Port Fairy

Port Fairy in the state of Victoria in Australia is a place on the Great Ocean Road with nearly 3,000 inhabitants. It is located 30 km west of Warrnambool and 290 km west from Melbourne and now lives as before from fishing.

History

The bay was discovered in the late 1820s by Captain James Wishart, a sealer, who sought shelter from the storm there. He named the bay after his cutter "Fairy ". In the early 1830s regularly came the seal and whalers of Tasmania across to the southern coast of Australia. The shipbuilder and entrepreneur John Griffiths of Launceston ( Tasmania ) built here in 1835 the first whaling station on a barrier island ( " Griffiths Iceland "), which serves as a breeding ground for thousands of birds today. Gradually, the land was settled. John Cox of Clarendon ( Tasmania ) in 1839 built the first store on the banks of the Moyne River.

In 1843, the lawyer James Atkinson from Sydney received 5,120 acres of land ( 2,072 acres ) west of the Moyne River; the price was 1 pound per acre. In order for the government of New South Wales wanted to encourage farmers to settle. Atkinson named the place according to its Irish birthplace in Belfast. He enlisted brave businessmen and expatriates from England, Ireland and Scotland, to settle here. Some immigrants arrived on the direct route, others about the Portland Bay, Geelong or Port Philip.

Middle and at the end of the 19th century was one of the largest ports in Port Fairy Australia.

Today, as then, is still the largest industry on the fishing spot, and therefore also a modern fishing fleet is stationed in the harbor. In addition, tourism is an important industry for this small historical site. More than 50 historic buildings are listed buildings ( " National Trust ").