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PORTLAND
Introduction
In 1800, Lieutenant James
Grant made the first chart of the South Western area of the coastline of
Victoria. Sighting the area from "Lady Nelson", he named
Portland Bay after the English Secretary of State, the Duke of Portland.
The first settlements in these areas were by sealers and whalers. Dutton
established a shore based whaling industry, with a hut and a garden in
1829. At the time, Portland Bay was one of the best whale areas in the
world and the annual catches ran into hundreds.
Edward Henty arrived on November 19, 1834 to be followed later by his
brothers. The Hentys were farmers, although they had a share in the whale
industry. The arrival of the Henty's can rightly be said to have
begun the settlement of Victoria. The first piece of soil that was turned
was on December 6, 1834 at the Ploughed Field. This commenced Victoria's
agricultural development. His first home -a hut- was in the vicinity of
the present day Richmond Henty Hotel-Motel.
most residents would assert that, everything considered, Portland has
emerged well in front from its early competition with Melbourne. As is
evident from over 200 beautifully maintained heritage buildings and
private residences in the City, Portland is proud of its history.
It's a history which sees the city poised to take a leading role in its
region and show that the settlers who made Portland "Victoria's
Birthplace by the Sea" chose the location wisely.
Attractions
- The Portland Foreshore
can be argued that this is where Victoria's history truly first began
but it's a fact that this area makes Portland what it is today. Portland's
harbour is a natural deep water port handling many hundred
thousand tons of cargo each year, the majority of which is exported as
well as handling the local fishing fleet
- The Portland
Botanical Gardens were the first public gardens in Australia. They
were established in 1857 by William Allitt, with the assistance of the
curator of the Melbourne Botanical Gardens. Much of the actual labour
was carried out by Chinese illegal immigrant prisoners that customs
were holding in detention. The prisoners were actually paid for the
work that they performed
- Visit our many
interesting museums for informative information about Portland,
such as: Battery Point, Powerhouse Car Museum and RSL Memorial
Lookout tower
Activities
- Safe swimming
in the bay
- Picnic spots situated
in the town and surrounds
- Whether fishing the
protected waters of the harbour from a jetty or trying your luck
from a runabout in the bay, you're assured of a memorable days
fishing.
The port is fully equipped with a double boat ramp and catch
cleaning facilities open to the public 24 hrs a day.
- Surfing at Long
Beach
- Water sports
such as, sailing, surfing and windsurfing
- Portland Golf Club
Offers a variety of entertainment and leisure activities for both
members and visitors in peaceful, picturesque surrounds.
- The best fresh and
shell fish is available in the local restaurants
- The Great South West
Walk is a 250km long walking track offering walkers a unique
environmental experience.
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