| Aireys Inlet Victoria | |||||||||||||||
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 Panorama of Aireys Inlet with Lighthouse in background | |||||||||||||||
  Aireys Inlet | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°28′S144°06′E / 38.467°S 144.100°E /-38.467; 144.100 | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 979 (2021 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3231 | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation | 95 m (312 ft) | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | Surf Coast Shire | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Polwarth | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Corangamite | ||||||||||||||
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Aireys Inlet is a town located on theGreat Ocean Road, southwest ofMelbourne,Victoria,Australia. Aireys Inlet is located betweenAnglesea andLorne, and joined withFairhaven,Moggs Creek, andEastern View to the west.
Manysurfers holiday in Aireys Inlet to take advantage of the popular Fairhaven beach. As the inclination of the beach can change dramatically between years, the surf is regarded as unpredictable. Swimmers should take note there is a strongrip current.
Painkalac Creek, which separates Aireys Inlet from Fairhaven, forms asalt lake or inlet behind thesand dunes before it cuts through to the ocean. Due to low water levels in the inlet it is not often that the inlet breaks through.
Aireys Inlet is also famous forSplit Point Lighthouse which was featured in the popular children's TV showRound The Twist.
There is also a horseshoe-shaped reef at Step Beach which forms an excellent swimming hole at low tide. The town's main attraction, theSplit Point Lighthouse, overlooks the inlet. The lighthouse has made Aireys Inlet an icon along theGreat Ocean Road.
In the early 19th century, before British settlement, the escaped convictWilliam Buckley lived here in a primitive hut eating fish, shellfish, wild raspberries and sugar ants. Aireys Inlet was known to theAboriginals of the time asManagwhawz. The town takes its current name fromJohn Moore Cole Airey, who settled in the area in 1842.[3]
The Post Office opened on 1 April 1893.[4]
At the2016 census, Aireys Inlet had a population of 802. 83.4% of people were born in Australia and 88.3% of people only spoke English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 53.9% and Catholic 16.1%.[5]
Fairhaven,Moggs Creek, andEastern View are in the same postal area as Aireys Inlet.
Aireys Inlet possesses anoceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), with tepid, relatively dry summers and mild, wetter winters. Average maxima vary from 23.1 °C (73.6 °F) in January and February to 13.4 °C (56.1 °F) in July while average minima fluctuate between 14.7 °C (58.5 °F) in February and 7.3 °C (45.1 °F) in July. Meanprecipitation is moderately low (averaging 618.1 mm (24.33 in) per annum), but rainfall is frequent, as Aireys Inlet receives 152.1 precipitation days annually (with a maximum frequency of rain inwinter). Extreme temperatures have ranged from 45.3 °C (113.5 °F) on 7 February 2009 to 0.0 °C (32.0 °F) on 28 July 1990.[6]
| Climate data for Aireys Inlet (38°28′S144°05′E / 38.46°S 144.09°E /-38.46; 144.09, 105 m AMSL) (1990-2024 normals & extremes) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 43.5 (110.3) | 45.3 (113.5) | 40.7 (105.3) | 34.6 (94.3) | 27.8 (82.0) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.6 (69.1) | 25.4 (77.7) | 31.5 (88.7) | 36.6 (97.9) | 38.9 (102.0) | 44.7 (112.5) | 45.3 (113.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.1 (73.6) | 21.8 (71.2) | 19.1 (66.4) | 16.3 (61.3) | 13.9 (57.0) | 13.4 (56.1) | 14.4 (57.9) | 16.3 (61.3) | 18.2 (64.8) | 19.8 (67.6) | 21.5 (70.7) | 18.4 (65.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.2 (57.6) | 14.7 (58.5) | 13.7 (56.7) | 11.6 (52.9) | 9.9 (49.8) | 8.2 (46.8) | 7.3 (45.1) | 7.5 (45.5) | 8.3 (46.9) | 9.5 (49.1) | 11.0 (51.8) | 12.3 (54.1) | 10.7 (51.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 6.8 (44.2) | 7.5 (45.5) | 6.7 (44.1) | 4.4 (39.9) | 3.9 (39.0) | 1.3 (34.3) | 0.0 (32.0) | 2.2 (36.0) | 2.6 (36.7) | 2.0 (35.6) | 4.5 (40.1) | 6.1 (43.0) | 0.0 (32.0) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 42.7 (1.68) | 31.3 (1.23) | 36.4 (1.43) | 46.0 (1.81) | 54.9 (2.16) | 59.1 (2.33) | 66.3 (2.61) | 63.6 (2.50) | 56.7 (2.23) | 63.7 (2.51) | 57.7 (2.27) | 39.6 (1.56) | 618.1 (24.33) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.2 mm) | 8.0 | 6.5 | 9.9 | 12.4 | 14.3 | 15.2 | 17.9 | 17.4 | 15.6 | 14.0 | 11.2 | 9.7 | 152.1 |
| Average afternoonrelative humidity (%) | 65 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 72 | 75 | 73 | 70 | 66 | 64 | 65 | 64 | 67 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 12.7 (54.9) | 13.3 (55.9) | 12.0 (53.6) | 10.1 (50.2) | 9.5 (49.1) | 8.1 (46.6) | 7.2 (45.0) | 7.1 (44.8) | 7.6 (45.7) | 8.2 (46.8) | 10.1 (50.2) | 11.1 (52.0) | 9.7 (49.6) |
| Source:Bureau of Meteorology (1990-2024 normals & extremes)[2] | |||||||||||||
While the coastline at adjacentFairhaven is a long uninterrupted sand beach, the coast at Aireys Inlet is a series of rock shelves, interrupted by sandy swimming beaches, most of which are relatively secluded. Each beach has its own character, a result of differing lengths, orientation and nearby rock formations. Beaches include Sandy Gully, Steppy Beach and Sunnymeade.
Aireys Inlet has one school, Aireys Inlet Primary School (P-6), which until the end of 2016 was a campus of the thenLorne-Aireys Inlet P-12 College.
During the early 1950s the Australian crime authorArthur Upfield lived at Aireys Inlet. His novelThe New Shoe (1951) is based on the township and the lighthouse. Some of the novel's characters drew on local identities.
Many scenes from thechildren's television seriesRound the Twist were filmed at or around the area of the Split Point Lighthouse.
In 2005 theBollywood movieSalaam Namaste was produced in Melbourne with many scenes being shot around Aireys Inlet, Fairhaven and Anglesea.[7]
At low tide it is possible to walk (or scramble) around all these rocks and beaches, making it possible to walk along the beach, all the way from Eastern View - the historical start of the Great Ocean Road, all the way to Anglesea.
Much likeAnglesea, Aireys Inlet is served by Surf Coast Times, a local newspaper for the Surf Coast published weekly on Fridays. Television services are received via atranslator in Anglesea, carrying theMelbourne channels, although TV coverage from the translator is very low. Radio services are received on AM and FM from Melbourne andGeelong.
Aireys Inlet was devastated by the infamous 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires in which a large number of houses were burnt down. However, after a brief lull, interest in the area resumed and has been steadily climbing since. Properties, especially those with an ocean view, are becoming increasingly sought after, some going for greater thanA$1 million.
Aireys Inlet has a number of heritage listed sites, including:
Media related toAireys Inlet, Victoria at Wikimedia Commons
Localities in theSurf Coast Shire | ||
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^ -Territory divided with anotherLGA | ||