Lorne is a seaside town on Louttit Bay in

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 country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. It is situated about the Erskine River and is a popular destination on the

Great Ocean Road The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia between the Victorian cities of Torquay and Allansford. Built by returned soldiers between 1919 and 1932 and dedicated t ...

tourist route. Lorne is in the

Surf Coast Shire The Surf Coast Shire 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 32,251. It includes the towns of ...

and at the had a population of 1,114 but this figure grows during the holiday season.

History

Prior to British settlement, Lorne was part of the traditional lands of the

Gadubanud The Gadubanud (Katubanut), also known as the Pallidurgbarran, Yarro waetch or Cape Otway tribe ( Tindale), are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of Victoria. Their territory encompasses the rainforest plateau and rugged coastline of ...

or King Parrot people of the

Cape Otway Cape Otway is a cape and a bounded locality of the Colac Otway Shire in southern Victoria, Australia on the Great Ocean Road; much of the area is enclosed in the Great Otway National Park. History Cape Otway was originally inhabited by the Gadu ...

coast according to Ian Clark, although many popular websites report that the area was occupied by the Kolakngat Aborigines. Lorne is situated on a bay named after Captain Louttit, who sought shelter there in 1841 while supervising the retrieval of cargo from a nearby

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

. The coast was surveyed five years later in 1846. The first European settler was William Lindsay, a timber-cutter who began felling the area in 1849. The first

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

arrived in 1859. Subdivision began in 1869 and in 1871 the town was named after the

Marquess of Lorne A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

from Argyleshire in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

on the occasion of his marriage to

Princess Louise Princess Louise may refer to: ;People: * Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, 1848–1939, the sixth child and fourth daughter of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom * Princess Louise, Princess Royal and Duchess of Fife, 1867–1931, the ...

, one of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

's daughters. The Post Office opened on 29 April 1874. In 1891, the area was visited by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)'' The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

, who was inspired to write the poem ''Flowers'', which includes the lines: By 1922 the

was extended to Lorne, making the town much more accessible. The first passenger road service to

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern 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 ...

was established in 1924 and guesthouses began to appear after 1930. The local fishing industry expanded significantly in the 1930s and 1940s. The Ash Wednesday bushfires swept through the area in 1983, destroying 76 houses. Lorne Magistrates' Court closed on 1 October 1984.

Tourism

Popular local activities include traditional beach pursuits such as family bathing and

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitable ...

, as well as pier fishing for

barracuda A barracuda, or cuda for short, is a large, predatory, ray-finned fish known for its fearsome appearance and ferocious behaviour. The barracuda is a saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which ...

, whiting, and

trevally The Carangidae are a family of ray-finned fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, runners, and scads. It is the largest of the six families included within the order Carangiformes. Some authorities classify it as the only fami ...

. Teddy's Lookout lies at the end of George Street on the town's southern outskirts and offers fine views over the town, coastline, and

. The

Great Otway National Park The Great Otway National Park is a national park located in the Barwon South West region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The national park is situated approximately southwest of Melbourne, Australia, Melbourne, in the Otway Ran ...

is nearby; the Erskine River, which rises in the park and contains the Erskine Falls, has its mouth at Lorne. The town's population swells to around 13,000 each

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

when the

Falls Festival Falls Music & Arts Festival (commonly known as Falls) is a multi-day music festival held annually in Lorne ( Victoria), Marion Bay (Tasmania), Byron Bay (New South Wales) and Fremantle (Western Australia), Australia over the New Year's Eve an ...

takes place. During the first weekend of January over 20,000 spectators visit Lorne when the town hosts the 1.2 km Pier to Pub swim (described in the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing worl ...

as "the largest organised ocean swim in the world" and currently capped at 4,000 competitors), the 8 km Mountain to Surf run, and the Lorne Surf Boat Race. Terminating in Lorne on the Queen's Birthday was the Great Otway Classic Foot Race (no longer held). Fair on the Foreshore occurs on the first weekend in November. St Georges River along the Great Ocean Road March 2019

St Georges River along the Great Ocean Road March 2019

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

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, whi ...

. Golf and tennis are played at the Lorne Country Club on Holliday Road. The town has two pubs (The Grand Pacific Hotel and Lorne Hotel) and a number of cafes, restaurants, and bakeries, mostly located along Mountjoy Parade. The town is serviced by one supermarket with a reasonable range of products, given the wide range of needs from locals to camping families to passing motorists. They stock local products such as breads and preserves. Other stores sell more local fruits, vegetables, cheese, and there are bakeries. As usual in a tourist town, there is a large number of boutiques and clothing stores, as well as a book store, art galleries, and craft shops. There are also more regular shops such as real estate agents, a pharmacy, and post office. Lorne has The Great Ocean Road Museum, which describes the history of the road.

Mobile communications

Telstra Telstra Group Limited is an Australian telecommunications company that builds and operates telecommunications networks and markets voice, mobile, internet access, pay television and other products and services. It is a member of the S&P/ASX 2 ...

Optus Singtel Optus Pty Limited (commonly referred to as Optus) is an Australian telecommunications company headquartered in Macquarie Park, New South Wales, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Singaporean telecommunications company Singte ...

and

Vodafone Vodafone Group plc () is a British multinational telecommunications company. Its registered office and global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It predominantly operates services in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. , Vod ...

all have mobile towers in Lorne, providing a decent 3G and 4G signal. Mobile coverage and speeds may be affected during summertime as Lorne is an extremely popular tourist destination.

Education

Lorne has one school,

Lorne P-12 College Lorne P–12 College is a government school in Victoria, Australia. It is located in Lorne and conducts pre-primary, primary and secondary classes. The Lorne campus and Aireys Inlet campus deamalgamated at the beginning of 2017 and renamed the Lo ...

, that facilitates both primary and secondary education.

Climate

Lorne has an

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(''Cfb'') with mild summers and cool, damp winters.

Heritage listed sites

Lorne contains a number of heritage listed sites, including: * 35 Mountjoy Parade, Erskine House *

* 242-244 Mountjoy Parade, Jura * 222 Mountjoy Parade, Leighwood * 76-80 Mountjoy Parade, Lorne Cinema * 18 Smith Street and 15 Grove Road, Lorne Primary School"Primary School No. 2161 (H1716)"
''

Victorian Heritage Register The Victorian Heritage Register (VHR) lists places deemed to be of cultural heritage significance to the State of Victoria, Australia. It has statutory weight under the Heritage Act 2017. The Minister for Planning is the responsible Minister. H ...

.''

Heritage Victoria Heritage Victoria is a Victorian State Government agency responsible for administering the ''Heritage Act 1995'' and supporting the work of the Heritage Council of Victoria. Heritage Victoria was formed from the earlier Historic Buildings Prese ...

. Retrieved 2014-03-23.

Annual events

* Pier to Pub *

(

New Years New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...

) *

Great Ocean Road Marathon The Great Ocean Road Marathon is run over 44km from Lorne, Victoria, Lorne to Apollo Bay along the Victoria (Australia), Victorian coastal route. It is the main race within the annual Great Ocean Road Running Festival, which also includes 60km, 23km ...

Lorne Festival of Performing Arts

Lorne Film

Lorne Sculpture Biennale

Schoolies Week

Swing Bridge Model Boat Regatta
*

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under handicap conditions, although the Melbourne Racing Club is in the process of turning the race into weight for age (WFA) conditions. This is for all horses ...

Punting Bonanza

Notable people

Rod Sims Rodney Graham "Rod" Sims (born 1950) is an Australian economist and former public servant. Sims served as chair of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), Australia's competition regulator, from 1 August 2011 to 20 March 2022. ...

(born 1950), chair of the

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is the chief competition regulator of the Government of Australia, located within the Department of the Treasury. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Tra ...

(ACCC) * Jack Steven (born 1990), former

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

footballer at the St Kilda and

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, ...

football clubs.

Gallery

File:Lorne Victoria z.JPG, Another view of Lorne File:Cumberland Lorne Resort along Mountjoy Parade in Lorne, Victoria.jpg, The Cumberland Lorne Resort on Mountjoy Parade File:LorneErskineRiver.jpg, Erskine River in Lorne File:Lorne new pier.jpg, Main pier at Lorne, opened in 2007 to replace the previous one File:Lorne Pier from Teddys March 2019.jpg, Lorne Pier from Teddys Lookout

References

External links

Lorne Tourist Information

Great Ocean Road info

Lorne Visitor Guide - Lorne.com.au
{{authority control Towns in Victoria (Australia) Towns in Barwon Surf Coast Shire Coastal towns in Victoria (Australia) Seaside resorts in Australia Western District (Victoria)