Birregurra

Birregurra is a town in Victoria, Australia approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) south-west of Melbourne. The town is divided between the Shire of Colac Otway and the Surf Coast Shire. At the 2016 census, Birregurra had a population of 828.[1]

Birregurra
Victoria
Main street
Birregurra
Coordinates38°20′0″S 143°47′0″E
Population828 (2016 census)[1]
Postcode(s)3242
Location
LGA(s)
State electorate(s)Polwarth
Federal Division(s)Corangamite
Localities around Birregurra:
Ombersley Ombersley Winchelsea
Warncoort Birregurra Winchelsea South
Yeodene Murroon
Whoorel		 Deans Marsh
Bambra

Birregurra is an Aboriginal word thought to mean ‘kangaroo camp'.[2]

In 1839, the Wesleyan missionaries and colonial government established the Buntingdale Mission Station in the area - Victoria's first Aboriginal mission.[3]

A Post Office opened in the area on 1 October 1858 and was renamed Mount Gellibrand in 1894, a few days before another office nearby was opened as Birregurra.[4]

The railway through the town was opened in 1877,[5] as part of the line to the south west of the state. A branch line to Forrest left the main line here, opened in 1891 and closed in 1957.[5] The local railway station is served by V/Line passenger services on the Warrnambool line.

The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Colac & District Football League.[6]

Golfers play at the Birregurra Golf Club on Hopkins Street.[7]

Birregurra is home to the restaurant Brae, which was number 44 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants, 2017.[8]

The town has a Primary School which has approximately 85 students and is located on Beal Street.

Local events

The town is host to the Birregurra Festival and Art Show. It starts each year on the 2nd full weekend of the month of October.

A produce market is held on the second Sunday of each month from November to April, where local vendors sell cakes, jewellery, plants, fresh fruit and vegetables, wine, arts and crafts. Organisers hold a barbecue for patrons of the market and all proceeds return to the community. The town is full of cafes, serving food and coffee, a local meat provedore showcasing local produce, The Royal Mail Hotel, a great General Store and a few gift shops.

Birregurra was the setting for the fictional Victorian town of Haven Bay in the Channel 10 television series The Henderson Kids.

See also
  • Birregurra railway station, Victoria

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Birregurra (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. "Birregurra | Victorian Places". www.victorianplaces.com.au. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  3. "Francis Tuckfield, National Portrait Gallery". www.portrait.gov.au. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  4. Premier Postal History, Post Office List, retrieved 11 April 2008
  5. Sid Brown (March 1990), "Tracks Across the State", Newsrail, Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division): 71–76.
  6. Full Points Footy, Birregurra, archived from the original on 11 October 2008, retrieved 27 July 2008
  7. Golf Select, Birregurra, retrieved 11 May 2009
  8. "Brae". The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Retrieved 9 April 2017.

Media related to Birregurra at Wikimedia Commons



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