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Birregurra

Birregurra
Victoria
Main street
Birregurra is located in Colac Otway Shire
Birregurra
Birregurra
Coordinates38°20′0″S 143°47′0″E / 38.33333°S 143.78333°E / -38.33333; 143.78333
Population942 (2021 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

Birregurra, is a town in Colac Otway Shire, Victoria, Australia, approximately 130 kilometres (81 mi) south-west of Melbourne. At the 2021 census, it had a population of 942.[1]

The name comes from an Aboriginal word thought to mean "kangaroo camp".[2] The town is on Gulidjan Country.

History

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In 1839, Wesleyan missionaries and the Victorian colonial government established the Buntingdale Aboriginal Mission 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 nearby office was opened as Birregurra.[4]

Railway

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The railway through the town opened in 1877,[5] 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.[5]

The local railway station is served by V/Line passenger services on the Warrnambool line.[6]

Sport

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Birregurra has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Colac & District Football League.[7]

Birregurra also has a golf club.[8]

Education

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The town has a primary school which had 92 students as of 2023,[9] and is located on Beal Street.

Businesses

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The town has cafes, a local providore showcasing local produce, the Royal Mail Hotel, a general store, gift shops and a hairdresser.

Birregurra is home to the Brae restaurant, which was number 44 in The World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2017.[10]

Local events

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Birregurra is host to the Birregurra Festival and Art Show, which starts on the second full weekend of October each year.[11]

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.[12] Organisers hold a barbecue for patrons of the market and all proceeds return to the community.

Birregurra was the filming location for the fictional Victorian town of Haven Bay in season 1 of the Channel 10 television series The Henderson Kids.[13]

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ a b Australian Bureau of Statistics (28 June 2022). "Birregurra". 2021 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 2 March 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Birregurra". Victorian Places. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  3. ^ "Francis Tuckfield". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Post Office List". Phoenix Auctions History. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  5. ^ a b Brown, Sid (March 1990). "Tracks Across the State". Newsrail. Australian Railway Historical Society (Victorian Division). pp. 71–76.
  6. ^ "Melbourne to Warrnambool" (PDF). V/Line. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  7. ^ Full Points Footy. "Birregurra". Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 27 July 2008.
  8. ^ Golf Select. "Birregurra". Retrieved 11 May 2009.
  9. ^ "Birregurra Primary School". The Good Schools Guide. Good Education Media. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Brae". The World's 50 Best Restaurants. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  11. ^ Cornish, Richard (19 September 2014). "Six reasons to visit Birregurra". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  12. ^ "Birregurra Sunday Market". Otway Harvest Trail. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  13. ^ "The Henderson Kids". AustLit. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
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Media related to Birregurra at Wikimedia Commons


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