Beeac
Beeac is a township approximately 20 km northeast of Colac, named after a tribal leader whose headquarters were in the nearby Warrion Hills. It was also was also the aboriginal name for salt water or salt lake, referring to the high salt levels in nearby Lake Beeac.
The town was surveyed in 1864 and by the end of 1860s a community was settling and the area was a significant wheat-growing area. A salt works was established to exploit the salt in the lakes and wine was also grown. From the turn of the twentieth century Beeac was a thriving business centre with numerous shops and trades, school, a Mechanic's Institute, a post office, a hospital and two hotels. The railway came to the town in 1884 connecting Beeac with Colac and Ballarat.
The impressive Roman Catholic church, now no longer in use and very visible on the right as you enter Beeac from Colac, was built in 1924. The first Methodist church, measuring 16 ft x 14 ft, was built in 1862 at a cost of £85. It later became a Sunday School. The stone church was built in 1878 at a cost of £700. The Presbyterian church was built in 1861-62. Prior to that services were conducted in private homes by Reverend Hugh Blaiir from Colac. Reverend William Agner was the first minister, serving until 1906. St Augustine's Anglican church was erected in 1898.
Beeac Windmill Park
In a country where water is often a scarce commodity, windmills have become an iconic component in the Australian rural landscape. and with several windmill builders operating once in the area, the town's community established a Windmill Park, exhibiting historic windmills built from parts scavenged from local farms. The Park is seen here on the occasion of its opening day, during the town's 150th anniversary celebrations on 23 October 2010. Much of the water used by farmers in the surrounding area is drawn from bores traditionally pumped to the ground by such windmills.
St Michael's Roman Catholic Church, an imposing Gothic brick structure on the south end of Main Street, was built in 1924 and consecrated in 1925. The first Catholic church was built in 1867 and used as a school after the present church was built. The church is no longer in use. |
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St Andrew's Uniting Church, Beeac. Services are held at 9am on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month. The first church in Australia to have live internet worship, from Glen Waverley Uniting Church, Melbourne. Contact the Church Secretary on (03) 5238 8355. |
The English, Scottish and Australian Bank building in Main Street, Beeac was erected in 1888 and renovated in 1956. It is one of many buildings, some now gone, that stood as evidence of the prosperity once enjoyed by this little town. |
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