Birregurra

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

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

In 1839, Wesleyan missionaries and the Victorian colonial government established the Buntingdale Aboriginal Mission in the area - Victoria's first Aboriginal mission.[2]

A post office opened in the area on 1 October 1858 and was renamed Mount Gellibrand in 1894, a few days before another nearby office was opened as Birregurra.[3]

The railway through the town opened in 1877,[4] as part of the line to the south-west of the state. A branch line to Forrest, which opened in 1891 and closed in 1957, junctioned with the main line at Birregurra.[4] The local railway station is served by V/Line passenger services on the Warrnambool line.

Birregurra has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Colac & District Football League.[5]

Golfers play at the Birregurra Golf Club on Hopkins Street.[6]

Birregurra is home to the Brae restaurant, which was number 44 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2017.[7]

The town has a primary school which had 92 students as of 2023,[8] and is located on Beal Street.

The name comes from an Aboriginal word thought to mean "kangaroo camp".[9] The town is on Gulidjan Country.

Local events

Birregurra is host to the Birregurra Festival and Art Show, which starts on the second full weekend of October each year.

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 has cafes, serving food and coffee, a local providore showcasing local produce, the Royal Mail Hotel, a general store, some gift shops and a hairdresser.

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

Notable people

References
  1. Australian Bureau of Statistics (27 June 2017). "Birregurra (State Suburb)". 2016 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  2. "Francis Tuckfield, National Portrait Gallery". www.portrait.gov.au. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  3. Phoenix Auctions History, Post Office List, retrieved 22 February 2021
  4. Sid Brown (March 1990), "Tracks Across the State", Newsrail, Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division): 71–76
  5. Full Points Footy, Birregurra, archived from the original on 11 October 2008, retrieved 27 July 2008
  6. Golf Select, Birregurra, retrieved 11 May 2009
  7. "Brae". The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  8. "Birregurra Primary School". The Good Schools Guide. Good Education Media. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  9. "Birregurra | Victorian Places". www.victorianplaces.com.au. Retrieved 14 December 2018.

Media related to Birregurra at Wikimedia Commons


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