Aireys Inlet, Victoria

Encyclopedia : A : AI : AIR : Aireys Inlet, Victoria

The main bus stop in Aireys Inlet

Aireys Inlet is a small coastal inlet and town located on the Great Ocean Road, southwest of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Aireys Inlet is located between Anglesea and Lorne, and joined with Fairhaven to the west.

Many surfies 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 strong rip current.

Painkalac Creek, which separates Aireys Inlet from Fairhaven, forms a salt lake or inlet behind the sand 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.

There is also a horseshoe-shaped reef at Step Beach which forms an excellent swimming hole at low tide. The Split Point Lighthouse overlooks the inlet.

Great Ocean Road

Contents

1 History
2 Airey's Inlet in literature and media
3 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires
4 References
5 External links

History

In the early 19th century, before European settlement, the escaped convict William Buckley lived here in a primitive hut eating fish, shellfish, wild raspberries and sugar ants. Aireys Inlet was known to the Aboriginals of the time as Managwhawz.

Airey's Inlet in literature and media

During the early 1950s the Australian crime author Arthur Upfield lived at Aireys Inlet. His novel The New Shoe (1951) is based on the township and the lighthouse. Some of the novel's characters drew on local identities.

Many scenes from the children's television series Round the Twist were filmed at or around the area of the Split Point Lighthouse.

In 2005 the Bollywood movie Salaam Namaste was produced in Melbourne with many scenes being shot around Aireys Inlet, Fairhaven and Anglesea.

1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires

Aireys Inlet was devastated by the infamous 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires in which nearly every house was 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 than AUD$1 million.

References

External links

Visitor attractions on the Great Ocean Road

Attractions: Bells Beach | Otway National Park | Port Campbell National Park | The Twelve Apostles

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.