Ocean Grove is a town in Victoria,

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 ...

, located on the

Bellarine Peninsula The Bellarine Peninsula (Wadawurrung language, Wadawurrung: ''Balla-wein'' or ''Biteyong'') is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together wi ...

. At the 2021 census, Ocean Grove had a population of 17,714.

History

In 1869, American

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

s established a permanent religious camp community on the coast at Ocean Grove, New Jersey, in the

United States of America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguo ...

. It was so successful that they decided to spread their camps overseas, including to Australia. Following a collaboration with the Victorian Methodists, an initial camp was set up near

Point Lonsdale Point Lonsdale is a town on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia. The town is divided between the Borough of Queenscliffe and the City of Greater Geelong. Point Lonsdale is also one of the headlands which, with Poin ...

. By 1882 they needed to acquire a larger area, so they could establish their Australian Ocean Grove community. The site chosen was on the eastern side of the mouth of the Barwon River, overlooking

Bass Strait Bass Strait () is a strait separating the island state of Tasmania from the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland (more specifically the coast of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, with the exception of the land border across Boundary Islet). The ...

. In 1887, Charles James and James Grigg purchased, surveyed and subdivided land into 2,500 blocks bearing the covenant "''no part of the above Land shall be used for the Manufacture or Sale of Malted Spirituous, or Vinous Liquors''". Due to this covenant, no bars or public houses could sell liquor within the town limits. The Ocean Grove

Coffee Palace A coffee palace was an often large and elaborate hotel, residential hotel that did not serve alcohol (drug), alcohol, most of which were built in Australia in the late 19th century. A modest temperance hotel was opened in 1826 by activist Ger ...

was built for the Methodist and Temperance Society, the first

church service A church service (or a worship service) is a formalized period of Christian communal Christian worship, worship, often held in a Church (building), church building. Most Christian denominations hold church services on the Lord's Day (offering Su ...

was held on 1 January 1888, and the population was such that a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

opened on 14 September 1888. In 1927, the town was linked by the Barwon Heads Bridge to Barwon Heads on the other side of the river, previous access being by rowboat. Many streets were named after important people in the Methodist community, while the local youth camp was run by the Methodist (later Uniting) Church from the 1920s until 1996. In 2014, the

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) was formed by the ''Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act'' 1998 in the state of Victoria, Australia. As part of the Victorian Justice system the tribunal sits 'below' the Magistra ...

(VCAT) ruled that the liquor ban was no longer enforceable. The township now has a number of bars that can legally serve alcohol.

Collendina

Collendina is a small section of Ocean Grove. When the town of Ocean Grove was established it was a Methodist town, and it was the ruling of the Methodists that it would remain a dry town. Because Ocean Grove was free of alcohol outlets, the town of Collendina grew up around the Collendina pub and caravan park just outside the Ocean Grove boundary. Eventually the two towns merged to form one urban area. The prohibition was officially lifted in Ocean Grove in 2006, although many cafes and restaurants were already beginning to serve alcoholic drinks.

Today

Now the largest town on the

, Ocean Grove has the largest

shopping centre A shopping center in American English, shopping centre in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, spelling differences), shopping complex, shopping arcade, ...

on the peninsula. Only a few blocks from the beach, it is popular with tourists and locals alike. In 2005 a new shopping centre was built in the Collendina area, allowing the locals to shop at both Coles and Woolworths supermarkets. Ocean Grove has a resident population of about 12,000 which, during the school summer holidays, swells to four times this number as tourists from Melbourne, Geelong, interstate, and overseas flock in. The area offers surf

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

es,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. In some parts of Europe, canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an 'open canoe' or Canadian. A few of the recreational ...

bushwalking A hike is a long, vigorous walking, walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer tim ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

and other outdoor activities. The Ocean Grove Nature Reserve preserves some remnant native

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with woody plants (trees and shrubs), or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the '' plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunli ...

and contains walking tracks. Significant infrastructure development in Ocean Grove during 2008-2009 has resulted in two soccer pitches, indoor swimming complex complete with a 25m pool and a four-star Skate Park with Bowl suitable for boards, blades and bikes, and a gym. While

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

makes the largest contribution to the local economy, during the slower months a larger proportion of local income is derived from

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

and

vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...

growers, and the local wineries. One of the local newspapers is th
Ocean Grove Voice
In December 2019 the Kingston Village shopping complex located on Grubb Road opened to the public. It is the biggest shopping complex on the peninsula.

Sport

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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

football team competing in the Bellarine Football League. The Ocean Grove Soccer Club competes in the Geelong Regional Football Association. Golfers play at the course of the Ocean Grove Golf Club on Guthridge Street. The town hosts a Bi-annual Geelong gaming competition with teams from around the greater Geelong region competing for a minor cash prize and qualification for the state competition held in Broadmeadows. Other Sports: Shell Road Complex & Surrounds * Indoor Volleyball * Indoor Basketball * Indoor Soccer (during summer) * Indoor Basketball * Indoor Netball * Indoor equestrian * Outdoor Paintball * Ping Pong League * Competitive E-Sports There are also two tennis clubs with modern facilities - Ocean Grove Tennis Club - Madeley St and Surfside Tennis Club - Shell Road (next to the new aquatic and sports centre).

Popular culture

Ocean Grove was featured in the 2006

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

Kenny Kenny is a surname, a given name, and a diminutive of several different given names. In Ireland, the surname is an Anglicisation of the Irish ''Ó Cionnaith'', also spelt ''Ó Cionnaoith'' and ''Ó Cionaodha'', meaning "descendant of Cionnaith". ...

'', while the bridge between Ocean Grove and Barwon Heads featured in the popular ABC

television show A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming platf ...

'' SeaChange''. The town is also the home town of fishing personality Ross Gould. The rock band The Murlocs formed in Ocean Grove. The metal band Ocean Grove is named after the town.

References

External links

Bellarine Historical Society: History of Ocean Grove

Great Ocean Rd info

Ocean Grove Voice newspaper

Ocean Grove Business Association
{{authority control Towns in Victoria (state) Coastal towns in Victoria (state) Bellarine Peninsula Suburbs of Geelong