Apollo Bay, Victoria.html



Apollo Bay Victoria
Apollo Bay and its surrounding hills viewed from the pier.
Population:	1777 (2006)1
Postcode:	3233
Elevation:	15.0 m (49 ft)
Location:	191 km (119 mi) from Melbourne 118 km (73 mi) from Geelong 69 km (43 mi) from Colac 43 km (27 mi) from Lorne 165 km (103 mi) from Warrnambool
LGA:	Colac Otway Shire
State District:	Polwarth
Federal Division:	Corangamite
Mean Max Temp Mean Min Temp Annual Rainfall 17.5 °C 64 °F 10.6 °C 51 °F 1,053.3 mm 41.5 in

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Apollo Bay is a coastal town in southwestern Victoria, Australia. It is situated on the eastern side of Cape Otway, along the edge of the Barham River and on the Great Ocean Road, in the Colac Otway Shire. The town has a population of 1777.

It now makes an income from tourism, though it is smaller and quieter than other tourist destinations such as Lorne. It is also host to the annual Apollo Bay Music Festival and the Great Ocean Sports Festival.

History

1936 Stamp- Cable to Tasmania depicting Amphitrite

In the 1840s the Henty brothers established a whaling station at Point Bunbury on the western end of the bay.

The bay was named by a Captain Loutit in 1845 when he sheltered his vessel, the Apollo, here from a storm.

The first settlers were timber cutters in the 1850s who subsequently established sawmills². Farmers later moved into the area and a small settlement on Apollo Bay named Middleton developed. A Post Office of that name (with a fortnightly mail delivery) opened on May 1, 1873 (relocated to the township of Krambruk in 1881 and renamed Apollo Bay in 1898). ³ During this period almost all access to the area was by sea.

The township of Krambruk (later to be renamed Apollo Bay) was established in 1877, and a school was open by 1880.

With the upgrade of the road to the town in 1927 and the completion of the Great Ocean Road in 1932, the town became a tourist destination and an important fishing port.

In 1936 a submarine telegraph and telephone cable from Apollo Bay to Stanley provided the first connection to Tasmania from the mainland. The Apollo Bay Telegraph station closed in 1963 and is now a museum.

On July 10, 1932 the coastal steamer Casino sank while attempting to berth at the town jetty. Ten lives were lost. Earlier shipwrecks have occurred along the Cape Otway coastline.

Events and Festivals in Apollo Bay

Events and festivals held in Apollo Bay include

• The Apollo Bay Music Festival was first held in 1993 and the 16th annual Festival was held on 25-27 April 2008.(website) A poster for the festival of 1999 by Jeff Ragus was featured on a postage stamp issued by Australia Post in 2006.

• Great Ocean Sports Festival (website) - 10-11th February 2007.

• Apollo Bay and Otway District Show (website) - The 2007 Apollo Bay and Otway Show was held on Saturday 20 January on the Apollo Bay Recreation Reserve, on the Great Ocean Road, beside the Barham River and the beach.

• Saturday Foreshore Market - Every Saturday (weather permitting - see Local Weather), market stalls are set up between the Information Centre & the Surf Lifesaving Club.

Sporting Clubs in Apollo Bay

Marriner’s Falls, Apollo Bay, 1935

Apollo Bay Golf Club

Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club

The Apollo Bay Surf Lifesaving Club was established in 1952 as a result of a meeting held on the foreshore by interested townspeople and Surf Lifesaving Victoria officials. The Apollo Bay SLSC became the ninth club to be affiliated with Surf Lifesaving Victoria. It is now affiliated with the new amalgamation between two Victorian lifesaving organisations: Life Saving Victoria. ([1])

Apollo Bay Sailing Club

The Apollo Bay Sailing Club aims to provide a wide range of opportunities in sailing to a diverse range of abilities and age groups.

Other clubs

Other clubs in Apollo Bay include Apollo Bay Golf Club - (website) and Apollo Bay Pony Club - (website).

The town has an Australian Rules football team competing in the Colac & District Football League.⁴

People born or raised in Apollo Bay

• Neil Melville - He is an actor born in Sydney, but spent his childhood in Apollo Bay.
• Sarah-Jane Wentzki - She is the founding member of "I Want A Hovercraft" who now lives in Melbourne.
• Sid O'Neil, Ted O'Neil, Michael Fitzgerald - They are members of the rock band The Vasco Era.

Pop Culture Allusions

• "Eli's Coming" (1969) by Laura Nyro includes the line "I walked to Apollo by the bay."

References

The song was performed by Three Dog Night, the song ws written by Laura Nyro.

External links

• Apollo Bay Accommodation and Community Pages
• Apollo Bay Local Weather Information
• Colac Otway Web: Directory of Great Ocean Road
• Official Great Ocean Road Info
• Accommodation Guide for the Great Ocean Road Region
• Google Street View- Apollo Bay from the Great Ocean Road

Coordinates: 38°45′S 143°39′E / -38.75, 143.65