| Clifton Springs Victoria | |||||||||||||||
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 The Clifton Springs jetty in 2007 | |||||||||||||||
  Clifton Springs | |||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 38°09′S144°34′E / 38.150°S 144.567°E | ||||||||||||||
| Population | 7,519 (2016 census) [1] | ||||||||||||||
| Postcode(s) | 3222 | ||||||||||||||
| Location |
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| LGA(s) | City of Greater Geelong | ||||||||||||||
| State electorate(s) | Bellarine | ||||||||||||||
| Federal division(s) | Corangamite | ||||||||||||||
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Clifton Springs is a coastal town located on the Bellarine Peninsula, near Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
In December 1870 a report was published regarding the discovery of mineral springs on "Clifton", the property of Thomas Bates (Jnr). The medicinal value of the waters was submitted to rigid chemical examination, and summarised as containing magnesia, seltzer, sulphur, soda and iron. [2]
In about 1871, Bates leased the land adjacent to the Springs to Mr. Levien, a large landholder at nearby Murradoc, who created a pleasure ground, and Clifton Springs boomed. A pier was built, along with salt water and sulphur baths. Steamers ran excursions from Geelong and other places, and regular coach services were provided by Cobb & Co. from nearby Portarlington and Drysdale. Other buildings, including a boiler house, mineral water bottling plant, kiosk, and manager's cottage were built [2] in the vicinity of what became known as "Fairy Dell".
A well-appointed hotel was constructed above the Springs. It was destroyed by fire in 1921, and a second one was built in 1926, which was remodelled as the Clifton Springs Country Club in about 1957, as part of a real estate development, and became the Clifton Springs Community Centre in 1977 when the building was purchased by the then Shire of Bellarine. [2]
A Clifton Springs Post Office was open from 1902 until 1921, and from 1927 until 1932. Fairy Dell Post Office opened on 1 July 1916 and closed in 1971. [3]
The springs area, located around Fairy Dell, was closed due to possible landslides, but was re-opened in 2007 after extensive work to repair the area.
The former Mineral Springs site on Spring Street is listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. [4]
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Clifton Springs, often grouped with its neighbouring town, Drysdale, overlooks Corio Bay, the You Yangs and Geelong. This combined urban area had an estimated population of 13,494 [5] at June 2016. The area has undergone significant changes over the past decade, with new housing developments on the north side of the town.
In the early 1960s, real estate developers Willmore and Randell acquired 1,300 acres (530 ha) in Clifton Springs, with a 2-mile (3.2 km) frontage to Corio Bay. The developers engaged Victor Gruen and Associates, noted US planners of shopping centres and resorts, to design a country club estate with 5000 house lots, which they dubbed "Clifton Springs and Country Club Estate". [6] A striking entrance structure to the estate was erected in Bayshore Avenue, which included a fountain. That eventually passed to the control of the Greater Geelong Council. The fountain degraded over time and, in late 2006, it was emptied until further notice, due to water restrictions.
In 2013, a Clifton Springs fountain working group reported that locals wanted something done about the fountain's gradual deterioration. They felt it has been neglected for too long and were concerned that it was becoming an eyesore. A public meeting on 12 March expressed general support for renovating the structure, using an enclosed, non-evaporative system, which would use much less water. The renovation would include symbols of the area’s past and possible futures, linking the fountain with some of the public art at The Dell, and evoking the time when mineral water was exported from Clifton Springs. [7]
Local councillor Lindsay Ellis told the working group that a report on the fountain's condition, with an estimate of the cost of refurbishing it, was due from council officers on 23 April, and that he Greater Geelong Council would consider the fountain's future as part of the process of formulating the council's 2013/14 budget. [7]
The Clifton Springs Golf Club is entered from Clearwater Drive. [8]
Clifton Springs Primary School, situated in Jetty Road, was established in 1989. It had an enrolment of approximately 280 students in 2015, [9] which had grown to about 450 students in 2024. [10]
The town has gained a modest cult following among fans of the British coming-of-age television teen sitcom The Inbetweeners . In the first episode of the first series, Jay Cartwright (played by James Buckley) attempts to buy drinks at a pub while underage, using a fake Victorian driver's licence belonging to Bret Clement, which lists an address on Whitcombes Road in Clifton Springs. His incredibly poor, yet likely recognisable, Australian accent adds to the humour of the scene, but ultimately, he fails in his attempt.
In the 2016 Census, there were 7,519 people in Clifton Springs. 79.4% of people were born in Australia. The next most common country of birth was England at 5.8%. 91.1% of people spoke only English at home. The most common responses for religion were No Religion 35.4%, Catholic 22.8% and Anglican 13.5%. [1]
The population is expected to grow to more than 9,000 residents by the year 2020. [11]
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| The Clifton Springs pier, as it appeared in the 1910s. | Clifton Springs, overlooking the pier in 1955 | The Clifton Springs pier in 2007. |
Geelong is a port city in Victoria, Australia, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay and the left bank of Barwon River, about 75 km (47 mi) southwest of Melbourne. With an estimated population of 282,809 in 2023, Geelong is the second largest city in the state of Victoria. It is the administrative centre for the City of Greater Geelong municipality, which is Port Phillip's only regional metropolitan area, and covers all the urban, rural and coastal reserves around the city including the entire Bellarine Peninsula and running from the plains of Lara in the north to the rolling hills of Waurn Ponds to the south, with Corio Bay to the east and the Barrabool Hills to the west.
The City of Greater Geelong is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of 1,248 square kilometres (482 sq mi) and, had a population of 271,057 as of the 2021 Australian census. It is primarily urban with the vast majority of its population living in the Greater Geelong urban area, while other significant settlements within the LGA include Anakie, Balliang, Barwon Heads, Batesford, Ceres, Clifton Springs, Drysdale, Lara, Ocean Grove, Portarlington and St Leonards. It was formed in 1993 from the amalgamation of the Rural City of Bellarine, Shire of Corio, City of Geelong, City of Geelong West, City of Newtown, City of South Barwon, and parts of Shire of Barrabool and Shire of Bannockburn.
Norlane is a northern suburb of Geelong, in Victoria, Australia. Norlane is bordered in the south by Cowies Creek, in the north by Cox Road, in the west by Thompson Road and in the east by Station Street. It is about 7 km from the Geelong central business district and approximately 70 km from the state capital, Melbourne. It is about one kilometre from the shore of Corio Bay. At the 2016 census, Norlane had a population of 8,306.
Leopold is a residential eastern suburb of Geelong and is a gateway to the Bellarine Peninsula in the Australian state of Victoria. At the 2016 census, Leopold had a population of 12,814.
Geelong West is a commercial and residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. When Geelong was founded, the area was known as Kildare but its name was changed to Geelong West in 1875. The main street is Pakington Street. At the 2016 census, Geelong West had a population of 6,966.
Drysdale is a rural township near Geelong, Victoria, Australia, located on the Bellarine Peninsula. The town has an approximate population of over 3,700. Drysdale forms part of an urban area, along with nearby Clifton Springs, that had an estimated population of 13,494 at June 2016.
South Geelong, also referred to as Geelong South, is a southern suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Its local government area is the City of Greater Geelong. At the 2016 census, South Geelong had a population of 993.
Portarlington is a historic coastal township located on the Bellarine Peninsula, 28 km from the city of Geelong, in the state of Victoria, Australia. It has a diverse population which includes a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, a high proportion of retirees, and a large seasonal holiday influx. The gently rising hills behind the town feature vineyards and olive groves, and offer spectacular panoramic views across Port Phillip Bay. Portarlington is a popular family holiday destination and a centre of fishing and aquaculture (mussels). At one time the town claimed the largest Caravan Park in the Southern Hemisphere, although the size has reduced considerably in recent decades. With direct ferry links to the city of Melbourne Portarlington also serves as a gateway to the historic towns and surf beaches of the Bellarine Peninsula.
St Leonards is a coastal township on the Bellarine Peninsula near Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Situated 33 kilometres (21 mi) east of Geelong, at the eastern end of the Bellarine Peninsula and the northern end of Swan Bay, St Leonards was a filming location for the Australian television series SeaChange.
Meredith is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Midland Highway between Ballarat and Geelong, in the local government area of the Golden Plains Shire. At the 2021 census, Meredith had a population of 821, an increase from the 788 at the 2016 census
The Bellarine Peninsula is a peninsula located south-west of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, surrounded by Port Phillip, Corio Bay and Bass Strait. The peninsula, together with the Mornington Peninsula, separates Port Phillip Bay from Bass Strait. The peninsula itself was originally occupied by Indigenous Australian clans of the Wadawurrung nation, prior to European settlement in the early 19th century. Early European settlements were initially centred on wheat and grain agriculture, before the area became a popular tourist destination with most visitors arriving by paddle steamer on Port Phillip in the late 19th century.
The City of Geelong was a local government area about 75 kilometres (47 mi) southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of 13.4 square kilometres (5.2 sq mi), and existed from 1849 until 1993.
The City of Geelong West was a local government area about 5 kilometres (3 mi) west of the regional city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of 5.26 square kilometres (2.0 sq mi), and existed from 1875 until 1993.
The City of Newtown was a local government area about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of the regional city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of 6.22 square kilometres (2.4 sq mi), and existed from 1858 until 1993.
The Rural City of Bellarine was a local government area southeast of the regional city of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, covering most of the Bellarine Peninsula. The Rural City covered an area of 331.78 square kilometres (128.1 sq mi), and from its origin as the Portarlington Road District, existed in a number of forms and under different names from 1853 until 1993.
The Shire of Corio was a local government area located between Geelong and Werribee, about 60 kilometres (37 mi) southwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The shire, which included all of Geelong's northern suburbs, covered an area of 704.66 square kilometres (272.1 sq mi), and existed from 1861 until 1993.
The electoral district of Bellarine is one of the electoral districts of Victoria, Australia, for the Victorian Legislative Assembly. It covers an area of 367 square kilometres (142 sq mi) stretching from the Bellarine Peninsula to the outer eastern suburbs of Geelong. It includes the towns of Barwon Heads, Clifton Springs, Drysdale, Indented Head, Ocean Grove, Point Lonsdale, Portarlington and Queenscliff and the Geelong suburb of Leopold. It lies within the Western Victoria Region of the upper house, the Legislative Council.
Curlewis is a bounded rural locality of the City of Greater Geelong local government area on the Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 census, Curlewis had a population of 4,175.
Bellarine is a rural locality in the City of Greater Geelong, Victoria, Australia. In the 2011 census, the population of Bellarine was too low to separately report; however in June 2014 the Victorian Electoral Commission recorded 134 enrolled voters in Bellarine, living in 81 properties.
The Barwon South West is an economic rural region located in the southwestern part of Victoria, Australia. The Barwon South West region stretches from the tip of the Queenscliff Heads to the border of South Australia. It is home to Victoria’s largest provincial centre, Geelong and the major centres of Aireys Inlet, Apollo Bay, Camperdown, Colac, Hamilton, Lorne, Port Campbell, Port Fairy, Portland, Torquay and Warrnambool. It draws its name from the Barwon River and the geographic location of the region in the state of Victoria.
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