Beeac, Victoria

Infobox Australian Place | type = town
name = Beeac
state = vic


caption = Post office
lga = Colac Otway Shire
postcode = 3251
est =
pop = 204
pop_footnotes =
elevation=
maxtemp =
mintemp =
rainfall =
stategov = Polwarth
fedgov = Corangamite
dist1 = 160
dir1 = south west
location1= Melbourne
dist2 = 84
dir2 = west
location2= Geelong
dist3 = 82
dir3 = south
location3= Ballarat
dist4 = 19
dir4 = north
location4= Colac

Beeac is a town in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. The town is located on the shore of the hyper saline Lake Beeac in the Colac Otway Shire Local Government Area, 160 kilometres south of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Beeac had a population of 204.Census 2006 AUS
id=UCL204000
name=Beeac (L) (Urban Centre/Locality)
accessdate=2007-10-25
quick=on]

History

Beeac was originally created a reserve for campers, and the name is thought to mean either "salt lake" or "grubs" in the local Aboriginal language.cite web | year = 2000 | url = http://www.colacotway.vic.gov.au/Files/BeeacPATownshipPlan.pdf | title = Beeac Progress Association Township Plan | format = PDF | publisher = Colac Otway Shire Council | accessdate = 2007-06-09] From 1860, the area was opened for selection and a townsite was surveyed in 1864. A Post Office opened on 1 January 1862 but was known as Ondit (the name of the surrounding parish) until 1872. Citation
last = Premier Postal History | title = Post Office List | url = https://www.premierpostal.com/cgi-bin/wsProd.sh/Viewpocdwrapper.p?SortBy=VIC&country= | accessdate = 2008-04-11 ] By the end of the decade, the Beeac area became a prominent wheat growing district, wine grapes were cultivated and a salt works was operating on the lake. Through the 1860s and 1870s, churches, schools, shops and hotels were established. The railway reached Beeac in 1884, bringing the area into closer contact with nearby Colac, however this line is no longer in service. A newspaper was established in 1901 and the local hospital was founded in 1928.

The Town today

The town in conjunction with neighbouring township Irrewarra has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Colac & District Football League.Citation | last = Full Points Footy | title = Irrewarra-Beeac | url = http://www.fullpointsfooty.net/Irrewarra-Beeac.htm | accessdate = 2008-07-25 ]

Notable people

The test cricketer, Bill Johnston was born and raised in Beeac.cite news| title=Obituary:Bill Johnston| first= David |last=Frith |authorlink=David Frith| url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,,2089626,00.html|date=2007-05-28 |accessdate=2007-09-06| publisher=The Guardian] Rufus Youngblood, a champion harness racing horse, was also born in Beeac.

References

External links

* [http://www.beeac.info/index.html Beeac and district community website]

* [http://www.colacotway.vic.gov.au/Files/BeeacPATownshipPlan.pdf]