Anglesea is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Great Ocean Road in the Surf Coast Shire local government area. In the , Anglesea had a population of 2,545 people. Originally known as Swampy Creek, the area's name was changed to Anglesea River in 1884 when the township was established. A Post Office under that name opened on 16 April 1886. and was renamed Anglesea in 1950. The name derives from

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a Local government in Wales, principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island, Anglesey, Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strai ...

, an island in North

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

. Alcoa of Australia operated a

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

and open-cut coal mine near the town from 1969 until August 2015. The site is now the subject of restorative work. In February 1983, the Ash Wednesday fires swept through the area, destroying many houses.

Tourism

Aerial panorama of the coastal township of Anglesea, Victoria

There is a surge in population during the summer months, reaching a peak around

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

and

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 December 31, last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly ...

, as many

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 me ...

residents arrive for the holiday season. Although the town's main beach usually has reasonable surfing conditions, many surfers opt for the beach known as "Guvvo's", just west of town at the end of O'Donohue Road. Anglesea is also well known locally for its regular riverbank markets, which are held by the river on Anglesea's main street, the Great Ocean Road. The town's golf-course is renowned for its resident population of eastern grey kangaroos which graze on the fairways. In September the town hosts th
Angair
Wildflower Festival. Point Roadknight Back Beach Aerial Panorama

Point Roadknight Back Beach Aerial Panorama

The Surf Coast Walk passes through the town and can either be followed north-east along the coastline to Torquay or south-east towards Aireys Inlet and Moggs Creek. Point Roadknight, Point Addis and Harvey Street are some of the tourist attractions along with several parks which surround the coastline. The Coogoorah Park is located towards the end of the River Reserve Road which boasts of a network of islands connected by boardwalks and bridges through wetlands.

Sport

Anglesea 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 ...

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all-s ...

and Netball Club that both compete in the Bellarine Football League. The town is also home of the Anglesea Cricket Club which competes in the Bellarine Peninsula Cricket Association. Golfers play at the Anglesea Golf Club on Noble Street, home to a great many

kangaroos Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

. Anglesea has a recently re-built

skateboard A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks. The skateboar ...

ramp which has led a controversial life, with the construction material having changed from

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of ligni ...

to steel, and then

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most ...

. The area has a variety of surfing locations that cater to both beginners and experienced surfers. Both the patrolled main beach and the sheltered beach at Point Roadknight provide a perfect surfing environment for beginners. More experienced and adventurous surfers can tackle the more exposed beaches to the north and south of the town, or several offshore reefs, which are accessible via boat or a lengthy paddle from shore. These " bombies" can produce challenging waves during large swells.

References

External links

Australian Places - AngleseaOfficial Great Ocean Road InfoAnglesea
- Official government tourism site
Anglesea Visitor Information - Anglesea.com.auAnglesea Community website - www.anglesea.community
{{authority control Towns in Victoria (Australia) Towns in Barwon Surf Coast Shire Coastal towns in Victoria (Australia)

Tourism

Sport

See also

References

External links