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Port Fairy (historically known as Belfast) is a town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the Southern Ocean.
In the early 19th century whaling and seal hunting used the coast in this region. The crew of the sealing cutter The Fairy (Captain James Wishart) reportedly gave the bay its current name in 1828., quoting the Portland Mercury.Cox, Philip & Stacey, Wesley (1973), Historic towns of Australia, Melbourne, Lansdowne, p. 146. Whatever its origins, the name "Port Fairy" had come into general use by 1835. “Port+fairy”|||dateTo|||dateFrom|||sortby=dateAsc Launceston Advertiser, 26 November 1835, p. 3
John Griffiths
In the 1840s significant conflict between pastoral squatters and Aboriginal people occurred. 1842 saw 27 squatters from the Port Fairy neighbourhood signing a letter to Charles Latrobe, the Superintendent of the Port Phillip District, reporting many "outrages" committed by the "natives" and requesting the government provide security. These clashes, later known as the Eumeralla Wars, formed part of the battle over land use and resources between traditional owners and Europeans across the Victoria's western district.
The post office opened in 1843 as "Port Fairy", but was renamed "Belfast" on 1 January 1854 before reverting to the original name on 20 July 1887.
Agriculture developed in the region, and Belfast became an important transport hub.
By 1857 the town had a population of 2,190. In 1887 the town was renamed "Port Fairy" as a result of an Act of Parliament.
A railway extended to the town in 1890, but closed in 1977. It has been converted into the Port Fairy to Warrnambool Rail Trail.
The Port Fairy Magistrates' Court closed on 1 January 1990.
Port Fairy was voted as one of the world's most livable cities with a population under 20,000 after winning the 2012 International LivCom award.
Port Fairy has a rich history, and 50 buildings are protected by the National Trust of Australia. Griffiths Island nearby holds a breeding colony of the short-tailed shearwater or Australian muttonbird.
The inaugural Port Fairy Spring Music Festival was held in 1990, founded by British/Australian composer Michael Easton and pianist Len Vorster, and is run annually. The open-air festival, which is free to attend, focuses on classical and contemporary musical ensemble music, and also includes drama, orchestral and choral music, jazz, opera, and dance. Its past artistic directors have included Vorster, Marco van Pagee (who also founded the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in 1991 and was in 2009 artistic director of Chamber Music Australia), Erich Fackert, Stephen McIntyre, Anna Goldsworthy and Iain Grandage. its program includes 24 performances over three days, and the artistic directors are Monica Curro and Stefan Cassomenos.
The annual Moyneyana Festival is held over summer from Christmas Eve to 26 January.
The annual Tarerer Festival, taking place over a weekend, is a celebration of the region's multicultural identity, its history relating to its Aboriginal peoples (Koori, in particular those of the Warrnambool district), and the environmental significance of the land. It features music and dance as well as art and performance workshops, and includes music from a variety of cultures, including non-Indigenous ones. Begun in 1996 by a group of people in Framlingham Forest, it is the only festival of its kind in Victoria. The name derives from the Aboriginal name for Tower Hill, the nearby area of volcanic lakes. In 2008, it featured the rock reggae band of the 1980s, No Fixed Address, as well as a Sudanese band.
The town has an Australian rules football team, the Port Fairy Seagulls, which plays in the Hampden Football League.
Port Fairy has many surfing spots for all skill levels including the Old Passage, a right hand rocky break at the old entrance to the Moyne river; the Lighthouse, a right-hand point break off Griffiths island; and the East Beach with many right and left beach breaks.
Sports and recreation
Port Fairy also has a highly rated 18-hole links golf course, the Port Fairy Golf Club, situated on Woodbine Road.
Notable people
Climate
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