The History of the Bellarine Peninsula

The Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria, Australia : bounded by Bass Strait to the south, The Rip at Port Phillip Heads to the east, Swan Bay and Port Phillip Bay to the north, and the Barwon River to the west.

The area was originally inhabited by the Bengalat balug (Clan) of the Wathaurong Tribe. The first European in the area was the infamous William Buckley in 1803, followed by members of the Port Phillip Association in 1835. By 1836 the peninsula was occupied by squatters before becoming an agricultural area. Today small farms still exist across the peninsula between the numerous towns and holiday resorts dotted around the coast, with Geelong (to the north west of the peninsula) being the nearest city.

John Batman (representing the Port Phillip Association) landed at Indented Head in 1835 and made that his base camp while he returned to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) for more supplies and his family. An Historic marker stands where he landed.

The early immigrants landed at Point Henry because of a sand bar across the inner harbour of Corio Bay and the entrance to Geelong, and a channel was not dredged till later. It was possible to walk at low tide across the bay.

Migrants went to all points of the compass from Pt. Henry with a lot going to the gold fields at Ballarat, Clunes and Bendigo to make their fortune and hopefully return and buy that block of land.

Early migrants went down the Peninsula to found the early settlements of Moolap, Leopold (formerly Kensington), Clifton, Curlewis, Wallington, and all the other small towns on the peninsula.

The whole peninsula was called Indented Head in the beginning and it wasn't until later that it was to take the various names of the early settlers.

Miss Anne Drysdale was such a person. She came out from Scotland in 1840, bought land at Breakwater and called the property "Boronggoop". She owned all the land between the lakes and Corio Bay. She was joined in partnership by Miss Carolyn Newcomb, and together they made quite a contribution to the early life of the Bellarine Peninsula.

They eventually sold the property at Breakwater and built "Coryule" at Drysdale and the town was named after Anne. They were members of the early Tuckfield Chapel named after the first minister. The ruins are still to be seen in Wyndham Street, Drysdale.

Descendants of the early settlers are still living on the peninsula and have a wealth of history.

Clifton Springs in the 1880s was a busy place with its hotel, bottling plant, mineral waters, and bath house - quite the done thing to go there to recuperate and drink the waters. Sadly the hotel burnt down in the early 1920s and was not rebuilt.

The first flour mill was built at Drysdale in Jetty Road in 1853, but was burnt down in 1861 and not rebuilt.

There are many historic buildings in Drysdale :-

Heading out of Drysdale you drive through the black hills - a very rich source of food for the early settlers with wheat, barley, onions, peas, potatoes being grown in the rich soil. The onions then got a disease and even today they cannot be grown because of that.

There is lovely hilly country between Drysdale and Portarlington with vineyards and lovely vistas to Corio Bay. Bellarine, which you pass through was the early settlement before Portarlington which became a fishing village. On the way to Portarlington you pass one of the early properties called Spray Farm - it is off the road with wonderful views of Corio Bay.

Portarlington has its original Grand Hotel still in business today. There were two other hotels at one time but they are now being used for different purposes. The main street was named after Caroline Newcomb and is the town's shopping centre, with views of Port Phillip Bay and the skyline of Melbourne. In summer, Portarlington's population expands by many thousands as visitors come to camp along the foreshore and enjoy the beach and the relaxed lifestyle. Scallop boats operate from the local pier and also some fishing vessels.

Indented Head is a small community most of the year until the Summer, when, like Portarlington, it explodes with campers right along the foreshore swelling the population by several thousands. Near the tennis courts, there is a memorial to John Batman where he first landed from Van Diemen's Land. There is also a wreck of a paddle steamer which was being towed to form a breakwater and was wrecked just off the beach.

At the eastern end of the Peninsula are the historic towns and popular holiday resorts of Queenscliff and Point Lonsdale at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay. Ocean Grove to the south facing Bass Strait was first settled as a township with the subdivision and land sales in 1887.

[From files held at the Bellarine Historical Society]

Bellarine Shire

The following information on the Bellarine Shire is from the 1900 Victorian Municipal Directory.

Councillors

Officers

Your Contribution

We'd love your input to the history of the Bellarine Peninsula. This is how you can contribute :

Please don't be bashful - your contribution can be anonymous or we'll happily put your name to it.

Record Sources for the Bellarine Peninsula

Bibliography

Blake, Les. Tales from Old Geelong, Neptune Press Pty Ltd, Belmont, 1979.

Brownhill, Geo. H. Illustrated Guide to Geelong And District, Facsimile edn., Deakin University Press, Geelong, 1990.

Campbell, A. J. Tourist Guide to Geelong and Southern Watering Places, Henry Thacker, Geelong, 1893.

Drysdale Fire Brigade : The First 50 Years : 1944-1994, Drysdale, 1994.

Dunn, N.A. A history of Point Lonsdale, F. W. Cheshire Pty Ltd, Melbourne, 1949.

Edwards, Ronald G. The History of Ocean Grove, Limited edition, The Edina Press, Lower Ferntree Gully Victoria, 1952.

Hourn, F.C. (Eric). United Services Home : A Drysdale Romance, F.C. Hourn, Indented Head, 1991.

Knights, Ann, & Wilson, Betty. The Sword of Faith : A History of St. James' Church Drysdale 1871-1996, Revised and Updated, Drysdale, 1997.

Loney, Jack. Ships and Shipwrecks at Portarlington, Marine History, Portarlington. n.d.

Loney, Jack. Shipwreck Strait, Marine History, Portarlington, 1993.

McKeown, Gil. The Grove That Grew : The History of Ocean Grove, Gil McKeown, Ocean Grove, 1983.

McLeod, Eunice. Early History of Portarlington and East Bellarine, Indented Head and St. Leonards, Eunice McLeod, Portarlington, 1962.

McLeod, Eunice. Portarlington, Indented Head, St. Leonards : History & Reminiscences, Marine History, Portarlington, n.d. (reprint with changes to above publication).

Millis, Peter. Ocean Grove Primary School No. 3100 : Centenary 1891-1991, Ocean Grove Primary School, Ocean Grove, 1991.

Prowse, Helen & Cliff. Ocean Grove : A Century of Christian Witness 1888-1988, The Ocean Grove Uniting Church, Ocean Grove, 1988.

Richardson, John. Clifton Springs : Past - Present, 2nd reprint, Bellarine Rural City Council, Drysdale, 1985.

Richardson, John. The Lady Squatters : Miss Anne Drysdale and Miss Caroline Elizabeth Newcomb : 'Boronggoop' and 'Coriyule', Bellarine Rural City Council, Drysdale, 1986.

'Souvenir of the Opening of the New Ocean Grove Post Office', booklet, Post Office : Public Relations Office, Victoria, 1979.

Timbury, Cheryl. The Little Church of St Peter : Ocean Grove, Cheryl Timbury, Ocean Grove, 1996.

Timbury, Cheryl. St Peter's Anglican War Memorial Church : Ocean Grove, 100 Years of Worship 1888-1988, St Peter's Anglican Church, Ocean Grove, 1988.

Townsend, Alix. These Friendly Shores : A Personal History of Ocean Grove, A. Townsend, Ocean Grove, 1988.

Wynd, Ian. Balla-wein : A history of the Shire of Bellarine, Shire of Bellarine, Drysdale, 1988.

Wynd, Ian. Geelong The Pivot : A Short History of Geelong and District, Cypress Books, Mont Albert North, 1971.

Zada, Susie. The Ocean Grove Corner Store, unpublished Conservation Study, Ocean Grove, 1996. Three copies only, held by Susie Zada, Ocean Grove Library and the Geelong Historical Records Centre.

Created by : Susie Zada
© 1996 Susie Zada, Ocean Grove, Victoria, Australia
Last revised : December 07, 2004.
Email : szada@zades.com.au