Beeac
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 southwest of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Beeac had a population of 370.
Beeac was originally created as a reserve for campers, and the name is thought to mean either "salt lake" or "grubs" in the local Aboriginal language. 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.
The original Post Office building was destroyed by fire in 1926, but was eventually replaced by the current building. 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, The Beeac Advocate and Weering and Warrion Advertiser, operated from 1901 to 1902 and the local hospital was founded in 1928.
Beeac was originally created as a reserve for campers, and the name is thought to mean either "salt lake" or "grubs" in the local Aboriginal language. 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.
The original Post Office building was destroyed by fire in 1926, but was eventually replaced by the current building. 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, The Beeac Advocate and Weering and Warrion Advertiser, operated from 1901 to 1902 and the local hospital was founded in 1928.
Map - Beeac
Map
Country - Australia
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The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately 65,000 years ago, during the last ice age. Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing artistic and religious traditions in the world. Australia's written history commenced with the European maritime exploration of Australia. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first known European to reach Australia, in 1606. In 1770, the British explorer James Cook mapped and claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain, and the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales. The European population grew in subsequent decades, and by the end of the 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing British colonies established. Democratic parliaments were gradually established through the 19th century, culminating with a vote for the federation of the six colonies and foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and wealthy market economy.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
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AUD | Australian dollar | $ | 2 |
ISO | Language |
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EN | English language |