| Breamlea Victoria | |||||||||||||||
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 Main beach at Breamlea | |||||||||||||||
  Breamlea | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°18′S144°23′E / 38.300°S 144.383°E /-38.300; 144.383 | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 162 (2016 census)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3227 | ||||||||||||||
| Location | |||||||||||||||
| LGA(s) | |||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | South Barwon | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Corangamite | ||||||||||||||
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Breamlea is a locality inSurf Coast Shire,Victoria,Australia. It is located on the south coast of theBellarine Peninsula, 18 kilometres south ofGeelong, and halfway betweenBarwon Heads andTorquay. It is divided between theCity of Greater Geelong and theSurf Coast Shire. In the2016 census, Breamlea had a population of 162.[1]
Breamlea is nestled in the sand dunes betweenThomsons Creek and the beach.
Thomsons Creek, also known as Bream Creek, runs through a natural network of reedy canals and widens before it enters Buckleys Bay. At the mouth of the creek is Point Impossible which is a well-known longboardsurfing break.
The patrolled surf beach at Breamlea is called Bancoora, and is the closest surf beach to Melbourne. The beach was named after theSS Bancoora, that ran aground there in 1891.[2] Other non-patrolled beaches along this stretch of coast are not heavily used.
The area was once populated by theMon Mart Clan ofWathaurong people. The rock shelves on the coast in the area have always been rich in shellfish, and largemiddens of discarded shells can be seen on the headland between Buckleys Bay and Stingray Bay.William Buckley lived in the area, and across the road from the caravan park is a well that he is supposed to have used.
Theclipper shipVictoria Tower, on its maiden voyage toMelbourne, was wrecked on rocks at Point Impossible in 1869. It had been encountering problems with its compasses during its 85-day voyage to Australia. The wreck is one of many included in Victoria's Underwater Shipwreck Discovery Trail.[3]
On 14 July 1891, theSS Bancoora ran aground on what is now the surf beach. The cargo included a young elephant, a rhinoceros, monkeys and parrots. All were landed safely and taken by lorry to Geelong, although the rhinoceros unfortunately only survived for two days. TheBancoora was re-floated by two steam tugs and assisted by them to theAlfred Graving Dock atWilliamstown.[2]
Thomsons Creek attracted campers and fishermen from the 1870s onwards and, by the 1920s, makeshift huts were being built by regular campers. During the Great Depression, squatters constructed more permanent buildings, rate-free, and eked out meals from the creek and the ocean.[citation needed]
The existence of the settlement, hitherto known as Bream Creek, was formally acknowledged by the government in October 1941 when it was proclaimed in the Government Gazette and renamed Breamlea,[4] creating a small linear township huddled behind the high,Moonah-covered sand dunes. The proclamation paved the way for the sale of the first freehold land in 1942. A Post Office opened on 1 July 1947.[5] Breamlea was only connected to the electricity grid in the late 1960s.
Breamlea State School opened in the local hall on 27 May 1952 and moved to a standalone site on 31 January 1955. It closed on 14 January 1966.[6]
In 1962, a surf life saving club was formed at Bancoora Beach, with clubrooms being built in 1963. On 8 April 1987, the original clubhouse was gutted by fire. For the next four seasons the club operated from a tin shed, until the present building was opened on 25 October 1992.[7]
Breamlea has around 100 houses nestled in the sand dunes betweenThomsons Creek and the beach. The main street, Horwood Drive, is located at the base of the dunes, with Blyth Street above. Houses are located on the south side of Horwood Drive, and the north side of Blyth Street.
There is also acaravan park, and small general store with basic supplies. Halfway along Horwood Drive is a recreation reserve with an oval, children's playground, barbecue facilities and toilet.
The area is underdeveloped and many residents want to keep it that way[according to whom?]. The architecture of Breamlea is a mix offibro-cement beach shacks built in the 1950s and 1960s, and modern, architect-designed houses.
Barwon Water's Black Rocksewage treatment plant is located to the north-east of Breamlea, processing effluent from Geelong and surrounding areas. Black Rock was chosen as theocean outfall for Geelong's sewage in 1912, with the outfall sewer being built during the next three years.[8] Initially, the sewage was left untreated before being discharged into the ocean, increasingly polluting several adjacent beaches. A basiccomminutor was installed at the outlet in the 1970s but, in the 1980s, the treatment plant was built, along with a 1.2-kilometre-long ocean outfall.[9] In 1997, the plant was further upgraded, with secondary filtration being provided, and a pipeline was installed to allowrecycled water to be used on a flower farm atTorquay.[10]
The Bancoora Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) conducts seasonal surf patrols over the summer period, and the beach has lifeguards on duty every day in January. Each summer, a nipper program is run to educate and enhance the surf skills of young members. Bancoora SLSC hosted the Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships during the Easter of 1977. Due to the heavy surf during the championships, many events were relocated to Fisherman's Beach in Torquay.
The club celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 2013.[11]
Awind generator, located on Black Rock Road, was erected in November 1987 by theState Electricity Commission of Victoria and the Victorian Solar Energy Council (nowEnergy Victoria), as a demonstration unit. The turbine, atop a 22-metre monopole, was of 60 kW capacity, and was manufactured by Westwind ofWestern Australia.[12]
As a consequence of the privatisation of electricity supply in Victoria, the generator was sold in 1994 to theAlternative Technology Association ofMelbourne. December 1995 saw it sold again, to Michael Gunter, a member of the previous organisation. Electricity production ceased at 1200hrs on 17 May 2003, due to anelectrical generator burn-out, caused by moisture, salt, and electrical flash-over.[13]
Localwater utility,Barwon Water, bought the turbine the same year, restoring it to service in early 2004.[14] It generates approximately 80,000 kWh per year for the grid, with an estimated 90-95 per cent availability,[14] and produces between 7 kW and 10.3 kW of average power.[15]
Localities in theSurf Coast Shire | ||
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^ -Territory divided with anotherLGA | ||
