational boating activities.
History
Hastings is thought to be named after a fishing town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in England or the British imperial administrator Warren Hastings
Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first Governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first Governor-Genera ...
.[http://www.id.com.au/profile/Default.aspx?id=118&pg=101&gid=140&type=enum] Previously known as King's Creek and Star Point, its post office opened on 4 February 1863.
Settlement of the area dates from the 1840s, with fishing being the main industry. Growth took place from the 1850s into the 1870s as the township developed. Expansion continued in the late 1880s and 1890s, aided by the construction of the railway line and the establishment of many orchards. Significant residential development occurred during the 1960s and 1970s, spurred by industrial growth and public housing construction. Growth began to slow from the 1980s. The population has increased since the early 1990s, a result of new dwellings being added to the area.
Local culture
Hastings is one of the 'gateways' to the lower Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geogra ...
, and is located on the coast of Western Port
Western Port, (Boonwurrung: ''Warn Marin'') commonly but unofficially known as Western Port Bay, is a large tidal bay in southern Victoria, Australia, opening into Bass Strait. It is the second largest bay in the state. Geographically, it is do ...
. The town is surrounded by farmland.
In 2004 Hastings was the overall winner of the Victorian Tidy Town Awards held by the Keep Australia Beautiful Network.
In 2021, Hastings had a population of 10,369 and several major franchises have commenced operations. The opening of Kmart
Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States.
The company was inc ...
on 19 October 2006 was the first large department store in the town.
Hastings was the seat of the Hastings Shire before this was merged into the Mornington Peninsula Shire, and still has many buildings associated with federal, state and local governments. It has the headquarters of the regional traffic police. There is a modern library in the centre of town, outside of which is a statue of former resident and footballer, John Coleman. Other facilities include a public hall, and a modern aquatic centre.
Hastings has two public primary schools – Hastings Primary and Wallaroo Primary. There is also a private Catholic school
Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...
named St Marys Primary School, as well as Western Port Secondary College, a state high school (formerly known as Hastings High School).
In October 2003 the town was host to The Princess Royal
Princess Royal is a style customarily (but not automatically) awarded by a British monarch to their eldest daughter. Although purely honorary, it is the highest honour that may be given to a female member of the royal family. There have been sev ...
.
Population
According to the 2021 census, the population of Hastings is 10,369.
* Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 2.4% of the population.
* 76.0% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were England 6.4%, New Zealand 1.7% and the Philippines 1.1%.
* 88.0% of people spoke only English at home.
* The most common responses for religion were No Religion 49.9%, Catholic 16.4% and Anglican 12.3%.
Industry
Hastings is home to the ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil Corporation (commonly shortened to Exxon) is an American multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in Irving, Texas. It is the largest direct descendant of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil, and was formed on November 30, ...
and BlueScope
BlueScope Steel Limited is an Australian flat product steel producer that was spun-off from BHP Billiton in 2002.
History
BlueScope was formed when BHP Billiton spun-off its steel assets on 15 July 2002 as BHP Steel. It was renamed BlueScope ...
manufacturing plants, and it is not uncommon to see large oil tankers docked near Long Island in Western Port. Hastings also hosts many small businesses associated with the recreational boating industry.
Military
The naval base HMAS ''Cerberus'' is located south of Hastings in the suburb of Crib Point, housing many of its personnel on base. However some live in Hastings or other nearby towns. The local Naval Cadet
Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University A ...
unit, TS ''Tingira'', is also located out of HMAS ''Cerberus''.
Recreation and tourism
Hastings has one small beach, most of the coastline being mudflats. The town also features several large coastline reserves, some of which allow pet dogs to roam leash-free.
Hastings is located on a crescent-shaped bay opening onto Western Port. It is probably the safest small boat harbour on Western Port, as it is easily accessible, and protected from prevailing winds. Therefore, much of the recreation centres around boating or fishing at the local marina and yacht club.
The mudflats support significant mangrove forests, these being the most southerly species of mangrove in the world. Jacks Beach Walk takes hikers through and over the mangroves via a series of boardwalks. The mangrove forests are natural fish hatcheries, important for the maintenance of good fish populations in the bay. A significant area of Western Port north of Hastings has been declared a Marine National Park.
The area around the pier is popular with sightseers, there being a waterfront cafe, and many yachts moored nearby. Pelicans can normally be seen in this area, and the pelicans are fed daily by local fishermen.
Other nearby attractions include the Tyabb antiques centre and Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park
Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park is a biopark within the Pearcedale Conservation Park located at Pearcedale on the Mornington Peninsula near Melbourne, Australia. It aims to display the fauna that was found in the Mornington Penin ...
.
The town has an Australian Rules
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 ...
football team competing in the Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League
The Mornington Peninsula Nepean Football League (abbreviated "MPNFL") is an Australian rules football competition, governed by the AFL South East. The MPNFL contains teams near the south eastern region of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. At the ...
.
Another attraction visitors could attend is the Victorian Maritime Centre, at 220 The Esplanade Crib Point – open Saturday and Sundays 10am to 3pm. Their website is: www.maritimecentre.com.au
See also
* Shire of Hastings
The Shire of Hastings was a local government area about south-southeast of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia, encompassing the eastern extremity of the Mornington Peninsula. The shire covered an area of , and existed from 1 ...
– Hastings was previously within this former local government area.
References
External links
Mornington Peninsula Shire
Westernport Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Western Port Tourist & Visitor Information Centre
{{authority control
Suburbs of the Shire of Mornington Peninsula
Coastal towns in Victoria (Australia)
Suburbs of Melbourne
Western Port
Port cities in Victoria (Australia)