Sunday 20 March 2016

Port Fairy, Victoria

Port Fairy has a rich history and 50 buildings are protected by the National Trust of Australia. Griffiths Island nearby holds a breeding colony of the short-tailed shearwater or Australian muttonbirds.

In the early 19th century whalers and seal hunters used the coast in this region. The bay was named by the crew of the whaler The Fairy in 1828.
John Griffiths established a whaling station in 1835 and a store was opened in 1839. In 1843, James Atkinson, a Sydney solicitor, purchased land in the town by special survey. He drained the swamps, subdivided and leased the land, and built a harbour on the Moyne River. He named the town "Belfast" after his hometown in Ireland. The post office opened on 1 July 1843 (the post office actually opened in 1837 as "Port Fairy" but was renamed "Belfast" on 1 January 1854 before reverting to the original name on 20 July 1887.)
Agriculture developed in the region, and Belfast became an important transport hub. By 1857 the town had a population of 2,190. In the mid-to-late 19th century, Belfast was one of Australia's largest ports, catering to the whaling industry. In 1887 the town was renamed Port Fairy as a result of an Act of Parliament.
 
 

East Beach, Port Fairy, Victoria.
 

The Church of England.


Note 'Belfast' name on Souvenir Shop and no one about again!


Port Fairy on the left of the map, Melbourne on the right.

63 comments:

  1. I've never heard of Port Fairy before...it looks like a lovely spot.

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    1. It is a beaut place, lots of history and has connections with Launceston.

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  2. It does look lovely - and I do like the muttonbirds.

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    1. Apparently EC, early settlers liked muttonbirds too, hence the birds' name.

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    2. Only have had one year ago, remember it was rather greasy but tasty.

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  3. Certainly different Margaret - Clicked on both links to improve my geography etc. "Griffiths Island" but attached to the mainland by a causeway would be frightfully cold in the winter from those Bass Strait winds, and on seeing that tiger snakes lurk there, that would be a good reason to stay clear.
    Interesting about the "Mutton Birds" - especially the name. That was new to me, but I don't think the "mutton bird" would be gracing any table plate of mine - ha ha.
    Cheers
    Colin

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    1. Good God - the things you learn from the most unexpected.
      Port Fairy is in the Federal Electorate of Wannon: Big Mal Fraser
      country - I wonder if ever his missing Memphis trousers washed up on the coastline - ha ha.
      Colin

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    2. Yes, Fraser's area, as I did see that written somewhere.
      Winds from all ways I expect, both Bass Strait and the Great Southern Ocean.
      There are Mutton Birds on Flinders and King Island too.

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  4. Viele Informationen von einem schönen Teil des Landes.

    Gruß
    Noke

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  5. Churches always attract me an my camera. I like how you included the stone wall in the photo.

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    1. I seem to take plenty of Churches as well, just something about them I expect.

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  6. I loved Port Fairy when we stayed there the night on one of our wine tours. The police came to the restaurant where we were having dinner and asked for our bus driver to accompany them.
    Turned out that something broke under the bus and was dragging on the brand new patterned surface of the main street and gouged a long channel down the main street.

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    1. Ooops - that would have been a bit of a problem.
      Colin

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    2. Well that caused a mess then Diane :) Something you will never forget know doubt.

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  7. Really good to be there, it looks beautiful.

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    1. Was a lovely 3 days stay we had there, the rest before returning home.

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  8. It's a gorgeous beach and a nice quiet town by the look of it. Port Fairy is a much prettier name than Belfast.

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    1. There was about two beaches that I liked, no wonder it's a popular place in the summer time.
      Seems a lot of fighting of some kind went on regarding Port Fairy's name.

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  9. Yep noted the absence again in the main street.
    Is it remotely possible that your camera resembles an AK47 machine gun?
    I think it is very funny, Diane's mob digs up the main road, you scare the living daylights out of the locals with your AK47 camera, and I had a lovely peaceful visit on my trip in the 1970s.
    They are most likely race horses being exercised on the beach and in the sea. Horsham race track is not that far away.
    Cheers between laughs
    Colin

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    1. Goodness knows why there were not a lot of people about when I took the photos. I tell you Colin, there were plenty about when the Bottle Shop was open next to the IGA supermarket!

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  10. Thank you for educating me about about a town in my state that I know little about, but a bit more now. Sister, who is more familiar with our west coast, will be challenged when I ask her about Belfast.

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    1. You are welcome Andrew, and I bet you will have fun now with the name of Belfast with your sister..I will be going for you Andrew!

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  11. a very interesting post, thank for the discovery of such consistently great places!
    I like the picture of the church, beautiful stones!

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    1. You are welcome.
      The stones would be taken from the ground nearby I should imagine. Actually something for me to research.

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  12. I love the name Port Fairy, but I wonder how they came up with it.

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    1. It is nice name for a town.
      (The bay was named by the crew of the whaler The Fairy in 1828)
      That information is in the second paragraph on the second line. I guess you must have missed that line when reading what I had written :)

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  13. Now I have a hankerin to ride a horse on a beach.

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    1. Find yourself a horse and do that, it's fun! :)
      They are races horse training on that beach and in the water.

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  14. Beautiful photos of the beach and church building.

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  15. I think the thing I've enjoyed most about your posts is the introduction to the architecture common to Oz. Thanks for sharing all of these!

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    1. Thank you Bill. As we came into more populated areas the architecture became rather different to up north in Western Australia, and the Norther Territory.

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  16. Amazing! Thank you for this enjoyable post

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  17. The beach and church photo's are just great, and what a brilliant name too! Port Fairy!

    All the best Jan

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    1. Different name to other towns, kind of makes you think there are Fairy's there :)

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  18. I recently watched the movie "Heart of the Sea." Although the story is fictional, it opened my eyes as to what the whaling industry was like back them and just how important a business it was.

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    1. I must see if I can find that movie to watch.
      We also had whaling here in Tasmania, once.

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  19. Always like watch the sea. The image of the church has a beautiful architecture.

    Kisses

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    1. The sea has a fascination for most. It is a lovely church and I was hoping to be able to go inside and take photos, but that wasn't to be.

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  20. Some bloody nice photos just so you know, I have not heard or Port Fairy but it does sound like a nice place

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    1. Nice place to visit Jo-Anne if you and Tim are ever down that way.
      And thanks.

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  21. Replies
    1. It is Jerry, lovely to visit and stay for the 3 days that we did back in September 2015.

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  22. Port Fairy is a really lovely little place. We were most impressed when we visited.

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  23. Fairy Meadow is in NSW down on the south coast a long way from the fairy port.
    Merle.........

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    1. Must look for Fairy Meadow Merle to see where exactly it is.

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    2. Have been to Wollongong, might have passed through Fairy Meadow and wouldn't have know as would be busy watching which way we were going. That would have been some years ago now.

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  24. Replies
    1. It does Sussi, especially for the horses on that day in early Spring last year.

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  25. wow beach is sooo catchy and visit able ,but church looks so beautiful you always come up with very interesting revelations have a great week ahead

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    1. Thanks Baili - That's the nature of Australia, different in all areas.

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  26. The history of Australia reminds me so much of Canada. For both of us it's all pretty recent really. I am blown away when I visit Europe and rural parish churches have 11th century bell towers and steeples.

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    1. Amazing how old some churches are in Europe and they and other buildings still stand.

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  27. Horses in the sea, you don't see that very often in Belgium.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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    1. Oh really!
      Horses go into the sea and gallop along the beach in many areas of Australia, it builds up there muscles, excellent exercise for the race horses.

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  28. You really need a week in Port Fairy and they have just had the annual Port Fairy music festival. I'm sitting in the study and only have to look up to see all the photos taken way back, The Crags, Lady Julia Percy Island and a skyline of volcanoes. I also remember nearly freezing to death waiting for the return of the mutton birds to their nests. They swoop in with barely a sound straight to their own burrow but it's in the dark and the wind comes off the sea and I needed snow gear when all I had was a light scarf.

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    1. I'm sure the music festival was a great success.
      I can imagine the cold wind coming off the sea, Bass Strait and Southern Ocean.
      Our 3 days was enough time in winter for us.

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