Colac, Victoria

Colac Victoria
The Princes Highway running through Colac
Colac
Population:	10,857(2006)[1]
Postcode:	3250
Coordinates:	38°20′S 143°35′E / 38.333°S 143.583°E / -38.333; 143.583Coordinates: 38°20′S 143°35′E / 38.333°S 143.583°E / -38.333; 143.583
Elevation:	134.0 m (440 ft)
Location:	148 km (92 mi) from Melbourne 75 km (47 mi) from Geelong 112 km (70 mi) from Warrnambool
LGA:	Colac Otway Shire
State District:	Polwarth
Federal Division:	Corangamite
Mean max temp Mean min temp Annual rainfall 19.0 °C 66 °F 7.5 °C 46 °F 736.9 mm 29 in

Colac is a small city^[2] located in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, situated approximately 150 kilometres south-west of Melbourne on the southern shore of Lake Colac and the surrounding volcanic plains, approximately 40 km inland from Bass Strait. Colac is the largest city in and administrative centre of the Colac Otway Shire. At the 2006 census, Colac had a population of 10,857.

A commercial centre for a major agricultural district, it was named after nearby Lake Colac and was proclaimed a city in 1960.

History

For thousands of years clans of the Gulidjan people occupied the region of Colac, living a semi-nomadic life.^[3]

The area was first settled by Europeans in 1837 by Hugh Murray, and proclaimed a town, Lake Colac, in 1848.

The Post Office opened on 1 July 1848 as Lake Colac and was renamed Colac in 1854.^[4] Colac Botanic Gardens in Queen Street located on the shores of Lake Colac, were established in 1868.

Brookhouse Mystery

In 1854 town founder Hugh Murray employed a couple of shepherds named Thomas Brookhouse and Patrick Geary. Brookhouse who was looking for missing sheep disappeared without a trace. Patrick Geary and his wife soon left the district. Fifteen years later a boy out rabbiting found the skeletal remains of Thomas Brookhouse under a pile of rocks near Lake Corangamite. Brookhouse had his head smashed in. It took Police two years to track Patrick Geary and charge him with Brookhouse's murder. A friend of Geary told the court that Geary had killed Brookhouse with an axe to stop him from informing Murray of Geary's sheep stealing activities.^[5] Geary was hanged in Melbourne in 1871.

Role in World War I

A plaque on the southern side of the Memorial Square commemorates two historic speeches given on consecutive nights in Colac, beginning on 5 September 1914 with the then Federal opposition leader, Andrew Fisher, and followed the next night by Prime Minister Joseph Cook. The two speeches declared Australia's commitment to follow Britain into World War I, with Fisher declaring "Australia will stand by the mother country to our last man and our last shilling" and Cook's famous reiteration that "If the old country is at war, so are we."

Natural features

The plains around Colac are the third largest volcanic plain in the world.^[6] Australia's largest permanent salt lake and Victoria's largest natural lake, Lake Corangamite, is nearby.

In the Summer of 2008-2009, Lake Colac completely dried up. Due to high rainfall in August and September 2009, the lake was somewhat restored to its former condition, However over time the lake has once again dried up.

Transport

Colac railway station is served by V/Line on the Warrnambool railway line

The main form of transport in Colac is the automobile. The Princes Highway (part of Australia's circumnavigational Highway 1) runs through the city and forms its main street, Murray Street. The highway runs west toward Camperdown and east to Geelong and beyond to Melbourne. Several secondary sealed roads including the C161, C155 and C154 run south toward Apollo Bay and the coastal tourism areas of the Otway Ranges Great Ocean Road, Twelve Apostles and the Shipwreck Coast. The Colac-Ballarat Road runs north connecting Colac to Ballarat via Cressy.

Old railway line from Colac to Beech Forest, now Old Beechy Rail Trail.^[7]

The railway through the town was opened in 1877,^[8] and extended from 1883 as part of the line to the south west of the state.

The Irrewarra-Cressy line towards Ballarat also ran from Colac between 1889 and 1953 ^[8] and the Alvie line opened in 1923 and closed in 1954.

A narrow gauge branch line also originated from the town, the branch line to Beech Forest and Crowes opened in 1902 and closed in 1962. The route of the abandoned railway has been developed as the Old Beechy Rail Trail.

The local railway station is served by V/Line passenger services on the Warrnambool line. The train stops at Camperdown and Terang.

The town is also located on the Princes Highway.

Events

Colac was the home of the annual "Cliff Young Australian 6-day race". The event occurred for over 20 years until 2006 and is a running/walking event. It was held on the Memorial Square which is right in the Heart of Colac and attracted entries from all over the world.^[9]

Industry

With a wealth of natural resources, such as agriculture and timber, Colac has a strong manufacturing background, with major local employers including Bulla Dairy Foods, CRF Colac Otway Pty Ltd, Fonterra Cororooke, and AKD Softwoods.

While historically the region supported numerous successful brickworks, nowadays the major primary industries are agriculture such as the dairying, beef, lamb and finewool merino industries.

Media

Colac has its own newspaper, The Colac Herald, published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.^[10] Colac is serviced by a number of local radio stations: 3CS 1134AM, MIXX FM 106.3 MHz, and OCR FM Community Radio Station 98.3 MHz 88.7 MHz.^[11][12][13]

Most digital terrestrial television services are received via UHF from Ballarat Lookout Hill. In addition to the Ballarat service, a local repeater on nearby Warrion Hill provides an alternative source of television reception. Television channels available include WIN Television, GEM HD and GO! (sub-licensees of the Nine Network) Prime7, 7TWO, 7mate (a sub-licensee of the Seven Network). These two stations broadcast relayed services throughout regional Victoria. The city also receives Southern Cross Ten, One HD and Eleven (sub-licensee's of Network Ten). In addition to commercial television services, Colac receives Government ABC Television (ABC1, ABC2, ABC3, ABC News 24) and SBS (SBS One and SBS Two) television services. Analog Television transmissions ceased on Thursday 5 May 2011 as part of the Federal Government`s nationwide plan for Digital terrestrial television in Australia, which involves switching over all television broadcast services from analog systems to digital DVB-T systems.

FM radio services direct from Melbourne can be received in Colac but signal levels are low. Television services direct from Melbourne can be received in Colac but large antenna arrays must be used with mixed results.

Colac is serviced by Austar Subscription Television delivered by DTH satellite transmission, via Optus C1 Ku Band Satellite located at 156E.

Sport

Colac has two Australian Rules football teams competing in the Colac & District Football League,Colac Imperials^[14] and South Colac,^[15] and a team (Colac Tigers) competing in the Geelong Football League.

Colac has a horse racing club, the Colac Turf Club, which schedules around four race meetings a year including the Colac Cup meeting in February.^[16] It also has a picnic horse racing club, Colac St Patrick Picnic, which holds its one race meeting a year in March.^[17]

Golfers play at the Colac Golf Club on Colac - Lavers Hill Road, Elliminyt.^[18]

Colac has a swimming club which trains swimmers and has athletes competing at Region, State and national competitions.

Colac has a baseball club, the Colac Braves, a team which competes in the Geelong Baseball Association winter competition and the Pan Pacicific Masters Games on the Gold Coast. The Colac Braves also cater for Junior Baseballers aged 5 to 15. The Braves have claimed recent premiership success in the Geelong Baseball Association with wins in 2008, 2009 and 2010.^{[citation needed]}

References

1. ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Colac (Urban Centre/Locality)". 2006 Census QuickStats. http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/LocationSearch?collection=Census&period=2006&areacode=UCL211000&producttype=QuickStats&breadcrumb=PL&action=401. Retrieved 2009-09-12. 
2. ^ "Colac". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 February 2008. http://www.smh.com.au/news/Victoria/Colac/2005/02/17/1108500206340.html. 
3. ^ Ian D. Clark, pp135-139, Scars on the Landscape. A Register of Massacre sites in Western Victoria 1803-1859, Aboriginal Studies Press, 1995 ISBN 0-85575-281-5
4. ^ Premier Postal History, Post Office List, https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country=, retrieved 2008-04-11 
5. ^ http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=WI18711208.2.13
6. ^ Colac - Destinations - Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia, Tourism Victoria, http://www.visitvictoria.com/Regions/Great-Ocean-Road/Destinations/Colac.aspx, retrieved 2011-07-21 
7. ^ Colquhoun, Fiona; McCooke, Alexander; Aitkin, Vince; Peace, Ray (2003), Rail Trails of Victoria and South Ausustralia, Victoria, Australia: Railtrails Australia Inc., pp. 84–89, ISBN 0-957-97590-2 
8. ^ ^{a b} Sid Brown (March 1990), "Tracks Across the State", Newsrail (Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division)): pages 71–76. 
9. ^ Cliff Young Australian 6-day race
10. ^ The Colac Herald
11. ^ 3CS 1134AM
12. ^ MIXX FM 106.3MHz
13. ^ OCR FM (Community Radio Service) 98.3MHz, 88.7MHz
14. ^ Full Points Footy, Colac Imperials, http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Colac_Imperials.htm, retrieved 2008-07-25 ^{[dead link]}
15. ^ Full Points Footy, South Colac, http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/South_Colac.htm, retrieved 2008-07-25 ^{[dead link]}
16. ^ Country Racing Victoria, Colac Turf Club, http://www.countryracing.com.au/index.php?option=com_club_info&club=54&Itemid=80, retrieved 2009-05-07 ^{[dead link]}
17. ^ Country Racing Victoria, Colac St Patrick Picnic, http://www.countryracing.com.au/index.php?option=com_club_info&club=69&Itemid=80, retrieved 2009-05-07 ^{[dead link]}
18. ^ Golf Select, Colac, http://www.golfselect.com.au/armchair/courseView.aspx?course_id=954, retrieved 2009-05-11 

External links

• Colac Herald Colac newspaper
• Colac Otway Web
• Colac Otway Shire Council information about local services, economic development and cultural activities in the Colac Otway Shire
• Colac - State tourism organisation official site