HISTORY OF INVERLOCH
– Ancient middens discovered in the area are testimony to the seafood diet of the Bunurong Aborigines who once occupied this stretch of the coast. The Bonkoolawools are also thought to have hunted in the region.
– The first European to settle in the Inverloch area was Samuel Anderson, who, together with his brothers and Robert Massie, ran cattle and grew wheat in the area.
– The inlet on which the town is situated on is named Anderson Inlet after Samuel Anderson. The town was first named Andersons Inlet and later renamed Inverloch after Loch Inver (Lake Entrance) in Scotland.
– The Post Office opened on 1 September 1883 as Anderson’s Inlet and was renamed Inverloch in 1889.
– As the area developed Inverloch became a port for the shipment of black coal from Wonthaggi to Melbourne.
– Australia’s first dinosaur bone, the Cape Paterson Claw, was discovered near Inverloch in 1903. Today, the Dinosaur Dreaming fossil excavation at the Flat Rocks coastal site by Anderson’s Inlet attracts both Australian and international visitors.
INVERLOCH – THE TOWN TODAY
– Inverloch is a popular tourist destination, particularly for surfers, kitesurfers, windsurfers and fishers.
– The town hosts a jazz festival each Labour Day long weekend in March.
– According to the Bass Coast Shire Council Inverloch’s amenities include a visitor information centre, two Pubs three motels, seven bed and breakfasts, three caravan parks and a foreshore camping reserve.
– Like most other Australian coastal towns Inverloch has a local surf lifesaving club.
– It is constantly changing and at low tide its sandy bottom is exposed and many species of waterbirds banquet on the shores.
*Information on the history and the town today was gathered from www.visitvictoria.com and Wikipedia – The Free Encyclopaedia websites.
INVERLOCH – TOWN FACILITIES
Banks
ANZ – ATM – 2 Ramsey Street
Bendigo Bank – Branch and ATM – 16c Williams Street
CBA – ATM (In Mobil) 25 Williams Street
NAB – 3 A’Beckett Street
Esplanade Hotel – ATM – 1 A’Beckett Street
Internet
Inverloch Library – Reilly Street
Mon: 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 6pm
Tues, Wed: 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 4pm
Thurs, Fri: 10am to 12.30pm and 1.30pm to 5pm
Sat: 10am to 1pm
Laundry
Coin Laundry – off Scarborough Street
Open Daily
Petrol Station
BP Service Station – 25 Williams Street
Supermarket/General Store
Foodworks – 8/10 Riley Street
Quick facts about Inverloch
– Population approximately 4,100
– Approximately 140 kilometres south-east of Melbourne
– Bunurong Coastal Drive
Inverloch – Activities and attractions
– Bunurong Environment Centre
– Enjoy excellent surfing and swimming
– Bunurong Coastal Drive
– ‘Eagles Nest’
– Screw Creek Nature Walk
How to get to Inverloch
Inverloch is less than two hours from Melbourne. Travel along the South Gippsland Highway from Melbourne, turning onto Bass Highway to follow the road through Grantville, Bass, Kilcunda and Wonthaggi before reaching Inverloch.